An original and intriguing new addition to filmmaker Harmony Korine’s body of work, Mister Lonely stars Diego Luna as the confused and sensitive protagonist. A reticent young Mexican Michael Jackson impersonator living in Paris, he finds a kindred spirit when he meets a Marilyn Monroe (Samantha Morton).

Marilyn lives in an isolated commune in the highlands with a small group of fellow celebrity impersonators, as well as her husband and daughter, who are living as Charlie Chaplin and Shirley Temple.

Running parallel to Michael’s story, a group of nuns led by Father Umbrillo (Werner Herzog) test their purity and faith in god through extreme measures.

Korine’s interest seems to be in capturing the unrealistic and unconventional. He explores the lives of people who live outside the realm of the average, creating glimpses into the world’s oddness. These narratives are based in the real world, but are somehow unreal. Korine has said: ” Its almost like a subtle science fiction, it’s like the real world, but slightly tweaked, … it’s like maybe a slight manipulation…I never really had an interest in sticking to like, you know, the truth.” (interview by www.filmcatcher.com)

This film is very sucessful in terms of its cinematography, but it lets itself down when it comes to storytelling, only because it feels like there should be more; more character depth, more story. The stories are fanciful and fascinating, the concepts are ingenious, but Mister Lonely just leaves you wanting to know more.

The opening scene, shot in slow motion, shows Michael in full costume, riding a tiny motor bike, with a winged monkey trailing on a string behind him. This scene is visually awesome, but arguably the most memorable scene from the film, contains the gorgeous ethereal footage of a nun descending from the clouds, the wind buffeting her pale blue robes, while riding her bmx. Incongruous imagery, absurdly beautiful, abounds in Mister Lonely.

Korine has said he likes to create his films based on images, things he has either seen, or imagined. The surrealism in Mister Lonely feels a lot like he has taken his ideas straight from his dreams, and put these images onto celluloid. And, much like a dream, you wonder if there is any point trying to attribute meaning to the images running in front of your eyes, or if you should just appreciate the inherent beauty of these strange juxtapositions.

In any case, it is an attractive and frequently mesmerizing experience.

If for nothing else, see it for the nuns. 3/5.

Wow… what an amazing film on so many levels. I purposefully didn’t find out much about this film before watching it. I often read and hear too much about films and as soon as I know they are heavy or intense I use the ol’ not in the mood for something heavy excuse. So I took a deep breath and took it home and glad I did. Amazing story of human dignity,courage & communication. Brilliant cinematography with effects that put SFX companies to shame (all done old school - true artistry with the camera). This film takes you on quite a ride that will leave you feeling a little ashamed of those stupid things you got cranky about today!!

Stehanie Daley is the most thought provoking and mesmerising film I’ve seen in a long while, and is surely one to bring up alot of discussion. The film takes a powerful look at the topics that spark so many debates between pro-life and pro- choice, yet beautifully and hauntingly focuses more on how choices affect people, rather than religious or political aspects. This is what I loved about the film- both Tilda Swinton’s and Amber Tamblyns complexity in their performances. This film really delves into and explores the terror of motherhood , failing relationships and ignorance. It is brilliantly directed, written and acted. I highly recommend it.

By way of introduction, Mike Ross is one of our valued APPLEBOX members and most knowledgeable doco watcher! He has kindly offered to review ‘Zeigeist’ for us, and so here are his thoughts.

REVIEWER: Michael Clunies-Ross
ZEITGEIST: THE MOVIE, 2007
Writer/Director Peter Joseph.

Here’s a movie that will either knock your socks off, bore you to death with its length, generate extreme paranoia-turning you into a mad conspiracy nut, or it will just confuse the hell out of you and lead to hours of pointless web research and possible alcoholism.

Zeitgeist is a German expression meaning ‘the spirit of the age.’ The film aims to shock and scare viewers about the bastard political climate we all live in. If you liked the Manchurian Candidate, or are a bit of a conspiracy theorist, then this is right up your ally. It is not a light Sunday viewing, and a bad choice if you have guests over or feel like relaxing with a laugh. In fact, it might make you cry. That is, if you believe it all.

There are three parts to the film. The first focuses on religion and tries to shock, scare and enlighten you about the true story behind the bible. Jesus, stars and Horus’ black all-seeing eye (like the one in Lord of the Rings) are the main focus in part one. To any Christian or person who is slightly religious, part one is basically a slap in the face with a cold steak. You can take it seriously, or with a grain of salt. It made me want to buy a telescope.

