Kew Gardens ’18: Nymphadelle

In this Medieval hodge-podge, names from antiquity are freely recycled with little regard for their origins. Our hero’s father Theron is a wise lord of great integrity, who is betrayed by the evil Maeldan. However, Theron of Acragas is now remembered only as the “Tyrant of Sicily” for his harsh rule in the 480s BC. Theron’s vengeance-seeking son Aegeas is not exactly Aegeas, the King of Athens and father of Theseus, at least not yet. Asteria the forest foundling is hardly a Titaness, but she will act as a protector of Aegeas. However, Aegeas will save her life first in Quentin de Jubecourt’s Nymphadelle (trailer here), which screens during the 2018 Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema.

For one thousand years, the good but childless king ruled over peaceful Undine. With his death, he bequeathed his throne to noble Theron, which was just fine with everyone except Maeldan. Naturally, the usurper must also completely massacre all of Theron’s line, but his loyal son and reluctant heir manages to slip away. After saving Asteria from Maeldan’s cutthroats, the two form a fast alliance. Yet, Asteria forcefully and repeatedly counsels Aegeas against wrath and the fruitless pursuit of revenge. She might have a point in terms of personal development, but Aegeas really isn’t in the mood to hear it.

Nymphadelle’s production values are astonishingly high for either an extended short film or a rather abbreviated fifty-five-minute feature. It has the look and texture of the European Dark Ages. You can just feel that Medieval Warming Period. However, the narrative is over-burdened with flashbacks and eventually it just dissipates into woo-woo New Age mushiness. There is no doubt about it, this film needs more grit and grime.

The cast is rather inconsistent, awkwardly starting with the less than imposing Lucas Bernardi as Aegeas. By far, the most valuable player is Audrey Marain, who displays impressive action chops and a gauzy fantasy heroine presence vaguely reminiscent of Michelle Pfeiffer in Ladyhawke. Olivier le Dauphin sneers with authority as Maeldan, while Patrick Guidetti is so noble as Theron, it practically hurts to look at him.

Nymphadelle represents some terrific work by production designer Isabelle Inglebert and her team, but it doesn’t really go anywhere. Yet, the title is arguably quite fitting, referring to an Atlantis-like lost city, in a metaphor that is never fully developed. At least there is some decent hack-and-slash action. In fact, there is maybe just enough justify sitting through it, as part of a double-bill with the rollickingly entertaining The Doctor’s Case. Not really recommended it its own right, Nymphadelle screens this afternoon (8/11) with the highly recommended Stephen King-Sherlock Holmes film, during the Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema.

Kew Gardens ’18: The Doctor’s Case

If Sherlock Holmes had been allergic to dogs, the case of The Hound of the Baskervilles could have turned out much differently. However, he just so happens to be deathly allergic to cats—that’s according to Stephen King rather than Conan Doyle. Fortunately, Watson’s powers of observation and deduction will be sufficient to solve this case while Holmes’ watery eyes uncharacteristically fail him. Years later, a much older Watson will look back on those fateful events in James Douglas’s The Doctor’s Case (trailer here), which screens during the 2018 Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema.

Decades ago, Lestrade summoned Holmes and Watson to investigate the murder of Lord Albert Hull, because it appeared to be a truly classic locked room murder case. Ironically, Watson now finds himself back in Hull manor, after it has been transformed into a WWII military hospital, as a patient, no less. Fortunately, the chief of nurses, Captain Norton is a fan of his Holmes stories, so she listens eagerly to Watson’s tale. He did indeed solve the mystery, but he also received an unsettling lesson in human nature.

Although this adaptation of King’s short story started its life as a so-called “Dollar Baby,” it is nearly feature length at sixty-five minutes and features a highly geek notable cast. William B. Davis, the “Cigarette-Smoking Man” in The X-Files is terrific playing against type as the kindly old Watson, whose eyes honest-to-gosh twinkle. He also develops a wonderful rapport with Denise Crosby (Tasha Yar in Star Trek: The Next Generation), who is also quite warm and vigorous as Norton. Michael Coleman (from Once Upon a Time) is similarly earnest and engaging as the young Watson, while J.P. Winslow is suitably high-handed as the slightly incapacitated Holmes.

