You owe it to yourself to see NORTHFORK

July 21, 2003 1:05 PM

If this summer's unending parade of spiritless sequels has you down on that whole film-can-be-art thing, I strongly recommend you rejuvenate your sense of wonder by taking a journey with the Polish Brothers to the Heartland of their America, Northfork, Montana. It's the third installment of a cinematic trilogy that has taken them to Twin Falls Idaho and Jackpot, Nevada. You will either love Northfork (Ebert: "There has never been a movie quite like "Northfork"") or you'll hate it (McDonagh: "meticulously crafted but frustratingly meaningless"); there seems to be very little in between. Some background won't hurt, if you're the literal type; hearing from the filmmakers in their own words provides some additional perspective. But in the end, all that matters is what you see... Please. Just go - it's not very likely you've ever seen much else like it... (Flash-enabled pages at those official film sites, sorry...)
posted by JollyWanker (14 comments total)

I've been very eager to see this, but then I went to see Swimming Pool, and despite the copious amounts of nudity I was bored out of my skull and very irritated by the useless trick ending, which put me off of art house films. I fear that I might fall into the McDonagh camp on this one.
posted by jonson at 1:28 PM on July 21, 2003

Those of you down for a heavy-duty cinematic art experience should check to see if Matthew Barney's Cremaster cycle will be playing at a theater near you anytime soon.
posted by monosyllabic at 2:21 PM on July 21, 2003

The following exchange took place after seeing Northfork with my friend J.C.:

Me: "The filmmakers actually financed the film themselves. Their father even built the sets."

JC: "Wow. It's sad, though, how they couldn't afford a plot."
posted by adrober at 3:43 PM on July 21, 2003

thanks for this post .. i love being excited about films that are coming up. I'm eagerly awaiting Bad Santa and Lost in Translation too. (The soundtrack to which is going to be the first solo recording since My Bloody Valentine of Kevin Shields .. woo hoo!).

what is everyone else waiting for ?
posted by mrben at 6:26 PM on July 21, 2003

If you haven't seen Nowhere in Africa and Whale Rider, go see them now. The first one blew me away. The second one is about to.
posted by azazello at 8:01 PM on July 21, 2003

The new releases this summer have generally left me cold. "Nowhere in Africa" was very good, but "Whale Rider" is an overblown fakey piece of hokey dreck--audience pandering at its worst. I walked out of screenings for both "Lucia Lucia" and "Don't Tempt Me." "American Splendor" promises to be good.
posted by muckster at 9:07 PM on July 21, 2003

That's interesting to know, muckster... I guess I'll have to see for myself. Well, there's also Finding Nemo, which, while not excellent, is Pixar, and j00 k0wer before Pixar might. Other than that, I don't see much promising stuff in the reviews. Have you seen Winged Migration?
posted by azazello at 9:19 PM on July 21, 2003

I thought the trailer for Claude Lelouch's And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen..., with Jeremy Irons and French singer Patricia Kaas as a jewel thief and a jazz singer whose paths criss-cross and resolve themselves in Morocco, looked interesting...
posted by JollyWanker at 9:20 PM on July 21, 2003

I've seen "Spellbound" twice now. It's awesome, A-W-E-S-U--M, awesome. Also, "Capturing The Friedmans" is pretty incredible. "Whale Rider" was a fine movie, but one that I could have lived without.
posted by adrober at 12:15 AM on July 22, 2003

My favorite movie so far this year is L' Homme du train (Man on the Train). Watching the two very different characters interact and reflect is a joy. I also enjoyed L' Auberge espagnole.
posted by rushmc at 4:48 AM on July 22, 2003

I was a bit disappointed with Winged Migration. While Microcosmos, managed to keep my interest by almost personifying the insects. Winged Migration, while interesting, left me feeling detached for long stretches during the movie, where I looked at my watch, looked around the theatre, or simply dozed. It would be unfair to say it was boring, but it did sort of seem like a one-trick pony... I mean, the first couple of scenes of those great close-ups of the flying birds are thrilling. By the thousandth, it kind of loses it's zing.
posted by crunchland at 5:31 AM on July 22, 2003

I'm dying to see Northfork, Lost in Translation, and the upcoming Charlie Kaufman Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
posted by Marquis at 6:20 AM on July 22, 2003

I just rented "Tully" (formerly "The Truth about Tully) and thought it was wonderful. Kind of a slightly more upbeat "1000 acres".
posted by mecran01 at 8:11 AM on July 22, 2003

Please. Just go
Why should I 'just go' and give someone my hard earned ten bucks for something which is likely crap? Hey I tell you what. Why don't YOU send ME ten bucks, and then, if you don't like what I give you in return, you can come to MeFi and bitch about it. Good deal, right?
posted by HTuttle at 8:40 PM on July 22, 2003