FilmMonthly » Adrienne Foon

Pina Bausch in Dancing Dreams

Adrienne Foon — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 14:35:16 +0000

This documentary is about a group of young teenagers from different areas and backgrounds who gather on Saturdays to take a dance class. For most of them it is an introduction to a new world. A few of the boys have some experience with hip-hop dancing but the rest are completely unfamiliar with the world of movement. One girl said that she expected a casual class where she would dance a little; learn a few moves. It wasn’t until the rehearsals started that she knew she had entered into something more serious and demanding. Unbeknownst to them, this extra curricular activity will transform the lives and perspectives of these teenagers, giving them new eyes with which to see the universe.
None of them have ever heard of Pina Bausch but when their rehearsal directors, Jo and Benedicte (former dancers for Pina Bausch) educate them on her fame, style and expectations, this makes them nervous and excited and inspires them to do the best they can. From this group, Pina will choose the ones she wants to perform “Kontakthof” for a special theater run to present to the public. From the very opening, I loved Dancing Dreams. It felt like I was a fly on the wall observing the student’s reactions to Pina’s forthright artistry, and watching them navigate through the many new elements that Baush’s modern dance thrusts upon them. These include trusting and respecting others outside of the family and outside of the personal comfort zone, intimacy, the exploration and baring of the souls, allowing oneself to be vulnerable with strangers and interacting with those from different ethnicity’s and cultural backgrounds. Many students joined up with a friend in the beginning, but through time it was fascinating to see all of them unite and support each other in the pursuit of a common goal, that being to present their best performance individually and collectively.
The writer and filmmaker, Anne Linsel, focuses on a handful of the kids who eventually become part of the final cast. She gives us a glimpse at their personal hardships and fears and how this affects their performance. Linsel reveals each of these student’s personal journey through the challenges presented to by Pina’s work. Through an expertly guided process of self exploration, they confront and conquer their fears, driven by an intense desire to prove to themselves, to Pina, and to the rehearsal directors that they are capable of the maturity required to embody their characters in the piece. These students are being exposed to new emotional terrain and they need explanation and reassurance to find their way through. Many of the girls were astute enough to make the distinction between the feeling of having a crush on a boy and the feeling of being deeply in love. Others admitted to having only experienced the love of their parents and family and understanding that this familial love was on a different level than romantic love.
The piece “Kontacthof” (“Contact Zone”) deals with the complexity of love and desire between the sexes. It requires the dancers to explore seduction, sensuality as well as humiliation, flattery, and exhibitionism. Watching these young and inexperienced dancers interpret such adult themes is like a journey back to the discovery of sensuality. They made the movement their own, adding a lightness of purity and innocence .
Dancing Dreams is a beautifully honest portrayal of youth. As the documentary unfolds we watch as the dancers slowly put aside their inhibitions and fears about the physicality and subtle sexuality of the choreography. It’s refreshing to hear them articulate how their participation made them feel more confident in everyday life. The rehearsal directors Jo and Benedicte are wonderfully present and engaging. Both are so nurturing and patient and really care that the students are comfortable and enjoying themselves. This provides the kids with a safe environment which helps remove their natural defenses and access their real feelings in order to reach the depths of the characters they portray.
Pina Bausch is an enigma with her discerning gaze and chain smoking, but her brilliant artistry is obvious in every moment of the film. She is present for some of the rehearsals and for the final performance. As the camera focuses on Pina watching the performance, we see her face light up. It is as if she is going through all the movements with each performer in her head, taking a journey back in time. There is a strong sense of mutual adoration Pina and the rehearsal directors deeply admire the serious dedication of these kids to Pina’s choreography, and the kids truly respect the rehearsal directors and Pina as one of the top choreographers in the world.
Dancing Dreams is joyful and uplifting. It’s wonderful to see how these teenagers evolve and grow throughout the film. It leaves you wanting more and with the hope there is a sequel to find out what became of these kids.

