NEED A
FILM?
We’ve got you covered with an eclectic and varied selection.
Hi there, The CCC’s resident film watcher and professional time waster here – this past month falling in line with that description, having racked up about a movie a day on average. Which I believe makes me somewhat qualified to lead you in the direction of some worthwhile media. So without wasting any more time, here’s a handful of things I’d recommend to eager eyes.
Written and illustrated by: Michael Jarrold
Quentin Dupieux
Yannick (67 mins)
Yannick is a fairly short French comedy film that brings tension and levity together – In the middle of a play, Yannick, a simple everyday man, interrupts a performance in order to express his unenjoyment, sparking a back and forth between him and the actors on the stage – in which both parties try to gain and maintain the interest of the audience throughout an unpredictably twisting and turning power struggle. Asking how far Yannick and the actors will go in order to take control of their respective evenings.
Wim Wenders
Perfect Days (124 mins)
Perfect Days is a film about a toilet cleaner living in Tokyo, an older gentleman who is rather content with his life, despite its simplicity through routine – Within what would’ve been an ordinary week, a series of unexpected encounters question his settled existence – will the realizations and the realities of life’s unbinding chaos be enough to throw off Hirayama’s attempts at finding peace and contention within his older age?
Jérémie Périn
Mars Express (89 mins)
I imagine Mars Express would be a breath of fresh air for any fans of science fiction and/or animation respectively. It’s a French action/drama film that explores the relationship between a female detective and her android partner, as they attempt to crack the case of a missing girl. The case ends up being more complex than it originally seems, leading them into the underbelly of the capital, exposing secrets beyond what they could’ve ever imagined – The animation is clean, the story-telling is gritty, and the science fiction elements feel naturally placed within the world’s sprawling scope.
Terry Gilliam
Brazil (143 mins)
Falling 4th in the list of well-respected films made by Terry Gilliam, quietly in line behind Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Fear and Loathing, and 12 Monkeys – Brazil is a tough concept to sell, or even to begin to explain. It’s an exaggerated depiction of bureaucracy and its power over a monotonous world, made exciting through Gilliam’s eye for warped visuals and twisted characters. With our protagonist only briefly escaping mundanity through his daydreams as a hero, which slowly begins to eek out into his sluggish reality whilst investigating the case of a wrongful arrest. As the walls start to close in, how far will Sam Lowry have to turn inwards in order to get out?
Andrei Tarkovsky
Mirror (107 mins)
Mirror is a personal favorite of mine, and a film that I can only see growing in significance over time. It is a genuine work of beauty, recalling the 40 years of feelings and memories from the childhood of a Russian man lying on his deathbed – fading in and out of core moments and the mysterious movements of reality, and the ways in which it ties us to time and place, as well as its people. It is far from the easiest thing to just throw on, but there is a comfort I find in its dying light – and I wouldn’t ask for immediate understanding from it either, I think you just have to let it unravel before you.
So that will do it for the better movies I saw last month, there should be something in there for everybody – thanks for engaging with this new format, and I’ll hopefully be around next month with a new batch of worthwhile films for you, hope you enjoy
