Friday, September 30, 2011

Random Musings - September 2011

Random Notes of the Month

Traffic Sources Chart: September 2011
Well another month has quickly gone by, this month I celebrated my one year blog anniversary and migrated the blog to its own domain name.

The domain change went smoothly and Google seems to have recrawled all my pages successfully, now hopefully it doesn't take too long to build my page rank back up again.

I was hoping to be able to say that I reached 300 followers, but can't quite yet, it has been stuck on 299 for about a week now.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Milky Way (2007)

Milky Way •Tejút (2007)
Milky Way •Tejút (2007)


Genre: Experimental
Director: Benedek Fliegauf
Starring: Barbara Balogh, Sandor Balogh, Peter Balazs, Banny Barnes
Duration: 75 min.
Rating: 7.4  

Summary:
An avant-garde, psychedelic, poetic minimalism, meditative, cartoon-esque sketch of the modern world.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

The Keep (1983)

The Keep (1983)
The Keep (1983)

Genre: Horror • Action
Director: Michael Mann
Starring: Scott Glenn, Alberta Watson, Jurgen Prochnow, Gabriel Byrne, Ian McKellen
Duration: 96 min.
Rating: 6.3  

Summary:
Nazis guard a fortress containing a dangerous force that starts wreaking havoc and death upon them, forcing them into an uneasy alliance with a Jewish professor who has knowledge of it.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Le beau Serge (1958)

Le beau Serge (1958)
Le beau Serge (1958)

Genre: Drama
Director: Claude Chabrol
Starring: Gérard Blain, Jean-Claude Brialy, Michèle Méritz, Bernadette Lafont
Duration: 98 min.
Rating: 7.1  

Summary:
Francois returns to his home village after more than a decade in the city.  He notices that the village hasn't changed much, but the people have, especially his old friend Serge who has become a drunkard.   A concerned Francois attempts to find out what happened to Serge and to help him.

Monday, September 26, 2011

A Long Weekend in Pest and Buda (2003)

A Long Weekend in Pest and Buda • Egy hét Pesten és Budán (2003)
A Long Weekend in Pest and Buda • Egy hét Pesten és Budán (2003)


Genre: Drama
Director: Károly Makk
Starring: Mari Töröcsik, Iván Darvas, Eszter Nagy-Kálózy
Duration: 86 min.
Rating: 7.2  

Summary:
Decades have passed since Ivan had a passionate fling with Mari, and he's now married and living in Switzerland. But when an urgent phone call brings him back to Hungary, he's swept back into her arms and her secrets.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

My Piece of the Pie (2011)

My Piece of the Pie • Ma part du gâteau (2011)
My Piece of the Pie • Ma part du gâteau (2011)

Genre: ComedyDrama
Director: Cédric Klapisch
Starring: Karin Viard, Gilles Lellouche, Audrey Lamy, Raphaële Godin
Duration: 109 min.
Rating: 5.9  

Summary:
France, a single mother from the blighted industrial north, and Steve, a hotshot trader with a keen eye for the killer deal, are thrown together when he's looking for a cleaner and she's looking for a job. When Alban, Steve's 3-year-old son, arrives on the doorstep to stay with his dad, Steve might need more than a cleaner; and France might need some payback from the man who single-handedly shut down the factory where she worked for years.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Band of Outsiders (1964)

Band of Outsiders • Bande à part (1964)
Band of Outsiders • Bande à part (1964)

Genre: Drama
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Starring: Anna Karina, Sami Frey, Claude Brasseur, Daniele Girard, Louisa Colpeyn
Duration: 97 min.
Rating: 8.6  

Summary:
The tale of two crooks with a fondness for old Hollywood B-movies who convince a languages student to help them commit a robbery, leading to deadly results.

Friday, September 23, 2011

The Man From London (2007)

The Man From London • A Londoni férfi (2007)


Genre: Crime Drama
Director: Béla Tarr
Starring: Miroslav Krobot, Tilda Swinton, János Derzsi, Erika Bók, István Lénárt
Duration: 139 min.
Rating: 8.3  

Summary:
A man whose lonely life at the edge of the sea has become as predictable as the tide, witnesses a murder that sends him on an existential journey, the likes of which he could never have anticipated.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Breathless (1960)

Breathless • À bout de souffle (1960)
Breathless • À bout de souffle (1960)

Genre: Drama
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Starring: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg
Duration: 87 min.
Rating: 9.2  

Summary:
Michel is a young petty criminal who models himself on the film persona of Humphrey Bogart.  After stealing a car in Marseille, he shoots a policeman who has followed him onto a country road. Penniless and on the run from the police, he turns to his American girlfriend Patricia, a student and aspiring journalist, who sells the New York Herald Tribune on the streets of Paris.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

One Year!