Pianomania

Adrienne Foon — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 23:11:00 +0000

Pianomania is a glimpse into the life of Stephan Knupfer, Steinway & Son’s Chief Technician and Master Tuner in Vienna, Austria. His job relies not just on a thorough technical knowledge of the piano but also on knowing the individual sound and timbre of each instrument, it’s limits and it’s capabilities in relation to what each pianist wants.In addition, Knupfer is expected to know each pianist’s preferences and styles. Stephan’s passion for his work comes across immediately. He is very focused like the Einstein of piano technicians–always thinking about how to produce certain sounds and coming up with inventions to create the effects he hears in his mind and what is asked of him by the pianists or what he could have done to make it better. He works hard trying to figure out exactly what his client wants in terms of sound. He often consults other specialists when a pianist asks for something specific such as for the piano to sound like a clavichord for one of the recordings. Unfamiliar with the clavichord, Stephan goes down to see and hear different clavichords to replicate that sound. Since each piano and the room they are played in vary dramatically he is constantly working and making minute adjustments even switching pianos around as in the segment with Pierre-Laurent Aimard, for the performer to try out. He works in Austria’s most prestigious theaters with the likes of Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Lang Lang, Alfred Brendel, Till Fellner, Julias Drake, Ian Bostridge, Igudesman & Joo, and others.
Stephan’s ability to understand and communicate transcends any language and cultural barrier making the piano itself feel like it’s own language that he, the performer, and the piano share together. Stephan treats every performer with the same kindness, attention, and respect whether it be the intense and nit picky Pierre-Laurent Aimard or the silly comedy duo of Igudesman & Joo.
The documentary shows behind the scene segments with Stephan working with the different pianists to create the sound they want for their performance. Sometimes it is just a little tweak here and there and other times he is experimenting with putting sound panels on the piano to bounce the sound for a specific effect wanted by the performer. He goes to great lengths to appease his pianist. For Lang Lang he searched every room of the building to find the strongest piano bench because of the dramatic bouncing that is part of Lang Lang’s performance style. For Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Stephan was very challenged because the piano Pierre-Laurent had come to try out for recordings he intended to do there was sold by the time he was ready to record. With Stephan running in and out of the recording studio making adjustments for each piece he was able to make Pierre-Laurent Aimard very pleased with his recordings. Stephan upholds the prestige that old masters have in maintaining incredibly high standards and knowledge. An extraordinary man and a truly engaging documentary.

Mulberry Child

Adrienne Foon — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:28:33 +0000

Mulberry Child is a documentary on the life of Jian Ping, author of the book “Mulberry Child” and her family. Jian was born in 1960 during Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward. Her father, although devoted to the Communist Party was sequestered away and labeled as a “traitor” because he had stood up for a friend wrongly accused of “unpatriotic acts.” Her father had been captured and tortured by the Japanese during their occupation of China. This further slandered his reputation. Jian’s mother, Wing Sue, was left to fend for her 4 children and disabled mother-in-law alone. Soon after the family was forced to move to a mud hut with no running water nor electricity in the dead of winter. Jian’s family was harassed daily. Her mother was forced to write self re-criminations all day by the red guards who attempted to force her to divorce her husband. She refused. She didn’t want her children to be fatherless. Her eldest children were sent to labor camps and Jian, the youngest, was left with her crippled grandmother. Despite all the hardship and injustice they experienced, Jian’s parents stayed loyal to the communist party. At an early age, Jian learned from her family’s behaviour, that she must hide her emotions and be strong for the family. The documentary begins with the present day relationship of Jian and her daughter Lisa. Jian fears that her daughter doesn’t have the strong family values of a Chinese daughter. Lisa complains that she doesn’t feel a connection with her mother and feels more like a “guest” in her mother’s house. The story unfolds with Jian telling us why she wrote the book, “Mulberry Child” and flashes back to when Jian was a child growing up during the Cultural Revolution. Jian wanted her daughter to know what she went through and have a better understanding of her and their ancestry. Events that happened to Jian and her family are re-enacted and some old footage from the Cultural Revolution is woven in as well. It begins with Jian’s mother, Wing Sue, as a young girl choosing her potential husband from a list of names. We find out the soon-to-be husband had chosen Jian’s mother from a list as well. This destiny will bind them, keeping them together through the roughest of times. Towards the end of the documentary we follow Jian and her daughter Lisa on a trip to China to visit Jian’s parents and relatives and to see the Beijing Olympic ceremony. Spending time together strengthens their relationship as they get a better understanding of each other. It also shows the modernization and success of China since the time of the revolution. This documentary was compelling and informative. It weaves the old and the new together very smoothly. It begins with the mother/daughter conflict and explores Jian’s behavior by delving into the trauma of her past in an historical and engaging way. Utilizing old footage and simple re-enactments, the film demonstrates how the past experiences of Jian influence who she becomes as an adult as well as her daughter’s behavior. The theme is universal and at once accessible and intriguing.

