Last Life in the Universe

Thailand/Japan 2003

8/10



Damn. I put this one off for too long and I'm not really one to talk not having seen
Pen-Ek Ratanaruang first feature 6ixty9ine. This is good stuff. I was very impressed
with the amount of detail put into this where it was actually questionable.
Questionable in the realm of it was probably real and not staged. The house in the film
was so disgusting and laughable. Very convincing. The film really went no where but it's so quietly done and delicate that it never feels aimless even with the linear breaking editing. Things feel ghostly, throughout, where tragedy strikes and beauty grows where one dies and loneliness is a gift in disguise that holds an even bigger gift inside. This guy loves Woody Allen. And Takashi Miike has a role in the film's 3rd act!
I really want to see Nymph now.

Dobermann

France 1997

8/10



Okay. 2 Things I learned from watching Dobermann. Gaspar Noe really looks up to Kounan
and Tchéky Karyo is one of the best fucking actors that has ever lived.
This is a stylistic, violent romp about a wreck loose team of professional thieves headed by the notorious Dobermann(Cassel), who after years of dangerous successful and reckless bank heist have finally left a money trail with a team of by the book cops hot on their asses. By the book obviously has not worked in the past and this is realized by a rogue Inspector played fucking brutally brilliant by Tchéky Karyo. The movie itself is a triumphant whirlwind of detail and deep, rich cinematography. Based off a series of books the movie fumbles a few times where continuity and whimsically needless destruction weighs down the violent edge the film sharpens throughout, but ultimately never dulls and full delivers at it's climatic, awesomely brutal end.
There's even a cameo of Gaspar Noe serving a french fries and beef jerky hoagie to Tchéky Karyo. Noe has definitely borrowed quite a bit of style and brutality from Kounan's uncompromising direction. I'm sure Kounan is also a fan of Kergl's ANGST.
Though BLUEBERRY wasn't that great, it had the best visuals I have ever seen and
that was something Noe tried to accomplish with ENTER THE VOID, but 5 years too late.
I'm not sorry, Noe.