So. What makes a man a man? Will Arnett and Jason Bateman, who produced “Mansome”, say “If you don’t take care of yourself, you are a boy” – a philosophy Zach Galifianakis who is also interviewed would strongly reject. But when are men taking too much care of themselves?

For Spurlock there’s only one way for a man to be “mansome” – it’s defined by physical attributes. Spurlock – who unlike his other documentaries only appears in the first segment – sees his mustache as something manly. And still he shaves it off at the end of “Movember”.

Or does it need a full beard to be a real man? Maybe Galifianakis is a real man then? Jack Passion, a professional beardsman would probably only partly agree: He has to take good care of his beard, he even lives healthier – just for the sake of winning trophies at some beard competitions, which look quite a bit like a freak show for some of the viewers. His greatest wish: winning a championship in Bavaria, the homeland of all beards (although he apparently thinks Bavaria is in Austria – never mind).

Other important ways to define a man some man: What products does he use? Is using a shower gel too much already? Or does a man really need “Fresh Balls”? A product to – well it does what it says (looks it up, you can order “Fresh Balls” online). What about hair on the back? A no-go?

Spurlock interviews people who call themselves “metrosexual”, who help balding hair etc. It’s highly amusing how serious everybody takes himself – listen to them and you probably want to agree to their position. Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian, a man with an impressive beard himself, might be the most reasonable person though.

Trust me: You’ll have similar doubts after you left the theater as me. Even if you tend to believe that the looks won’t make a man “mansome”.

Director Chris Kenneally and his producer/interviewer Keanu Reeves had access to some of the most important filmmakers of the last four decades – Martin Scorsese and David Lynch, Lars von Trier and James Cameron, Steve Soderbergh and Chris Nolan, to name a few. They also talk to directors of photography like Michael Ballhaus, editor coloring specialists, camera makers and so on.

The main question: How is the digital present and future effecting filmmaking? The answers: They vary. A lot.

One example: When filmmakers shoot with real film, they get their dailies back the next morning. Robert Rodriguez always hated that – there’s no chance to correct mistakes anymore. David Fincher agrees: He loves the “immediates” – the chance to see what was shot immediately. Steven Soderbergh, on the other hand, thinks this is an illusion – a small computer screen just can’t show what the audience will see on a big screen. Martin Scorsese might have the wisest answers: He like to see results as soon as possible – but in a separate room.

Opinions on cameras are varied too: Soderbergh says his movie about Che Guevara would not have been possible without the “Red One” camera”. Fincher hates it. And what about the option to shoot movies with small Canon photo cameras? Will this be the punk rock revolution for movie making? Or will these cameras bring an inflation of bad movies? David Lynch might have the best answer: Everybody has access to pen and paper. This doesn’t mean that everybody can write a great story.

Kenneally covers a lot of topics and en passant explains how films are made this days: James Cameron praises the development of 3D movies (but fails to mention how many movies are shot in 3D now just for monetary reasons, as somebody else points out). What influence will Netflix and the iPhone have on movies? How are movies preserved in the future, considering that technologies change every few years?

Again: Don’t expect answers, just a lot of very interesting ideas. For those “Side By Side” is worth watching.

The three brothers were real life activists who even were considered for a nobel peace price in the Seventies. They embark on an adventure into the hinterland of Brazil – the government is looking for airstrips to expand its influence. The Villas-Boas brothers discover a place – and a helpful indian tribe nearby the Xingu river.

Contact between two different civilizations (as also seen in James Cameron’s “Avatar”) is never easy: Pretty soon many of the Indians die because of the flu – a disease they never experienced before. Members of another tribe, exploited by white settlers, seek protection and hope for the help of the Villas-Boas brothers. Pretty soon, they turn into fierce and aggressive protectors of the indigenous people at the Xingu river. “The white man is the enemy”, one of them says at some point.

The brothers pay a price for it: They almost get killed during an expedition – their plane was sabotaged, Hamburger claims. Leonardo, who falls in love with an Indian girl and is send away by Orlando because of this, commits suicide. Claudio also loves an Indian girl, but mostly stays away from her.

This is almost the more interesting part of the story of “Xingu”. The most remarkable scene happens when the Villas Boas’ are finally able to form a national park in which the Indians are protected. They go around and bring the people to the park. When a couple refuses to go – they make good money working for the white settlers -, Claudio points a gun at the man and forces him to come. Does this make him any different from the settlers who use guns to force the Indians to work?

