Rating: 
Summary: A rare and wonderful delicacy, but not for everybody
Review: Anyone not already acquainted with Guy Maddin's work can't possibly know what to expect when viewing this film for the first time. I had never heard of Maddin before, but I first saw it screened at a small art house, and I found it both fascinating and hilarious. Anyone with an affinity for old (ca. 1920s and 1930s) German expressionist films like Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari should like the cinematography. It beautifully replicates the cramped, claustrophobic, deeply-shadowed, artificial-looking, distorted and surreal settings of expressionist films (in color, yet). The soundtrack even has a fake layer of noise added, to bolster the illusion of an old film. It is also inspired by the so-called "mountain films" from Germany (see Riefensthal's "Blue Light," for example). The acting is also purposely stilted, artificial and stylized, to hilarious effect. The plot is a quagmire of tortuous, pseudo-Freudian hang-ups that seem to doom everyone to a tragic end. This may sound grim, but it's not meant to be taken seriously. This is definitely something different, if that's what you're looking for, and as I've said, anyone who likes expressionist films should love this, as familiarity with the old films makes this one even more funny. I do wish the tape would come down in price though. More people could then get to know this rare treat. While a DVD would be wonderful, I suppose it's unlikely.
Rating: 
Summary: Uh... Bizarre, beautiful, but...
Review: Great sets & costumes, like a beautifully odd dream. But it is slow and there's no reason to care for any of these characters, so I lost interest.
I'm glad to have seen it, but much more glad that I didn't buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Uh... Bizarre, beautiful, but...
Review: Great sets & costumes, like a beautifully odd dream. But it is slow and there's no reason to care for any of these characters, so I lost interest.
I'm glad to have seen it, but much more glad that I didn't buy it.
Rating:
Summary: SSSHHHHHHHHHush...this is getting weird.
Review: I didn't know what to expect when I saw this film for the first time at an obsure Indy Film night at a small movie house. Upon first glance I thought it was quirky...but a little slow. For some reason I wasn't able to pull myself away. I was mezmerized as if in a quiet trance...my eyes glued to the screen, my heart racing with each disturbing scene as they unfolded to paint one of the most beautifully bizarre films I've seen.I'm reluctant to recommend this film to too many people...not for the weak stomached...definately for the fan of the obscure.
Rating:
Summary: Facinating, eerie cinema
Review: I first saw this odd little film late one night on television (CBC). I loved everything about it. The candy-coloured sets, the shamelessly twisted plot, the combination of horrific images ( a group of praying youngsters engulfed by an wall of snow ) with comedy ( the candle wax scene ), and the wonderful group of performers. "Careful" is one of the most original and haunting movies I've seen in years. Canadian cinema at it's finest!
Rating:
Summary: Keep an Eye on Guy
Review: I'll never forget the first time I saw a Guy Maddin film--it was "Tales from Gimli Hospital." When it ended I sat quietly for a few moments and just muttered "Holy Cow" over and over. "Gimli" is an early and very low budget effort. "Careful" shows Guy nearing a peak that hopefully will go on for a few more decades. Guy somehow (and miraculously) manages to sum up the entire history of cinema in his work. While there's much chatter about his obvious retro style, few have noticed his nods to Godard and more recent filmmakers. He may seem to mimic early films with missing frames and soundtrack problems but these "affectations" are ultimately as expressive as the equivalent jump cuts and soundtrack dropouts in Godard's "Alphaville." They're richer too because of the inevitable multiple associations. His amazing short, "Heart of the World" (one of the best shorts I've ever seen) owes as much to modern MTV editing styles as it does to early Soviet cinema (and creates a bridge and dialogue between two seemingly unrelated creative eras). Guy's not an artsy filmmaker, he's just a "guy" who loves movies passionately and works, unselfconsciously, with film's full lexicon.
"Careful" is a beautiful (often breathtakingly gorgeous), complex, unique, and very funny film. He's made a disturbing comedy about tragic and sensitive issues or maybe a tragedy about comic issues--there's something almost Shakespearean about his output. He also has a knack for getting memorable performances from his actors.