So, today marks the one year anniversary of Bonjour Tristesse.  Wow, first of all I'd like to give a big thank you to all my fellow blogging friends, readers, followers, commenters, and even the lurkers.  It's amazing how encouraging and supportive the blogging community can be.  With your help, this blog has evolved significantly since last September (for evidence see my pitiful first post), and has provided me with a fascinating learning experience along the way.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

22nd of May (2010)

22nd of May • 22 mei (2010)
22nd of May • 22 mei (2010)

Genre: Drama • Fantasy • Thriller
Director: Koen Mortier
Starring:  Sam Louwyck, Barbara Callewaert, Titus De Voogdt
Duration: 88 min.
Rating: 7.1  

Summary:
Sam works as a security guard at a shopping center, and has arrived at work for another dreary day when he's greeted by a massive explosion.  As Sam drifts through the streets of the city, he's confronted by the specters of the people caught in the explosion as they tell him of their lost dreams and hopes and point out how he failed to save them from the bombing.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Mysteries of Lisbon (2010)

Mysteries of Lisbon • Mistérios de Lisboa (2010)
Mysteries of Lisbon • Mistérios de Lisboa (2010)

Genre: Drama
Director: Raúl Ruiz
Starring: Adriano Luz, Maria João Bastos, Ricardo Pereira, Clotilde Hesme, José Afonso Pimentel, João Arrais
Duration: 272 min.
Rating: 7.6  

Summary:
The core story centers on Joao, the bastard child of an ill-fated romance between two members of the aristocracy who are forbidden to marry, and his quest to discover the truth of his parentage. But this is just the start of an engrossing tale that follows a multitude of characters whose fates conjoin, separate and then rejoin again over three decades in Portugal, Spain, France and Italy.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Taxidermia (2006)

Taxidermia (2006)
Taxidermia (2006)


Genre: Drama • Horror • Comedy
Director: György Pálfi
Starring: Csaba Czene, Gergely Trócsányi, Piroska Molnár, Adél Stanczel
Duration: 91 min.
Rating: 7.7  

Summary:
A grotesque tale of three generations of men, including a sexually obsessed WWII soldier, an obese competition speed eater, and a taxidermist.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

The Drummond Will (2010)

The Drummond Will (2010)
The Drummond Will (2010)

Genre: Comedy
Director: Alan Butterworth
Starring: Mark Oosterveen, Phillip James, Jeremy Drakes, Jonathan Hansler, Victoria Jeffrey
Duration: 81 min.
Rating: 6.1  

Summary:
Estranged brothers Marcus and Danny Drummond find themselves on a surprisingly dangerous quest to unravel the mystery surrounding their father's very unlikely wealth.

Friday, September 16, 2011

People on Sunday (1930)

People on Sunday • Menschen am Sonntag (1930)
People on Sunday • Menschen am Sonntag (1930)

Genre: Silent
Director: Robert Siodmak, Edgar G. Ulmer
Starring:  Erwin Splettstößer, Brigitte Borchert, Wolfgang von Waltershausen, Christl Ehlers, Annie Schreyer
Duration: 73 min.
Rating: 8.0  

Summary:
This effervescent, sunlit silent, about a handful of city dwellers enjoying a weekend outing, offers a rare glimpse of Weimar-era Berlin.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Dealer (2004)

Dealer (2004)
Dealer (2004)


Genre: Drama
Director: Benedek Fliegauf
Starring: Felícián Keresztes, Barbara Thurzó, Lajos Szakács, Anikó Szigeti, Edina Balogh
Duration: 130 min.
Rating: 8.1  

Summary:
The film illustrates one day in the life of a drug-dealer.  Extreme dramatic events and episodes follow one after the other, all connected by the protagonist of the film, the Dealer.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

A Horrible Way To Die (2010)

A Horrible Way To Die (2010)
A Horrible Way To Die (2010)

Genre: Horror
Director: Adam Wingard
Starring: AJ Bowen, Amy Siemetz, Joe Swanberg, Brandon Carroll, Lane Hughes
Duration: 85 min.
Rating: 6.7  

Summary:
Notorious serial killer Garrick Turrell has just escaped and resumed his killing spree. His former girlfriend and Sarah has recently moved to a small Midwestern town and is trying to put her life back together. She regularly attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, where she meets fellow addict Kevin. Kevin is romantically interested in Sarah, but she remains withdrawn: her past continues to haunt her and may soon catch up with her, as Garrick is leaving a trail of bodies in his hunt to find her...

