Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Random Musings: July 2012

Random Notes

This month was a good one in terms of films seen. I had the pleasure of finally catching up with Japanese director Sion Sono's latest two films, the intriguing Guilty of Romance and the jaw dropping Himizu. The latter pretty much blew me away, and I expect it will be high on my year end list.

Saw quite a few classic films for both of my current Czech New Wave and Palme d'Or Winners features, highlighted by a rewatch of The White Ribbon. I also managed to watch a pair of recent Bulgarian films, that maybe didn't impress me as much, but they did show a lot of promise of good things to come from that country, and I think Avé has a strong chance of being selected as their official submission to the 2012 Oscars.

While everyone was out seeing the new Batman, I went to a screening of an excellent, inspired by the 80s, locally shot sci-fi film, called Beyond the Black Rainbow.

It was also a busy month for major festival news. Another Norwegian film scored big, with The Almost Man by Martin Lund winning the Crystal Globe at Karlovy Vary. While some impressive lineups were announced for the upcoming Locarno, Venice, and Toronto film festivals.

This month also saw the unveiling of a couple features I helped create for the LAMB. The updated LAMBtable, which replaces the old difficult to manage HTML table and the ugly temporary spreadsheet with a fully searchable and sortable version; and also a minor facelift to the Banner Gallery, adding some cool hover effects, and making it far easier to update and maintain. Check them out if you haven't seen them already.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Brief Encounter (1945)

Brief Encounter (1945)
Brief Encounter (1945)
Palme d'Or Winner
Genre: Drama | Romance
Director: David Lean
Starring: Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard
Language: English
Duration: 86 min.
Rating: 7.4
Summary:
A romantic, bittersweet drama about two married people who meet by chance in a London railway station.

Friday, July 27, 2012

69th Venice Film Festival: Preview


Hot on the heels of the TIFF announcement earlier this week. The official selection films for the 69th Venice Film Festival (Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia) were revealed at a press conference held Thursday, July 26th 2012, in Rome.

17 world premiere films were announced for this year's competition lineup, leaving room for a few late additions. Some big names vying for the Golden Lion include: Olivier Assayas 'Something in the Air', Brian De Palma 'Passion', Terrence Malick 'To the Wonder', and Takeshi Kitano 'Outrage Beyond'. The fest also sees the second films of the year from Brillante Mendoza 'Thy Womb' and Ulrich Seidl 'Paradise: Faith'.

Opening the festival, out of competition, will be 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist' from Indian director Mira Nair, an international political thriller based on a best-selling novel by Mohsin Hamid. The closing film, also out of competition, is 'The Man Who Laughs (L'homme qui rit)' by Jean-Pierre Améris, an adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel.

The previously announced International Jury will be led by American director Michael Mann. He is joined by Serbian artist and performer Marina Abramovic, French actress and model Laetitia Casta, Hong Kong producer and director Peter Ho-Sun Chan, Israeli director and screenwriter Ari Folman, Italian director Matteo Garrone, French/Swiss director Ursula Meier, British actress Samantha Morton, and Argentinian director and producer Pablo Trapero.

Read on for a preview of the films in competition at the 2012 Venice International Film Festival (August 29 - September 8):

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Capricious Summer (1968)

Capricious Summer • Rozmarné léto (1968)
Capricious Summer • Rozmarné léto (1968)
Czech New Wave
Genre: Comedy
Director: Jirí Menzel
Starring: Rudolf Hrušínský, Vlastimil Brodský, František Rehák, Míla Myslíková, Jana Preissová, Jirí Menzel
Language: Czech
Duration: 74 min.
Rating: 7.7
Summary:
The lives of three middle-aged men are interrupted by the arrival of a circus performer and his beautiful young assistant, during one lazy summer.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

2012 Toronto International Film Festival: Preview


Yesterday, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), announced the line-ups for their Galas and Special Presentations programmes for the upcoming 37th edition of the festival.

Among the 60 films announced are a stunning 38 world premieres, including the latest from Rian Johnson, Terrence Malick, and Derek Cianfrance.

I've decided to take a brief look at the 10 foreign language titles that will have their world premieres in Toronto, from Sept 6-16.

Read on for a preview of the foreign films that will be premiering at this year's TIFF:

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010)

Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010)
Best New Film
Genre: Sci-Fi
Director: Panos Cosmatos
Starring: Michael Rogers, Eva Allan, Scott Hylands, Marilyn Norry
Language: English
Duration: 110 min.
Rating: 8.1
Summary:
A Reagan-era fever dream inspired by hazy childhood memories of midnight movies and Saturday morning cartoons.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Night of the Bride (1967)

Night of the Bride • Noc nevesty (1967)
Night of the Bride • Noc nevesty (1967)
Czech New Wave
Genre: Drama
Director: Karel Kachyna
Starring: Jana Brejchová, Mnislav Hofmann, Gustáv Valach, Josef Kemr
Language: Czech
Duration: 90 min.
Rating: 7.4
Summary:
Autumn and Winter 1950 in a small Czech village, the setting of turbulent religious feelings and violent resistance to forced collectivization.