No this film isn't for everyone--right now at least--but I'm convinced we are currently witnessing the appearance of one of film's truly great creative geniuses. His films make one realize how stunningly shallow so many modern movies are, overburdened with flashy technologies like CGI, mandatory pop-cultural references, pretty people, and consumerism. His output is also a challenge to the equally bankrupt "underground" or "counter-culture." By avoiding every modern cliché, trend, anti-trend, technology, anti-technology, and pretense in his work he's giving us, in this film and others, timeless and (a rare thing these days) sublime works that are, even after all this lofty commentary, still pretty damned funny!
Rating:
Summary: Keep an Eye on Guy
Review: I'll never forget the first time I saw a Guy Maddin film--it was "Tales from Gimli Hospital." When it ended I sat quietly for a few moments and just muttered "Holy Cow" over and over. "Gimli" is an early and very low budget effort. "Careful" shows Guy nearing a peak that hopefully will go on for a few more decades. Guy somehow (and miraculously) manages to sum up the entire history of cinema in his work. While there's much chatter about his obvious retro style, few have noticed his nods to Godard and more recent filmmakers. He may seem to mimic early films with missing frames and soundtrack problems but these "affectations" are ultimately as expressive as the equivalent jump cuts and soundtrack dropouts in Godard's "Alphaville." They're richer too because of the inevitable multiple associations. His amazing short, "Heart of the World" (one of the best shorts I've ever seen) owes as much to modern MTV editing styles as it does to early Soviet cinema (and creates a bridge and dialogue between two seemingly unrelated creative eras). Guy's not an artsy filmmaker, he's just a "guy" who loves movies passionately and works, unselfconsciously, with film's full lexicon.
"Careful" is a beautiful (often breathtakingly gorgeous), complex, unique, and very funny film. He's made a disturbing comedy about tragic and sensitive issues or maybe a tragedy about comic issues--there's something almost Shakespearean about his output. He also has a knack for getting memorable performances from his actors.
No this film isn't for everyone--right now at least--but I'm convinced we are currently witnessing the appearance of one of film's truly great creative geniuses. His films make one realize how stunningly shallow so many modern movies are, overburdened with flashy technologies like CGI, mandatory pop-cultural references, pretty people, and consumerism. His output is also a challenge to the equally bankrupt "underground" or "counter-culture." By avoiding every modern cliché, trend, anti-trend, technology, anti-technology, and pretense in his work he's giving us, in this film and others, timeless and (a rare thing these days) sublime works that are, even after all this lofty commentary, still pretty damned funny!
Rating:
Summary: The Most Brilliant Film Ever.
Review: If you ever want to own a work of art that has motion pictures this is the picture. Guy Madden, one of the most talented directors to come out of North America (that usually means Canada), pulls together a stilted, carefully directed plot of slightly insane characters who live in the most ungodly place on earth. The floor of their lives are literally about to drop out any moment during the film and your own mind and soul are only moments behind it during the entire narrative. It's expensive but save your pennies as I don't think it could come any more highly recommended by someone who has seen a few too many films attempting to come close to this work.
Rating:
Summary: Ehhhh....
Review: If you're a cult cinema nut or a film student, you'll probably get all the jokes. I did. But this cross of incest and German mountain-climber movies of the twenties and thirties, while it certainly carries a unique visual style, just doesn't hold your interest. I get the feeling that Maddin, unlike, say, fellow Canadian David Cronenberg, is straining to be weird and obscure. This was worth the three bucks I paid to see it, in my opinion, it was fun. But a classic? No, and I wouldn't pay a lot for it either. Kino has Jan Svankmajer's "Conspirators of Pleasure", as well, and THAT is most definitely a classic!
Rating:
Summary: Ehhhh....
Review: If you're a cult cinema nut or a film student, you'll probably get all the jokes. I did. But this cross of incest and German mountain-climber movies of the twenties and thirties, while it certainly carries a unique visual style, just doesn't hold your interest. I get the feeling that Maddin, unlike, say, fellow Canadian David Cronenberg, is straining to be weird and obscure. This was worth the three bucks I paid to see it, in my opinion, it was fun. But a classic? No, and I wouldn't pay a lot for it either. Kino has Jan Svankmajer's "Conspirators of Pleasure", as well, and THAT is most definitely a classic!
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