King himself deserves credit for inventing a somewhat unlikely but still rather clever mystery. Douglas and “co-director” Leonard Pearl maintain a brisk pace while slyly observing and tweaking the conventions of Holmesian mysteries. There is also a stinger that will be pure joy for Holmes fans. It is all quite a jolly entertaining romp that should appeal to fans of King and Doyle alike, but the greatest revelation is the hitherto unseen charm and range of Davis. Very highly recommended, The Doctor’s Case screens this Saturday (8/11) as part of the Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema.

Kew Gardens ’18: Operation Wedding

It is rather unfair to call Eduard Kuznetsov, his then wife Sylvia Zalmanson, and their fourteen fellow Refuseniks hijackers. They would have been perfectly willing to buy tickets to the West, if the Soviets had granted them exit visas. Nor were they holding guns on frightened flight attendants. They just intended to “borrow” a small 12-seat, wing-and-a-prayer Antonov An-2 commuter plane. The escape attempt did not go according to plan, but neither did the resulting show trial. Anat Zalmanson-Kuznetsov documents her parents’ remarkable true story in Operation Wedding (trailer here), which screens during the 2018 Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema.

The idea was relatively simple, but not simple enough. Posing as a wedding party, Kuznetsov and company bought all the tickets on a puddle-jumping flight originating in “Leningrad.” They would just tie up the flight crew—leaving them tucked into sleeping bags so they wouldn’t get cold, mind you—and then just fly themselves to the West. Unfortunately, the KGB was onto them from the start, so they never even set foot on the plane.

Of course, the mighty Socialist system had to make an example of the Refuseniks the state media quickly dubbed “terrorists,” so they convened a show trial that would duly sentence Kuznetsov and their pilot Mark Dymshits to death, which it most certainly did. However, the accused did not act like the broken old revolutionaries of the original Moscow Show Trials. They stuck to their guns, denouncing the injustice of the Soviet system, particularly its restrictive immigration laws (just for the record, these applied to people trying to get out, which is a much different proposition than trying to control who comes in). Zalmanson was particularly eloquent, so she became an international symbol of Soviet oppression.

Obviously, Kuznetsov’s scheduled execution was not carried out, since he discusses the dramatic chain of events in great depth with his documentarian daughter. It is a pretty incredible chronicle, in which perhaps history’s greatest odd couple, Golda Meir and Generalissimo Francisco Franco (who was not dead yet) worked in tandem to embarrass the Soviets.

Zalmanson was such a bipartisan cause célèbre throughout the West, it is frankly a bit scary how quickly and completely she has receded from the pubic consciousness. That is why Operation Wedding is such a necessary film right now. In fact, Russian filmmakers are still trying to rewrite the history of this incident through the lens of Soviet revisionism.

Fortunately, Zalmanson-Kuznetsov has plenty of documentation to back up the accounts of her parents. She also has KGB defector Oleg Kalugin on-camera, happily confirming all the dirty conducted by his former agency. It definitely sets the record straight, but there are also moments of real drama, as when Zalmanson revisits the KGB prison where she spent years as a prisoner of conscience, including several months in solitary confinement—all in a quite economical sixty-two minutes. As a filmmaker, Zalmanson-Kuznetsov’s approach is understandably straight forward, but she shows a bit of  style nonetheless, including some subtly clever transitions.

History really does repeat itself. If the Dymshits-Kuznetsov escape attempt sounds familiar, it is because a group of Georgia dissidents tried something similar in 1983, but it was more like a conventional hijacking, which gave Eduard Schevardnadze and his Kremlin masters license to crush them mercilessly (as dramatized in the recent film Hostages).

Clearly, the experience of Refuseniks like Zalmanson and Kuznetsov has timely implications for the neo-Soviet era of Putin. It is also a reminder of how different our politics looked in the early 1970s. Yet, it is also just amazing story. Very highly recommended, Operation Wedding screens this Wednesday (8/8), as part of Queens Museum Block 5, during the Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema.

Kew Gardens ’18: A Violent Man

Rocky Balboa never had to worry about social media—at least not until the Creed films. Lucky him. A viral video will earn Ty Matthews a shot at the title, but it will also set in motion his downfall in Matthew Berkowitz’s A Violent Man (trailer here), which screens during the 2018 Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema.

One fateful day, undisputed MMA champ Marco Reign and his manager Benjamin Green dropped by Pete Mack’s gym for a little tune-up sparring. Mack put him in with his top fighter, Matthews, whom Reign totally disrespects, until he is forced to tap-out. Granted, it was a bit of a fluky hold, but the bookies still would have had to pay out if it had been a real fight. Of course, it was pretty darned real to Matthews, who definitely sees this as an opportunity. That is why he reaches out to sports journalist Victoria Mata, despite signing Green’s NDA.

