black comedy

A Woman, A Gun, and a Noodle Shop

mandy — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 02:00:00 +0000

I walked out of the screening of A Woman, A Gun, and a Noodle Shop feeling vaguely dissatisfied. While the official selection of the 2010 Berlin Film Festival bills itself as a “black comedy thriller [which serves] as an expose of how intense desires can consume humanity,” it neither thrills nor tickles the funny bone. Instead, I found myself repeatedly checking my watch despite the film’s ninety-five minute run time.

A Chinese re-telling of the Coen Brothers’ classic debut, Blood Simple, A Woman, A Gun, and a Noodle Shop is set in a desolate area of northern China during the Late Imperial period. The action opens on the employees (Cheng Ye, Mao Mao, and Xiao Shenyang) looking on as their boss’ wife (Yan Ni) purchases state-of-the-art weaponry—a handgun—from a band of wandering Persians. The boss’ wife is having an affair with Li (Xio Shenyang), a clownish man with a “soft spirit.” After buying the gun, the boss’ wife (she’s never given a name, incidentally) makes it clear that she expects Li to help her kill her abusive and miserly husband, Wang (Ni Dahong). When Wang discovers the affair, he hires Zhang (Sun Hunglei), a patrol officer to murder the two. Greedy and cold-blooded, Zhang has plans of his own—plans that will result in even more bloodshed.

This film is sort of like pectin-free jelly; it has all the right ingredients except something that would firm it up and give it texture. And several hours after leaving the Sony Pictures screening room, I still can’t think of what that indescribable something may be. Better character development? A slightly more sympathetic Zhang? More background characters to give the film more local flavor? Real acting on Xiao Shenyang’s part as opposed to his constant mugging and gesticulation? Genuine comedy or, perhaps, more of a neo-noir feel? Or maybe a tender love scene between Li and the boss’s wife that would have helped me understand why she was willing to tolerate such a cowardly buffoon?

Then again, this film had too much of some things as well: slapstick, time-lapse montages, all of its characters hatching schemes and working at cross purposes. A Woman, A Gun, and a Noodle Shop also has plot holes galore. How does Wang amass such a fortune as a proprietor of such an out of the way business? Aside for the imperial police who stop by early in the film, this shop never has any customers. And why do Wang’s employees stick around when they aren’t being paid? For that matter, how does Zhang find so much time away from his patrol duties and from where does he get the blood-stained clothes?

This is not to say that A Woman, A Gun, and a Noodle Shop was a total waste of time. Many of its early sequences have a colorfully frenetic quality. A scene where employees twirl around like whirling dervishes as they handle noodle dough was beautifully inventive, and the Persian gun dealer’s swordplay was transfixing. The cinematography granted the film’s arid landscapes a bleak sort of beauty.

I admit that I’ve never seen this film’s source material, but given that Blood Simple had the Coen Brothers sharing the director’s chair and a pre-Fargo Frances McDormand in the lead, I am tempted to conclude that this retread isn’t worthy to undo the original’s sandals.

Written by: Ebony Edwards-Ellis, September 14th 2010

The Last Days of Emma Blank

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:55:00 +0000

Directed by Alex van Warmerdam

Fortissimo Films

Emma Blank believes death is eminent. Surrounded by a sulky if compliant staff in her large home near the Dutch dunes, she shouts absurd orders in between bemoaning her fate. “Don’t worry,” she assures her impatient employees. “Before winter, I’ll be dead.”

Emma’s character is frustratingly distempered. Seemingly with no idea what is good for her, she demands an eel for breakfast, then violently vomits while her staff stands around shaking their heads with annoyance. It’s clear no one in the house has any sympathy for her condition, whatever mysterious ailment it may be. Meijer, the houseboy, expresses his hatred by mowing a swastika into the front yard. In cyclical fashion, Emma returns their collective disdain, at one point exclaiming, “It’s as if I’m surrounded by a bunch of toddlers with brain damage! Do your work with devotion, with a smile. Is that too much to ask?”

For much of the film, it is difficult to discern the relationship between Emma and her staff. Gonnie could be her daughter, or it could be a case of Emma’s misplaced affection. Meijer could be Gonnie’s cousin, or her boyfriend. In the beginning, Haneveld appears to be Emma’s husband, lying beside her in bed when she requests and adhering a fake moustache to his upper lip when she demands that he do so. Yet Bella, who appears to be the head of the waitstaff, also makes snide comments to Haneveld. “I’m not giving you another hand job for a while,” she threatens. Are they having an affair? What’s really going on here? How do these people know each other, and what the hell does it all mean?

Most alarming and the one truly humorous aspect of the film, Theo (played by director van Warmerdam), a fully-grown man, acts the part of the household dog, alternately bringing in dead peasants, humping Emma’s chair, and shitting in the yard. Does he think he’s a dog? Is this poor casting? Is it some sort of allegory about the plight of enslaved humans?

