Very seldom I will speak about actors in this blog, but today’s news are quite unexpected for a 37-year-old actor, even when his life was always in chaos. Guillaume Depardieu, son of Gérard Depardieu, died yesterday from pneumonia. He had an eccentric life and definitively was a bold actor. RIP.
If you want to read more about it go Le Monde, Le Figaro or L'Express available only in French.
Fantasy, Sci-fi and horror films in general are not really my cup-of-tea, but since some of the award winners are must be seen films for me I decided to include some information about this fest that promotes the genres. So here are some the award winners.
Maria Awards
Best Film: Surveillance, Jennifer Lynch, USA, Germany and Canada
Special Jury Award: Eden Lake, James Watkins, UK
Best Director: Kim Jee-woon for The Good, The Bad, The Weird, Korea
Best Actress: Semra Turan for Fighter, Natasha Arty, Denmark
Best Actor: Brian Cox for Red, Trygve Diesen and Lucky McKee, USA
New Visions Competition
Best Film: Los Bastardos (The Bastards), Amat Escalante, Mexico, France and USA
Special Mention: God’s Puzzle, Takashi Miike, Japan
SGAE Award for Best Director: Dögg Mósesdóttir for Eyja, Spain
Orient Express Award for Best Film: The Chaser, Na Hong-jin, Korea
Audience Award: Blindness, Fernando Meirelles, Brazil, Canada and Japan
Animat Gertie Award for Best Animated Film: From Inside, John Bergin, USA
Carnet Jove
Best Film Midnight X-Treme: Encarnaçaô do Demônio, José Mojica Marins, Brazil
Best Film Fantastic(tie)
The Sky Crawlers by Mamoru Oshii, Japan
Vinyan by Fabrice du Welz, Belgium
Golden Méliès for Best European Film: Låt den rätte komma in (Let The Right One In), Tomas Alfredson, Sweden
Silver Méliès for Best European Film: Martyrs, Pascal Laugier, France and Canada
Jose Luis Guarner Critic Award: The Sky Crawlers, Mamoru Oshii, Japan
Citizen Kane Award to an up-and-coming Director: Christopher Denham for Home Movie, USA
To check all the award winners go here.
This Cao Hamburger film is one of the best I have seen lately as it’s very sensitive, delicate and involving movie. It’s quite amazing that when you’re telling a story about such serious matters, some writers and filmmakers can really do it in an unsentimental and very effective way. Here you will be able to see a little about politics, more about life in a Jewish community and a lot more about Brazil passion for soccer; but this setting allows telling the sweeter story about friendship between two people with the most different backgrounds you can imagine.
The movie tells the story of 10-year-old Mauro that in 1970 had to go to live with his grandfather while his parents went on “vacation”. But his grandfather dies a few hours before his parents drop him at his house and he is left all alone in an alien Jewish community and in the eve of the World Cup Championship were Brazil wins for the third time the World Cup. His grandfather neighbor Shlomo finds him and what follows is the most incredible and sweet story about a boy that definitively has the most natural and realistic coming-of-age I have seen in the screen.
I believe I have to tell you more about the story so you get a better idea of how amazing the story is, so if you do not want to learn more spoilers, please skip the following paragraph.
First I have to mention that as in most of Latin American countries, Brazil in the ‘70s had a terrible dictatorship and people fighting against it. So, Mauro’s parents went on “vacation” because they were fleeing persecution and they tensely leave him at the grandfather’s building door. Then Mauro is a “goy”, his father is Jewish while her mother is not, so he’s not familiar with Jewish traditions. As many boys and all age people in Brazil, Mauro’s passion is soccer and when Brazil plays in a World Cup, the whole country literally stops to watch.