Chalet Girl

Adrienne Foon — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:23:23 +0000

Chalet Girl is a teenage romantic comedy about a young tomboy, Kim, (Felicity Jones) who was successfully competing in skateboard competitions until she was derailed by the sudden death of her mother in a car accident. Her summer job at the local burger joint turns into the meager bread and butter for her and her unemployed father. On a tip from a friend, she interviews for a posh catering job which pays much more. She goes through a series of tests on dining etiquette only to be passed up because she doesn’t have the upbringing and poise the catering owner expects from the girls she hires. During their last meeting, however, the owner of the catering company is called for a replacement for a “chalet girl” needed for 4 months in Austria to start immediately. She offers this to Kim who declines the job on the spot because she fears for the well being of her father. Kim tells her dad about the job offer and he convinces her that he can take care of himself and she ends up taking the job after all.
Once Kim arrives in Austria, she finds that this much coveted job entitles the Chalet Girls to lots of free time, a free lift pass, great pay, and the sheer enjoyment of relaxing in a luxurious mostly vacant chalet. The family visits only a few times during the ski season and the job is really an occasional glorified nanny job for adults—cooking, cleaning, and accompanying the family on occasional outings. Kim shares this job with Georgie (Tamson Eggerton), a tall, beautiful blonde girl who comes off as catty and disappointed that the mousy Kim who has never seen mountains or worn a pair of ski boots, is the new replacement. At first Kim is overwhelmed in this new world of luxury and freedom but she soon discovers snowboarding, at which she excels.Her mild flirtations with the chalet owner’s son Jonny (Ed Westwick) eventually transform into something else.
This is a refreshing film. Of course there are always contrivances in romantic teenage comedies, but that is why they are so popular, and fortunately, this one is done well. The cast is great and the dialogue and character interactions are realistic. The movie is witty, entertaining, and has a nice bit of romance which is tastefully done.
Kim, (Felicity Jones) does a wonderful job as the inexperienced Chalet Girl. She is pretty, sarcastic, and sweet and stands up for herself in all situations. On her first day out snowboarding she quickly befriends a Finnish guy who helps her train for the big snowboard competition to win the big money prize to free her father from his debts. Kim’s roommate, Georgie, (Tamson Eggerton) does a brilliant job as what you would expect a “chalet girl” to be like—beautiful, posh, snobby, cheeky, fun, and money hungry.
Dickie, (Bill Nighy) plays the wealthy, eccentric but caring father married to the witch mom, Caroline (Brooke Shields) who wants her son Jonny (Ed Westwick) to marry well, meaning of equal socioeconomic status, of course. I was relieved Brooke Shields had an American wife role and wasn’t forced into trying a fake British accent.
Ed Westwick does a great job as the charming, debonair privileged heir to his father’s banking empire and avoids making the expected proposal to his glamorous, long time girlfriend (Sophia Bush) for as long as he can. He spends some time without his family at the chalet and realizes how his life has been planned out for him. His feelings for Kim grow and he is faced with some drastic decisions that will change his life forever.

I Don’t Know How She Does It

Adrienne Foon — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 23:14:37 +0000

I Don’t Know How She Does It is a romantic comedy starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Greg Kinnear, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Munn, and Christina Hendricks . It’s about Kate Reddy (Sarah Jessica Parker), a hard working, career driven top executive, and how she struggles to balance work and family while dealing with the often chauvinistic world of finance. She acquires a new high profile account which requires 3 months of constant travel and collaborating closely with the handsome and debonair Jack Abelhammer (Pierce Brosnan) putting stress on her marriage and family life.
The film is told in the vein of “Sex and the City” with narration and short monologues woven into the story. It focuses on the upper echelon corporate east coast career woman and her uphill battle in the male dominated corporate world. Kate Reddy (Sarah Jessica Parker), who feels like a continuation of her Carrie Bradshaw character from Sex and the City and her best friend Allison (Christina Hendricks) are the only two working mothers in their children’s school. They are contrast against two women who they refer to as “the momsters” who spend their days working out at the gym, getting their hair and nails done, and planning parties even though they consider themselves “stay at home mothers”and look down on Kate and Allison. This movie is supposed to be a romantic comedy but the few laughs are from Kate’s scene stealing assistant, Momo (Olivia Munn). Momo is Kate’s career driven assistant who is portrayed as robotic and perfectly poised, the antithesis of Kate. Momo’s expressions, gestures, and one liners are hilarious. Momo’s shell starts to crack once she learns she is pregnant which adds to some additional comedic entertainment.
Greg Kinnear plays the understanding struggling architect husband who has Kate’s back until he gets his big break at almost the same time as her. This puts some stress on their relationship and they go through a few exchanges that don’t go deep enough and don’t feel realistic even though Greg Kinnear charms with his sincerity. Jack Abelhammer (Pierce Brosnan) is the quintessential debonair business man. He and Kate develop a close relationship by working together to get this deal done. Jack is a little too glossy and sensitive to be that believable as a high profile corporate businessman. There are a few sparks between the two of them, but not enough to pose any realistic threat to Kate’s marriage, just enough to make her think about what she does have.
The film purports to be about the difficult choices of motherhood and the double standards of men and women in the workforce but never seems to get to the meat of the matter. It is instead, peppered with dated and contrived social observations about the differences of men and women. The jokes are worn and the film could have been so much more. Instead it is boiled down to a show down between corporate moms and stay at home moms i.e. the women at the upper echelon of the corporate world versus the stay at home women with wealthy husbands who work hard to be the “trophy wife.” What about the other working mothers who can’t hire a sitter or nanny? A very strong cast wasted by another weak script.