Things really start to change for Matthews after his sparring partner posts the video of his sparring match with Reign. Naturally, it goes viral immediately. Too bad Mata can’t write about it, because she was murdered the previous night, after sleeping with Matthews. It gets super-awkward when the cops start picking apart the alibi his suspicious girlfriend reluctantly provided. On the plus side, Green gives him the title fight he was hoping for, because its potential pay-per-view revenue is just too lucrative to pass up.

It has to be said: Matthews is bizarrely disinterested in who really committed the murder the cops are trying to pin on him. At least pay lip-service to “trying to find the real killers,” like O.J., especially since he isn’t actually guilty, unlike O.J. Granted, he is training for a big fight, but possibly getting framed for murder is also pretty important.

Frankly, Violent Man is a weird balance of gritty indie film and straight-to-DVD MMA potboiler elements. Representing the indie side are Isaach De Bankolé and Bruce Davison, both quite solid as Mack and Green, respectively. However, there is no getting around the current B-movie status of Denise Richards and Chuck Liddell (who will next be seen in a Timothy Woodward Jr. train wreck), who are credible enough providing the temptation and meatheaded rivalry as Mata and Reign. It is like Thomas Q. Jones’s Matthews is stuck in between either pole and could go either way.

This could really scare people off, but it should be noted minor unreality TV celebrity Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino makes a brief appearance as a dude who gets beat fifty shades of black-and-blue by Matthews, which is one of the few things he does that generates viewer sympathy.

Berkowitz falls a little short, but he deserves credit for reaching. The big title bout is particularly distinctive, because the tone is almost the complete polar opposite of the stirring standard set by Rocky, The Karate Kid, and their imitators. Yet, he ultimately neglects the film’s thriller business to the point of negligence. It is strange watching this film, because there is some substance here, but it feels like it was deliberately calibrated to alienate both of its potential audiences and snag middling two-and-a-half star reviews. Civilians can safely skip it, but the critical brethren should see it, just to file it away for possible future reference. For hardcore MMA fans, A Violent Man screens this Wednesday (8/8), as part of the Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema.

Kew Gardens ’18: Moving Parts

You have heard the news stories: immigrants exploited, passports confiscated by employers, families forced to live apart. Yes, welcome to Trump’s . . . Trinidad and Tobago. The truth is the Caribbean nation is one of the leading transit hubs and destination points for trafficked people. Zhenzhen voluntarily came to work, but her smugglers’ extra “taxes” put her at the mercy of the criminally-connected Mrs. Liu in Emilie Upczak’s Moving Parts (trailer here), which screens during the 2018 Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema.

Arguably, Zhenzhen was a bit naïve, but she only wanted to work. It is also rather natural she would want to be with her brother Wei after the death of their father. However, as soon as the boat lands, the traffickers demand more money. Wei had arranged kitchen work for Zhenzhen at Mrs. Liu’s restaurant (someone actually points out “Mr. Liu,” if there is one, has never been seen), but she quickly recruits the young woman for an upscale nightclub-brothel, capitalizing on their thuggish pressure.

Somehow, Zhenzhen manages to attract the attention of Evelyn, the even more naïve and in-denial daughter of a local wheeler-dealer. The gallerist tries her best to ignore his corruption, even though it corroded her homeless brother’s soul, like a form of cancer. Nevertheless, Evelyn might be able to help Zhenzhen, if she can slip away from Mrs. Liu’s operation long enough.

Moving Parts is a well-intentioned film, but it covers a lot of familiar terrain. Still, it is rather eye-opening to see how porous the boundaries are between legit (but exploitative) menial labor and outright sexual servitude. On the other hand, the subplots involving Evelyne and her family are dull and largely cliched. Maybe, you could call her a “Trinidadian Savior,” instead of the SJW-loathed “white savior.” Regardless, screen time not featuring Zhenzhen and Wei is mostly misspent.

Valerie Tian is terrific as Zhenzhen. It is a brutally honest and painfully vulnerable portrayal that does not whitewash or sanctify her. Her character makes plenty of mistakes, but she matures quickly, which gives her an interesting developmental arc to realize. Jay Wong is similarly compelling as the guilt-wracked Wei, who arguably shifts in the opposite direction. Jacqueline Chan is chillingly villainous as Mrs. Liu, but Godfrey Wei is the film’s secret ingredient, adding grace and grit as the restaurant’s head chef.

