Le Havre, 2011
Director: Aki Kaurismaki
Origin: Finland | France | Germany
Language: French
Running time: 93 min
This comedic drama relates the poignant tale of a young immigrant African boy arriving destitute in the French port of Le Havre, where he's eventually taken under the wing of a former Bohemian writer who now chooses to shine shoes for a living. (from Netflix.com)
U.S. box office: $611,709
Watch the trailer on IMDB.
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Review of last week's film ("How I Ended the Summer", 3.5 stars)
Steven says: Beautifully and starkly shot, this film about isolation and generational differences keeps the viewer tightly wound without all the sound and special effects of other modern thrillers. Two simple decisions, one from each character, start a chain reaction of events that eventually lead the script a little too far astray. But the point is still clear: misunderstandings can lead to fear, which can lead us to do some pretty stupid and messed up things. And it all starts from a omission of information.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
December 5, 2012 - "How I Ended This Summer"
*UPDATED*
The original film planned for Dec. 5 was not available. We will now be screening the Russian film "How I Ended This Summer", from 2010.
How I Ended This Summer, 2010
Director: Aleksei Popgrebsky
Origin: Russia
Language: Russian
Running time: 124 minutes
At an isolated science station in the Arctic, meteorologist Sergei and young intern Pavel face the impending closure of the now-irrelevant base. While Sergei eagerly anticipates returning to his family, Pavel still hopes for a grand adventure. Time is distorted so far north, where the never-setting summer sun can make a day stretch into weeks, and this engrossing thriller examines how altered perceptions affect the two men. (from Netflix.com)
Watch the trailer on Netflix.
The original film planned for Dec. 5 was not available. We will now be screening the Russian film "How I Ended This Summer", from 2010.
How I Ended This Summer, 2010
Director: Aleksei Popgrebsky
Origin: Russia
Language: Russian
Running time: 124 minutes
At an isolated science station in the Arctic, meteorologist Sergei and young intern Pavel face the impending closure of the now-irrelevant base. While Sergei eagerly anticipates returning to his family, Pavel still hopes for a grand adventure. Time is distorted so far north, where the never-setting summer sun can make a day stretch into weeks, and this engrossing thriller examines how altered perceptions affect the two men. (from Netflix.com)
Watch the trailer on Netflix.
Friday, November 16, 2012
November 28, 2012 - "Once Upon a Time in Anatolia" (2011)
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, 2011
Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Origin: Turkey | Bosnia and Herzegovina
Language: Turkish
Running time: 150 min.
A body has been buried in the grasslands of rural Turkey. Over the course of one night, a doctor and a detective from a nearby town join a search effort in which the desolate landscape comes to symbolize their own solemn, insular lives. (from Netflix.com)
U.S. box office: $138,730
Watch the trailer on IMDB.
---
Review of last week's film ("Tuesday, After Christmas", 3.5 stars)Steven says: Here's another film that really benefitted from discussion. The director was methodical in his story telling, yet sneaky in his camera choices. People were deliberately left out of frames in several scenes, providing extra focus on one character while minimizing the other's impact in the scene. We've seen this same adulterous affair played out in countless movies, but this was one of the first I've seen where the script tried to humanize each player. No one wins in these situations, and he made it clear that, even after the end of the script, the characters had much more to overcome. I'd like to watch it again to pay more attention to the periphery and less to the subtitles.
Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Origin: Turkey | Bosnia and Herzegovina
Language: Turkish
Running time: 150 min.
A body has been buried in the grasslands of rural Turkey. Over the course of one night, a doctor and a detective from a nearby town join a search effort in which the desolate landscape comes to symbolize their own solemn, insular lives. (from Netflix.com)
U.S. box office: $138,730
Watch the trailer on IMDB.