Tanner Hall

Adrienne Foon — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 00:45:32 +0000

Tanner Hall is about the lives of a group of teenaged friends at a small all-girls boarding school in New England. Fernanda (Rooney Mara) is the main lead. She is dreading the fact that her childhood acquaintance, the spoiled, self righteous and manipulative, Victoria, is attending her school this term. It follows the trials and tribulations that affect all girls entering adulthood: shifting friendships, romance, sexuality, taking risks, trust, lies, independence, etc..
I really enjoyed this movie and cannot believe it didn’t get a proper release. It has a great cast, tight story, and was shot well. There is a nice blend of drama, sadness, humor, and love. The music and songs worked perfectly with the film. The characters are believable, the dialogue is real and the problems are authentic. Sure the boarding school concept has been done many times before but this was done well. There’s a great romantic story line woven in when Fernanda develops a relationship with Gio, a friend of her mother’s. They have great chemistry and really pull off this complicated relationship realistically. Overall, the story does a great job addressing everyone’s issues and wrapping them up smoothly throughout the film.

Ice Age:A Mammoth Christmas Special

Adrienne Foon — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:38:10 +0000

The whole gang is back, including the entertaining interwoven vignettes of Scrat chasing his elusive acorn! This time the story focuses on proving the existence of Santa Claus and how the gang helps to save Christmas.
It starts out with the Manny bringing home a Christmas rock that is a family heirloom to them. Sid, being his helpful self, shows them another way to decorate for Christmas and, of course, all chaos breaks loose. In his frustration with Sid, Manny tells him that he is on “Santa’s naughty list”.
The next day, Peaches convinces Sid, Crash, and Eddie to embark on an adventure to the North Pole to find Santa to prove to her dad that he is real and to remove Sid’s name from the “Naughty List.” Of course Sid ends up making things much worse. And once again, the gang comes together to save the day.
The plot of “A Mammoth Christmas” uses an age old theme, but for kids and Ice Age fans it’s a sweet, simple Christmas story.

Love Begins

Adrienne Foon — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 23:37:57 +0000

This movie is apparently the prequel to the series Love Comes Softly shown on the Hallmark channel. The show had undertones of Little House on the Prairie in its earnestness, the likeability of its characters, and the Christian undertones. It takes place in a small, Western-style town and focuses on two young women, 18-year-old Ellen Barlow and 13-year-old Cassie who live by themselves in an old farmhouse. Their father passed recently and their mother died giving birth to Cassie. The leading man, Clark Davis, passes through this small town with his best friend, a mere stop for their destination to California to take part in the “Gold Rush”. A turn of events leaves Clark stranded in the small town to pay off debts for some trouble he and his friend got into. Ellen agrees to hire him to help repair the dilapidated farm and a relationship slowly begins.
In all fairness, I do not watch these types of films. The Christian teachings are a little too earnest and forced, but fortunately, they are sparse throughout the movie. The dialogue is very flat and one-dimensional, which may explain the stiff acting by the two sisters at the beginning, but by the middle of the movie they start to settle into their characters and are more engaging. Clark is a wonderful actor and handsome man. It is easy to give full attention to him and his struggles. He has a strong knowledge of himself and sticks to his convictions when challenged.
Overall, though, the movie is a bit slow, perhaps reflecting the pace of life at the time.

