tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561597644135512522024-03-19T03:23:06.282-07:00Bonjour TristesseHighlighting foreign, independent, and cult cinema.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597866901901238462noreply@blogger.comBlogger806125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556159764413551252.post-9235871470855928682014-05-23T15:00:00.000-07:002014-05-23T15:00:04.558-07:002014 Cannes Film Festival: Day 10<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidR74-JiFhk6Cdrj2Yq-1gNHEL5AjQ4NOzNJcZ-CCTGWX1wbyfsE-v8FxFkgSKCif0Ttdg0KU7IMRPOHYetRQXjLRnmE2h52dDKvYVykOgVuexxkaVpU8lL3g4xJxmXDFb5DK6bxkH2xU/s1600/juliette-chloe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidR74-JiFhk6Cdrj2Yq-1gNHEL5AjQ4NOzNJcZ-CCTGWX1wbyfsE-v8FxFkgSKCif0Ttdg0KU7IMRPOHYetRQXjLRnmE2h52dDKvYVykOgVuexxkaVpU8lL3g4xJxmXDFb5DK6bxkH2xU/s568/juliette-chloe.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Juliette Binoche and Chloe Grace Moretz, Sils Maria Photocall © AFP</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul class="festival-list">
<li class="festival-day"><span class="festival-date">Day 10 - Friday, May 23</span></li>
<br /><br />
Recap of the tenth and final day of premieres at the <b>67th Cannes Film Festival</b> (Festival de Cannes), which runs until May 25, 2014.<br />
<br />The final two <b>Compétition </b>films were screened today:<br />
<ul>
<li>
<b><i>Clouds of Sils Maria</i></b> by <b>Olivier Assayas</b> (France).<br /><br /> The latest from acclaimed French director Olivier Assayas who makes his fourth competition appearance at Cannes. A film in English starring <b>Chloe Grace Moretz</b>, <b>Kristen Stewart</b>, and <b>Juliette Binoche</b>.<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
At the peak of her international career, Maria Enders is asked to perform in a revival of the play that made her famous twenty years ago. But back then she played the role of Sigrid, an alluring young girl who disarms and eventually drives her boss Helena to suicide. Now she is being asked to step into the other role, that of the older Helena.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<b><i>Leviathan (Левиафан)</i></b> by <b>Andrey Zvyagintsev</b> (Russia).<br /><br />The Russian director returns to Cannes for the third time with his fourth feature film. He previously received the <i>Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize</i> (<i>2011: Elena</i>).<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
A modern day retelling of the Biblical story of Jobs set in contemporary Russia.</blockquote>
</li>
<a name='more'></a>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Clouds of Sils Maria</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Olivier Assays</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-fr"></i> France</div>
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<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSM9yKO3Vr-EQ2eOS1HAsDsdFbBS0eHwwQjuLEIBtilfh6-E-0cDMxFkBCm3nKcWk03-O0HfLlzNg5CseLu3dQ_T0KMAi_ghE8E5KvJugQfmDNrq5V0gAgzRiKBcHy03tkB4U8eKyGXMw/s568/clouds-of-sils-maria.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"In the shadows of the late Bergman and Antonioni, Olivier Assayas delivers a film silently gnawed away from the inside by the duo Eros and Thanatos and fluttering on the edge of pent-up or repressed violence"<small>Fabien Lemercier <cite><a href="http://cineuropa.org/nw.aspx?t=newsdetail&l=en&did=257859">(Cineuropa)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Given its narrow range of concerns, Clouds of Sils Maria will be mostly of interest to aficionados of theater, acting and the notion of how real and fictional lives can blur to those involved."<small>Todd McCarthy <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/clouds-sils-maria-kristen-stewart-706751">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"This is a complex, bewitching and melancholy drama, another fearlessly intelligent film from Assayas and a strong end to this year’s consistently impressive Cannes competition programme."<small>Robbie Collin <cite><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/cannes-film-festival/10851352/Clouds-of-Sils-Maria-review-bewitching.html">(The Telegraph)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"It's a doleful, multi-layered expression of time-passing and culture changing to fit the world in which exists. Its subtly and tenderness are never forced and its performances usher in messy, confusing humanity by the hundredweight."<small>David Jenkins <cite><a href="http://www.littlewhitelies.co.uk/features/articles/cannes-2014-sils-maria-26703">(Little White Lies)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The best thing about Olivier Assayas’s contrived new film is the attractive scenery of the Swiss alps and lakes, and even they begin to seem oppressive and tedious after a while."<small>Richard Mowe <cite><a href="http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/clouds-of-sils-maria-2014-film-review-by-richard-mowe">(Eye For Film)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