“Xingu”, although it tells a story that happened a few decades ago, has an urgent relevance these days: The Brazilian government is considering a water dam which would endanger parts of the national park – so far unsuccessful. But Brazil might need some Villas-Boas again.

The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye

Marie Losier’s film could have been gone in a lot of directions – it could have been a music documentary about Genesis P. Orrridge, about Throbbing Gristle and Psychic TV. The French filmmaker shot all the necessary things, she interviewed the members of TG and Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers) in the many years of filming.

None of this is in “The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye”, and even if it would have been extremely interesting to watch, it would have completely changed the character of this film which focuses on the romance. Orridge’s music career is explained within a few minutes, and Throbbing Gristle are shown live in one brief scene (non of their music made it onto the soundtrack). Most people, who will watch this movie, know about TG anyway.

But even the concept behind “Pandrogyne” is only explained briefly. After Genesis and Lady Jaye fell in love, they tried to become one – literally. They had the same haircuts, underwent cosmetic surgery, and even both got breast implants on Valentine’s Day 2003. Which was “extremely romantic”, as Genesis put it.

Losier shows glimpses of that and of a European tour with Psychic TV (Lady Jaye became a member despite not wanting to be in a rock band). The director also shows party scenes or everyday stuff – a cut-up, like Genesis P. Orridge prefers it. Which is probably the best way to show the couple anyway.

The Bleeding House

Gelatt’s debut “The Bleeding House” is a nice, but not really surprising serial killer movie. We know something is wrong with the Smiths. A house burned down, people were killed and almost no neighbor ever wants to talk with the parents and their two children again. Even the parents seem to be scared of their daughter Gloria (Alexandra Chando) who is not allowed to go outside or to touch any knives at all.

And then one night Nick shows (Patrick Breen) up – a nice, Christian stranger with only one weird characteristic: his Southern accent. Nick’s car broke down, and even if the Smiths don’t want anybody in their house, they can’t let him sleep outside on this freezing night. And of course things go nasty from here.

“The Bleeding House” is an old-fashioned thriller with a very dark side – if you have ever seen any slasher or horror movie you will be able to figure out where the story goes easily (the way people die is intestering though, hence the title). But anyhow – Gelatt’s debut is enjoyable (even though Breen is a bit too young and not totally convincing in the lead role), a small movie not necessarily for the big screen, but for a stormy Friday night.

Detachment with Adrien Brody

Tony Kaye loves movies about social issues. After “American History X” the British director shot the documentary “Lake of Fire” about abortion, his next movie “Black Water Transit” will deal with environmental issues. And when the opening credits of “Detachment” are over, we know hat director wanted this to be a realistic movie. Kaye lets teachers talk about how they got into their profession.

Whatever enthusiasm and dedication it once was, being a teacher seems like a quick way into depression, substance abuse and cynicism these days. In one scene, which is probably not too far off the truth, a government official explains why he needs the school children to succeed in their next test exams: A low test score brings the market value of the real estate in the area down, while better results could help the business. Did you hear the children being mentioned in this argument? No, you didn’t. And of course there’s no money to help kids reach better results. But of course children and their parents are responsible too: Kids these days are disrespectful, and when in doubt, parents stand by the children, threaten to sue teachers.

But don’t get it wrong: “Detachment” is not an essay on the education. It’s a feature Film with Adrien Brody in the lead role as substitute teacher Henry Barthes and an impressive ensemble (Christina Hendricks, James Caan, Lucy Liu, Marica Gay Harden, etc) in the supporting rolling. And Tony Kaye’s movie is more about a person who is detached from the world than about the school system.

Henry is a substitute teacher – somebody who shows up at a school for a month to teach while the permanent educator is sick or gone for other reasons. It reflects his personality: Henry actually is a person who gives a shit about other people, but he just doesn’t want to commit. He tries to help an over-weight, artistic girl in his English class, he even takes an underage prostitute home to help her (a move that rarely works out). But he also backs off when somebody gets to close to him – and eventually hurts people even more because of this.

There is a sense of loneliness around him which people notice – even his grandfather in a nursery home. A lot of this has to do with the dying man, as we will see. One of the most intense scenes in “Detachment” is the dialogue between Henry and his grandfather in their last scenes – it is as touching as it is disgusting.

