Review of To Each His Own Cinema

On last Thursday (6 November 2008) once again began the "Muestra International de Cine", certainly this year its selection is not as eye catching for me as last year and practically I really want to watch just two more films after watching Chacun son cinéma (Scorsese's Shine a Light and Chaplin's The Gold Rush, which I want to watch on the big screen!) but certainly this film was by far better than the first one I saw during last year's "Muestra" (it was Belle toujours). The organizers decided to bring the film that celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival and definitely was a worth watching opener, not all the short films are great works yet the ones that worked were enough for me. As many I was aware of the existence of this film since long time ago and definitely it looked as a very interesting work but as no information of a possible release as my interest decreased, in other words I knew that Takeshi Kitano was part of the film until I saw the poster yesterday at the cinema. Anyway, as you know this is a tribute to the cinema and by watching the second short film you know that this is a work that every film lover should watch. That second short film is the one of Kitano and with it quickly you forget about the uncertain opener, certainly Kitano's contribution One Fine Day is one of my favourites, it is a very simple short film with Kitano as a projectionist of a local little cinema where the film Kids Return is been "watched" by only one person. And is "watched" because that man will watch Kids Return in 3 "acts", problems with the projection and when finally seems to be everything fine the credits are on the screen and the man had smoke some cigarettes. This is perfect but if there's one word that can describe Chacun son cinéma that is inconstancy. I was expecting great stuff from certain filmmakers, very few, actually I only knew and know Kitano, Andrei Konchalovsky (only for Tango & Cash), Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (only for L'Infant), Zhang Yimou, Gonzalez Iñarritu, Aki Kaurismäki, Lars von Trier, Gus Van Sant, Roman Polanski, Cimino, Cronenberg, Wong Kar-wai, Wim Wenders and Lynch (I also know the Coen brothers yet their contribution was not showed and don't ask me why). Of those directors I do can say if I loved their short films or if was disappointment; certainly Kitano has not make a bad work for me yet (plenty Kitano films still to watch), honestly I didn't recognize the short of Iñarritu and when I saw his name in the credits was both a surprise and a disappointment (the only Mexican director and he filmed in English, I consider that 21 Grams is his very best film however I didn't liked that on an international project like this one he was another director who's short is in English), Gus Van Sant's short is one of the worst (it contains a sort of tribute to Buster Keaton), I Travelled 9000 km To Give It To You is typical Wong Kar-wai only that it is my less favourite work of this brilliant director. David Lynch's Absurda is like an oasis in a desert that has certain water if that s*** that I have just write makes sense to you, I have to watch that short again! And there are some other short films that are quite bizarre, certainly Absurda is pure Lynch, and others quite tragic, others very funny and others that have everything. And the references to films are obviously everywhere, there are some shorts that are not only a tribute to cinema but also a tribute to a specific film like Fellini's 8½ in the contribution of Konchalovsky. Definitely that short, In the Dark, is not one of my personal favorites but it is the example of a short film that have all, you understand the passion of that woman to a film and you will laugh with her actions in order to watch again 8½. Chen kaige's Zhanxiou Village show to us a group of kids watching a Chaplin film and the problems of electricity will not be enough to stop these kids who were really enjoying the wonders of Chaplin. This short shares something with the one of Iñarritu and also with other short film (can't remember the name but I think it is The Last Dating Show) about a Danish man who "explain" to his date each dialog of the movie since she don't speak the language, it ends in a really great way....

THANKS TO IMDb I LOSE THE OTHER PART OF THIS COMMENT BUT I WILL COMPLETE THIS ONE SOON