# a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z see:w WALKABOUT. Nicholas Roeg, 1971. 95min. An astonishing film, WALKABOUT deals with the issues of society and nature. With fantastic use of cross cutting and sound (underpinning scenes with radio broadcasts) Roeg makes his points without being overbearing. While sometimes shocking, his edits remain organic to the film, and at times it appears as though his edits span thousands of years, rather than an expanse of a few hundred miles. The film bears a lot in common with KOYAANISQATSI [Godfrey Reggio, 1983], sharing similar themes and an astute use of cinematography (Nicholas Roeg actually started as a cinematographer, and WALKABOUT was his directoral debut) as it attempts to reconcile past and present societies and the future of our relationship to the world around us. As an aside, the extreme closeup shots of the flora and fauna of the Australian outback oddly brought to mind similar trick shots in NIGHT OF THE HUNTER [Charles Laughton, 1955], and the overall themes of a repressed society encroaching on nature can also be seen in Peter Weir's PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK. 01.22.02 WHAT TIME IS IT THERE? Tsai Ming-Liang, 2001. 116min. A refinement of the themes embodied in his previous films, WHAT TIME IS IT THERE tells the story of two couples separated in time and space (physical and metaphyiscally), each attempting to come to terms with their own sense of alienation and loneliness. As Hsiao-kang, Kang-sheng Lee plays a street-corner watch salesman who meets a woman about to embark on a trip to Paris. The chance meeting sets off an obsession as he attempts to share her life by sharing her time. His mother is equally obsessed with regaining time with his father, who dies in the first scene of the film. At almost two hours in length, Liang allows his camera to linger over his characters as they lead their lives, never rushing them, content to let them inhabit a space which at times threatens to overwhelm them. And yet Liang recognizes the inherent humor in their situations, observing them always with a sympathetic eye. One of his most beautiful movies (note the mix of hot and cool colors on the screen), it may very well be his best. WHISPER OF THE HEART. Yoshifumi Kondo, 1995. 111min. I will never listen to John Denver's "Country Road" in the same way again. Shizuki learns that every book she checks out from the library in which her father works have already been checked out and read by another. So begins a coming of age story faciliated by a near-mystical cat as Shizuku not only falls in love but searches for her passion in this life. Another offering from Studio Ghibli, the film offers the high level of animation we've come to expect from their productions, and boasts a very beautifully animated sequence at the end as Seiji takes Shizuku to his favorite spot. And going back to "Country Road," which serves as a sort of letmotif through the film, the lyrics changing subtly as Shizuku translates and re-translates the words, a great little set piece closes the first act as the characters form an impromtu acoustic jam session around the song. Almost heaven, west Virginia . . . WING CHUN. Woo-Ping Yuen, 1994. 93min. Michelle Yeoh stars in this entertaining martial arts comedy. When she runs afoul of the local bandits, she must defend herself (and the woman she saves) from the bad guys who threaten her tofu shop. While not the best in the genre (you might check out Tsui Hark's PEKING OPERA BLUES (1986)), the film is immensely enjoyable not only for Yeoh's unflappable Wing Chun, but also for King-Tan Yuen's comic turn as her aunt, Abacus Fong. skip:w WAR PHOTOGRAPHER. Christian Frei, 2001. 96min. In this uneven documentary, James Nachtwey allows the filmmakers to follow him around as he covers stories in Indonesia, Africa, and Bosnia. Through tiny cameras mounted on his cameras, we follow Nachtwey as he scans the scenes around him, searching for his decisive moments. Unfortunately, little is revealed about Nachtwey's early years or his learning process. What we get is an incomplete portrait of a humanitarian given to few words out to document the world around him. The film improves in its second half, and it's interesting to see how the people he visits and landscapes he inhabits are transformed through his lens and in his prints. While there are some insights to be had, however, it may be better to spend time with his photographs rather than with this snapshot of him. 03.04 WHALE RIDER. Niki Caro, 2002. 101min. A disappointing film that tries too hard to bring on the myth and gravitas, staring Keisha Castle-Hughes as a girl born to a chief's son, and her ensuing struggles to be realized as the true leader of her Maori clan. While Castle-Hughes is is fine, there is really only one scene that cements her performance. The rest of the film is hardly noteworthy, and the actors around her feel like they are sleepwalking through their parts. The film tries hard to raise itself to a higher, spiritual level; in the end, I just found it plodding. THE WHITE BALLOON (BADKONAKE SEFID). Jafar Panahi, 1995. 81 min. Your mileage will vary considerably depending upon whether you find the lead character adorably petulant or an annoying pain. That being said, the film is a beautiful slice of life in which a young girl is a on a quest for goldfish to celebrate the new year. The film unfolds in apparent real time as the girl (through her ever resourceful brother) wins her mother over into allowing her to buy one and then follows her through her trials and tribulations in finally obtaining it. Full of the breath of human kindness, the film never falters in its simple potrayal of one girl's wish . . . fulfilled? Unfortunately, I found the girl to be in the latter category which is why I put this into the skip section. For others, it's a definite must see. # a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z |