Friday, July 20, 2012

If.... (1968)

If.... (1968)
If.... (1968)
Palme d'Or Winner
Genre: Drama
Director: Lindsay Anderson
Starring: Malcolm McDowell, David Wood, Richard Warwick, Christine Noonan
Language: English
Duration: 111 min.
Rating: 8.5
Summary:
A daringly anarchic vision of British society, set in a boarding school in late-sixties England

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Dragon's Return (1968)

Dragon's Return • Drak sa vracia (1968)
Dragon's Return • Drak sa vracia (1968)
Czech New Wave
Genre: Drama
Director: Eduard Grečner
Starring: Radovan Lukavský, Emília Vášáryová, Gustav Valach
Language: Czech, Slovak
Duration: 81 min.
Rating: 8.3
Summary:
A ballad of love, hatred, and desire to escape from loneliness. The story of a reclusive potter, who returns, years after being shunned by his village.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Himizu (2011)

Himizu (2011)
Himizu • ヒミズ (2011)
Best New Film
Genre: Drama
Director: Sion Sono
Starring: Shôta Sometani, Fumi Nikaidô
Language: Japanese
Duration: 129 min.
Rating: 8.6
Summary:
The tale of two teenagers living a dystopian existence in post-tsunami Japan.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Guilty of Romance (2011)

Guilty of Romance • Koi no Tsumi • 恋の罪 (2011)
Genre: Drama
Director: Sion Sono
Starring: Miki Mizuno, Makoto Togashi, Megumi Kagurazaka
Language: Japanese
Duration: 112 min.
Rating: 7.5
Summary:
A dramatic account of two women and their lives, seen through the looking glass of sex, words, madness, death, and family.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Dita Saxová (1968)

Dita Saxová (1968)
Dita Saxová (1968)
Czech New Wave
Genre: Drama
Director: Antonín Moskalyk
Starring: Krystyna Mikolajewska
Language: Czech
Duration: 103 min.
Rating: 7.7
Summary:
The story of a young Jewish girl who survives the horrors of WWII but finds difficulty adjusting to a normal life.

Friday, July 13, 2012

The Tree of Wooden Clogs (1978)

The Tree of Wooden Clogs • L'albero degil zoccoli (1978)
The Tree of Wooden Clogs • L'albero degil zoccoli (1978)
Palme d'Or Winner
Genre: Drama
Director: Ermanno Olmi
Starring: Luigi Ornaghi, Francesca Moriggi, Omar Brignoli, Giuseppe Brignoli
Language: Bergamasque
Duration: 186 min.
Rating: 8.4
Summary:
A year in the lives of a group of Lombard peasant families who live and work in a cascina during the late 19th century.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

2012 Locarno Film Festival - Lineup


Yesterday, the official lineup for the upcoming 65th Locarno International Film Festival was announced. The annual festival, one of the worlds oldest, runs from August 1-8.

Located in the picturesque Swiss city of Locarno, on the northern tip of Lake Maggiore, the festival is known for it's Piazza Grande, a massive open-air theatre with a capacity for 8,000 spectators and a 364 square meter screen.

19 films produced by 21 different countries from around the world, including 13 world premieres will be competing in the Concorso internazionale section for the festival's grand prize Pardo d'oro (Golden Leopard).

Winners will be decided by a jury of international film figures led by this year's Jury President Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul. He is joined by American director and screenwriter Roger Avary, South Korean director Im Sang-soo, French director and actress Noémie Lvovsky, and Swiss writer Hans Ulrich Obrist.


Read on for a preview of the films in competition at the 2012 Locarno Film Festival:

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Avé (2011)

Avé (2011)
Avé (2011)
Genre: Drama
Director: Konstantin Bojanov
Starring: Anjela Nedyalkova, Ovanes Torosyan
Language: Bulgarian, German, English
Duration: 86 min.
Rating: 7.5
Summary:
Hitchhiking his way from Sofia to Ruse, Kamen meets Avé, a 17-year-old runaway. With every ride they hitch, Avé invents new identities for them, and her compulsive lies get Kamen deeper and deeper into trouble.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

The Island (2011)

The Island • Островът (2011)
The Island • Островът (2011)
Genre: Drama
Director: Kamen Kalev
Starring: Thure Lindhardt, Laetitia Casta
Language: English, French, Bulgarian
Duration: 95 min.
Rating: 5.6
Summary:
A young and happy Parisian couple spend their vacation on a small island in the Black Sea off the coast of Bulgaria.