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</ul>
</ul>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Leviathan (Левиафан)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Andrey Zvyagintsev</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-ru"></i> Russia</div>
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<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1jVFlYXMopTLZJA5N_D0gqAM83cJyjq1-hhYo2AImDYml0ugoPtzlfVndO9JZPJzGm8P1ovXkY6nC1ZNteGDA439vXhB7oT7ny3Qp2NyHi3eeJUKaP3eaPp7rjN98UtKZcBWNR6YhlW4/s568/leviathan.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"His filmmaking has always been superb, but he's never taken on the state of his nation in the way he does here. And that makes "Leviathan" not just masterful but also hugely important."<small>Oliver Lyttleton <cite><a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/cannes-review-andrei-zvyagintsevs-searing-powerful-russian-epic-leviathan-20140523">(The Playlist)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Mikhail Kirchman’s cinematography is striking, a marvel to behold at all times, whether he deals with dark interiors or vast landscapes."<small>Dan Fainaru <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/leviathan/5072384.article?blocktitle=The-Latest&contentID=598">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
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The <b>2014 Cannes Film Festival</b> runs from May 14-25, be sure to return for our daily coverage!<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>See our other coverage of the 67th Cannes Film Festival:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-1.html">Day 1: (Grace of Monaco)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-2.html">Day 2: (Mr. Turner, Timbuktu, Party Girl, That Lovely Girl)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-3.html">Day 3: (The Captive, Winter Sleep, The Blue Room, Amour Fou)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-4-5.html">Days 4-5: (Saint Laurent, Wild Tales, The Homesman, The Wonders)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-6.html">Day 6: (Foxcatcher, Maps to the Stars, A Girl at my Door, Xenia, Bird People)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-7.html">Day 7: (Two Days, One Night, Still the Water, Titli, Lost River, The Salt of the Earth)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-8.html">Day 8: (The Search, Goodbye to Language, Fantasia, Snow in Paradise)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-9.html">Day 9: (Jimmy's Hall, Mommy, Charlie's Country, Misunderstood)</a>
</li>
</ul>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597866901901238462noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556159764413551252.post-9435346259964672922014-05-22T15:00:00.000-07:002014-05-22T15:00:02.833-07:002014 Cannes Film Festival: Day 9<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-FESnmOcX0OsKTF8E85AFAtVaOGefO9BkcBWJ1gHTAVd46JorpALOAxcAqeqzA9mBs3a6R1PcZUnibieSwuoXds_3_wmFUIXFHQ4P8uo6NU_mSonOMw6U4XfX7v-9v7DqN-i_itzcRWI/s1600/loach-photocall-jimmys-hall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-FESnmOcX0OsKTF8E85AFAtVaOGefO9BkcBWJ1gHTAVd46JorpALOAxcAqeqzA9mBs3a6R1PcZUnibieSwuoXds_3_wmFUIXFHQ4P8uo6NU_mSonOMw6U4XfX7v-9v7DqN-i_itzcRWI/s640/loach-photocall-jimmys-hall.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ken Loach, Photocall for Jimmy's Hall © AFP</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul class="festival-list">
<li class="festival-day"><span class="festival-date">Day 9 - Thursday, May 22</span></li>
<br /><br />
Recap of the ninth day of the <b>67th Cannes Film Festival</b> (Festival de Cannes), which runs until May 25, 2014.<br />
<br />Two <b>Compétition </b>films were screened today:<br />
<ul>
<li>
<b><i>Jimmy's Hall</i></b> by <b>Ken Loach</b> (UK, Ireland, France).<br /><br /> The latest from the veteran British director, who screens his work in the main competition for the twelfth (rumored to be the final) time in his much decorated career. Loach is a previous winner of the Palme d'Or (2006: The Wind that Shakes the Barley), and the Jury Prize on three separate occasions, the most recent being for (2011: The Angels' Share).<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
In 1921, Jimmy Gralton's sin was to build a dance hall on a rural crossroads in Ireland, where young people could come to learn, to argue, to dream... but above all to dance and have fun.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<b><i>Mommy</i></b> by <b>Xavier Dolan</b> (Canada).<br /><br />After paying his dues in the Directors' Fortnight and Un Certain Regard sections, the young Canadian director makes his main competition debut, with his fifth feature film in as many years. <br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
A widowed single mom finds herself burdened with the full-time custody of her explosive 15-year-old ADHD son. As they try to make ends meet and struggle with their impetuous and unpredictable ménage, the new girl across the street, Kyla, benevolently offers needed support. Together, they find a new sense of balance, and hope is regained. </blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
