PINNLAND EMPIRE

Friday, April 5, 2024

JAUJA

This was originally published for cutprintfilm.com back in March of 2015. But since the site has apparently vanished - I'm posting it here with a few updates as my love for this movie has grown over the last nine years.

This is also the perfect time to revisit Jauja with it's loose sequel set to be released soon (click here to read)

Before going in to Jauja – Lisandro Alonso’s latest multinational semi-surrealist period drama, please erase any & all comparisons to the cinema of David Lynch. Between the initial film festival reports and the IMDB message board discussions, I found that Lynch was the most commonly used reference point in a lot of early reviews of this film. While David Lynch is certainly one of the greatest modern surrealist directors to pick up a camera, he certainly didn’t influence every single movie that could possibly be categorized as “strange” or “different”, and Jauja is definitely an example of this (the Lynch comparisons have since cooled off, but I worry some folks will still expect his style of surrealism here when they really shouldn’t). David Lynch did invent nor does he have a trademark on surreality.

For those of you looking for some kind of a comparison (which I feel helps when dealing with a movie like this), I’d place Jauja somewhere in between the cinema of Carlos Reygadas (specifically Japon & Silent Light) and Philip Ridley’s The Reflecting Skin, which, coincidentally, co-stars Jauja leading man & film score composer Viggo Mortensen (the criminally underrated Reflecting Skin was one of Moretensen’s earliest roles). The multi-nationalism/multi-culturalism that we see in Jauja is reminiscent of the Danish/Latin-American hybrid dialogue in Silent Light, while the rural environment and gorgeous landscape shots, courtesy of cinematographer; Timo Salminen (with the subconscious influence of Nestor Almendros), are right out of The Reflecting Skin (the exploration of boredom within The Reflecting Skin also appears to be a possible influence on Alonso’s latest film). There’s also a touch of Kelly Reichardt’s Meeks Cutoff in that Jauja is more of a realistic “road movie” that shows the grueling side of making a long journey prior to the invention of the automobile (and even with cars, road trips were far from glorious). And like Meeks Cutoff, Jauja challenges what one might expect from a western.

There is something in that story in terms of the visual poetry and his use of time, the simplicity of his shot selection… all that reminded me of Tarkovsky’s movies, which I like a lot - Viggo Mortensen, electricsheepmagazine.co.uk

Solaris /
Jauja

Set in the 19th century (…or is it?), Danish general “Gunnar” (Viggo) is stationed on an outpost in Argentina on a mission to ultimately rid the Patagonian land of its indigenous people (this aspect of the movie plays the background but should not be forgotten). When his daughter “Ingeborg” unexpectedly runs off with a young soldier, Gunnar sets out to find her but slowly loses his mind in the process similar to Chris Kelvin in Solaris (in fact, the environment surrounding Gunnar on his journey almost mimics the planet of Solaris). Like some elements in the cinema of Andrei Tarkovsky, the last 10-15 minutes of Jauja is an especially trippy (although calm) journey in to the subconscious (I know Tarkovsky is another overused reference point in film criticism but the comparison to Jauja is reasonable in my opinion). The relationship between fathers & daughters can sometimes be complicated and Lisandro Alonso gives us an abstracted view in to this relationship.

Yeah, it made me think of Tarkovsky a lot, just that unhurried pace - Viggo Mortensen, thefilmstage.com

The Mirror / Jauja

Stalker / Jauja

Jauja has the tone & pacing of a four hour long movie when in fact it’s under two hours. You’d think when a filmmaker only has 110 minutes to spare they wouldn’t waste the audiences time with long unbroken shots of horses drinking water or characters just sitting around but Lisandro Alonso doesn’t seem to care. Personally, I find that commendable. For quite some time I’ve been advocating for more movies, both mainstream & “art-house”, to have less talking and Jauja definitely answered my personal request. At its core, this is a meditative film (with hints of issues like colonialism & the ownership of land) that borders on a feature length experiment. Not only does Alonso test our patience with the pacing, but the cast of actors is a mixture of professional & non-professional (that’s always a crap shoot). The script was also co-written by a poet (Fabian Casas) rather than a traditional screenwriter.

Solaris /
Jauja

This film is also impressive because of Lisandro’s age. While he certainly isn’t young (39), Jauja at times feels like the final film of an 80-something year old filmmaker going through a personal existential crisis. Lisandro Alonso has a bit of an old soul and it shows here.

I wouldn't be surprised if Dreyer was a subconscious influence in addition to Tarkovsky...

