Cry of the Andes Dir. Carmen Henríquez, Denis Paquette (2010, Canada, 90 mins.) Cry of the Andes begins by making a fairly serious promise. The opening scene, outside a shareholder meeting at Barrick Gold’s headquarters in Toronto, features a handful of activists doing the sorts of things that annoy reasonable people to no end: pontificating …
As the Poet Said Dir. Nasri Hajjaj (2009, Palestine, 65 mins.) Mahmoud Darwish was one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century. He is regarded as the Palestinian national poet. His poems – set to songs – have become Arab anthems. He is included in the appendix of literary critic Harold Bloom’s iconic book …
Inshallah Beijing! Dir. Francesco Cannito, Luca Cusani (2008, Italy, 54 mins.) Inshallah means ‘God willing,’ the implication of this title being, “God willing, we’re going to the Olympics in Beijing.” No other team in the world face the challenges that Palestinian athletes do in reaching the Olympics. Palestine isn’t an organized state, the bureaucracy is …
Zindeeq Dir. Michel Khleifi (2009, Palestine, 85 mins.) Contradiction and ambiguity are at the heart of Zindeeq. The term “zindeeq” can, apparently, mean both ‘atheist’ and ‘freethinker.’ However, M (Mohammad Bakri), the atheist filmmaker and character at the heart of Zindeeq, finds himself lost in a long dark night of the soul in the middle …
———— It’s Kind of a Funny Story Directed by Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden In case anyone thought mildly deconstructionist efforts like (500) Days of Summer might have signaled the end of the stereotypical “indie” quirkfest, they’re sorely mistaken, as It’s Kind of a Funny Story – surely the year’s most mistakenly presumptive title – …
“The Fury ends up being a lame followup to the pyschokinetic mastery of Carrie that De Palma hoped to cash in on.” The Fury Director: Brian De Palma Writer: John Farris Starring: Kirk Douglas, John Cassavetes, Amy Irving 1978 United States | R | 118 mins Brian De Palma solidified himself as a household name after …
Fatso Directed by Arild Fröhlich Fatso’s inclusion in Fantastic Fest seems to be based entirely on its main character’s social incapacity and how that might strike a chord with the kind of people who love fantasy and horror films. Fantastical only in its use of several erotic daydreams and horrific only in its striking resemblance …
“Drones is a simple little movie, but it’s offbeat and funny enough to attract some dedicated fans…” Drones Directed by Amber Benson and Adam Busch – “Quirky verging on zany” is what you ought to expect of a comedy coming from Joss Whedon alums Amber Benson and Adam Busch. Not to discredit the coupled directing …
Julia’s Eyes Dir. Guillem Morales Mature, efficient thrillers are difficult to come by these days, but you can trust Guillermo del Toro to produce them. Beneath its apparent high-concept premise, Julia’s Eyes is a fairly straightforward, though effective, cat-and-mouse scenario. The film follows Julia (Belén Rueda), a woman with a degenerative eye disorder, as she …
The Ring (1927, b/w) Director: Alfred Hitchcock When digital technology fails you, sometimes it’s good to fall back on the virtues of a 35mm print, a new piano score, and one of London’s finest cinemas. I watched Hitchcock’s The Ring, at the Barbican, after two recent screenings of new releases on poor quality DVDs. It …
Salute Dir. Matt Norman (2008, Australia, 94 mins.) The best documentary subjects do not need to be exaggerated; by extension, the best documentary filmmakers choose a compelling subject and tell the story honestly. Lesser documentaries make a great spectacle of one-sided stories, blustering filmmakers, and out-of-context quotes. Good documentaries, like Salute, eschew all that nonsense. …
“It could have been an exploitation fan’s dream, but as for what it is, Midnight Blue only belongs in the collections of genre completists.” Midnight Blue Director: Raimondo Del Balzo Writers: Raimondo Del Balzo and Candido Simeone Starring: Christiana Borghi, Antonio Cantafora, Monica Como 1979 Italy | Not Rated | 83 mins When Last House on the …
The Tempest Directed by Julie Taymor Julie Taymor is incontestably an established theatrical director. Having an international education in the arts, working in such popular venues as Broadway and the Metropolitan Opera, and nabbing awards for her vast classical productions, Taymor has proven time and time again that she can win one over the beast …
“Villeneuve’s screen adaptation has been hailed as his best feature film to date.” Incendies Directed by Denis Villeneuve Canada’s submission to the Best Foreign Language Film category for this year’s Academy Awards comes in the shape of a rather atypical piece of Quebecois cinema – a mostly Arabic language war drama. Originating as a coup …
It is horror season again, my favorite time of year, which means my dear friend Justine and I reprise our rivalry and do our best to out-watch each other, for no other prize other than bragging rights for the year. Really, it is an excuse for two horror fanatics to cram their brains with as …
In considering the passing of Arthur Penn last Tuesday, it embarrasses me to admit how little credit I gave him at one time. It was the mid-70s, I was a young, arrogant, know-it-all film student at the University of South Carolina. Like so many of us who had newly-found serious study in film, I pontificated …
D’Amour et D’Eau Fraiche Directed by Isabelle Czajka In her sprightly second feature D’Amour et D’Eau Fraiche (Living On Love Alone), rising French director Isabelle Czajka tells the story of Julie (Anaïs Demoustier), a 23 year old arts school graduate who is slowly learning that things are tough in the current job market. Like the generations before her Julie works hard …
“An unnerving sense of anxiety permeates The American from its opening frames to final conclusion…” The American Directed by Anton Corbijn Following on from his critically acclaimed debut, Control director Anton Corbjn has graduated to the big leagues and recruited one of the world’s biggest stars to anchor his sophomore feature, a paranoid tale of deception and …
Death of the Dead Director: Gary King Writer: Bo Buckley Starring: Christina Rose, Jack Abele, William Lee 2010 – United States | Not Rated | 85 mins Ever since the Zucker Brothers had us busting a gut with comedy spoofs like Airplane! the parody genre has come and gone in waves. But when combining the elements of …
127 Hours Directed by Danny Boyle vs. Buried Directed by Rodrigo Cortes How does one make a filsimply about a man stuck in a small space, and nothing more? The Plot: There have been two movies released this year which take place entirely (or almost entirely) in a confined space wherein a man is trapped …
Beyond the Game Dir. Jos de Putter (2008, Netherlands, 77 mins.) The world of competitive gaming is undoubtedly fascinating: teams of twenty-something living together, legions of fans, and packed arena games only add to the bewilderment of non-gamers who try to understand the appeal. There ought to be a good documentary on the subject. Unfortunately, …
Pelada Dir. Rebakah Fergusson, Ryan White, Luke Boughen, Gwendolyn Oxenham (2010, USA, 92 mins.) These filmmakers have a theory: the most compelling soccer isn’t played beneath bright lights in big stadiums – rather, it is played between friends and strangers, in back alleys and local fields, for nothing more than passion for sport and love …
As the stranglehold of the mockumentary craze tightens upon the horror genre and viewers begin to be weary of the storytelling shortcuts and incomprehensible action inherent in the style, something astounding keeps happening: directors find new ways to make it work. The Trollhunter, to be fair, is much more of a fantasy comedy than a …