<br />In the <b>Un Certain Regard</b> section:<br />
<ul>
<li><i><b>Charlie's Country</b></i> by <b>Rolf de Heer</b> (Australia).<br /><br />For his fourteenth feature film, the previous Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize winner (2006: Ten Canoes), returns to Cannes with a film co-written and starring friend and frequent collaborator, Aboriginal actor David Gulpilil (Walkabout).<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
Blackfella Charlie is out of sorts. The intervention is making life more difficult on his remote community, what with the proper policing of whitefella laws now. So Charlie takes off, to live the old way, but in so doing sets off a chain of events in his life that has him return to his community chastened, and somewhat the wiser. </blockquote>
</li>
<li><i><b>Misunderstood (Incompresa)</b></i> by <b>Asia Argento</b> (Italy, France).<br /><br />The Italian film star makes her first trip to the section, with her third feature film as a director. Charlotte Gainsbourg co-stars.<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
Aria is a 9 year-old girl who unwillingly finds herself to live the violent separation of her parents, drifted apart from her half-sisters in an extended family. Her parents do not love her as much as she would like. Aria, pulled back and forth in the conflict between her father and her mother, rejected and pushed away, walks through the city with a striped bag and a black cat, touching the abyss and the tragedy and just trying to protect her innocence.</blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
<a name='more'></a>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Jimmy's Hall</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Ken Loach</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-gb"></i> UK, <i class="flag-ie"></i> Ireland, <i class="flag-fr"></i> France</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5NOEjOi8swM3peshEMluxSnaxIEuGVDUVInrAsTbnjhKvZ3SWpPRXFZJGB0L0zZmZ5TZfI8ulmVOpQIK6FrZLu1CxisOXvUK1Cas5WHXWsTphtcnbb2QRYqFVSMa9d-bMJmJWlyp85AY/s568/jimmys-hall.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<b>Quotes from the press conference:</b><br />
<br />
<blockquote>
"I said that during a moment of maximum pressure. We hadn't shoot a foot of film and the mountain in front of us was quite high. I thought, I can't get through this again. But you come out the other end. We'll just watch the World Cup and see what the autumn brings. Maybe a little film, maybe not. It's a hard job to give up really."<small>77-year-old director Ken Loach on rumors of retirement.</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The two films do sit side by side, TWTSTB was a bigger more epic story, this is just a microcosm. It's just a dance hall in a country bog where some kids enjoy dancing, exchange ideas, learn poems... and that's really dangerous. It was the idea of examining it in microcosm that was attractive, but of course they do relate."<small>Loach on the similarities between Jimmy's Hall and The Wind that Shakes the Barley.</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"We not only shot on film, we cut on film. It's not as quick as digital, so you consider what you're doing more carefully. Digital is about speed, and cutting out the people involved in the job. The pressure is to go digital. But, celluloid is real, you touch it, you see it, you make one cut at a time. It's a much more human way of working."<small>Loach on the industry move towards digital.</small></blockquote>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"A minor-key but eminently enjoyable work by a master craftsman."<small>Scott Foundas <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-ken-loachs-jimmys-hall-1201188887/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The dialogue comes across as a series of statements rather than convincing as a proper conversation, and while the period design and costumes are nicely put together it all feels rather safe."<small>Mark Adams <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/jimmys-hall/5072367.article?blocktitle=The-Latest&contentID=598">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"What we're left with is an odd, only fitfully engaging hybrid of The Quiet Man and Footloose, which neither packs much of a punch nor is particularly nimble on its feet."<small>Neil Young <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/jimmys-hall-cannes-review-705641">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"This is exasperatingly thin stuff from Loach and Laverty, who have in the past built far more textured narratives, peopled by far richer characters"<small>Robbie Collin <cite><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/10848354/Jimmys-Hall-review.html">(The Telegraph)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The script, by Paul Laverty, has a straightforward quality that sometimes underserves Gralton's formidable mission to revitalize his old home, but whenever the music fires up and another dance sequence takes shape, "Jimmy's Hall" introduces another surge of energy that permeates the drab surroundings."