Day Of Wrath / Jauja

Summer With Monika / Jauja

Another important factor to be aware of here is that this film is not for everyone (if you haven’t already figured that out by now). I know that sounds like one of those copout excuses for a slow “art-house” movie, but Jauja has very little dialogue (when compared to more “traditional films”) and the overall pacing is very slow (even the conversations and exchanges of words between the actors is a bit delayed). Casting popular/established/well-known actors like Viggo in films like this can sometimes be problematic. Although this won’t be screening at a multiplex in midtown Manhattan or downtown LA, Viggo Mortensen’s name is still synonymous with names like Peter Jackson (The Lord Of The Rings trilogy) & David Cronenberg (A History Of Violence & Eastern Promises) and this could potentially attract the wrong demographic. I remember all the disappointed movie-goers complaining about how “nothing happened” in the Matt Damon/Casey Affleck-starring Gerry or how “boring” Broken Flowers was in comparison to most other Bill Murray movies. Jauja is not your typical film in the Viggo Mortensen cannon so don’t expect a lot of “action” (although some of you will be happy to learn that around the 62-63 minute mark, there is some mild action). Actually, if your favorite part of LOTR was the journey involving Frodo & Sam schlepping through middle earth for what seemed like an eternity, perhaps you just might enjoy Jauja.

This is the kind of movie that will be unfairly labeled as boring & pretentious by some and hastily called a beautiful work of art by others. After almost a decade of re-watches and over-analysis on my part - I personally think this is a masterpiece.

Monday, April 1, 2024

VISUAL REFERENCES & HOMAGES IN JUICE - PART TWO

Halloween II / Juice

I know I’m getting carried away but here are some more visual comparisons that didn't make it in to the initial entry (click here to read part one which contains a bunch of homages and speculations)

The cinematographers who have influenced me have been guys who have used color heavily. Jack Cardiff, a British Technicolor cinematographer, his use of color was awesome, even in later films that were minor, like GHOST STORY: a minor entry, [but] the color in it is gorgeous. BLACK NARCISSUS, one of the most beautiful color films ever made - Ernest Dickerson, Millimeter Magazine, June 1990

Black Narcissus / Juice

The more you read about Dickerson the more you learn how influenced he was by both classic directors and cinematographers. Obvious nods from Spielberg to Depalma show up in Juice...

Jaws / Juice

Carrie / Juice

Through the work of Brian Depalma, Dickerson came up admiring the work of Vimos Zsigmond (it was Zsigmond that recommended Dickerson for his ASC cinematography membership)

Blowout / Juice

Dickerson with a (possible) homage to George Romero (Dickerson ended up working under Romero early on in his career)

The Night Of The Living Dead was one of the few films that gave me nightmares - Ernest Dickson, Monsters, Madness and Magic podcast

The Night Of The Living Dead / Juice

The filmmaker who stuck with me the most and really made me want to become a director was Stanley Kubrick - Ernest Dickerson, Complex

The Shining / Juice

In the previous entry we looked at some of the bigger homages Dickerson makes to City Across The River but there are so many other smaller references that you might miss if you blink...

Another influence was an unknown film from back in the late 1940s called CITY ACROSS THE RIVER, which was an adaptation of a book called The Amboy Dukes - Ernest Dickerson, Flavor Wire

The City Across The River / Juice

Much more examples of Dickerson's love for/background in horror movies...

Even when I directed my first film [Juice] there were elements I put in you could consider horror - Ernest Dickerson, Zavvi.com

Friday The 13th Part III / Juice

Friday The 13th Part VII / Juice

Halloween II /
Juice

To be compared with Scorsese is an honor because he’s a hero of mine - Ernest Dickerson, Freshfiction.tv

Mean Streets / Juice

Goodfellas / Juice

Friday, March 15, 2024

A FEW (MORE) WORDS ON THE KILLER

The Killer has become my comfort movie. It's what I throw on when I can't sleep or just need something to watch. I don’t think it’s a masterpiece or any great cinematic achievement. It’s just a fun slick hitman thriller (emphasis on “fun” as there’s quite a bit of underrated humor that flows all throughout the film). I shared my initial thoughts on it last year (click here to read), but now that I’ve watched it ten more times or so – I have a little more to say.

First of all – this post is absolutely an excuse to share my throwaway Hitchcock/Fincher comparisons that didn’t make it in to my initial review (my main twitter account is still shadow-banned so perhaps someone will actually see my movie comparisons here).

I think the best Hitchcock is when Hitch is peeping - David Fincher, HITCHCOK/TRUFFAUT

Vertigo/
The Killer

Vertigo /
The Killer

Rear Window /
The Killer

Rear Window /
Vertigo

Throwaway comparisons aside, I finally know why I enjoy this movie so much. If you’ve followed this blog for the last 2-3 years then you know my most consistent complaint about modern cinema is that I personally think most modern films are made for film twitter, tiktok and letterboxd film-brained people. It’s as if today's writers, directors and producers comb twitter and letterboxd and craft their stories to cater to those specific lanes of film discussion. And no that is not a good thing. You know the type of people that talk in to the camera phone with a forced snarky standup comedian voice (tiktok), or the types of folks/”critics” that put representation first before anything else (film twitter). The kind of folks with no sense of film history that don’t like a movie because they didn’t see themselves represented in any way therefore it couldn’t possibly be good. The people that can only critique something by saying “it’s just a bunch of toxic white dudes doing white dude stuff”.

Think about it. From Barbie (which I did enjoy) to the large majority of A24 films and everything else in between - you can tell these movies were made to get all the cringey think-pieces flowing as opposed to any genuine film talk.