The central plot device—if, like me, you are unable to decipher what’s happening before it is actually revealed—happens roughly an hour into the film. With less than thirty minutes left to tie up loose ends, including Emma’s inevitable demise, the film rushes to an end and leaves several major storylines intentionally up in the air. Will the hired help inherit the house? Will their relationships survive in the wake of their time with their she-devil employer?

In Dutch with English subtitles, this truly bizarre, dark, situational comedy isn’t for everyone; frankly, I find it a stretch to label The Last Days of Emma Blank a comedy at all. But if you like feeling ill at ease, a bit discombobulated, or even thoroughly annoyed by what people will do for money, this bewilderingly strange film is for you.

Written by: Brittany Shoot, July 19th 2010

Peepli Live

admin — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Directed by Anusha Rizvi

UTV Motion Pictures

The women of Peepli… well, there are no women in Peepli. Yes, there are daughters and mothers and wives, and to them Natha is purportedly “son and brother.” Natha is in dire straits; he has taken a loan from the bank and now cannot repay it. In an attempt to keep their lands from being auctioned off, Natha and his brother, Budhia, go to the local strongman cum political candidate for advice.

The politician recommends that one of the brothers commit suicide, for while the government does not provide debt relief or agricultural subsidies for farmers, it will give a sizable payout to the family of a farmer who has committed suicide. And therein lays their salvation. The family will have money and what have the two brothers done with their lives anyway? Let one sacrifice himself for the greater good.

Natha is a simpleton and his somewhat more savvy brother convinces him that since Budhia is the one who has a family, Natha must be the one to commit suicide—only he can save them all. Obligingly, Natha agrees. Later on that evening, after the brothers have drunk themselves into a stupor, a visiting reporter hears their story. The following morning’s headline foretells the death of farmer Natha and a media circus (as well as a political one) descends onto Peepli. The various parties and partisans push and pull, and attempt to decide whether or not Natha should live.

The three female characters in the film are all shrews. From Natha’s wife, who badgers and assaults the brothers, to his mother who complains and swears, to the reporter who appears to be unconscionably chasing leads, there is not a single positive female figure in the film. Inflation herself is a witch, wreaking havoc and ruining the farmers’ lives, leading them to their early graves.

Written by: Elisheva Zakheim, July 3rd 2010

Twin Peaks: The Definitive Gold Box Edition

admin — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 22:19:00 +0000

Directed by David Lynch

Paramount Home Video

Twin Peaks was the ultimate cult TV show: suspenseful, complex, and hilariously written with hidden layers that casual channel-flippers might not catch. Though it lasted only two seasons, David Lynch and Mark Frost's classic series is a brilliant piece of television, with dozens of intertwined subplots and a mystery death that goes a lot deeper than just murder. For the very first time, both seasons and the pilot are united in this box set - a must have for cult TV enthusiasts.

The body of a beautiful young woman, Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), washes up on shore "wrapped in plastic." It seems everyone in the town of Twin Peaks adored her, so her death is a blow. FBI Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) is assigned to the case, which seems connected to his past work, so he settles down at the comfy Twin Peaks hotel and continues investigating.

Cooper is played with quirky brilliance by McLachlan; he's a bright, lovable, friendly kind of guy who loves Tibetan mysticism, tape recorders and a "damn fine cup of coffee." He becomes even more likable as the series goes on, and we get to see some of his more tragic dimensions.

Then Twin Peaks' secrets start surfacing: love affairs, madness, wackos, corporate devilry and drug-running. Clues about Laura crop up: a bloody shirt, a drug deal, a secret affair and a heart necklace. People catch glimpses of a one-armed man and a grey-haired killer, and Cooper has a prophetic dream with both men, as well as a red room, a double of Laura Palmer and a tiny man who dances to jazz music.

The second season introduces more unrest for the inhabitants of Twin Peaks, and an injured Cooper has a vision that may have something to do with Laura Palmer's death. Midway through the season he finds who it was (or rather, who it seems to be). But that's not the only plotline in the second season; we also get a psychopathic ex-Fed, parasitic demons, a disastrous beauty pageant, strange caves and a twin pair of "Lodges" that seem to exist outside space and time, which Cooper's murderous ex-partner is searching for.

Twin Peaks starts off as a basic murder mystery, but rapidly becomes something a lot stranger and more frightening. It becomes a bit weaker during the second season - especially when Laura's killer is revealed prematurely - but it's still strange and darkly humorous right up to the flawed cliffhanger end.

Lynch and Frost knew how to spin a great TV show. They took the usual murder mysteries, and loaded it down with eerie symbolism, creepy visions and inscrutable (but important) lines ("Through the darkness of future past, the magician longs to see...."). And there are arcs that stretch through the series, slowly unfolding their secrets like dark roses.

But it's not just strange-weird, but strange-funny too. And the dialogue has that brilliant quirkiness that most series can't keep going for long ("Fellas, don't drink that coffee! You'd never guess... there was a fish in the percolator"). Considering how likably strange the characters are, it's not too surprising that it's crammed with quotables ("Black as midnight on a moonless night...." "Pretty black").

