I recently saw two fantastic movies: Soul Power and Let The Right One In (WARNING: minor spoilers ahead). Soul Power is a music documentary that follows the events leading up to (and including) the legendary concert held before the 1974 Ali vs. Foreman "Rumble in the Jungle" heavyweight championship fight in Kinshasa, Zaire. If you're into old school soul music like I am, you'll love this movie. It features behind-the-scenes footage and performances of both American and international soul artists, like Bill Withers, BB King, James Brown, Celia Cruz, Miriam Makeba, and a variety of African performers. One of the most poignant moments in the film was an interview with Muhammand Ali, who noted that black Americans were "scared" to travel to Zaire for the concert and fight. The irony here, he says, is that in their own communities, many blacks were just as susceptible, if not more so, to random acts of violence than in the motherland. Watching the portions of Soul Power where Ali is interviewed also made me appreciate Will Smith's performance in the biopic Ali even more.
Muhammad Ali, Bill Withers, Don King and onlookersAnother great moment in the film is when an American backup singer was trying to teach some of the concert's African dancers how to do "The Bump." You just dip a little, swing one side of your hips into whoever's next to you, rinse and repeat. Easy enough, right? Well the African girls had their own interpretation... one that involved seductively grinding to an imaginary beat as, facing each other with their hands on each other's shoulders, they shimmied down to the floor. Lmao. It was vintage freak dancing. Even though the African dancers tore it up on stage during the concert, I couldn't believe how avant-garde their dances were, especially compared to American dances today. At one point I thought, "I saw a chick break it down like that in the club last week!" Remarkable.
The way Soul Power was filmed is also intriguing. Though the footage is of an event that took place in 1974, the film quality is such that the movie looks like it was filmed yesterday. With their groovy outfits and hair styles-- and the film being edited in such a way that every word spoken is there intentionally, full of meaning--the subjects being filmed are more like actors than actual people. Very vivid colors, great sound, none of the graininess typical of vintage film. I haven't found much information on how this film was shot and edited, but I suspect it was simply digitally restored, rather superbly, from archival footage.
The one... the only... GFOS!The film ends on a strong note, with the closing credits rolling to split-screen footage of James Brown in his dressing room post-Going Crazy Insane (as only the Godfather of Soul should) onstage. As he shoos the cameramen away, his now sweated-out press and curl dripping profusely, the credits end and a full-screen shot of Brown appears, reminding moviegoers that despite whatever outside circumstances they may be enduring, to say to say aloud, "I AM SOMEBODY." It was a very powerful end to a great movie.
If you're into vampires--and who isn't these days... True Blood anyone?--you MUST see Let The Right One In. This movie is an incredibly well-done, absolutely terrifying* Swedish-language film (don't worry, there's subtitles) that will satiate the appetite of any fan of not only vampires, but also thrillers, classic horror movies, non-sappy romance movies, etc. etc.The film tells the tale of a bullied preteen boy, Oskar, who dreams of exacting revenge on his tormentors. He's a pretty creepy kid, and there are shots of him adding to his collection of murder clippings from the local newspaper and also of him practicing his stabbing skills on the trees outside of his apartment at night. On one of these nights, he is visited by a girl vampire who is around his age. Immediately the vampire, named Eli, tells him they can't be friends. This, of course, intrigues Oskar; despite her warning, they are soon rather close, with Eli advising Oskar to fight back at school and Oskar teaching Eli Morse code knocks so they can communicate between the shared wall of their apartments.
Though Eli tells Oskar she doesn't remember her birthdate, and he always sees her in the frigid Swedish weather without a coat or boots and comments on her strange smell and inability to enter rooms without an invitation first, it isn't until he sees her viciously lapping up his spilt blood in a blood pact gone awry that he realizes she is a vampire. Their relationship is further complicated when the man who Eli is living with next door to Oskar, a man** she's turned into a serial killer to fulfill her bloodlust, purposefully injures himself on the job. Since he can no longer do Eli's dirty work for her, he offers his own blood for her to drink, then falls to his death from a hospital window. Now Eli's on her own, and some of the townspeople are on to her...
I couldn't possibly ruin the film for you; it must be experienced in its entirety. I will say that aside from the excellent direction and skill of the actors (the main actors were actual 12-year olds), the manner in which this movie was shot beautifully captures the Swedish landscape and really contributes to the bone-chilling ambience of the film. It's truly a must-see if you enjoy well-done, honest-to-God horror films.
Unfortunately, the American market can't leave well enough alone. A US-version of Let The Right One In is slated for release on October 1, 2010.***
*As a longtime fan of the horror genre, I can attest to the fact that very, very few "horror" movies released these days are truly terrifying. Maybe terrifyingly bad. Whomp whomp.
**This man's relationship to Eli is left up to interpretation in the film. In the book this film is based on, the man is a convicted pedophile who holds Eli captive to fulfill his urges and as a pet of sorts. She pays him regularly to fend off his advances and as compensation for all the murders he commits for her. I type this as proof-positive that watching a film before you read the book of the film is often far more rewarding than vice versa. Now I'm really looking forward to reading the book to understand the movie on a whole new level
***I can already see the American version being a watered down, "safe" interpretation of the original; the sh*tacular mainstream film market here is why I'm so interested in independent and foreign films to begin with. NOT anticipating to that release
