Melbourne International Film Festival (3) - Adrian Danks sums up (From Facebook)

Another Melbourne Film Festival draws to a close. 

It’s been a curious one for me. I've mostly seen films that I've liked, but none I've really loved (and that includes very good recent works by Lucrecia Martel, Frederick Wiseman, Lee Chang Dong & Nuri Bilge Ceylan - all of which aren't quite as good as the last couple by each filmmaker, which is certainly no significant criticism). 

I've only seen a few things I've really disliked: Iranian-Canadian co-production AVA & several films in the experimental program including (most vehemently) Paul Winkler's BEAN:QUEEN. 

Schrader's FIRST REFORMED is certainly the most overrated movie I've seen - static, obvious, somewhat impoverished - while nice surprises were Ethan Hawke's Blaze Foley biopic, COLD WAR, Petzold's TRANSIT, & the second half of Korea's SHOPLIFTERS (after the first fell into the familiar tropes of his later, problematically sentimental work). 

Godard'sTHE IMAGE BOOK felt less like a "wake lit by fireworks" (to quote Colin McCabe on HISTOIRE(s)) than an emanation from beyond the void (I like to think this is what he was toying with when Agnes visited him - to no avail - in Switzerland). There's obviously some life (& death) in the old boy yet. 

My favourite moment was probably that in EX LIBRIS where Elvis Costello shows some footage of his father performing in the aftermath of the introduction of "rock 'n' roll/calypso" (whatever it is!) - Elvis's whole persona & performance style is already imprinted there (but he only admits, drolly, to a resemblance around the eyes). 

Drum roll - MIFF top 7:
1. THE WILD PEAR TREE(Ceylan)
2. THE GREEN FOG(Maddin et al)
3. THE RAPE OF RECY TAYLOR (Buirski)
4. BURNING(Lee)
5. COLD WAR(Pawlikowski)
6.THE EYES OF ORSON WELLES (Cousins)
7. THE IMAGE BOOK(Godard)

Thanks for another rich year Michelle Carey. I couldn't find the moment from EX LIBRIS that would work in Australia so here's just the clip of Ross McManus doing If I had a hammer (click to play)