PIFF Lineup Released - The Highlights

The Portland International Film Festival has released the list of films showing at its 35th iteration. Mixed among the typically impenetrable or lethargic independent fare are some true standouts that merit a ticket.

Hit the jump for the list:





Extraterrestrial (Nacho Vigalondo - Spain)

Vigalondo's time-twisiting debut Timecrimes predisposed whatever his next effort wound up being to "must-see" status. That next effort is here, and it sounds enticing, regardless of Vigalondo's place on the up-and-coming directors list. Extraterrestrial seems to be about an alien invasion, but it turns out the massive otherworldly ship hovering above Madrid is merely the spark for a romantic comedy, albeit a somewhat sinister one. Intrigued? You should be.




Life Without Principle (Johnnie To - Hong Kong)

Life Without Principle is on this list simply because Johnnie To's name is attached. Unlike Vidalgo, where  viewers eagerly await what steps a promising young filmmaker might take next, To's body of work is so drenched with excellence that any extension of it demands to be seen. While his films are often misclassified as action movies because of their frequently criminal subject matter (a faux-pas commited even in PIFF's brochure), To actually excels at systematically breaking down the forces that create violence. His Election films of 2005 and 2006 masterfully deconstruct that motivations behind Triad hierarchy, and are some of the best gangster movies ever but to screen. Don't confuse his allegiance with Hong Kong as an allegiance with a John Woo aesthetic. Life Without Principle sees To following three characters faced with moral dilemmas brought about by financial instability.




Kill List (Ben Wheatley - Great Britain)

If it's name wasn't indicative enough, Kill List is built around pretty standard gangster movie stuff. Retired hitman. Financial crunch. One last job. From there, it spirals out of convention's control. Given only a list of names by his employer, and told to kill them, no questions asked, no answers given, said retired hitman falls into a series of dementedly twisted killings all leading down a very dark path. The fat that the top YouTube search suggestion for "kill list" is "kill list hammer scene" should give you an idea of what you're in for. From the reviews it's gotten east of the Atlantic, it sounds like a crime/horror hybrid for the ages.






Free Men (Ismael Ferroukhi - France)

This is a story that is bound-to-be full of human spirits triumphing and people overcoming their differences. Set during World War II, Free Men tells the story of Muslim freedom fighters sheltering Jews in German-occupied Paris. When a young, apolitical Algerian immigrant is captured by the Gestapo, he is brought into a world that he barely understands, and agrees to spy on the Paris Grand Mosque. The trailer features one of the most NAZI-looking NAZIs I've ever seen. See if you can spot him.




Let the Bullets Fly (Jiang Wen - China)

I realize now that when I compared Johnnie To to John Woo while discussing Life Without Principle above, I may have appeared bolster To's reputation by derogatorily referring to Woo's dedication to action cinema. Absolutely no degradation was intended to be directed toward Woo. John Woo is my favorite director of all time. I am therefore honor-bound to see any movie starring Chow Yun-Fat entitled Let the Bullets Fly. I'm serious. Not even getting into plot details. It's called Let the Bullets Fly, and it stars Chow Yun-Fat. SOLD.

Plot details for non-fanboys: In 1920s China, a gang of bandits hijacks a train thatOH MY GOD. How could you not be sold on this already?




Clown (Klovn) (Mikkel Norgaard - Denmark)

So I can't figure out how to do it in the Blogger editor, but Norgaard's name should have an awesome slash through the "o," which I thought was worth noting. Clown is Denmark's shot at morally appalling humor, which has been done with varying degrees of success in other countries. Based on a Danish TV show, Clown did gangbusters at the Danish box office, and has had its praises sung by twitchfilm. It concern two guys who decide to go on a canoe trip/sex romp, two things that traditionally go together. One of the guys decides to bring his pregnant girlfriend's nephew along to demonstrate his fatherhood credentials. Depravity ensues.

I cannot begin to tell you how NSFW this trailer is. There are dicks. Plural. I couldn't even find a good screencap.






Invasion of the Alien Bikini (Young-doo Oh - South Korea)

This guy.

I mean, with this name, it can't be bad, right?



                                                                                                                                                                      

One inexcusable omission is Gareth Evans' The Raid, which looks like the best action movie of the decade. The festival runs from February 9th to the 25th at theaters around Portland. Check PIFF's site for the full schedule and tickets.