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

The Battle of Algiers (1966)

The Battle of Algiers • La battaglia di Algeri (1966)
The Battle of Algiers • La battaglia di Algeri (1966)

Genre: Historical Drama
Director: Gillo Pontecorvo
Starring:  Brahim Haggiag, Jean Martin, Saadi Yacef
Duration: 121 min.
Rating: 9.1  

Summary:
Chronicles the tumultuous Algerian struggle for independence from the occupying French in the 1950s. As violence escalates on both sides, children shoot soldiers at point-blank range, women plant bombs in cafés, and French soldiers resort to torture to break the will of the insurgents.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Forest (2003)

Forest • Rengeteg (2003)
Forest • Rengeteg (2003)


Genre: Drama
Director: Benedek Fliegauf
Starring: Rita Braun, Barbara Csonka, Laszlo Cziffer, Gabor Diossy, Katalin Voros
Duration: 91 min.
Rating: 6.8  

Summary:
An episodic film composed of a series of intense and intimate scenes depicting a loose chain of encounters and conversations around Budapest.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Villain (2010)

Villain • Akunin (2010)
Villain • Akunin • 悪人 (2010)

Genre: Drama
Director: Lee Sang-il
Starring: Eri Fukatsu, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Akira Emoto, Kirin Kiki, Masaki Okada, Hikari Mitsushima
Duration: 139 min.
Rating: 7.3  

Summary:
Yuichi is a laborer who's lived his entire life in a dreary fishing village. With no girlfriend or friends, he spends his days working and looking after his grandparents, with no enjoyment in life other than his car. Meanwhile, Mitsuyo also lives a monotonous life pacing between the men's clothing store where she works and the apartment where she lives with her sister.  When the two lonely souls meet using an online dating site, they immediately fall in love with each other. But there's a dark secret Yuichi had been keeping from Mitsuyo...

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Hunger (2008)

Hunger (2008)
Hunger (2008)

Genre: Drama • Biography
Director: Steve McQueen
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Liam Cunningham, Brian Milligan, Liam McMahon
Duration: 90 min.
Rating: 8.4  

Summary:
The final months of Bobby Sands, the Irish Republican Army activist who protested his treatment at the hands of British prison guards with a hunger strike.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Werckmeister Harmonies (2000)

Werckmeister Harmonies • Werckmeister harmóniák (2000)
Werckmeister Harmonies • Werckmeister harmóniák (2000)


Genre: Drama
Director: Béla Tarr
Starring: Lars Rudolph, Peter Fitz, Hanna Schygulla
Duration: 145 min.
Rating: 9.3  

Summary:
Janos is a wide-eyed innocent who works as an occasional postal worker and as a caretaker for Mr. Ezster. An outsider and a visionary, he marvels at the miracles of creation, from the planets rotating in the heavens to the sundry animals on earth. One day, a circus arrives featuring jars full of medical anomalies and a massive dead whale, along with another more sinister attraction, a shadowy figure dubbed "The Prince".

Thursday, September 8, 2011

A Family (2010)

A Family • En familie (2010)
A Family • En familie (2010)

Genre: Drama
Director: Pernille Fischer Christensen
Starring: Jesper Christensen, Anne Louise Hassing, Johan Philip Asbaek, Lene Maria Christensen
Duration: 102 min.
Rating: 7.0  

Summary:
Ditte owns a gallery, has a loving boyfriend and her dream job in New York is within reach, but she is also the youngest generation of the famous Rheinwald bakery dynasty.  When her beloved, but dominating father comes down with a serious illness, Ditte is faced with a grueling decision: To pursue her own dreams, or to continue her family's legacy.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

The Music Room (1958)

The Music Room • Jalsaghar (1958)
The Music Room • Jalsaghar • জলসাঘর (1958)