Now…The Killer certainly has a main character that is white and is quite “toxic”. But that honestly isn’t what the story is about. And, going back to the humor in the movie, there’s plenty of material in The Killer to make for the typical cringey comedic letterboxd review but that’s collateral. I truly don’t believe this stuff was on Fincher’s mind like it is with other modern filmmakers. It is my belief that he just wanted to make a simple, styleish, Hitchcock-influenced hitman thriller and he succeeded in doing so. There’s no obvious message or anything having to do with social justice, race, gender or sexuality unless someone reaches to find it.

More movies like this please!

Friday, March 1, 2024

MY WINNIPEG

Last month we looked at Cowards Bend The Knee - Guy Maddin’s semi-autobiographical love letter to both Canada and some of his personal favorite filmmakers (click here to read). To me - this film serves as a buffer for My Winnipeg. Like Cowards, My Winnipeg is also an autobiographical love letter to his home country but this time, instead of Bunuel & Lynch, he pays homage to the likes of Abel Gance, Fritz Lang, The Lumiere Brothers and Dziga Vertov…

I was totally inspired by just how far [Abel] Gance was willing to go - Guy Maddin, cineaste magazine

J'accuse / My Winnipeg

I read about Abel Gance’s La Roue and thought I’d never be able to see it, so I decided to make my own version - Guy Maddin, Art Forum

La Roue / My Winnipeg

The early German silents seemed to work in ways similar to the best fairy tales, though with an external hipness that helped me see just how modern, cruel and eternally true these fairy tales are - Guy Maddin, The Globe and Mail

Dr. Mabuse The Gambler /
My Winnipeg

I loved THREE SONGS ABOUT LENIN and MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA - Guy Maddin, UAlberta

Man With A Movie Camera / Three Songs About Lenin / My Winnipeg

I haven't seen a Lumière Brothers movie I haven't adored. And gosh I do wish I'd been one of the filmmakers who was invited to participate in that centennial project Lumière & Company - Guy Maddin, Offscreen

The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station /
My Winnipeg

Maddin still does manage to sneak in a few Bunuel references…

One thing I do often - I watch a movie and I pretend Luis Bunuel is sitting beside me - Guy Maddin, Av Club

Un Chien Andalou /
My Winnipeg

Mexican Bus Ride /
My Winnipeg

Comparisons & homages are just one layer to this film. Maddin takes us deep in to his Canadian hometown...

Coward Bend The Knee doesn’t shy away from the sometimes negative reputation that precedes Winnipeg. While there are plenty of funny and/or quirky moments - this is a very cold & depressing story. Cold and depressing are sometimes common descriptors of Winnipeg.

Now...I’ve never been there so I wouldn’t know. This is why I’m choosing my words carefully because no matter how cold & depressing it might be - I have an immense sense of hometown pride myself and I wouldn’t want someone badmouthing where I come from (I wouldn’t compare the cold of western Massachusetts to the cold of Canada, but I know what it’s like to come from a cold place that often gets overlooked and/or misrepresented). But…I’ve had folks from Winnipeg tell me how cold & isolating it can sometimes be and Maddin’s film pretty much aligns with what I’ve heard firsthand.

I call Cowards a “buffer film” because My Winnipeg is an incredibly dense film that you don’t just blindly dive in to. It’s chaotic & funny and also depressing and informative in a dry textbook kind of way). I know that isn’t the greatest sell of a movie but if you like Guy Maddin or the aforementioned reference points - this is right up your alley (to be fair - I don't really consider what you're reading a "review" or an attempt to sell the movie. These are just my personal thoughts). In the film Guy Maddin mixes his personal relationship with his mother alongside the history of Winnipeg. He even goes so far as to cast his actual family members to act out scenes from his past in his former childhood home (Maddin really rented his Parent's old home from the present owners to shoot scenes in).

Imagine a tattered schizophrenic cinematic journal found 30 years in to the future. My Winnipeg is an honest attempt at originality but is also intentionally alienating. I mean, for those of you reading this right now that aren’t familiar with Maddin’s work - does this sound like something you’d just blindly watch? Probably not. I’m sure a handful of you would, but between the very specific Canadian history and not-so obvious cinematic references, I’m sure a lot of you would pass or get more familiar with Maddin’s filmography first. Either way, this is a personal favorite of mine but I recommend it with caution.

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

VISUAL REFERNCES IN TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY

This entry isn't anything significant. I just felt like highlighting some of the standout references and homages from the latest season of True Detective. I've shared these on my twitter account but since I'm still shadowbanned, no one really sees them except for the bigger accounts that steal my tweets and passed them off as their own (none of these homages were hard to miss so I'm not that bent out of the shape about people stealing from me). The folks responsible for this season were quite open about their inspirations. All I did was make the comparisons based off of their own words (with a few speculations of my own at the end).

Enjoy...

One of the biggest influences that I ever will have in this genre, and honestly in cinema in general, is SE7EN - Issa Lopez, Deadline.com