So, the story is not only outstanding but also the movie as a movie is unbelievably good with excellent performances by actors and non-actors. I usually have a hard time with movies and kids actors, but here there are two exceptionally good performances by Michel Joelsas that plays Mauro and Daniela Piepszyk that plays Hanna, both performances are mainly done with face expression and both kid actors are truly amazing transmitting emotions. Then cinematography is excellent with a great art direction that pays much attention to little details in a nostalgic recreation of 1970 Sao Paulo and a very involving editing that keeps your eyes glued to the screen while your hearth warms to the beauty shown.
The movie has many honors and accolades including being in competition at the 2007 Berlinale and being the Brazil submission to the 2008 Oscar’s where it was one of the nine films selected in the short list for Best Foreign Language. Unfortunately it didn’t make it to the five nominated and have to say, once more, shame to the Academy members as this movie is a lot more interesting, compelling and well done than any of the final five nominations.
The film has one outstanding extra, real footage of the 1970 World Cup with Pele scoring some of his most famous goals and I say this not really being a soccer fan, but once every four years I do watch some games, especially when Brazil has an excellent team like in 1970.
This truly is a movie apt for all audiences that enjoy excellent cinema with excellent stories and have to mention that sometimes I feel angst when I decide to watch a Brazilian movie as most tell raw, rough and cutting-edge stories that I do not enjoy as I can see them for real very nearby; but this movie was such an unexpected surprise that really warmed my heart and when the movie was over I kept repeating to myself how beautiful this movie was.
I strongly recommend this movie to all adult audiences. I waited more than a year to be able to watch this movie, but it was a more than worth wait. Big Chapeau to Cao Hamburger for such a beautiful movie.
Big Enjoy!!!
Recently the fest announced the award winners and here they are.
Dragons and Tigers Award: Pefect Life, Emily Tang, China
Special Mentions
German + Rain, Satoko Yokohama, Japan
Sweet Food City, Wendong Gao, China
Western Canada Award: Fifty Dead Men Walking, Kari Skogland, Canada, USA and UK, 2008
Nonfiction Award: Nacido Sin (Born Without), Eva Norvind, Mexico, 2007
International Film Guide Inspiration Award: Control Alt Delete, Cameron Lanvine, Canada
Women in Film & Television Artistic Merit Award: Tantoo Cardinal for Mothers&Daughters, Carl Bessai, Canada
Audience Awards
Most Popular Film: Il ya Longtemps que je t’aime (I Loved You So Long), Philippe Claudel, France, 2008
Most Popular Canadian Film: Mothers&Daughters, Carl Bessai, Canada
To check all the winners go here.
This festival is dedicated to Independent cinema from UK and the world. Will run from October 1 to 12 at London’s West End and here are the films nominated to receive awards.
UK Feature
*The Blue Tower, Smitha Bhide
Dummy, Matthew Thompson
Flick, David Howard
Senseless, Simon Hynd
*Zebra Crossings, Samuel Holland, Audience Award Winner
International Feature
*Estômago, Marcos Jorge, Brazil (well, the film description made me want to see this one)
Zenzen daijobu (Fine, Totally Fine), Yôsuke Fujita, Japan
Goliath, David Zellner, USA
Turneja (The Tour), Goran Markovic, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Serbia
Watch Out, Steve Balderson, USA (tells the life of Jonathan Barrows, a young, intelligent, prospective professor who, completely repulsed by both sexes, falls in love with himself …shocking social satire that is definitely not for the faint hearted. Have to see this!).
Debut Feature
No Through Road, Sam Barrett, Australia
*Production Office, Deborah Marks and Steve Solomos, Canada (What’s this?? Seems interesting)
PVC-1, Spiros Stathoulopoulos, Colombia
La Cáscara (The Rind), Carlos Amegio, Uruguay (have to see this!)
This World of Ours, Ryo Nakajima, Japan
Who is KK Downey?, Pat Kiely and Darren Curtis, Canada
To read about other categories and the awards that will be given go here.
One interesting section of this fest is The Short Circuit Award that is a new short film competition created by Raindance.tv to search for budding new talent. Filmmakers upload their 60 second short films to the Dailymotion website, where they will be judged by a panel of esteemed industry professionals, led by director Michael Winterbottom [24 Hour Party People, The Road to Guantanamo]. The winner will be announced on Wednesday 8th October at a gala screening of the 10 shortlisted finalists, held at the Rex Cinema in London. To check the site go here.
