Maito Reviews

Summer's Tail (2007)

A real treat..

[8/10 · 27 January 2009]

While this small-scale Taiwanese drama about a group of teenagers may not offer anything drastically new, it's such a pleasant and enjoyable little film that it deserves to be more widely seen.

The story centers around four kids. Yvette, who serves as the lead, is suffering from heart condition and as a result is taking a break from school. She spends her time playing guitar and just hanging out with three friends (who have problems of their own) at a remote yard aimlessly killing time. Things happen, but there's not much of a plot to speak of and yet it never gets boring. What makes this work is its wonderful, laid-back mood, which in essence is very much like those lazy, care-free summer days the film depicts. Things move on at a leisurely, but steady pace, accompanied by a lovely music, pleasing visuals and on top of that the young cast makes most out of the admittedly not-that-fleshed-out parts.

However, I'd guess, what ultimately will either make or brake the film for you, depending on your preferences, is its tone. Most recent teen films tend to aim at gritty realism or something overtly glamorized, sexy, slick and shamelessly artificial, but Summer's Tail goes for a slightly romanticized and nostalgic take on the "good old days". Some will find it refreshing, others might call it hokey. I obviously didn't have a problem with it and thought this was an utterly charming, simple movie.

Summer's Tail doesn't have any real conclusion.. In the end, this is just one summer in their life. The kids are growing up, slowly, but surely and life goes on, enjoy it while you're around. Should you ever have the chance to see this, I recommend giving it a shot, you might be pleasantly surprised. I know I was.

Täällä Pohjantähden alla (1968)

An Enduring Classic

[9/10 · 6 January 2009]

In 1955 director Edvin Laine adapted Väinö Linna's beloved WWII novel The Unknown Soldier and the result is unquestionably the most celebrated work of Finnish cinema. 13 years later he matched its success with another adaptation of Linna's novel; this time a monumental trilogy about the birth and development of a nation; Here Under the Northern Star. The movie was a gigantic hit with the critics and the audiences alike and is still regarded as the most popular classic after The Unknown Soldier.

The story, starting just before Finland gains its independence, is a multi-generation spanning history of a newly independent nation dealing with inner turmoil, told through the eyes of a little community, with an emphasis on the Koskela-family. The first half of the film is set around Jussi Koskela, a poor, mild-mannered man who's trying to get ahead in life, while the second half mostly revolves around Jussi's son: Akseli, a passionate and fiery-tempered young man also trying to get ahead in life, but by far more radical ways than his father. The main theme is the class struggle between the rich and the poor (the "whites" and the "reds") which would eventually escalate to a full-blown, bitter, civil war. Although not forgetting the joys of life, like in the form of the tender romance between Akseli and Elina.

While the examination of what lead to the conflict is equally important, the civil war takes the major part of the film. What makes this the definitive portrait of the war, is that, while it is told from the reds' point-of-view, it doesn't "choose sides", rather just documents a national tragedy. Atrocities and war crimes toward civilians are done by both sides and the "trials" held during and after the war are more about settling personal vendettas than actually passing justice. Incidentally the best moments of the movie are in the last quarter when the drama reaches its harrowing and heartbreaking conclusion.

Most of the films excellence must be attributed to the masterful source novel, but even so, just the fact that this is so well adapted is praiseworthy in itself. The essential parts of the book have translated well to the screen (in content, but also in Linna's slyly sardonic tone) and the pacing is excellent, the film moves on a brisk pace for a 190 minute epic. It's visually appealing, not exactly stunning, but definitely well-shot and musically memorable. On the other hand, the films major weakness lies in the badly dated acting. The main players are all solid; some, like Aarno Sulkanen (as Akseli) are even great; but unfortunately many of the minor players range from plain hammy to grating "scenery-chewing", but that one complaint aside, the film is captivating, incredibly touching, unforgettable achievement..

Finnish cinema does not get more essential than this. If you ever have the chance to see it I highly recommend giving it a try.

The Inugami Family (1976)

Thoroughly entertaining

[8/10 · 20 August 2008]

For people, who are only familiar with director Kon Ichikawa's WW II masterpieces "Fires on The Plains" and "Burmese Harp", "The Inugami Family" may seem like an odd and not very essential entry in Ichikawa's filmography, but actually, this is Ichikawa's biggest domestic hit, he directed three sequels to it and even remade it in 2006 as "Murder of the Inugami Clan". This is essential Ichikawa and it's surprisingly little seen in the west.