“Detachment” is probably one of the most impressive feature-films at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. The whole cast is amazing – Lucy Liu as the doctor who just had enough of the students, James Caan as the teacher who is still funny, but only because he pops pills on a regular basis. And the main young actresses, the 15 year old Sami Gayle (as the prostitute) and Betty Kaye (as the outcast girl), should both have a promising career. But of course it is Adrien Brodi who impresses the most in this movie which hopefully will be in the theaters soon.

Beyond The Black Rainbow. photo: image.net

“Beyond The Black Rainbow” is either the most compelling movie at the festival this year or one of the most boring – depends on if you are having a good day or a bad one. Don’t try to see this if you are tired, under the influence (especially of things other than alcohol) or if you’re depressed. And don’t say I didn’t warn you about this. But if you have a good day, the movie will easily be one of the most impressive science fiction you have seen in a very long time!

So what is “Beyond The Black Rainbow”? Cosmatos’ movie owes as much to Stanley Kubrick’s “2001″ as to David Cronenberg (think “Scanners” and “Videodrome”) while nodding to David Lynch. Just like in “2001″ a weird object (in this case: a pyramid) plays an integral part. Just like in “Videodrome” a cynical guy (in this case: Dr. Barry Nyle) is one of the lead characters.

“Beyond the Black Rainbow” is set in 1983 – the year “Videodrome” was released -, and if you wouldn’t know that it is a new release, you might think it was shot in the early Eighties. The pictures are grainy like on old televisions and only occasionally have a resolution so high that they have to be shot with modern cameras. The soundtrack is played on old synthesizers like the ones Cronenberg used. The one exception is a song from Venom’s debut “Welcome to Hell”, released in 1981.

Besides this “retro effect”, Cosmatos’ movie is visually stunning. The film maker knows how to use colors and visual effects in his first feature film. Sometimes the pictures are just red, sometimes everything goes dark and occasionally you see beautiful images of clouds or the outer space. For the most part of this 110 minute long movie these images are what you can hold on to while you try to figure out what is happening.

So what is “Beyond The Black Rainbow” about? Well, I give you this much without giving away too much: It’s about a girl Elena, who is 16 years old and who is either in solitary confinement or in therapy. Dr. Barry Nyle, himself cynical and depressive, is treating her until she is ready for the world. Not that this day seem to come anytime soon…

Only a few more characters appear: Dr Arboria, the founded of the institute where the girl is treated, a nurse, and a woman who is living with Nyle. And despite that small amount of persons who appear here, their relationship is much more complicated.

And here’s where I urge you to stop reading if you still want to see the movie. You are ready? Okay – then this is what I think is the story behind the movie.

Elena’s mother was killed by Nyle in 1966, just when the baby was born. Arboria and his assistant Nyle are trying to start a new form of human kind, and Elena is supposed to be the first of this kind. After all, she does have “super powers” (think “Scanners”). So who is the father? Arboria I assume, although I assume that Nyle had a relationship with the Elena’s mother. I might be totally wrong with this though – and if anybody has a better idea, let me know!

Kalevet (Rabies) - photo: image.net

The setting: some woods somewhere in Israel, full of old landmines, bear traps and a serial killer. The cast: a brother and sister who ran away from home, four young tennis players, two horny cops, a ranger and a sadist killer.

Just don’t expect that the events unfold as you expect them to. Anything in here can be misleading. The movie starts as a typical slasher film, but changes its direction every ten minutes. The only thing for certain is that the woods let people show their violent side – expect a pretty high boy count, considering that the movie only has a dozen characters in total.

“Rabies” by Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado claims to be Israel’s first horror movie. It isn’t really though: Besides some scenes which are as funny as brutal, the two directors clearly prefer “Picnic at Hanging Rock” over the traditional slasher film. Be warned: This might be disappointing!

God Bless Ozzy Osbourne

There’s different ways to see the movie, directed by Mike Fleiss and Mike Piscitelli. “God Bless Ozzy Osbourne” tells the story of the singer, the madman (and drug-addict) and the family-man – the later being the most interesting of them all. And of course they all belong together.