Update: The awards were announced and you can see them above with an asterisk (*); to check all the award winners go here.
Yesterday this fest started and will run until October 12th, unfortunately their site is a little bit confusing and I have been browsing everything in Spanish and English and still are not clear about the competition and the awards.
But I found some interesting events like in the Special Programs section they have an homage to Mantarraya Productions for its 10 years anniversary and will screen 11 films (mainly shorts).
If I’m correct, in the competition they have the following sections: Michoacana, Mexican documentaries, Mexican shorts and Mexican movies. If you want to check the films the sections please go here.
But most interesting is the screening of one film that I have been looking forward to see and include in the Old Lesbian Interest section with the most accurate information and this fest is giving us the opportunity to record some information about this film. I’m talking about the 1951 film Muchachas de Uniforme. So, if you live in Mexico and you’re able to have a nice trip to Morelia, I suggest you do not miss this screening on Thursday October 9 at 4:00pm at Cinépolis Morelia Centro Sala:1.
Going back to the festival, the information in English is reduced but if you want to browse the fest site go here and if you want to watch some videos from the 2007 fest go here.
Update: Award Winners announced and here are some of the winners.
Best Mexican Feature Film: Los Bastardos (The Bastards), Amat Escalante
Audience Award for Mexican Feature Film: Cinco Días Sin Nora (Five Days Without Nora), Mariana Chenillo
Morelia Lab
Mexico Prize: Condones Encanto (Encancto Condoms), Ximena Urrutia
Latin American Prize: Proyecto 54 (Project 54), Gerardo Aguilar, Honduras
Best Pitching Prize: Nada Sobre Mi Padre (Nothing About My Father), Luciana Freitas, Brazil
To check all the award winners go here.
The site is hard to browse but in other places I found interesting news that I'm sharing.
Christian Mungiu spent most of the festival on the Mexican Feature Film Jury, but he got a chance to screen his 2007 Palme D'Or-winning Romanian drama "Four Months, Three Weeks and Two Days" on Friday night, where he requested that any Catholic members of the audience find him on the street after the film and share their opinions about the abortion-centered story. "People need to have an opinion of the film, and I've very curious to know what it is," Mungiu told indieWIRE. "What I like most about being here is that there are a lot of people coming to watch films. This is not happening in my country. It's so great to see people excited to watch films, no matter what kind."
So its nice to learn that Mungiu was the Jury President, that his amazing movie was screened in the fest and that he’s promoting discussion in a quite Catholic audience. Unfortunately I haven’t find any news relating to the discussion.
I suppose that this movie is about a slice of the life of laureate poet Dylan Thomas, but honestly what I saw in this movie is the unconsummated (or perhaps not…) love story between two women closely related to Dylan; one his childhood love, Vera, and the other, Caitlin, his wife and if you have doubts, just pay careful attention to two pieces of dialogue, one when Caitlin (Sienna Miller) tells Vera (Keira Knightley) that if she was a man she will fancy her and second the amazing words said in the very end.
Obviously as I saw that story I truly enjoyed the film a lot. If I haven’t found that story that some critics and including Lindsay Lohan called the story with “lesbian undertones” when she was still attached to the project, then I would have said that this movie is way too similar to Atonement as not only is set during WWII but also Vera’s husband goes to war and in this case, I would definitively say that Atonement is a superior movie and story.
So it will be easy to understand that I loved the performances by Knightley and Miller as both have some incredibly beautiful scenes together that make them look very sweet just like eye candy. Even when Kiera looks fabulous when singing, I have to admit that she cannot sing and was quite distracting to hear her. Still it is not a happy story as is a drama that shows attraction, jealousy and sort of vengeance, buy definitively is very entertaining.
