To Helen back
Sometimes it takes another couple of viewings to recognise just how great a quiet original can be. Written and directed by Christine Molloy and Joe Lawler, Helen is the mesmerising tale of an orphan girl who probes her own identity when she is used as a stand-in during a police reconstruction of a murder, and it is nothing less than one of the best films of the year.
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Dr K.
I usually respect your opinion and I completely agree with you on the subject that Let The Right One in is probably the best film of this year if not of the decade thus far.
I think when I wrote on your blog it was because I had recently seen the film and had such an averse reaction to it at first. I think what put me off was that I found the filmmakers to be really pretentious about their work during the Q and A afterwards and it put me off the film slightly as believing it to had this air of authority and pretentiousness about it that put me off slightly.
But then in the months following I went home and started thinking about the film and for some reason I couldn't stop thinking about it.
While I wouldn't say that it is one of the best films of the year I will definitely watch the film again. I think it is one of those films that needs to be watched more than once in order to be fully appreciated because even though I disagreed with you on this point, i pretty much tend to agree with you on most other things. Except for your review of The Ruins. That film was terrible. And I cannot ever forgive you for your review of The Boat That Rocked.
But a word of warning Dr K. Don't ever say that my opinion is wrong ever again, it is always right unless I say otherwise.
Glad we cleared that up.
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Don't get me wrong. I hated wolverine.
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Fine, Doc, I'll go and buy the DVD if they have it here, but just don't quit.
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Here's the thing: if I go out of my way to get my hands on the DVD - something relatively tricky, down here in Australia - where do I stop? How many other artsy "little gem" movies will I be just as obliged to hunt down and watch? I say this because one glance at any other critic's recommendations says to me that there must be dozens upon dozens of situations like these throughout the last hundred years.
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Well yes Dr Mark,
you are always right, except of course in the case of 'Mama Mia', a bridge too far I feel.
But 'Helen' is a return to form for you, your passion at being correct is always refreshing.
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i know this doesn't relate to the video above but among us hardcore exorcist fans i believe you got to see the captain howdy test footage and a portion was used at the beginning of your exorcist documentary, what are your memories of this footage and would you consider sharing them? Perhaps one day this might appear on a future release of the film, satisfying many fans.
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Doc, any idea if this will be coming to Blu-ray Disc? If it is I'd rather wait a month or two, than buy the DVD now and have to double dip later.
Steve W
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Dr K,
I saw the film at the cinema and as you said, I was impressed, but I wasn't quite sure. From what I could see it did allude to such films such as Mulholland Drive and most of all Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.
To convince me, this film is one that (a cliché, I know) has to be seen again and again. I do agree that if there was any film that really caught me off guard this year, Helen is probably it.
I'd say that and Sleep Furiously are small gems that are worth a second life.
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I am interested in seeing this film but i have heard that some of the acting in it is terrible and I think that would ruin it for me.
Oh and by the way, I have not seen the exorcist and if you do quit your job I will make sure I never watch it. Thus will you have caused another human being to have missed out on possibly the greatest cinematic experience of their lives :)
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I was slightly let down by Let the Right One In, I was expecting too much
Here's my top ten so far:
Inglourious Basterds
Synecdoche New York
The Class
The Hurt Locker
Moon
Slumdog Millionaire
The Wrestler
Anvil the Story of Anvil
Gran Torino
Drag Me To Hell
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So what are the other 8 films then?
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
There is something more wholesome in disscussing the greatest films, rather than compiling a list of absolute rubbish to off Dr. K.
You keep remining us how loudly we are responing to your cinematic ultimatum, it was YOU who said it in the first place. While I admire a fello in black sticking to his guns, you can't blame us for our enthusiastc euthanasia. You know how passionate we get..
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i am really looking forward to this film
you mention it alongside 'the passenger'-one of the finest films of the 1970's also may is suggest 'the conversation'?
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As they'd say in 'The Wire' I feel you Mark, if you pardon the implication.