<small>Eric Kohn <cite><a href="http://www.indiewire.com/article/cannes-review-footloose-in-ireland-with-jimmys-hall-ken-loach-matches-history-with-entertainment">(IndieWire)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"This is a film of black and white, good and bad, in which no grey area exists and almost all conflicts are external, imposed from elsewhere. No matter how much we may agree with the underlying argument, this is paint-by-numbers political filmmaking, and Loach is better than that."<small>Jessica Kiang <cite><a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/cannes-review-ken-loachs-jimmys-hall-20140522">(The Playlist)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"A beautiful and deceptively complex film which expends entirely with the moaning (okay, well not entirely) in order to put pure faith back into the images."<small>David Jenkins <cite><a href="http://www.littlewhitelies.co.uk/features/articles/cannes-2014-jimmys-hall-26580">(Little White Lies)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Loach gives voice with eloquence to the disenfranchised and celebrates the spirit of working people."<small>Richard Mowe <cite><a href="http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/jimmys-hall-2014-film-review-by-richard-mowe">(Eye For Film)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The script from from regular Loach collaborator Paul Laverty feels airless, as if nothing much is at stake"<small> John Bleasdale <cite><a href="http://www.cine-vue.com/2014/05/cannes-2014-jimmys-hall-review.html">(Cine-Vue)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
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</ul>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Mommy</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Xavier Dolan</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-ca"></i> Canada</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqI2cLGS98Cy677ZeYxQ_0wFsDHySezbMPxZ118OnbZyxHZsFlC8YAhy1ujU2eF36NTIEuC_faCU1qHgvbAS4L0kudgLjFgkkL9bbMXhL86uHFXx11beG_rT5WBBmucBBJMZa7t5c47jw/s568/mommy.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<b>Quotes from the press conference:</b><br />
<br />
<blockquote>
"It's not a duty, it's not like work. I don't feel like I'm required to make a film every six months, it's just my passion. It's like a hard drug, I need to express myself and to create."<small>Xavier Dolan on his prolific work output.</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"My own father impresses me, but the father figure in general does not. With mothers, I feel a totally different need to depict strong women. I know this doesn't always please people, but for me it's an absolute necessity."<small>Dolan on mothers and female characters.</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Music is the soul of a movie. For me in Mommy it was more about music playing in the film rather than on the film. All of the songs are on radios, in cars, in bars. I wanted the music to be incorporated into the lives of the characters."<small>Dolan on music.</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"I am not scared that people will hate my films. I have the fear of falling down those red steps, I have the fear of stuttering when I shouldn't. But I don't have the fear of telling a story, and creating it with people that inspire me. "<small>Dolan on his fears.</small></blockquote>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Undoubtedly a major contender for the Palme d'Or, and undoubtedly one of our top films of the festival, nothing in Dolan's previous work, which we have liked to varying degrees, really warned us that he was going to so comprehensively slay us with a story this warm, human and humane."<small>Jessica Kiang <cite><a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/cannes-review-xavier-dolans-fd-up-profane-and-amazingly-alive-mommy-20140521">(The Playlist)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Dolan's characters endure a series of seismic up and downs, the movie maintains a vitality and movement that goes beyond craftsmanship to illustrate Dolan's evolution as an artist."<small>Eric Kohn <cite><a href="http://www.indiewire.com/article/cannes-review-is-xavier-dolans-mommy-his-best-film">(IndieWire)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"It’s uncanny how much Dolan’s style and overall solipsism have evolved in five years’ time, resulting in a funny, heartbreaking and, above all, original work that feels derivative of no one, not even himself."<small>Peter Debruge <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-xavier-dolans-mommy-1201188655/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Filled with tenderness and compassion, Mommy may well be Dolan’s most accomplished film to date."