---
Review of last week's film ("Tuesday, After Christmas", 3.5 stars)Steven says: Here's another film that really benefitted from discussion. The director was methodical in his story telling, yet sneaky in his camera choices. People were deliberately left out of frames in several scenes, providing extra focus on one character while minimizing the other's impact in the scene. We've seen this same adulterous affair played out in countless movies, but this was one of the first I've seen where the script tried to humanize each player. No one wins in these situations, and he made it clear that, even after the end of the script, the characters had much more to overcome. I'd like to watch it again to pay more attention to the periphery and less to the subtitles.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
November 14, 2012 - "Tuesday, After Christmas" (2010)
Reminder: There will be no film screening on Nov. 21, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
But on November 14, we will watch:
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Tuesday, After Christmas, 2010
Director; Radu Muntean
Origin: Romania
Language: Romanian
Running time: 99 min
Paul Hanganu (Mimi Branescu) is in love with two women: Adriana (Mirela Oprisor), his wife of 10 years, and Raluca (Maria Popistasu), his mistress of the past several months. Now, at a crossroads, Paul is forced to choose between them in this drama from Romanian director Radu Muntean. Combining careful staging and emotionally intense dialogue, the film presents an unblinking profile of a man in crisis and the women whose lives he's ensnared. (from Netflix.com)
U.S. box office: $25,866
Watch the trailer on YouTube.
---
Review of last week's film (Footnote, 4.5 stars)
Steven says: With close-ups galore, we don't miss much emotion on the faces of our main actors. In fact, the first three minutes or so is one camera focused on a father's face as his son gives an acceptance speech. So much going on behind those eyes. The film is expertly shot with snippets of fantasy thrown in; and in the climax, the editing and music bring a great amount of suspense and excitement to a largely academic paper trail. So what if there are more answers than questions? In this film, they serve to heighten the frustration felt by the main characters as they navigate their father-son relationship and professional differences.
But on November 14, we will watch:
---
Tuesday, After Christmas, 2010
Director; Radu Muntean
Origin: Romania
Language: Romanian
Running time: 99 min
Paul Hanganu (Mimi Branescu) is in love with two women: Adriana (Mirela Oprisor), his wife of 10 years, and Raluca (Maria Popistasu), his mistress of the past several months. Now, at a crossroads, Paul is forced to choose between them in this drama from Romanian director Radu Muntean. Combining careful staging and emotionally intense dialogue, the film presents an unblinking profile of a man in crisis and the women whose lives he's ensnared. (from Netflix.com)
U.S. box office: $25,866
Watch the trailer on YouTube.
---
Review of last week's film (Footnote, 4.5 stars)
Steven says: With close-ups galore, we don't miss much emotion on the faces of our main actors. In fact, the first three minutes or so is one camera focused on a father's face as his son gives an acceptance speech. So much going on behind those eyes. The film is expertly shot with snippets of fantasy thrown in; and in the climax, the editing and music bring a great amount of suspense and excitement to a largely academic paper trail. So what if there are more answers than questions? In this film, they serve to heighten the frustration felt by the main characters as they navigate their father-son relationship and professional differences.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
November 7, 2012 - "Footnote" (2011)
Footnote, 2011
Director: Joseph Cedar
Origin: Israel
Language: Hebrew
Running time: 103 min
Long-buried tensions erupt in this witty drama, which follows the strained relationship between a reserved Talmudic scholar and his ambitious son -- both professors at the same university -- when the father wins a prestigious award the son covets. (from Netflix.com)
MPAA rating: Rated PG for thematic elements, brief nudity, language and smoking
U.S. box office: $2,007,451
Watch the trailer on IMDB.
---
Review of last week's film ("The Seventh Seal", 4 stars)Steven says: I have a hard time rating classics because of the stigma they bring as well as different film standards of the time. Removing those, I can say I really enjoyed the script, most of the performances, and the director's ability to keep the audience interested. While the story revolves around a quest for meaning and a search for God, there is plenty of time for humor, debauchery and juggling. It's definitely worth the watch to see a classic film and director that have influenced so many after him.
Director: Joseph Cedar
Origin: Israel
Language: Hebrew
Running time: 103 min
Long-buried tensions erupt in this witty drama, which follows the strained relationship between a reserved Talmudic scholar and his ambitious son -- both professors at the same university -- when the father wins a prestigious award the son covets. (from Netflix.com)
MPAA rating: Rated PG for thematic elements, brief nudity, language and smoking
U.S. box office: $2,007,451
Watch the trailer on IMDB.