Wise words doc. And I for one am with you. There are way too many bad movies made. The few great ones should be praised and cherished.
Helen and Let The Right One In are two fine films, almost as good as they get. I'd also put District 9 on this list. A film that can be reviewed with one word = 'breathtaking'.
Re
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Great Doc. You put your money on the table, but did you put your hand in your pocket to support the work which you laud so much?
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I wish i could of seen this film at my cinema like i wish i had done with so many other films... but my local cinema is the most pathetic thing EVER. It never screened Helen.
Now that may not surprise you but it also didn't screen Hurt Locker which i was just gagging to see as well. And this has been going on for some time now too, to such extremes as not screening There Will Be Blood, which turned out to be one of my favorite films since i first saw 2001 A Space Odyssey or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
VERY annoying...
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Good to hear positivity again about films. Unfortunately none of these kind of films get shown at my local cinema. No Moon, No Let The Right One In. Just endless boring dross. Oh darn I have turned negative again.
One interesting aspect though is would I go and see something like Helon in the cinema, I would have to say probably not, now does that make me a hypocrite?
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Easy to miss these hidden little gems, thanks for the heads-up, I'll def seek out "Helen".
savvifilm: easy for movies to be tainted by Q and A with pretentious film-makers. I certainly had that experience with Sokurov and "Russian Ark" at the LFF, although this merely confirmed my opinion that the movie was a steaming pile of ...
And Mark, what's your opinion on "Noise", an Aussie flick from 2007?, i guess you never reviewed it due to the lack of a UK release (?), but it is a fine movie and well worth checking out.
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Off topic i know but having just seen ice age 3, i was wondering whether the death of narrative cinema has something to do with the fact that it was plainly ready edited for commercial breaks, action sequence, walk a bit, action sequence? don't know whether the directors of ice age 3 came from telly but it would explain the structure.
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Why not be optimistic and instead of telling us your worst films of the year so far, you mentioned Helen and Let the Right One In were in the top 5. So good Doctor, what are the top 5 films of the year so far.
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Thanks for bringing this film back into my mind. I remember reading about it in sight and sound a while back....the same one i think with your good self praising Let the right one in......but didnt get to see it. For me it got lost not due to the release of Wolverine but due to the horror genre rising again with Let the right one in, Martyrs etc.
I never even saw a trailer for Helen and your blog is the first time i have seen a clip from the film. Will check out the dvd on your recommendation.
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I was greatly angered by your comments about John Carpenter's "They Live!", it's not a remake of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" at all, their isn't really any Alien invasion (they are already here!), they don't turn people into alien creatures.
"They Live!" is by far the best film John Carpenter ever made and will ever make, it's probably the best political satire since "Network", it completely summed up the greed of upper class of the 80s and has the best fight scene in cinematic history.
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I have today added Helen to my rental queue, purely on this recommendation. How long it may take to come through, however, is anybody's guess....
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ian schultz
'they live' has the best fight sequence ever between keith david and roddy piper
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Thank you for this recommendation I will put it on my to view when it eventually becomes available on DVD on Canada list. I heard a comment on a recent film review show regarding romantic comedies "written by a woman as they all seem be" or words to that effect. It stuck in my mind because I am wondering if it was meant to be sarcastic. I tend to loathe romantic comedies and I wholeheatedly agree that taking a sexist premise like the one in The Proposal and making the object of patronization male instead of female is not progress. In thinking about why I have such an antipathy towards most Romantic Comedies and I think its because I find them quite mean spirited. The male characters tend to have as much depth as a handbag and serve to give the female lead something to do. Likewise the Ugly Truth trailer just makes me cringe. The thing that intrigued me about 500 days of summer is that it takes a more male POV that could have been really interesting but it lost me with its selfconscious oddnes. Wondering if you can recommend a really good modern romcon or even just a flat out romance that isn't cringeworthy. Perhaps its just a 40 something thing where dark and cynical is more appealing and I will just have to learn to grit my teeth when my friends want a "chick flick" night.
