A documentary that incorporates fictionalised narration into real locations and situations, ‘Green Days’ follows a young Iranian girl who seeks to regain her faith in a system that once was with the upcoming 2009 election.

Whilst I thought the content of the film was interesting, and there were quite a few things I didn’t know about the 2009 election in Iran, I was disappointed in the compiling of the information. The mobile phone footage, although necessary to show the aftermath of the election, would have been better if the audio was cleaned up a little more. I also thought there were quite a few times where I thought certain things could be elaborated on with some background information, or cut down because I felt it slowed the pacing right down.

However, this problem could be argued by the style in which the film is shot. Being told as a narrative rather than a presentation of the facts / theories, there were some fantastic conversations (as many of the ‘interviews’ were presented) from the various supporters of the opposition candidate, and the shots of the days leading up to the voting were all full of energy.

The lead character, Ava, is charismatic and believable, but also over the top in her actions thanks to her background in theatre. It’s a great mix which for some might detract from the overall feel of the film, but I thought assisted in creating a contrast between her thoughts and the general atmosphere around her.

It’s an interesting viewing, as it is presented a little differently to most documentaries out there, but it may not be for everyone.

Score: 2.5 out of 5

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My Joy [Germany]

‘My Joy’ follows the journey of a truck driver through the Russian countryside, and his encounters with various characters that are

It was such a shame for this film, as it had a brilliant opening act. The interwoven stories that lead back to Gregory (the truck driver) as he travels the countryside, are thoughtful and interesting, whilst not tearing too far away from the central plot. The characters he meets are also compelling, they are all mysterious, with only hints to their backgrounds revealed, but enough for you to establish their motives.

Unfortunately, the moment the second act arrives, the pacing of the film collapses in a heap. The interwoven stories are now brought to the foreground, and it’s almost as if the writers had completely forgotten about Gregory. I felt as if an number of important scenes were missing from the middle of the film, as it opened a huge hole in the plot, and in turn absolutely destroyed the whole point of the finale. Scenes also drew out too long in the second act, and our lead character has gone from an interesting face to a downright boring one. The same could be said about the second act encounters too, as the characters involved felt absolutely random and did not convey any sort of motivation that the first act encounters did.

It was a real problem for the film because by the time the third act arrived (which had a good ending if you can identify the whole point of it), it was too late to recover. And it’s a shame, because I would have rated this film much higher had it not been for that.

Score: 3 out of 5

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Rubber [France]

I was really surprised that this film about a murderous tyre with psychokinetic powers, had a much larger theme in the movie. Following the concept of ‘No Reason’ for a lot of random occurrances in films (in an amusing speech at the beginning of ‘Rubber’), the story strictly abides by this. Even in it’s absolute absurdity, all you could do is remember that one simple answer to your question: ‘No Reason’.

The film jumps around all over the place, even taking the characters out of the film (so to speak), but somehow it remains coherent enough to follow with the help of useful comments from ‘the audience’ throughout the progression of the plot. It’s really just a mish mash of ideas, all collaborated together as an experiment.

The effects are pretty well done, drawing inspiration for B-Grade classic gore films, and the tyre manages to offer some idea of how it feels from simple ‘gestures’. Put simply, it’s out there. Unfortunately in that regard, the film does not try anything new to add to the genre, instead playing it safe with stuff we’ve already seen.

To conclude, I’m sure that there will be a lot of people that won’t appreciate the film for what it is, but for me, I could summarise the entire film in one line… ‘It’s so bad, it’s good, and why? No reason.’

Score: 2.5 out of 5

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Love In A Puff [Hong Kong]

‘Love in a Puff’ is a light romance / comedy about two people who meet during a cigarette break, and the story of their relationship growing with each encounter.

The film is broken down into two sections: the scenes with the main characters and their conversations, and the scenes where they are being interviewed on their relationships (both past and present). Fortunately, the two blended in well together, and helped elaborate on their thoughts throughout the movie.

