The Day of the Beast (1995)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

The Day of the Beast (1995) – A. de la Iglesia

This Spanish “horror-comedy” appears to have a cult following, so I checked it out.  Remarkably, it holds up well, treating its supernatural content as matter-of-fact (having people respond as they might really), creating characters that you feel warmth towards, not letting the (dry) humour get in the way of the narrative and action, and tying up all of the loose ends. Special effects (used sparingly) are not too bad, although the protagonists do end up pretty bloody by the end (even if there isn’t gore per sé). The plot involves a priest who believes he has discovered the day when the Anti-Christ will be born and the apocalypse will begin – Christmas 1995 (the film takes place on that Christmas Eve).  In order to locate (and presumably kill) the baby, the priest (Álex Angulo) feels he needs to contact the Devil himself and the only way to do this is to sin as much as possible (hence he begins stealing change from panhandlers, pushing street mimes off their pedestals etc.).  Attracted by the Satanic symbols in a local record store’s window, he recruits the heavy metalhead clerk (Santiago Segura) to his cause.  Together, they make contact with a charlatan TV show host who claims paranormal abilities (Armando De Razza) and solicit his help to conjure up the Devil.  Although chaotic at times, the plot does flow logically (more or less) while offering up a few surprises (funny or disturbing).  The director, Alex de la Iglesia, seems to have had a sustained career in this genre, though perhaps nothing else with this much acclaim.  

 

Le Confessionnal (1995)

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Le Confessionnal (1995) – Robert Lepage

I re-watched Hitchcock’s I Confess (1953) to prepare myself for this film which also takes place in Quebec City and contains flashbacks to the days when Hitch was in town filming his film. Lothaire Bluteau plays Pierre, returning home for his father’s funeral and helping his adopted brother, Marc (Patrick Goyette), to solve the mystery of his parentage – his mother (Pierre’s aunt) committed suicide after having her baby out of wedlock (back in the early ‘50s).  It’s quite possible that the father was a priest (and a defrocked rich gay man is a prime suspect) and that links us to I Confess which starred Montgomery Clift as a priest accused of murder.  Director Robert Lepage, known for his stage work, imbues the film with a lot of style – and stylised camerawork, use of colour, jump cuts, etc.  Nevertheless, the film seems underplayed with the characters (or characterisations) not quite achieving enough clarity to help us to identify with them.  Perhaps there’s an echo of the stage and its formalities that intrudes? Or the production values are not as high as they should be? Nevertheless, the idea for the film and its style make it worth a look.

Fallen Angels (1995)

☆ ☆ ☆

Fallen Angels (1995) – K.-W. Wong

It has been decades since I watched Wong Kar-Wai’s breakthrough release Chungking Express (1994), so it comes as no surprise that I wasn’t fully prepared Fallen Angels, rumoured to have been the third segment for that previous film (but ultimately saved and expanded for this film).  As before, Wong’s work primarily emphasises style and cinematographer Christopher Doyle (who has also worked for Kaige Chen, Jim Jarmusch, Gus van Sant, and Philip Noyce among others) is more than up to the challenge.  However, this doesn’t mean the film is necessarily “beautiful” to look at – in fact, in many ways it is rather “ugly” to look at!  But there is no denying the panache accorded the proceedings.  Briefly, we are treated to several anecdotes involving Hong Kong denizens who experience a sense of loss, generally romantic loss but also loss of a parent, loss due to “retirement”.  Wong is pursuing a mood, in other words.  But, to be frank, I found it difficult to get on board with this film – the characters were difficult to identify with, the style a bit too much noise and flash (not my style), the episodes rather empty.  No doubt, Wong has much to offer (e.g., In the Mood for Love, 2000) but I wouldn’t start here. 

  

Beyond the Clouds (1995)

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Beyond the Clouds (1995) – M. Antonioni & W. Wenders

Beautiful people in beautiful locations – but is it Antonioni?  Well, of course, it is – this is the great director’s final feature done in partnership with Wim Wenders (in order to secure insurance coverage following his 1985 stroke).  But does it connect with Antonioni’s other films?  Mysteriously, it does – although this only becomes apparent as the film slowly unwinds through its four incomplete anecdotes, charting relationships between men and women (often in a soft-core state of undress) who invariably do not connect.  Or do they?  Except for the Peter Weller adultery sequence (where both Fanny Ardant and Chiara Caselli appear distraught), the characters seem nonplussed as their interactions go nowhere.  John Malkovich floats above it all, quoting from Antonioni’s book (as his stand in), holding the stories together, peering into windows, and engaging with Sophie Marceau.  None of this is particularly satisfying on its own but Antonioni’s eye for the image and a melancholy romantic soundtrack slowly work some magic, elevating the film above others of its type but nowhere near the masterworks of the director’s richest period (‘50s through ‘70s).

Thunderbolt (1995)

☆ ☆ ☆

Thunderbolt (1995) – G. Chan

Jackie Chan always wanted to prove that he could star in serious fare and not only action comedies.  After Rumble in the Bronx (1995) proved a surprise hit in the US, Chan made this action-drama that never made it to American cinemas.  (His return to action comedies proved a better career move and Rush Hour finally broke him through in the States in 1998).  Here, Jackie plays a mechanic who works with the police to get illegally modified cars off the Hong Kong streets.  He pisses off a criminal race car driver who kidnaps his sisters and challenges Jackie to a race (in Sendai, Japan) in order to get them released.  There is a fair amount of hand-to-hand combat (but apparently Jackie used a stunt double in some scenes due to a sprained ankle); however, most of the action depends on fast moving cars that sometimes crash and blow up.  I noticed in the credits that Sammo Hung was one of the stunt drivers (!?!).  As usual with Jackie’s films, the plot is secondary (and strains credibility) and the stunts are primary.  They do hold one’s attention but the decision to go “gritty” rather than “funny” means that the film suffers as a whole.