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Reviews
Painted Land: In Search of the Group of Seven (2015)
Manages to make a great subject dull.
The Group of Seven and Tom Thompson's star has been rising for a while in the art market and the art world in general. It is time for a good documentary on their work and vision. This is barely it. First the good stuff: it is quite interesting that this group goes around following the steps of the painters in the Algoma and North Shore of Lake Superior. Their purpose: to make a photography book where they contrast the artists work with the actual locations, some of them hard to reach. They seem to have done their research well. The scenery is breathtaking indeed as something you would see in the Ontario Tourism Board. For the not so good: An art documentary should take exquisite care to film the artworks themselves in crisp glorious detail. This doc resolution can't handle the big screen where it belongs. It contains a great amount of close-ups of the impasto on the boards (not always canvas as they say) which is a treat in itself but the paintings lack context and read more like a slide show. There is some footage of re-enactors dressed in period clothing etc that is totally superfluous. It would have been much better to either do a proper re-enactment with consistent performers or none at all and replace it with footage of the actual painters and a bit more background on their stories. There is a conservation and art education agenda which is an excellent effort but it is delivered mostly by the wild-eyed female collaborator in a gushy repetitive tone that is off-putting. How many times is she going to say "the land" in that reverential new-age tone only a geologists should adopt. The art students joining the expedition offers some slightly cringe-worthy moment as they display a natural but complete lack of understanding of the painting process (Why not use the tools given to the re-enactors?). The students mimic the campers emphasizing the calmness and soundtrack of the forest and the deep breathing as if this was yoga. Never mind plein air studies require a concentrated effort and intensity that they seem oblivious to and is clearly absent in the results. Fair enough, they are young, the film makers are not painters, but why not let the educational experience speak for itself without dragging students into it as in any old Public Service Advert. why not let "the land" speak for itself and tuck the conservation agenda with some actionable advice or none at all? So go in for the scenery, make plans to visit the area and avoid late summer or you'll have to fight the tourists. Better yet, get the book.
Ignacio de Loyola (2016)
Well acted against insurmountable odds
This movie gets a star for the acting which was good , a bit screamy, but nevertheless unable to surmount the terrible costuming, hair, lighting, effects, drawn out plot and over the top pace of this mess. If you are Catholic and know a bit about San Ignacio's life you might enjoy the film despite the flaws as someone mentioned. If you know nothing about the saint's life and are curious, it might kindle your curiosity. But if you are looking for a well paced, well lit, well made period movie, this isn't it. The battle of Pamplona has some of the most ill-designed and badly executed battle scenes I've seen in a long time. Costuming is awful, so is hair and make up. But lighting wins the award for its flatness and lack of charm. A film that does not consistently rely on images to tell a story is a failure. Couldn't they at least have covered the -clearly- modern windows in Loyola's castle for this production with some banners? Did Ignacio's hair always remain the exact same length throughout his life? did Inquisitors really wear polyester? Was it always sunny everywhere? Beyond these obvious disasters which one might overlook because of budget concerns, there's the issue of pace and plot. I would rescue the scene with the reformed Igancio and the prostitute as an example of good acting and nuance. But the battle with the devil on top of the cliff is drawn-out, annoyingly theatrical and ultimately boring in its video game grandeur.
The movie chooses to focus on the beginnings of the Ignatian adventure when our hero prepares to sacrifice all for honor in war and to prove to himself that he is worthy of his name. We assume this was an important feature of being a nobleman. The French render Ignacio a cripple but he is lucky to escape alive. He endures excruciating pain by undergoing "surgery" a a time when penicillin and anesthesia were not yet invented. Pain and boredom throw him into a new quest for glory, the glory of God against its enemies -in this case the Protestant Reformation apparently. He gives away his wealth, sets off on a pilgrimage, becomes a beggar and practices self-torture in a cave until he rises as a "new man" after defeating the devil... as one does. Basically, he defeats the desire to throw himself of a cliff, an experience I could relate to, but here explained away in the easier to understand "battle against the Devil". Humans have to find somebody to blame when things go wrong. A very mild mannered Inquisition then starts objecting to all of Ignacio's good or weird deeds -as they should- and the rest history.
The worst part of the movie is that is is a poor vehicle for some worthy material. It tries to be many things , adventure, love story, drama and propaganda but it fails by its own reach. May be someone needs to go into the cave again.