Oranges and Sunshine

Adrienne Foon — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:54:42 +0000

Oranges and Sunshine depicts the true story of British social worker, Margaret Humphreys (Emily Watson), who by chance uncovered the scandalous covert deportation of over 100,000 children that took place over 2 decades from the United Kingdom to Australia by boat. Many parents were told their children had been adopted and on to a better life while the children were told their parents had died. Margaret (Emily Watson) single-handedly set out on a quest to help these adult children find their truth and identity.
Emily Watson is an engaging actress. She is a rare artist who actually transforms into the character she portrays. In this film she is a social worker who goes from having a small private practice and leading small support groups to the enormous commitment of finding the identities of thousands of people who were secretly sent away as children to labor camps in Australia. We see the stress that starts to wear on her when she hears all the pain and suffering of the people’s stories she interviews, not to mention harassment by the people still trying to cover up the political end and, on top of that, just missing her family and seeing her kids grow up without her as she travels back and forth between countries. As a result, she develops post-traumatic stress disorder. The supporting cast is equally strong. At times the film actually felt like a documentary, especially in its portrayal of the abused children. The role of the husband was a little over the top. He is the quintessential perfect supportive, super accommodating husband as she flies back and forth from the UK to Australia spending weeks of every month there leaving her husband with her 2 young kids. If more men were actually like this we wouldn’t have divorce rate statistics.
The only part I was disappointed with was the story of the brother and sister duo. We follow their story from the beginning and eventually find out that they were very loved by their mother and when the trace gets closer to the mother we find out she passed away the year before the search began. So we never find out how they ended up in Australia at a labor camp when it’s very clear they were very loved and were told their mother would never do such a thing. This is really frustrating to just leave you with that loose end but maybe it was the effect they wanted to instill on the viewer so we too could really experience what these people are going through dealing with all the unanswered questions and leading a life haunted by their past.

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame

Adrienne Foon — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 23:45:01 +0000

Despite its campy title and a few campy elements which, to be fair, are actually an ode to traditional martial arts films, I found Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame both engaging and captivating. What’s not to like about a story of a real life FEMALE ruler equipped with her own right hand woman, a stunning and skilled fighter Jing-Er (Lee Bing Bing), alongside the eventually very handsome Andy Lau? Yes, eventually handsome, you’ll have to see the transformation for yourself.
Acclaimed director Tsui Hark’s new film is another visually stunning period masterpiece with a star-studded cast of some of China’s A-list actors: Andy Lau, Carina Lau, Lee Bing Bing, and Tony Leung Ka-Fai. And it is choreographed by none other than the great Sammo Hung. The film is derived from a popular Chinese detective novel series published anonymously in the 18th century and based on a real historical figure, Dee Renjie from the Tang Dynasty. The story has hugely influenced both Chinese and Western writers and audiences.
The film starts out on the eve of the coronation of China’s first and only female ruler, Empress Wu (Carina Lau), in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) with a rush to finish the construction of an enormous Bodhisattva pagoda structure that overlooks the palace to commemorate this event. A few of her key officials have burst into flames under mysterious circumstances. Detective Dee Renjie (Andy Lau), who has been imprisoned in chains and assigned to burn obituaries for the last 8 years by Wu for his rebellious attempts in the past to prevent her political maneuvering, is released and cautiously enlisted by Wu to solve the mystery of the phantom flames before it jeopardizes her ascension to the throne.
Her right hand woman, Jing-Er, is sent to keep an eye on him to oversee his loyalty. If you can ignore the ridiculousness of their feet never touching the ground when chasing someone to fight, there are amazing (non-gory, thank goodness for my sake) fight sequences scattered throughout the movie. Jing-Er instantly becomes every girl’s heroine with her beauty and martial arts expertise matching in visual amazement that of the handsome Detective Dee. The costumes are stunning in both style and color, and Wu’s hair styles are works of art, though Pei Donglai’s (the pale warrior) bonnet was a bit ridiculous . The numerous twists and turns of the story keep you on the edge of your seat and the delicate love theme keeps the characters human instead of just fighting machines. It follows a bit of a Sherlock Holmes pattern where the mystery unravels as each clue is discovered and pursued with that ‘beat the clock’ rush trying to anticipate the enemies’ next moves.
Elements of the supernatural and a sinister underworld are used à la Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings. I found the revered magical talking deer a bit silly but I believe it adheres to the traditional structure of Chinese fiction which includes elements of the supernatural. I also thought the opening sequence was strange as it featured a European General approaching in a carriage to view the Buddha structure being built. It seemed unnecessary and out of context since the man looked like he was straight out of a King Arthur film but the writers wanted to introduce the cultural influence at the time. The film is set in Chang’an, China’s capital at that time, and captures the affluence and some of the cultural influences (approximately 25,000 foreigners were living in the city at the time). Other more interesting foreign elements are added throughout in the background as well.
Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame, with its remarkable visual scenery, superb cast, and intriguing story line, will keep you engaged until the end.