<small>Allan Hunter <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/mommy/5072312.article?blocktitle=The-Latest&contentID=598">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Feels like a strong step forward, striking his most considered balance yet between style and substance, drama-queen posturing and real heartfelt depth."<small>Stephen Dalton <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/mommy-cannes-review-706363">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"It comes at you baying and rattling like an early Pedro Almodóvar comedy, threaded through with an infectious love of full-throttle melodrama, and flinging its energy right back to the cheap seats, thanks to Dolan's customarily zippy design choices."<small>Tim Robey <cite><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/10850246/Mommy-review.html">(The Telegraph)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Even with certain elements left to puzzle over, Dolan's fifth feature is a sophisticated and sincere celebration of motherhood. Once he killed his mother. Now he has made her live forever."<small>Sophie Monks Kaufman <cite><a href="http://www.littlewhitelies.co.uk/features/articles/cannes-2014-mommy-26701">(Little White Lies)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Self-indulgently overlong (a trait shared by several Competition films) but despite this, the energy and sheer visual bravura carry it along on a wave of emotionally truthful performances, with narrative twists of considerable ingenuity."<small>Richard Mowe <cite><a href="http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/mommy-2014-film-review-by-richard-mowe">(Eye For Film)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Reminiscent of one of Almódovar's heroines, Dorval balances perfectly her brashness and brass, with a tenderness and sensitivity she cannot allow herself to fully express lest her financial and familial problems overwhelm her entirely."<small> John Bleasdale <cite><a href="http://www.cine-vue.com/2014/05/cannes-2014-mommy-review.html">(Cine-Vue)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Un Certain Regard Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Charlie's Country</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Rolf de Heer</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-au"></i> Australia</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-bzUAtO8QfLEBokPeOBCCns4lidHGvK7G4eSnCSfmOsxNkaXZXWBusstZ2OUxswqy21mK1XB8amrjcsll_Q5p9uUS4gZHF2dUp40dy2dlU22eaTPQ4HUr3fzLPPxHukJKh6oL073cgEU/s568/charlies-country.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Anchored by the charismatic, tragicomic performance of indigenous icon David Gulpilil, this atmospheric and cautionary tale of a “Blackfella” caught between two cultures has all the makings of a solid arthouse performer."<small>Eddie Cockrell <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-charlies-country-1201189021/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Equal parts ethnographic and poetic, this eloquent drama's stirring soulfulness is laced with the sorrow of cultural dislocation but also with lovely ripples of humor and even joy."<small>David Rooney <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/charlies-country-cannes-review-706488">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Un Certain Regard Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Misunderstood (Incompresa)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Asia Argento</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-it"></i> Italy, <i class="flag-fr"></i> France</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMsGemL9O3B-TJEI9rG2SeW_kUP0O7q_tNpZsWeXuhjWJPhZUvVxKi8COcTuuSADZGB6DVCn41dxwFuBqMR1YLZmjqqpqUH8Oktgtdo7eD4Loa7yOaoGxQ48VWZBt69Vz7GvxSE5g62B0/s568/incompresa.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Argento seems to have learned from the experience of her overwrought first features, or maybe from life itself, that there is more to childhood than Gothic horror, and the mischievous moments of being a kid captured in Misunderstood show a filmmaker who is maturing in the direction of audience appeal."<small>Deborah Young <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/misunderstood-incompresa-cannes-review-706504">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
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</div>
The <b>2014 Cannes Film Festival</b> runs from May 14-25, be sure to return for our daily coverage!<br />
<br />
Screening Tomorrow at <b>#Cannes2014</b> (Friday, May 23):<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Clouds of Sils Maria</b> by Olivier Assayas (In Competition)</li>