There really isn’t too much to say about the film, it reminds me a lot of other romantic comedies, with the exception of the location and culture. The dialogue was interesting and felt really casual rather than trying to dwell into things to deeply. It was a simple film, and went about it’s way safely through to the end.

‘Love in a Puff’ is an enjoyable film, and for me, to see the lead actress again after her performance in the horror flick ‘Three Extremes… – Dumplings’ was great. I am sure that this film will likely get remade into a hollywood format one day.

Score: 3 out of 5

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The Housemaid [South Korea]

Unfortunately I cannot draw comparisons with the original that this film was remade upon, but thanks to a Q&A with the director, I was elaborated on the differences that he decided to incorporate.

The story tells of a newly hired housemaid into a rich family’s home. Everything seems perfect until she begins an sexual affair with the husband, which leads into a dangerous game of secrets and truths between all the members of the household.

I have to commend the director of the film, Im Sang-soo, for an amazing job. Much of the camera work is so perfectly placed that it sets the scale of the house in it’s entirety, but also delivers some really dramatic moments, and clearly showing the contrast of all the relationships between the characters. There is a defined sense of differentiation between the classes, but also between the generations.

Each cast member shared the limelight, but I have to say that the older housemaid was exceptional; Her timing and ability to play the right part alongside her co-stars hit me in the all the right spots. I was laughing one moment with her wit, but also sympathetic to her deeper emotions living in an upper class household.

I might add that the final scenes are surprising to say the least (and at first a little confusing), and for those of you that pick the references to the final events will understand a deeper meaning in the scope of the film.

It has been the top of my list thus far at the MIFF!

Score: 5 out 5

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The Robber [Austria]

When you go into a film that is based on real events, you always wonder how much it will deviate the source material, or how over dramatised or crazy it gets. In the case of ‘The Robber’ it didn’t feel over the top, and presented itself as is: A sequence of events that followed Johann Rettenberger, a convicted bank robber that is recently freed, only to return to his habits.

The film is initially slow to come off the ground, as you slowly learn the background of Rettenberger as both a bank robber and marathon runner, and how the two come together over the course of the story. There are long pauses and silences in many of the scenes, and it becomes a little frustrating as at times it feels like the film isn’t going anywhere.

But once things start to piece together, and in turn the first bank hold-ups begin, the speed and sense of urgency kicks into gear. It’s a good change, and the long pauses that harmed the beginning really help to break up the tension, and allow you to recollect yourself and realise the motivations behind Retternberger’s actions.

Most of the supporting characters felt underused and forgettable, and whilst I thought the lead was appropriate to be calm and collected for most of the film, I didn’t enjoy the lack of other emotions. It’s a shame, because it’s not until the conclusion that you really feel for Rettenberger, with some well crafted and drawn out scenes. I do have to commend the actor’s fitness level, because there was definitely a lot of running involved.

Score: 2.5 out of 5

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Air Doll [Japan]

A great film to start off this year’s festival experience, ‘Air Doll’ begins with a light hearted journey of the city and how we live everyday life, based on an existing manga. You could sense that everyone had a smile on their face while the lead actress, Bae Doona, convinced us of her progression in character development, as a sex doll coming to life in the world, but also as she sees the amazement in such things we take for granted. But as the film continues, it dives deeper and brings about the way humans desire the need for a connection to another, which leads to a shocking conclusion.

What amazes me after watching quite a few Japanese films, is the ability for some really perverted concepts to be forgotten when you look at the greater scope of the film. ‘Air Doll’ is a good example of this, as the film starts off in such a way. But I did enjoy the moments when you are reminded of the fact that the lead is a doll (without going into specifics).

The film’s pacing is executed very well, allowing you to explore the scene further, and I appreciated the minor details that both the characters and settings have to offer. I also loved the way the director managed to capture the way human relationships have a lasting effect on us, both positively and negatively.