---
Review of last week's film ("The Seventh Seal", 4 stars)Steven says: I have a hard time rating classics because of the stigma they bring as well as different film standards of the time. Removing those, I can say I really enjoyed the script, most of the performances, and the director's ability to keep the audience interested. While the story revolves around a quest for meaning and a search for God, there is plenty of time for humor, debauchery and juggling. It's definitely worth the watch to see a classic film and director that have influenced so many after him.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
October 31, 2012 - "The Seventh Seal" (1957)
The Seventh Seal, 1957
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Origin: Sweden
Languages: Swedish | Latin
Running time: 96 min
Exhausted and disillusioned, a medieval knight makes the journey home after years of combat in the Crusades. But when the black-robed figure of Death confronts him, the knight challenges him to a game of chess. (from Netflix.com)
Watch the trailer on YouTube.
---
Review of last week's film ("Tyrannosaur", 3 stars)
Steven says: With no subtitles, it was difficult to follow parts of the story line because the main character had such a thick accent. But the acting in general was so good, we often didn't need dialogue to figure out what we were supposed to know. All the characters were presented with conflicts that pushed them to their breaking points. Some broke; others didn't. It was fascinating and surprising to see how each progressed and revealed their violent sides. Are we all capable of violence? Why are some more prone to it than others? And how do we move past that inclination to lead better lives? No answers here, but you will find provocative suggestions.
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Origin: Sweden
Languages: Swedish | Latin
Running time: 96 min
Exhausted and disillusioned, a medieval knight makes the journey home after years of combat in the Crusades. But when the black-robed figure of Death confronts him, the knight challenges him to a game of chess. (from Netflix.com)
Watch the trailer on YouTube.
---
Review of last week's film ("Tyrannosaur", 3 stars)
Steven says: With no subtitles, it was difficult to follow parts of the story line because the main character had such a thick accent. But the acting in general was so good, we often didn't need dialogue to figure out what we were supposed to know. All the characters were presented with conflicts that pushed them to their breaking points. Some broke; others didn't. It was fascinating and surprising to see how each progressed and revealed their violent sides. Are we all capable of violence? Why are some more prone to it than others? And how do we move past that inclination to lead better lives? No answers here, but you will find provocative suggestions.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
October 24, 2012 - "Tyrannosaur" (2011)
Tyrannosaur, 2011
Director: Paddy Considine
Origin: UK
Language: English
Running time: 92 min
Unemployed and frustrated, Joseph is in a downward spiral when he meets Hannah, a kind Christian woman who's drawn to try to help him. As their bond develops, however, it becomes apparent that Hannah's life is far from easy or simple. (from Netflix.com)
U.S. box office: $22,088
Watch the trailer at IMDB.com.
---
Review of last week's film ("Tales of the Golden Age", 4 stars)
Steven says: Five stories. 2.5 hours. It goes quickly. The Party is in charge but the people are resilient. Most of the time. There are many covert operations, many mishaps, and nearly as many poignant moments. How does one survive under a communist regime where food and electricity are not certain? This film provides different glimpses into urban legends from Romania that try to answer the question. They make you laugh at the absurdity of it all; and then they make you think about why it seems funny. Very worthy of a viewing.
Director: Paddy Considine
Origin: UK
Language: English
Running time: 92 min
Unemployed and frustrated, Joseph is in a downward spiral when he meets Hannah, a kind Christian woman who's drawn to try to help him. As their bond develops, however, it becomes apparent that Hannah's life is far from easy or simple. (from Netflix.com)
U.S. box office: $22,088
Watch the trailer at IMDB.com.
---
Review of last week's film ("Tales of the Golden Age", 4 stars)
Steven says: Five stories. 2.5 hours. It goes quickly. The Party is in charge but the people are resilient. Most of the time. There are many covert operations, many mishaps, and nearly as many poignant moments. How does one survive under a communist regime where food and electricity are not certain? This film provides different glimpses into urban legends from Romania that try to answer the question. They make you laugh at the absurdity of it all; and then they make you think about why it seems funny. Very worthy of a viewing.
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