<li><b>Leviathan</b> by Andrey Zvyagintsev (In Competition)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>See our other coverage of the 67th Cannes Film Festival:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-1.html">Day 1: (Grace of Monaco)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-2.html">Day 2: (Mr. Turner, Timbuktu, Party Girl, That Lovely Girl)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-3.html">Day 3: (The Captive, Winter Sleep, The Blue Room, Amour Fou)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-4-5.html">Days 4-5: (Saint Laurent, Wild Tales, The Homesman, The Wonders)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-6.html">Day 6: (Foxcatcher, Maps to the Stars, A Girl at my Door, Xenia, Bird People)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-7.html">Day 7: (Two Days, One Night, Still the Water, Titli, Lost River, The Salt of the Earth)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-8.html">Day 8: (The Search, Goodbye to Language, Fantasia, Snow in Paradise)</a>
</li>
</ul>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597866901901238462noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556159764413551252.post-23849953240123198582014-05-21T15:00:00.000-07:002014-05-21T20:49:00.746-07:002014 Cannes Film Festival: Day 8<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNEhjmY1Hx2T_CZD2azVq5RmN7Db0JTBGXQ-h18Q-pJoPkK2HqSdrCRjwHjNFrxuFkdC5fLUJ29l3r3soYe3eFuxwmkZ65n8i1wf6YbXIU2BxrL8ya1WlfZ6aBrnUBRXXEmnzm7CNrbhM/s1600/the-search-photocall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNEhjmY1Hx2T_CZD2azVq5RmN7Db0JTBGXQ-h18Q-pJoPkK2HqSdrCRjwHjNFrxuFkdC5fLUJ29l3r3soYe3eFuxwmkZ65n8i1wf6YbXIU2BxrL8ya1WlfZ6aBrnUBRXXEmnzm7CNrbhM/s640/the-search-photocall.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michel Hazanavicius and Bérénice Bejo at the Photocall for The Search © FDC / K. Vygrivach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul class="festival-list">
<li class="festival-day"><span class="festival-date">Day 8 - Wednesday, May 21</span></li>
<br /><br />
Recap of the eighth day of the <b>67th Cannes Film Festival</b> (Festival de Cannes), which runs until May 25, 2014.<br />
<br />Two <b>Compétition </b>films were screened today:<br />
<ul>
<li>
<b><i>The Search</i></b> by <b>Michel Hazanavicius</b> (France, Georgia).<br /><br /> The latest from the Academy Award winning director of 2011's The Artist. This is his second time in the main competition programme.<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
The Second Chechen War. 1999. THE SEARCH recounts, on a human scale, a powerful story of conflict told through four lives that will be brought together by a shocking twist of fate.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<b><i>Goodbye to Language (Adieu au language)</i></b> by <b>Jean-Luc Godard</b> (France).<br /><br />This 3D film, is the seventh time in the competition lineup for the legendary New Wave director. <br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
The idea is simple:
A married woman and a single man meet.
They love, they argue, fists fly.
A dog strays between town and country.
The seasons pass. </blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
<br />In the <b>Un Certain Regard</b> section:<br />
<ul>
<li><i><b>Fantasia</b></i> by <b>Wang Chao</b> (China).<br /><br />The former Un Certain Regard award winner (2006: Luxury Car), represents the only film from China in the section. <br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
Father got leukaemia. Mother was laid off long ago. She had to borrow money for her husband everywhere. Sister went to a night club to be a waitress secretly and soon became a “call girl”. Lin was cold-shouldered at school because of father’s illness.</blockquote>
</li>
<li><i><b>Snow in Paradise</b></i> by <b>Andrew Hulme</b> (UK).<br /><br />Competing for the <i>Camera d'Or</i> with his first feature film.<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
Based on a true story. Dave is a petty criminal who thrives on drugs and violence in London’s East End. When his actions kill his best friend Tariq he’s propelled into unknown feelings of shame and remorse. He discovers Islam and begins to find peace until his old life of crime comes back to test his new belief.</blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
<a name='more'></a>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
The Search</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Michel Hazanavicius</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-fr"></i> France, <i class="flag-ge"></i> Georgia</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhkx4KZRFcUOrbNvnpzzOzpQF80rHB5MxhK-HU2SoW_U07CiEn42y03fWmhwSLr3Rm8ESoJsLo57SkfVS8Srgn5oFS80JYNHUI_kFV3gvXWyeCIBZLnBLsNyCS7J1t4t-zDVtV3-pW_hc/s568/the-search.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<b>Quotes from the press conference:</b><br />
<br />
<blockquote>