The entirety of Twin Peaks is hard to describe, because the plots were a perfect balance of the surreal and mundane, and the entire series is a dark, cult gem from beginning to imperfect end.

Written by: E. A. Solinas, November 5th 2007

Bam Bam and Celeste

admin — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 17:38:00 +0000

Directed by Lorene Machado

Wolfe Video

Antithetical to the laugh-so-hard-you’ll-cry theory is comedian and activist Margaret Cho, who will have you crying, hard, before making you laugh like you’ve never laughed before. In her stand-up shows, she tells achingly raw stories about the torment of growing up “different” and does so in a way that makes her the only comedian who can respond to racial slurs with “fuck you” and pull it off like the most brilliant one-liner ever. Those soul-quenching moments of sweet release don’t come as often in Bam Bam and Celeste, but hey—we finally get to see Margaret dressed up as her mother, which alone makes the film worth watching.

Bam Bam and Celeste are best friends from high school who discover they’ve become “townies.” They leave their midwestern hometown for NYC in order to face their high school nemeses on the makeover show “Trading Faces.” Many encounters—pleasant and otherwise—arise along the way.

The thing about Cho’s stand-up stories is that they are inherently unfunny. It’s her comments about the stories that are side splitting. Seeing the stories come to visual life is painful. Hate crimes just don’t translate well as “zany antics.” But Margaret Cho is still damn funny.

Bruce Daniels brings a charmingly understated quality to the outrageous Bam Bam, whose gas siphoning abilities are, um, jaw droppingly good. Bam Bam adores Celeste and thinks she’s beautiful. His innocent confusion as to why this assertion would be questioned is wonderfully sweet. I haven’t liked Alan Cumming ever since his “little league” comment on the L-Word, but he pulls off the adorably klutzy show coordinator who has a crush on Celeste.

The evil arch-nemesis Jackie (played flawlessly by Elaine Hendrix) remains painfully static and is possibly responsible for the film’s flat ending, which should be the time we stand up and cheer along with the film’s TV audience. Jackie’s comeuppance isn’t equivalent to the torment she’s distributed; furthermore, she’s more psychotic than misguided and, therefore, impervious to true retribution.

Cho fans who’ve been waiting for a full on “Mommy Cho” impression will not be disappointed. In addition to the always wonderful Cho and Daniels, campy colors and outstanding guest stars (Jane Lynch, Kathy Najimy) make this a trip worth taking. Despite the loose narrative thread and content mishaps, Bam Bam and Celeste made me laugh out loud, which is the little black dress of comedy.

Written by: Michelle C. Schaefer, July 12th 2007

The Actress

admin — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 20:02:00 +0000

Directed by Zak Hilditch

The Actress is nothing more than another chauvinist movie that transforms the woman into the “foul temptress.” The “foul temptress” in this movie is an actress who moves in with three roommates: two men and a lesbian woman. The men have less than glamorous jobs, and one is a chronic masturbator. The lesbian roommate seems to be the most level-headed of the three, although she and her girlfriend have just broken up when the actress comes to stay.

This "actress" never goes to an audition while staying with the roommates and never pays rent. Instead, she proceeds to sleep with her three roommates. This is when she is not doing her laundry or lounging around hitting the bong. She begins with the male roommate who brings her to the house her first night there. Then she quickly moves on to the other male roommate and, finally, to the female roommate. She does tell the roommate, who foolishly thinks she is his girlfriend, what she is doing, and from then on the roommates, especially the two male roommates, start fighting each other for her affection.

A party thrown for the actress turns into a brawl between the two male roommates. The female roommate asks the actress to explain her behavior, and the response is a vague smile and silence. The actress even invites the female roommate’s ex-girlfriend to the party without the woman's knowledge. All the actress ever accomplishes is creating havoc. It is unclear whether or not the roommates will stay friends or continue to live together by the end of the film. Suffice it to say that, considering the movie so far, the ending was predictably unsatisfying.

No explanation is ever given as to why this woman is doing what she is doing. She seems bloodless, her actions pathological. She is the harpy, the temptress, the witch, the castrating bitch who comes into these people’s lives and hurts all of them. What is one supposed to take from this movie? Why does this character do these things, and why are her actions never explained? I am sick of "art" that depicts women in such a manner: that they are trouble, evil or put on Earth solely for the purpose of ruining men’s lives. Indeed, it is the men in the movie who fight over the woman. The female roommate is the sensible one who even says to one of the men, “No one is going to win here.” And even though the only sensible character in the film is a woman, she is a lesbian. What is one supposed to take from that? That only straight women are truly base, but lesbians are, at least, tolerated according to the male definition of sexual politics?

I found this movie pointless and offensive. The writer and director should be ashamed of himself for creating a work that depicts women in such a tired, clichéd manner.

Written by: Kent Page McGroarty, June 24th 2007