Genre: Drama
Director: Satyajit Ray
Starring: Chhabi Biswas, Padmadevi, Pinaki Sengupta, Gangapada Basu, Tulsi Lahiri
Duration: 100 min.
Rating: 8.7  

Summary:
Traces the deteriorating life of an old country nobleman. He lives in the past, in a slowly decaying villa, and cannot adjust to the fast-changing, vastly different modern world that surrounds him on all sides. Melancholy and inward-turning, he remembers the grand old days of societal soirees and political power and mourns the death of his wife and his son, deaths which he survived only to live alone in a house filled with memories.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Sátántangó (1994)

Sátántangó (1994)
Sátántangó (1994)


Genre: Drama
Director: Béla Tarr
Starring:  Mihály Vig, Putyi Horváth, László Lugossy
Duration: 450 min.
Rating: 9.3  

Summary:
In a small dilapidated village in 1980s Hungary, life has come to a virtual standstill. The long autumn rains have started.  The villagers expect to receive a large cash payment that evening, and then plan to leave.  Some want to abscond earlier with more than their fair share of the money. However tensions arise when they hear that the smooth talking Irimias, whom they thought had died, is coming back.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Patagonia (2010)

Patagonia (2010)
Patagonia (2010)

Genre: Drama
Director: Marc Evans
Starring: Matthew Rhys, Duffy, Nia Roberts, Nahuel Perez Biscayart, Marta Lubos, Matthew Gravelle
Duration: 113 min.
Rating: 6.5  

Summary:
The journeys of two women, one looking for her past, the other for her future. One of them travels south to north through the Welsh springtime and the other east to west through the Argentine autumn.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

68th Venice Film Festival (2011) Report

The 68th Venice International Film Festival is now in full swing. With the last of this year's most highly anticipated films scheduled to premiere on screen at the Sala Grande in Venice's famed Palazzo del Cinema.

Let's take a closer look at some of the images from the festival and what the critics had to say about La Mostra's exciting lineup of films.  Check back daily for the latest images and updates from the 2011 Venice Film Festival or visit my festival preview for movie info and trailers.

Winged golden lions line the outside of the Palazzo del Cinema

Saturday, September 3, 2011

The Fire Within (1963)

The Fire Within • Le feu follet (1963)
The Fire Within • Le feu follet (1963)

Genre: Drama
Director: Louis Malle
Starring: Maurice Ronet, Jeanne Moreau, Alexandra Stewart, Lena Skerla
Duration: 108 min.
Rating: 8.8  

Summary:
Alain Leroy resides in a private clinic in Versailles to treat his problem with alcohol.  Although he is constantly depressed, he leaves for Paris to hang out with his friends from the good old days.  Will Alain make a connection that will change his mind about ending it all?

Friday, September 2, 2011

Snowman's Land (2010)

Snowman's Land (2010)
Snowman's Land (2010)

Genre: Crime Comedy
Director: Tomasz Thomson
Starring: Jürgen Rißmann, Thomas Wodianka, Reiner Schöne, Eva-Katrin Hermann, Waléra Kanischtscheff
Duration: 95 min.
Rating: 6.9  

Summary:
After botching his latest job, mob hitman Walter is forced to leave the city.  He takes an offer to work for crime boss Berger who is hiding out in a remote region of the Carpathian Mountains.  What at first seems like a holiday in the mountains soon becomes a nightmare for everyone involved.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

84th Academy Awards (2012) Foreign Film Submissions

2012 Oscars / Academy Awards Foreign Film Submissions

The official submissions to the 2012 Oscars for the Best Foreign Language Film category were announced on October 13, 2011.  A nine film shortlist was selected on January 18, 2012, and the five official nominees were revealed on January 24, 2012.  The winner will be announced at the 84th Academy Awards ceremony on February 26, 2012.

There are 63 films officially approved to the final list, including an entry from New Zealand for the first time.  Two films were disqualified from the race, Slovenia's Silent Sonata which they forgot to submit in time, and Puerto Rico's America which was rejected because the rules do not allow films from U.S. territories.

As I did for last year's awards, I will maintain a list of all the submissions and try to see as many of the films as possible ahead of the actual ceremonies.  Even though I think the selection process is flawed and the Academy voters often make terrible selections, I find it fun and interesting to watch the wide variety of foreign language submissions, especially the ones from countries not usually known for award winning cinema.

Here is the final list of the 84th Academy Awards Foreign Language Film submissions:
(last updated June 26, 2012 - 34/63)