"The main reason for this film is that I wanted to tell a story that few have told. I thought it was worthwhile to make a film on this subject, and to show the human and emotional side of the Chechen war."<small>Michel Hazanavicius on the impetus for The Search.</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"What interested me most of all was the fact that he wrote a character who wasnt the hero. In war films, it's always the westerners who know everything, and save the world. My character gradually learns that things are much more complicated than that. That you have to work on a smaller scale in order to make an impact."<small>Bérénice Bejo on her character.</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"After The Artist, I was in a somewhat strange situation, I had the impression I could do anything I wanted, so I felt it was right to make this film. Had I made 'The Artist 2', I would have felt a great deal of pressure, because people would have compared the sequel with the first. This film is completely different, that's how I prefer to work."<small>Michel Hazanavicius on the success of The Artist.</small></blockquote>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Intermittently stirring and undeniably well made as it slowly unspools a multi-pronged drama set during the 1999 outbreak of the Second Chechen War, the picture has run-of-the-mill pacing and storytelling lapses that are compounded by its ultimately hectoring, didactic approach."<small>Justin Chang <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-michel-hazanavicius-the-search-1201187833/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Carole is not Bejo’s finest character and the actress is capable of far more subtle work than the role requires. "<small>Fionnuala Halligan <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/the-search/5072275.article?blocktitle=The-Latest&contentID=598">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The very consumer-like element of its packaging does not erase the accuracy of the message which appears in the eyes of a child sucked into the vortex of gratuitous and unpunished crimes."<small>Fabien Lemercier <cite><a href="http://cineuropa.org/nw.aspx?t=newsdetail&l=en&did=257761">(Cineuropa)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Lacks the credible emotions of the original and never assembles a convincing reason for its existence. "<small>Eric Kohn <cite><a href="http://www.indiewire.com/article/cannes-review-michel-hazanavicius-the-search-starring-berenice-bejo-is-a-remake-devoid-of-a-purpose">(IndieWire)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The results are misjudged and indulgent enough that we’re glad to learn that his next project promises a return to more light-hearted territory ."<small>Oliver Lyttleton <cite><a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/cannes-review-michel-hazanavicius-the-artist-follow-up-the-search-starring-berenice-bejo-annette-bening-20140521">(The Playlist)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"There’s a film like The Search at every festival: it’s not especially bad, more a weary obligation with one overriding problem. No one actually engages in a search, or not much of one."<small>Tim Robey <cite><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/cannes-film-festival/10846255/The-Search-review-a-generic-wallow.html">(The Telegraph)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"A sprawling, multi-stranded stock drama that delves deep into the Second Chechen War, but somehow comes up seeming compassionless and cold. "<small>Adam Woodward <cite><a href="http://www.littlewhitelies.co.uk/features/articles/cannes-2014-the-search-26704">(Little White Lies)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"With a muted colour palette in the style of Saving Private Ryan, Hazanavicius creates scenes of conflict that have echoes of everything from Apocalypse Now, to Full Metal Jacket."<small>Richard Mowe <cite><a href="http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-search-2014-film-review-by-richard-mowe">(Eye For Film)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Everything is used in the service of a worthy argument, but its melodramatic plotting, its banal characterisation and heavy-handed point-making rob the film of the essential credibility it needs if it's going to intervene in the conflict effectively."<small>John Bleasdale <cite><a href="http://www.cine-vue.com/2014/05/cannes-2014-search-review.html">(Cine-Vue)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
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</ul>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Goodbye to Language (Adieu au language)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Jean-Luc Godard</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-fr"></i> France</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtELJj6KaG-g5Q16YjDfLWGSAI6nbWGuRzgVRSvjxl0j55OkJfinu6gkI90SkLzUs_IfWwcpUNBBeZOJ4s-rLSdVe1v6DChfTCuiradq02ab9cCb3WeaHg9hcoYYRIBRnsuvQIqkpG1MY/s568/goodbye-to-language.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<b>Quotes from the press conference:</b><br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<b>Jean-Luc Godard</b> did not attend the festival, but instead sent the following video letter to festival president <b>Gilles Jacob</b> and festival director <b>Thierry Fremaux</b></blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/_v3IgoQxPnA" width="480"></iframe></div>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"The high-wire marshalling of images, the frankly dazzling 3D and, of course, copious amounts of dog lol footage mean that Goodbye To Language exists as an implacable object d'art that's entirely enigmatic and wholly accessible at the same time."