For the most part, we know exactly where Moving Parts is headed and it breaks little new ground getting there. Still, seeing this story unfold against a Caribbean backdrop gives viewers a fuller sense of the extent of human trafficking crimes. If nothing else, the film should convince patrons it is time for some sort of global treaty prohibiting passport confiscation (without legal due process). There are also some very nice performances, especially from Tian and Wei. Respectfully recommended, Moving Parts screens this Monday (8/6), as part of the Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema.

Kew Gardens ’18: Path of Dreams (short)

Ono no Komachi was one of the six revered Rokkasen poets, whose name became synonymous with beauty in Japan. To make things even more intimating, Komachi would usually require her would be lovers to court her via poetry worthy of her standards. It required a real commitment to pursue her, as her legendary admirer Fukakusa no Shosho learns in Tamara Ruppart’s short film Path of Dreams (trailer here), which screens during the 2018 Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema.

According to handed-down tale, Komachi demanded the young and arrogant Shosho visit her for ninety-nine consecutive nights before she would consent to his amorous advances. Until then, the only heat they could generate was in the verse they exchanged. Frankly, Komachi insisted on this long, chaste courtship, because she was sure he would soon quit in frustration. Nevertheless, she is surprised and ultimately seduced by his determined ardor. Yet, a fabled story like this has to end in tragedy or it else it wouldn’t be told and re-told over the centuries.

Written by respected playwright Velina Hasu Houston, Path is an elegant short film that really gets inside Komachi’s language. Frankly, it is quite refreshing to see a film that doesn’t need sex, nudity, or even overtly suggestive references to be seductive. It is quite a classy production, featuring richly crafted period trappings and Nathan Wang’s chamber-style score, which really heightens the elegiac mood.

Airi Kido is terrific as Komachi, expressing the painful depths of her longing and regret through her eyes. Yet, she can also wield Komachi’s words like a cutting coquette. Komachi is a complicated figure who has been the subject of innumerable contradictory legends. Although Path is only twenty-five minutes, Kido and company really convey a sense of her messy human complexity.

Every few years or so, a poetry movie will breakout, like Il Postino, from the golden age of Miramax. Patrons who loved that film should have a similar response to this one. Recommended for fans of literate and lyrical romance, Path of Dreams screens Wednesday (8/8), as part of Block 19, at the Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema.

Kew Gardens ’18: Horror Movie

Abortion. Psycho villains with Down Syndrome. Frankly, the only thing missing in Craig Anderson’s Red Christmas is a musical number for Adolf Hitler. Believe it or not, this was a hard film for the first-time Australian director to make. As you might expect, the behind-the-scenes mayhem is more entertaining than the heavy-handed gore fest on-screen. Even viewers who had no patience with the resulting film will be transfixed train-wreck style by Gary Doust’s Horror Movie: A Low Budget Nightmare (trailer here), which screens during the 2018 Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema.

The Anderson Doust captures on film is such an earnest, likable chap, who has so much adversity thrown at him, we feel rather bad about panning Red Christmas back to the Stone Age, but its just bad, dude. Regardless, the blood, sweat, tears, and toil that went into its making were absolutely epic. Anderson dedicates every cent he has to the production, yet he is still short about one-hundred grand Australian a week before shooting starts. On the plus side, he has Dee Wallace from Cujo and The Howling signed as his lead—or so he thinks. It turns out SAG-AFTA will brazenly demand a pay-off before sanctioning her appearance.

That is before Anderson even starts rolling, which starts off disastrously. Nevertheless, Anderson is such a deer-in-the-headlights underdog, the cast and crew gamely rally behind him. It is downright inspiring to see the film come together, albeit in a somewhat perverse way, given how terrible it is. The [mis]adventures naturally continue through post, but at this point, Doust’s doc becomes a rather instructive lesson in how to secure distribution for a genre film.

Watching Horror Movie after Red Christmas is indeed a weird experience. You have to respect Anderson’s scrappiness and his friendship with a featured actor who really has Down Syndrome in real-life is genuinely endearing. Fans will also be happy to see Wallace comes across as quite a jolly good sport, who pushes Anderson to make a better film, in the right, non-diva-ish kind of way.

Presumably, you can enjoy Horror Movie without having seen Red Christmas first. At least, that is what we strongly suggest. After all, you don’t need to see Coven to understand American Movie, which is a rather apt comparison film. Recommended for cult movie fans, Horror Movie screens this Sunday (8/5), as part of the Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema.