Oslo August 31

This Week’s Movies To See Right Now

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MOONRISE KINGDOM

Elena, a vividly dark and brilliantly acted Russian drama that simmers throughout, is one of the best films of 2012, but now getting hard to find in a theater.  The wistfully sweet and visually singular Moonrise Kingdom is another must see.

The Intouchables is a crowd pleasing odd couple comedy from France.  Adults will enjoy Brave, Pixar’s much anticipated fable of a Scottish princess, and it’s a must see for kids.

Bernie, a very funny dark comedy by Richard Linklater, shows off Jack Black’s talents in a whole new light. The story of aged Brits seeking a low-budget retirement in India, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, is much more than a fish-out-of-water comedy. Men In Black 3 is delightfully entertaining, as Will Smith time travels back to 1969 and meets the young Tommy Lee Jones (nailed by Josh Brolin).

Prometheus is a striking and well-acted sci fi adventure with a horror film tinge; I recommend it for sci fi fans. Rock of Ages is a lighthearted and funny musical that makes the most of a self-mocking Tom Cruise and the hair bands of the 80s.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter has blood-sucking, irony and not enough of either to justify watching it.  Oslo August 31 is the utterly authentic portrait of a suicidal Norwegian junkie that doesn’t pay off enough to justify the the grim inevitability. Your Sister’s Sister wastes a promising premise and a superb performance.

I haven’t yet seen Woody Allen’s To Rome With Love, which opens this weekend.  You can read descriptions and view trailers of upcoming films at Movies I’m Looking Forward To.

My DVD pick this week is the recent Oscar Winner for Best Picture, the magical almost-silent romance The Artist.

Oslo August 31: authentic, but why?

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The Norwegian drug addict Anders has been clean and sober after ten months in rehab, and has earned a day pass for a job interview in Oslo.  In rehab, he has had plenty of opportunity to take stock of himself and the impact that his drug habit has wreaked upon his disappointing career and upon his family and friends.  Anders concludes that the best response is to take his own life.  First, he takes advantage of his day pass to seek out his best friend and his own family.

Oslo August 31 is well-crafted and utterly authentic.  But, why was this movie made?  What is its contribution to art or entertainment or our knowledge or our experience?  Where is the payoff for the audience that makes the grim inevitability worth ten bucks and 95 minutes?

There’s one particularly spell-binding scene with superb sound design.  As Anders is waiting for someone in a cafe, he eavesdrops on the other patrons.  As he glances from table to table, we hear the conversation of each set of diners.  It’s very cool.

Unusual for a film about drug addiction, Oslo August 31 depicts only one instance of hard drug use – and that injection is not to get high.

The Danish director Joachim Trier previously made Reprise, a wonderful film about sanity and the creative process in which two young novelists send in their manuscripts at the beginning of the film, just before one suffers a psychotic breakdown.   Reprise was #4 on my list of Best Movies of 2008.

SF Film Fest to show “Polisse” and “Oslo August 31”

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Two films on my Movies I’m Looking Forward To are coming to the San Francisco International Film Festival in late April.

Polisse is a reputedly riveting French police procedural about the child protective services unit.  It was a hit at Cannes and stars an ensemble cast led by Karin Viard (Paris, Potiche, Time Out).

In Oslo August 3, the Danish director Joachim Trier (Reprise made my list of the 2007’s best) returns to Norway with a slice-of-life about a recovering addict.

Find out how to see these films and others at the SFIFF here.

Here’s the trailer for Oslo August 3.