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Dr K,
Thank you.
I feel that most people seem to think that a critics role, may it be film, food or art, is to mock and insult the bad examples of their respective areas of expertise. Whilst this can be entertaining and I do believe that a certain Mr. Bay deserves everything you have to say about him and more I believe this is not the way to go.
On your recommendation I bought Helen online and opened it the moment it hit the doormat. I was enthralled from the start, it was so atmospheric and engrossing that I was close to being late for work. THAT is why I don't think you should quit, I missed this film at my local cinema and it would have passed me by had you not mentioned it and that would have been a shame. Whilst I have not seen bridewars (and shan't), it is my opinion that alerting me to this gem of a film is more crucial than telling me about the latest hideous release from the hollywood blockbuster machine.
Thank you once more.
ps. let the right one in, also seen by your recommendation, is my favourite film of the year too and another good example of my point
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Like Lynch you say?!!
I shall buy that DVD!
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This is one of many films I never got a chance to see at my local cinema that only shows the popular blockbusters . A while ago I remember you asking people to mail in if they had a good art-house / independent cinema . Did anything ever come of that because I'm getting fed up of having to wait 'till films like this come out on DVD .
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My money is on "The Road" to be the best film of the year.Please treat it carefully Doc.
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Bought the DVD on your endorsement and enjoyed it very much.
There was certainly something Lynchian about the composition. I would not be surprised if the final shot – dark green bushes on a deep black backdrop – was a direct homage, for it resembles identically a painting (of his) that he describes in his short films DVD. And as an inversion of the brightly-lit-leaves-over-blue-sky motif, it made for a fascinatingly bleak ending.
Reading reviews/comments, it seems that some found it laboriously esoteric on the whole. As with Lynch, I felt that a certain degree of projection was half the point – the narrative, after all, was driven by the subtlest of identity hijacks, and its titular character embodied an uncertainty plainly relatable to anyone who might ever have considered their own ipseity (though commendably without feeling too broadly drawn).
The direction at times unhinged me – actors began their lines at awkward points; others appeared to act quite irregularly physically (the bereaved parents seemed oddly estranged). I'm not sure I fully understand the approach after just one viewing, but as you say, it does rather jar with the crisp, deliberate cinematography – a sort of menacing friction, adding to the overall sense of alienation.
It's certainly something I'll revisit, and something I found hugely interesting, so thanks a lot for the recommendation (and yeah, I should confess to looking up 'ipseity' – it was just too appropriate not to use).
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i was looking forward to this film and finally after viewing it on dvd i was'nt disapointed
brilliant
this film serves the fact that british/irish films are not getting a deserved crack at an audience in this country
cinemas should have to keep a screen open to british films
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It takes more than a few long shots of people looking thoughtfully into the sunset and a bit of twinkly music to be deep and meaningful. It also takes more than setting part of the narrative in some woods to be like David Lynch’s Twin Peaks. When you watch a David Lynch film you are never bored, a lot of the time you are confused and intrigued, but never bored. Helen, on the other hand is boring from the outset, I can’t believe it’s only 1 hour and 15 minutes long, it felt like much longer. The majority of scenes were dreadfully, needlessly and pointlessly long and drawn out. In a way Lynch films do this, such as the espresso scene in Mulholland Drive, however they are interesting, funny, absurd, dark and disturbing. Finally, Lynch films always use brilliant actors who deliver mesmerising performances. Helen, on the other hand, uses actors that would be hard pushed to get in the local school play. There have been far better performances in excellent British films recently, such as Shifty and Fish Tank, that it seems pointless wasting your time watching Helen. Thanks for wasting my time Dr K!
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Helene Cardona is not only a poetess, she was that naked chick in Lawrence Kasdan's Mumford.
Helene Cardona... i tapped that mouth.
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I watched Helen last night.
And I'm certan I'm insane, but it reminded me of Brick.
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