Directed by John Maybury the movie as a movie has good cinematography with some excellent framing of the scenes with the two women together and performances by actors are acceptable with Matthew Rhys playing a very unpleasant Dylan Thomas and Cillian Murphy playing a non-remarkable William.
Not a masterpiece but very entertaining that I imagine could be a crowd pleaser that adult audiences could enjoy. Then I strongly suggest to those that enjoy lesbian interest movies to not miss this movie and to perhaps share with me if the saw the story the same way I did or not.
Enjoy!!!
This Bruce McDonald film in my opinion is really pretentious but has something that it is quite outstanding, another amazing Ellen Page performance. Seems like McDonald really was serious about the fragments part of the title as not only tells the story in fragments but also shows the story in a cornucopia of fragments that proliferate around the screen.
The film is an adaptation Maureen Medved novel with a script written also by her and tells the story of straightforward and outcast 15-year-old girl, Tracey, that uses fantasy to balance her not good everyday experiences with family, school and life in general. According to me it’s a story about rage, frustration and neglect, and her search for salvation in the face of tragedy. The movie tells a few days of her life, but it’s told out of sequence and with multiple views of related situations all shown at the same time in the screen.
I’m not familiar with the book that some say is written in vignettes and if is like that, then I have to say that the movie followed the novel very literally; so much that becomes sort of experimental avant-garde cinema, which is not bad if only it wasn’t done in such an old fashion way that becomes at moments tedious and/or irritating to watch. I wouldn’t have mind if the movie told vignettes and had some split screens, but definitively not all the time. It is obvious for me that the director was also literal about showing what was going in Tracey’s head, as we all do not necessary think linearly and we do have sometimes many thoughts at once. But one thing is thinking and another is watching.
The most annoying thing is that the excellent performance by Ellen Page that plays Tracey is so fragmented that at times it does not make sense or is not that believable. But as is said by the director it took him months to do the editing of what he filmed in 14 days and obviously in the editing her performance suffered with all the confetti shown in the screen. Still when the confetti was reduced to only two-screen split or the very few one-screen scenes, Page’s outstanding abilities are clearly seen.
Still, I’m one huge fan of Ellen Page and as one critic mentioned and somehow I agree, this movie is probably the last time (at least for a long while) where we’re going to see Page performing a strong dramatic character (very similar to Candy Rain or even the raw An American Crime), as “her handlers have too much wrapped up in her mainstream persona to ever again allow her to do anything as daring and out of the loop as The Tracey Fragments. And that’s a shame.” Yes, if it happens is going to be a true shame as she is more than mesmerizing in this role and surely is for me the only reason my eyes were absolutely glued to the screen.
The movie premiered at the 2007 Berlinale where was screened at the Panorama section and won the Manfred Salzgeber Award. Have more awards and nominations mainly at Canadian awards. Still, one award worth mentioning is Ellen Page winning the Best Actress in a Canadian film at the 2008 Vancouver Film Critics Circle, she truly deserves it and more.
If you’re an Ellen Page fan definitively you have to see this pre-Juno movie as she truly is outstanding in this role that I personally find quite similar to Candy Rain. The film absolutely is not for general audiences because of the splitting of the screen, but if you have never seen confetti in the screen and are curious, then perhaps you should give this movie a try. If you do, I’m confident that the story and Ellen Page performance could captivate you more than the confetti.
Enjoy!!! (for Ellen Page performance)
This 2007 documentary by Canadian Yung Chang is really poetic sadness about the human price of progress. It is not my first documentary about the Yangtze River and the Three Gorges Dam and while both tell similar stories about the flooding, this one includes one additional element that will allow westerners to observe the huge difference between western and Chinese culture.
As in Jia Zhang ke documentary that I find it more like a film, Yung Chang documentary is also more a film that anything else as tells the story of two young Chinese that go to work in a luxury river cruiser. We have 16-year-old Yu Shui whose parents are not able to continue her education, as she needs to provide for the family especially when they will be reallocated away from the river. Then there is 19-year-old Chen Bo Yu an only child from a well-to-be family with ambitions that decides to work to make money instead of continuing his studies.