This is the kind of film where it's best to know very little about the plot, so I'll just give you the basic setting. The head of the wealthy Inugami family dies and leaves behind a last will, which disappoints nearly everybody. The sole beneficiary is a young girl who is not part of the family, but there's a catch. She has to marry one of the old man's three grandsons and if she doesn't the inheritance will be divided among the closest relatives. Naturally, the family starts fighting, but soon things get out of hand, people start getting killed. Our protagonist, private detective Kindaichi, enters to solve things. It's very complex story and demands your full attention. Everyone lies, people aren't who they say they are, the many characters are only briefly introduced, but in the end everything should be clear.

This is very reminiscent of Agatha Christie's works, but even though "The Inugami Family" is undoubtedly part of the detective genre, there's more than that to it. It also has notable elements of horror, family drama and even social commentary, but the clever plot aside, it's Ichikawa's direction that raises this above your average 'whodunnit'. "The Inugami Family" is visually stunning and even experimental for its day.

If you don't mind the occasional violence, the demanding plot and the long running time (though I wouldn't call it overlong) this will be definitely worth watching at least once. As it is with many mystery films, this might prove less effective upon re-watching. Still thoroughly entertaining the first time around.

Jackpot 2 (1982)

Amateur hour...

[6/10 · 8 August 2008]

Now don't get me wrong, I love the works of the Kaurismäki brothers, but this is a lesser work by all counts. The 35 minute short film, Jackpot 2, marks the third collaboration between Mika and Aki Kaurismäki, who would part ways after their next work. Prior to this they had done The Liar (Aki co-wrote/starred, Mika directed) and a rock-documentary called The Saimaa Gesture (both co-directed) and thanks to the success of The Liar ––it won a cash prize at a film festival–– they were able to finance this.

The films is a brief look at the lives of three youths. After some kind of disaster Helsinki is virtually empty, with only few residents left and many of them are affected by the disaster. Unfortunately, the film doesn't make use of the interesting setting. It doesn't explore the characters or the environment, it just focuses on a boy, his fiancée and his best friend. They sit around, talking nonsense, playing pinball and shooting pool.

The cast consists of unknown amateurs, save for Finnish rock legend Martti Syrjä, who plays "the best friend" and Kaurismäki regular Matti Pellonpää who does a nice cameo, but famous or not, everyone involved did pretty poorly. Not that they had much to work with. The dialogue is weak at best, ( "Life is cruel, but unfair... and I'm not talking metaphorically, now") which is surprising, because the dialogue is usually the strongest aspect in a Kaurismäki film, but none of that is present here. This is more reminiscent of Godard at his most tedious.

That said, the film does have some things going for it. It's visually quite interesting and moves on a steady pace. If one can get past the hammy acting and bad dialogue this might prove interesting, even if it doesn't really go anywhere.

I wouldn't recommend this to people who aren't familiar with the cinema of the Kaurismäki brothers. They hadn't quite found they're style yet and this film is first and foremost an exercise. Their next project, the Worthless, made in the same year is already a masterpiece, though.

Helsinki Napoli All Night Long (1987)

A Worthwhile Effort by Mika Kaurismäki...

[8/10 · 8 August 2008]

Helsinki-Napoli All Night Long A Worthwhile Effort by Mika Kaurismäki..., 8 August 2008 Alex is a Finnish cab driver living in Berlin with his wife Stella (originally from Naples), their two kids and Stella's Father. One night two French thugs with a briefcase full of stolen money hire Alex as their driver for the whole night. Unfortunately they're being chased by gangsters whose money was stolen. A few dead bodies, kidnapping and extortion follows.

Helsinki Napoli All Night Long is the 6th feature by director Mika Kaurismäki — the brother of the somewhat famous Aki Kaurismäki— and his first of one shot entirely abroad. Most of Mika's subsequent films would be international productions that achieved moderate success, but none at the level of Aki's films.

The film is successfully scripted by Kaurismäki and Richard Reitinger (one of the writers of Wings of Desire). This is a fun, light MacGuffin chase filled with witty Kaurismäki-style dialog and a similar structure as Scorsese's After Hours. Nothing revolutionary, but thoroughly entertaining. The aesthetic feel is another strong point. Shooting at nights for budgetary reasons, gives this the look of a neo-noir.

The cast has surprisingly well-known figures. Directors Jim Jarmusch, Sam Fuller, Wim Wenders and actors Eddie Constantine (Alphaville) and Sakari Kuosmanen (The Man Without a Past) all do cameos and Italian veteran Nino Manfredi (We All Loved Each Other So Much) plays Stella's father. Kari Väänänen is a little wooden in the lead, but apart from that every actor gives a solid, charismatic, performance.

Helsinki Napoli All Night Long is, alongside Rosso, a perfect introduction to Mika Kaurismäki. It's not his best films (that would be The Worthless), but it's definitely among his better ones and due to the international aspects (the film is mostly in English, with occasional Italian) it should be accessible to foreign audiences.

If you want a fun international crime comedy and to explore Finnish directors this film will be worth checking out.