Score: 4 out of 5

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Also, you are now able to subscribe to the podcast from iTunes, and as I’ve uploaded new issues, they will be automatically sent straight to your player! Finally, I will make a direct page will all the track listings so there is no needed searching required for individual posts.

Here is the link to the page (This will open iTunes and show the details there), where you can download my episodes separately or subscribe!

iTunes – DJmarkMajor presents ‘Systematic’

Issue 007 is still in the pipeline, but I will hopefully have it out at the start of May, as I’m upgrading to a DVS setup. No more burning CDs!

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• An update list for my ‘Systematic’ Podcasts is now featured.
• A direct link to my Twitter page and RSS feed now appears along the main link bar.
• Inclusion of a tabbed navigation bar so you can refine your searches on the site.
• Added a fan box to my Facebook page and a status update box to my twitter page.
• Integration of SoundCloud into my blog posts. This will be slowly implemented over time.
• Two new sections, ‘Folio’ & ‘Photos’ have been added.
• Updated some of my existing mix covers.

Thanks to digitalnature for providing the template to this blog design! You can check out his page at http://digitalnature.ro.

Off-site, I’m waiting for my ‘Systematic’ Podcasts to be approved on iTunes, and from there you’ll be able to subscribe to the series, and be able to download them as they arrive! The initial upload will include five of my six original episodes, with the seventh episode currently in the works. Expect to see some hot tracks in the upcoming mix! I’ll also be utilising SoundCloud’s facilities to provide another download location of my other mixes.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the first set of updates! I’ll be back soon with the details on my podcast as the news hits home!

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I’ve added episodes 004 – 006 online, and each mix offers something a little different. 004 & 006 are both a little deeper, and reflect the tunes I play when I’m on a early or closing set at my Flipside gigs. the 005 episode is from 2008, and just something I whipped up at home.

I’m currently working on getting the mixes onto iTunes, as a central point for listeners to subscribe and download each release as they arrive. Once it’s approved, I’ll post another update with the appropriate links!

So kick back and enjoy the mixes, and stay tuned, as I have episode 007 in the works, which will be the first mix of 2010 as well!

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Mark Major – Systematic 004
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004 TRACKLISTING

01 Laidback Luke – Housetrap (2000 And One Remix) [Size Records]
02 Le Noir – Eleny (Radio Slave’s Panorama Garage Mix) [Fling Recordings]
03 Butch – On The Line (Oxia Dub) [Great Stuff]
04 Kamisshake – Dark Beat (Deadmau5 Remix) [Azuli]
05 Tocadisco – Better Begin (Gui Boratto Remix) [Superstar Recordings]

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Mark Major – Systematic 005
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005 TRACKLISTING

01 Chris Barratt – Teardrop (Veerus & Maxie D Remix) [Suesse Records]
02 Klod Rights & DJ Aleksij – Feelin’ Nice (Kamisshake British Remix) [Maghnet Recordings]
03 Patch Park – Shifter (Original Mix) [Re*Brand Records]
04 Rob Mooney – Toothpick (Dave Robertson & Jon Gurd Remix) [Bass For Breakfast]
05 Dousk – Nails (Original Mix) [Vapour]
06 Kriece – Brainlock (Jeff Bennett Remix) [Spinifex Records]
07 Fragma – Toca Me (Inpetto 2008 Remix) [Tiger Records]

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Mark Major – Systematic 006
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006 TRACKLISTING

01 Gui Boratto – Royal House (De Stijl Mix) [Tronic Soundz]
02 Terry Lee Brown Junior – Bonzai Drive (Jeff Bennett Remix) [Plastic City]
03 Lewie Day – The Thousandth Typhoon (Original Mix) [EQ Grey]
04 Patch Park – Got That M! (Original) [Little Mountain]
05 Prima Donna – The Ditch (Vocal Mix) [Audio Therapy]
06 Sebastian Davidson – Bondi (Eelke Kleijn Remix) [Kinky Vinyl]

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