The most amazing part of the story is how both arrive to the ship and the training they receive to deal with western tourists. It is a true culture shock for them and for us western viewers too.
There are many beautiful views of the magnificent river, but I find that Jia Zhang ke’s Dong has superior cinematography and beauty; still, if I didn’t saw Dong (and outstanding Still Life) first, probably I could have appreciated more the cinematography here.
This multiple award and nominated documentary is one that many should see it for the incredible and basic differences Chang establishes between western and Chinese cultures; but if you want to see a masterpiece then I suggest you better watch Jia Zhang ke film and documentary.
But I also know that Up The Yangtze is more direct and easier to follow by general audiences, so I strongly recommend it to everyone that wants to be exposed to the human price of China modernization.
Enjoy!!!
I know the title sounds terrible, but this 2006 Mexican film is a collection of eight sex themed shorts, some are okay while others are terrible.
I liked because is dark funny Una Mujer Decente (A Decent Woman) about an older and single man that his mother is dying. Also surprisingly good is Max Viagra about a couple of porn actors that fall in love. One that should become a full feature film is Maria en el Elevador (Maria in the Elevator) as it’s interesting. The rest are just awful, except for two.
La Llamada (The Call) is predictable but the story is sort of funny and Dos Meses de Renta (Two Months Rent) starring Patricia Llaca and Nuria Kaiser has somehow an unexpected end. Both are not good acted, but then both are of lesbian interest in a not so traditional way. And there is a third one, about a mature female teacher that’s having an affair with one of her female students, but the short is simply awful and I wont even mention the name.
Can’t complain as I laugh a bit, some shorts have very good songs and some are interesting. Seems like the movie was a huge audience success in Mexico, but I cannot recommend it. So if you feel like giving it a try, do it at your own risk.
Yesterday the fest had its closing ceremony at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and here are the winners.
Best Film: Se Nada Mais Der Certo (Should Nothing Else Work Out), José Eduardo Belmonte, Brazil, 2008
Jury Special Mention: Apenas O Fim (That’s It), Matheus Souza, Brazil, 2008
Best Director: Matheus Nachtergaele for A Festa Da Menina Morta (The Dead Girl’s Feast), Brazil, 2008
Best Actress: Caroline Abras for Se Nada Mais Der Certo (Should Nothing Else Work Out), José Eduardo Belmonte, Brazil, 2008
Best Actor: Daniel de Oliveira for A Festa Da Menina Morta (The Dead Girl’s Feast), Matheus Nachtergaele, Brazil, 2008
FIPRESCI Award: La Mujer Sin Cabeza (The Headless Woman), Lucrecia Martel, Argentina
Audience Awards
Best Film: Apenas O Fim (That’s It), Matheus Souza
Best Film Generation Sidebar: Taare Zameen Par (Stars On Earth), Aamin Khan, India, 2007
Best Latin American Feature: La Mujer Sin Cabeza (The Headless Woman), Lucrecia Martel, Argentina
To check all the winners go here.
Today the fest had its closing ceremony and here are the award winners.
New Currents Award (tie)
Land of Scarecrows, Gyeong-tae Roh, Korea and France, 2008
Land of Scarecrows is a very powerful film about somebody who's trying to find the sexual identify. It’s a touching film about a woman who wants to be somebody else in the modern world that influenced her with pollution around her. Land of Scarecrows is also a very truthful picture and items about the pollutions and sexuality. You can’t define the character’s own self or way out of things because strong vision to search of identify and such was a fresh for us.
Naked of Defenses, Masahide Ichi, Japan, 2008
Naked of Defenses is about childless woman who meets pregnant woman in the factory. It is well directed and acted with realistic and identifying characters. Naked of Defenses is a film that comes from a heart. It also a well narrated and realistically portrayed about two women and has an unusual style.