Monday, July 9, 2012

The Devil's Trap (1962)

The Devil's Trap • Ďáblova past (1962)
The Devil's Trap • Ďáblova past (1962)
Czech New Wave
Genre: Historical Drama
Director: František Vláčil
Starring: Karla Chadimová, Vít Olmer, Miroslav Macháchek, Vítezslav Vejrazka, Cestmír Randa
Language: Czech
Duration: 85 min.
Rating: 8.3
Summary:
In the time of Counter-Reformation, a miller and his son come under investigation by a priest of the Inquisition, when rumors spread that their prosperity comes from working with the Devil.

Saturday, July 7, 2012

2012 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival - Award Winners


The 47th edition of the Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) International Film Festival has now come to an end, with the closing awards ceremony held Saturday (July 7) evening in the Grand Hall of the luxurious Thermal Spa Hotel.

The winner of this year's Crystal Globe for Best Feature Film was The Almost Man. A Norwegian film directed by Martin Lund, about a thirty-something man struggling with finally growing up, starring Henrik Rafaelsen, who won the award for Best Actor. Sharing the Best Actor award was Eryk Lubos, for his role in the very intriguing Polish film, To Kill A Beaver.

While the Best Actress award went to Iranian actress Leila Hatami (who many will recognize from last year's Oscar winning Foreign Film A Separation), for her role in the film The Last Step, directed by her husband Ali Mosaffa.

The Best Director trophy went to Canadian director Rafaël Ouellet, for his film Camion. After the success of Rebelle at Berlin and Tribeca, it looks to be another strong year for Canadian film.

American actress Susan Sarandon in attendance to present, Jeff Who Lives At Home, was also honored alongside fellow actress Helen Mirren as this year's recipients of the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema.

The President's Award went to veteran Czech actor Josef Somr. A trophy given to actors, directors, and producers who have contributed fundamentally to the development of film around the world.

The audience of invited guests were then treated to the festival's closing film, To Rome With Love by Woody Allen.

Read on for the full list of award winners from this year's Karlovy Vary IFF:

Friday, July 6, 2012

The White Ribbon (2009)

The White Ribbon • Das weiße Band, Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte (2009)
The White Ribbon • Das weiße Band, Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte (2009)
Palme d'Or Winner
Genre: Drama
Director: Michael Haneke
Starring: Christian Friedel, Ulrich Tukur, Burghart Klaussner, Maria-Victoria Dragus
Language: German
Duration: 144 min.
Rating: 9.1
Summary:
A series of bizarre and unexplained incidents occur in a northern German village, on the eve of World War I.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Dialóg 20-40-60 (1968)

Dialóg 20-40-60 (1968)
Dialóg 20-40-60 (1968)
Czech New Wave
Genre: Drama
Director:Jerzy Skolimowski, Peter Solan, Zbynek Brynych
Starring: Jean-Pierre Léaud, Joanna Szczerbic, Viera Strnisková, Jirí Holý, Jozef Kroner, Ljuba Hermanová.
Language: Slovak
Duration: 78 min.
Rating: 6.5
Summary:
Three episodes by different directors, in which couples aged 20, 40, and 60 discuss the questions of love and marriage with the same dialog.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Tatsumi (2011)

Tatsumi (2011)
Tatsumi (2011)
Genre: Animated, Biography, Drama
Director: Eric Khoo
Starring: Tetsuya Bessho, Yoshihiro Tatsumi
Language: Japanese
Duration: 98 min.
Rating: 6.8
Summary:
A film based on the life and short stories of Yoshihiro Tatsumi, an artist known for his gekiga style of alternate Japanese manga.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
Genre: Comedy
Director: Robert Hamer
Starring: Dennis Price, Valerie Hobson, Joan Greenwood, Alec Guinness
Language: English
Duration: 106 min.
Rating: 8.8
Summary:
A distant poor relative of the Duke of D'Ascoyne plots to inherit the title by murdering the eight other heirs who stand ahead of him in the line of succession.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Honor and Glory (1968)

Honor and Glory • Cest a sláva (1968)
Honor and Glory • Cest a sláva (1968)
Czech New Wave
Genre: Historical Drama
Director: Hynek Bocan
Starring: Rudolf Hrusínský, Karel Höger, Blanka Bohdanová, Josef Kemr, Iva Janzurová
Language: Czech, German
Duration: 87 min.
Rating: 8.0 
Summary:
At the close of the Thirty Years' War, an impoverished Bohemian nobleman contemplates rising up in revolt against the ruling Hapsburg Empire.