Ozzy, the musician: Not surprisingly the movie isn’t able to reveal a lot. Together with Black Sabbath the singer wrote some of the most anthemic titles ever released in (heavy) rock. “Paranoid”, “War Pigs” and “Iron Man”, all released on the second album, are monuments of music – and these titles are just examples. “Crazy Train”, from “The Blizzard of Oz”, is one of the impressive tracks of his Post-Sabbath era. Interestingly though, the movie basically doesn’t mention any subsequent releases. But it does show Ozzy’s routine before a gig, including working-out, warming up his vocal cords (a very intimate procedure) and praying.

Ozzy, the madman and drug-addict – wow, did he live up to these descriptions. Even Tommy Lee, member of the notorious Mötley Crüe, thought Osbourne was too much. One day both Ozzy and the Mötley Crüe members sat at the pool at some hotel, trying to outdo each other. Vince Neil pissed on the ground and licked his own urine, but Ozzy beat him – by licking Neil’s urine. Later that day, Ozzy made a No. 2 in his hotel room and smeared the feces on the walls. “I am down with using the toilet,” Tommy Lee comments.

The drug habit started early – when Black Sabbath recorded “Vol. 4″, the band got “cereal boxes full of cocaine delivered to the studio”. Later on, the drug abuse got Ozzy fired from Black Sabbath. In one scene the singer looks at all the videos he did in the Eighties – he can’t remember any of them. “I was fed up with me being fucked up all the time,” Osbourne explained during the press conference for “God Bless Ozzy Osbourne” why he finally got (and stayed) sober a few years ago.

But a lot had to happen until Ozzy got to that point – including one attempt to kill his wife Sharon. The singer woke up in jail, not knowing what got him there. This is the most touching part of “God Bless Ozzy Osbourne”.

The movie tells in brutal honesty how the singer destroyed his first marriage and how he left his children alone. “When he was around and wasn’t drunk, he was a great father,” his first son explains. The truth is, he barely was around and almost never sober. All the three children he has with Sharon admit that their dad was never around when they needed him. How devastating must it be to hear this on a big movie screen? Ozzy still has trouble remembering things – when the filmmakers ask him when his first daughter was born, he answers “in 1971 or 1972″. He has to look it up.

Ozzy regrets that he never had a real conversation with his father, a hard working man who made the original crosses for Black Sabbath. He was to wasted to be able to talk, and then his dad died.

The singer admits that it was shocking to see “what an asshole I’ve been in the past. You don’t realize how bad you are.” In the press conference he explained that he isn’t proud of his behavior. “But it’s part of my life.” And he deserves a lot of respect for not trying to cover this up in the movie.

It seems like he came to terms with his life and personality. After four decades he is finally able to do what he always wanted to – he got a driver’s license (after 19 attempts). What the movie doesn’t tell: He crashed his Ferrari the day after he bought it.

Also read “What an asshole I’ve been – Ozzy Osbourne about “God Bless Ozzy”

God Bless Ozzy Osbourne

The film – directed by Mike Fleiss and Mike Piscitelli and produced by Ozzy’s son Jack – is a very honest and open account of the four decades of stardom. “God Bless Ozzy Osbourne” even mentions the one time when the singer tried to strangle his wife Sharon – Osbourne later woke up in jail, not knowing how he ended up there. “You don’t realize how bad you are,” he said during the press conference and added that he wanted his son to show “the real story.” “I am not proud of what the things I have been doing. But it’s part of my life.”

“God Bless Ozzy Osbourne” was shot within two years and tells the story from Ozzy’s poverty-stricken, working-class youth outside of Birmingham to him now being sober and “finally grown-up” (as his wife Sharon puts it). It talks about his long fight about his drug abuse (during the recording of “Volume 4″ the band got cereal boxes full of cocaine delivered to the studio), his struggling family life and about him finally becoming sober. “I was fed up with m being fucked up all the time.”

Of course the famous “bat incident” (Osbourne bit the head off a bat one time, not knowing it was real) is mentioned too, although the singer is tired of telling the story over and over again. It made him infamous in the Eighties though – a circus director at Madison Square Garden in New York even told him to stay away from his lions, fearing for the life of his predators.

The singer finally is sober now – and accomplished the thing he wanted to do for four decades: getting his driver’s licenses. The first thing he did? “My dad got a Ferrari and crashed it the next day.”

Also read “Ozzy Osbourne, the rockstar. And the family man? Not so much”, a review of the documentary