Part two focuses on 9/11, terrorists who can’t fly planes, Bush, JFK and a whole bunch of other conspiracies that might make you feel a little queezy.

Part three is called Don’t Mind the Men Behind the Curtain, which describes a bunch of nasty banksters, chiefly JP Morgan, Rockefeller and Rothschild of the Federal Reserve who control the money system and therefore, everything. I always thought Rockefeller was just an old-school musician.

Zeitgeist won the 2008 Artvist Documentary Film Award and seems to have captured a lot of interest in many countries. I say have few drinks to help you watch this film, which can leave a bit of a chip on the shoulder. It tries to end optimistically and send a message that you can actually do something to prevent a horrible New World Order, but probably not.

Hello all, I just realised it’s been a long while since my last blog. And I felt the need to get something off my chest, and what better way than here. I love rediscovering old movies and remembering how much I loved them, or not sometimes. You know, when you watch something from your childhood, remember thinking it was the best piece of cinema ever made, and then realising it must have been a special ‘Home Alone’ phase and the movies aren’t the blockbuster hits you remember them to be? (No offence if you love them!)

Well, now it’s time for a GOOD memory jolt… I just watched ‘Heat’ recently, and remembered it’s one of the best Cops and Robbers movie I’ve ever seen. Honestly. One of the best. Now I understand this isn’t everyone’s genre of choice, but if you’re remotely interested in a nearly three hour tension filled epic (with a few great action scenes to break it up), then please, do it. The main two characters, and the actors who play them, are amazing and make the film worth watching for them alone. Goodie: Al Pacino. Baddie: Robert De Niro. And that’s just the beginning. The cast in this blew me away, and I was able to have a little chuckle at some of the choices too - Tone Loc springs to mind. Some more examples: Val Kilmer, a young Natalie Portman, John Voight, Tom Sizemore (Saving Private Ryan, Pearl Harbour, True Romance), Diane Venora (Romeo + Juliet), Amy Brennerman (Grey’s Anatomy, Judging Amy), Ashley Judd, Hank Azaria, Henry Rollins, Tone Loc, and a lot of other actors that upon seeing them, I thought “oh, that’s the guy from… pretty much every movie I’ve ever seen.” Lots of those.

I won’t go into the plot much, well, at all actually… I’d be here a while. One quirk of the film which I found a little amusing, was the fact it was made in 1995. Nothing funny about that alone, I know, but when you see the ‘latest’ fashions, phones, cars etc that, in their day were the coolest things yet, it’s fun to have a laugh about how times change. But, enough of that, it’s a serious (and seriously amazing) flick.

Cops and Robbers… done extremely well. Hope you give it a shot, maybe when you’ve racked up $9 in other rentals and it’s then only a dollar for you (when you take advantage of the 3 for $10 deal we have running).

I didn’t like the musical, it’s too gory for me… But I still watched as I love Johnny Depp, Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter. Masterful film making again by this talented group of artists but I just don’t like the musical!! One for the fans only I think… but it has reviewed so well I can’t help thinking I have a real thing against the whole slitting throats pie making plot!

What a gem of a film. Set in the first world war based on the life of a quirky maitre d’ whose life takes some pretty crazy twists and turns. Beautifully written, hysterical scenes and one that you could easily miss but DON’T!

Brilliant. Great to see Ang Lee doing a Chinese language film again and a film he says was really important to him to share the pre Cultural Revolution history of his parents before it is lost. Set in Japanese occupied Shanghai and Hong Kong this story has it all; espionage, twists, turns, love, sex, culture and war. Beautifully shot, written and directed. A great tale that takes you on quite a ride. Oh and the actors are flawless, one of those films that you forget you are watching actors from the beginning to the end.

An hysterical Japanese film based on a true story set in a poor coal mining town that turned to creating “Hawaii” in their town to save it. We follow the journey of a group of coal miners daughters struggling against the expectations of the poor rural traditional village to become Japan’s greatest Hawaiian dance troupe. The film is heart felt and some what surprising in it’s brutally honest characters who show none of the suppression of emotion and “face saving” behaviour I am accustomed to in Asian cultures.. they are over the top, emotional and VERY entertaining. Gem of a film. Laughed out loud a lot, shed a few tears and beamed with pride and wonder too.