Special Mentions
Members of the Funeral, Seung-bin Baek, Korea, 2008
Er Dong, Jin Yang, China, 2008
FIPRESCI Award: Jalainur, Zhao Ye, China, 2008
Netpac Award: Members of the Funeral, Seung-bin Baek, Korea, 2008 and Treeless Mountain, So Yong Kim, USA and Korea, 2008
Audience Award: 100, Chirs Martinez, Philippines, 2008
To check all the winners go here.
This 2004 movie by Rodrigo Ortuzar is a crowd pleaser that entertains you especially if you’re familiar with Latin American traditions and are in a irreverent mood like I am today when decided to watch it. The film is a true dramedy that feels and looks like a fancy soap opera, with some laughs, good tech specs and acceptable performances.
Tells the story of four women, one a famous TV personality that is having an affair with her boss; another having an affair with her husband’s son, a third that discovers toys and a last one that discovers that women are also possible sexual partners. The story is detonated by an interview where a psychologist tells about a United Nation survey that found that 62% of the Chilean women are unfaithful and all the stories have something in common, their husbands have neglected them.
So, if you feel like watching an irreverent film for entertainment purposes, then this movie will surely entertain you. It has some lesbian interest moments, but honestly this time I will not give the label as not even the characters involved take it as a lesbian moment, they were only drunk… (yeah sure, lol!).
Enjoy.
Seems that many are “discovering” the benefits of streaming online their movies and tomorrow there will be two online premieres, the first I already mention and will remind you and the second one, well from the awful trailer I’m not sure I’ll watch.
The Princess of Nebraska, Wayne Wang, USA, 2008 To watch go here.
Yeast, Mary Bronstein, USA, 2008
PREMIERING ON DAILYMOTION OCTOBER 10TH - ONE WEEKEND ONLY!
A film about a maddeningly un-self-aware, tyrannical, and emotionally stunted young woman trying to negotiate two toxic friendships. To watch the trailer go here and tomorrow the movie will be screened there. For information about the movie check imDb.
This Maren Ade debut movie is really disturbing because the way the movie is filmed and the story is told in the most realistic way you can imagine. Still, it is a woman story that perhaps some of us can relate to many of the moments, if not with all the spiral down.
Tells about Melanie (Eva Loebau) an idealistic high school teacher that arrives to a new city for a new job when the school year is about half the way. Soon we start to learn about her willingness to meet new people as she does not know anyone and she does it awkwardly as her social skills are not developed for modern city ways. So, she starts to isolate herself at school and becomes really needy with a female neighbor, only to feel lonelier. What follows in a true down spiral.
The movie is filmed in video and handheld camera, with a lighting that suggests raw reality and all the tech specs only contribute to make the story vibrate and become more disturbing. Yes, the movie is disturbing but you wont be able to take your eyes from the screen, feel absolutely everything and once you’re engaged you will ride it until the end like in one long sigh.
Most viewers and reviewers tend to see the movie as a schoolteacher movie and the situations that come when you’re not really prepared to be one. I believe that this interpretation is too simplistic and repeats what you see in the screen. This movie is about loneliness, underdeveloped social skills, adapting to new surroundings and how difficult it could be for some people; being a teacher is just a setting, for example she could have been a secretary in an office and the story would have been the same. So, I suggest that if you decide to give it a try, to go beyond the obvious story and immerse yourself in the story, not the setting.
You have no idea how tense this story can become and definitively is a good movie that was acclaimed in festivals around the world and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival where won the Special Jury Prize; also Eva Loebau won the Jury Award for Best Actress at the Newport fest and she truly deserves it as her performance is outstanding and she really makes you feel very uncomfortable watching all the character awkward attitudes.
Not a cinema masterpiece but has a story that I know will touch many women especially; still the story is so realistic that becomes disturbing and please take it as a warning if you decide to give it a try.
Absolutely not for all audiences you have to enjoy European cinema with handheld cameras and lighting that replicates reality.
Enjoy!!
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