Phonology

Over the last week I've seen a total of new and as yet unreleased films, some good, some bad and some decidedly ugly. Here's a brief rundown.

In Chronological Order:

A Bittersweet Life: Korean Ultraviolence best summed up by the 4 word review - Longest Suicide Scene Ever.

Mirrorball - Funkstörung Event: A DVD presentation of Funkstörung's visual remixes. Famed as much for their visual art as for their music, this is worth tracking down.

Battle in Heaven: Wow. A beautifully shot film with a cast of non actors from Mexico City. Disturbing and graphic but also very still and peaceful. Not for the prudish or easily shocked.

Dumplings: I am almost certain that the majority of the population would walk out on this film as it is probably the sickest film I have ever seen. Saying that it's a great piece of Hong Kong cinema, but you'll never eat dumplings again.

Sugar: With a score by Jim Thirwell, shot mostly in B&W and with No dialogue, this was probably the most surreal film I saw all week. It starts with a shot of a girl sitting in a refrigerator, need I say more? Reminiscent of Eraserhead, maybe a little too much though. Made me a bit twitchy and shaky. Great sound design though.

Screaming Masterpiece: Fantastic documentary on Icelandic Music, with sagas set to music, Björk, Sigur Rós and Mugison to boot. I'll be looking for this one on DVD. Got to love Iceland. I want to visit now.

Taimagura Grandma: Overlong documentary on a solitary farmer woman's life in Japan. Interesting to see how Tofu and Miso are made by hand though.

Bride of Silence: A Vietnamese period piece that didn't interest me enough to keep me alert really. Nice thought though.

Fingers: Oh Harvey Keitel, how I love you. I was discussing this movie after seeing it with a friend and we came to the conclusion that only Harvey does the things that Harvey does. Great acting all round, great costumes and hair (mini afro, tight pants, cool flares, bikinis, the lot!), and a fantastic story about a pianist whose father is a loan shark. Humour and brutality. Excellent.

Song Of Songs; Oh dear. This film was a mess. A shabby portrayal of Orthodox Judaism and a strange and incestuous brother-sister relationship. Not even the marvellous Natalie Press could save it. And then I got trapped and had to sit through the Q&A. The worst film of the week. By far.

The Moustache; My favourite! A French film about a man who shaves off his moustache, his wife apparently doesn't notice then insists he never had a moustache and from then on.... Surreal, hilarious and odd. Loved it.

P: Thai magic and demons appear when a girl from the country arrives to work as a prostitute in a Bangkok nightclub. Bloody and vampiric, just the way I like my horrors. Evil girl!