<small>David Jenkins <cite><a href="http://www.littlewhitelies.co.uk/features/articles/cannes-2014-goodbye-to-language-3d-26705">(Little White Lies)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"It's his most outwardly aggressive statement against contemporary civilization since the barbaric climax of "Weekend.""<small>Eric Kohn <cite><a href="http://www.indiewire.com/article/cannes-review-jean-luc-godards-baffling-hilarious-goodbye-to-language-3d-will-mess-with-your-eyes-and-your-head">(IndieWire)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Science fiction seems somehow fitting for what you might call Godard’s anti-Avatar."<small>Jonathan Romney <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/goodbye-to-language/5072311.article?blocktitle=The-Latest&contentID=598">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Un Certain Regard Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Fantasia</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Wang Chao</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-cn"></i> China</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FRyq6UqrMPDjvmkmfQ_1aMrom9OUNji0v-3JrmAmsUw6LQOHrgbY_TGG8Ytxa1co7vIi1P1rl-7G5n4bn0Ze6TH7J8P93m1XXepszFZC7T-g6q7xV8MrIvvlSSaS41ss7LHiLX0DeIU/s568/fantasia.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
Check back for review snippets.</blockquote>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Un Certain Regard Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Snow in Paradise</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Andrew Hulme</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-gb"></i> UK</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1UKcJtRq5PbieQhvTIoZ2JxLZPaJ5dQp_iJmeifS9I2ua72Pat5fYDhbi0rnka1GG2g3DVU-L4l30Jxxm-5yGi-anQhNPFqtE3PiRiL1l7gbfGdI7BSuzxf3ncPFmvrXilepU-8YitAE/s568/snow-in-paradise.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"So obnoxiously convinced of both its edginess and depth while doing nothing but trotting out the same Cockney gangster cliches we’ve seen done better twenty times elsewhere"<small>Jessica Kiang <cite><a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/cannes-review-andrew-hulmes-snow-in-paradise-a-tired-and-tiresome-brit-gangster-film-20140521">(The Playlist)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Its fragmented structure becomes a mannered cover-up for a surfeit of clichés and a shortage of narrative complexity."<small>David Rooney <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/snow-paradise-cannes-review-706386">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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</div>
The <b>2014 Cannes Film Festival</b> runs from May 14-25, be sure to return for our daily coverage!<br />
<br />
Screening Tomorrow at <b>#Cannes2014</b> (Thursday, May 22):<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Jimmy's Hall</b> by Ken Loach (In Competition)</li>
<li><b>Mommy</b> by Xavier Dolan (In Competition)</li>
<li><b>Charlie's Country</b> by Rolf de Heer (Un Certain Regard)</li>
<li><b>Misunderstood</b> by Asia Argento (Un Certain Regard)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>See our other coverage of the 67th Cannes Film Festival:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-1.html">Day 1: (Grace of Monaco)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-2.html">Day 2: (Mr. Turner, Timbuktu, Party Girl, That Lovely Girl)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-3.html">Day 3: (The Captive, Winter Sleep, The Blue Room, Amour Fou)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-4-5.html">Days 4-5: (Saint Laurent, Wild Tales, The Homesman, The Wonders)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-6.html">Day 6: (Foxcatcher, Maps to the Stars, A Girl at my Door, Xenia, Bird People)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-7.html">Day 7: (Two Days, One Night, Still the Water, Titli, Lost River, The Salt of the Earth)</a>
</li>
</ul>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597866901901238462noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556159764413551252.post-89041246904109454792014-05-20T15:00:00.000-07:002014-05-21T20:48:13.103-07:002014 Cannes Film Festival: Day 7<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi77CENVyJP9vlZ2tnXKDqocpB760f3cp_jt_xi720hEo7D7xR6BO-8OfQ-uWdJEQlTNzZBgrwru8aRNaDOlCxsPGQPflsbrIkOruipCxYJV2JUEHfC5QvVcUZz2T0o8uQeZH0RolL4KpM/s1600/red-carpet-day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi77CENVyJP9vlZ2tnXKDqocpB760f3cp_jt_xi720hEo7D7xR6BO-8OfQ-uWdJEQlTNzZBgrwru8aRNaDOlCxsPGQPflsbrIkOruipCxYJV2JUEHfC5QvVcUZz2T0o8uQeZH0RolL4KpM/s640/red-carpet-day.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cannes Red Carpet © FDC</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul class="festival-list">
<li class="festival-day"><span class="festival-date">Day 7 - Tuesday, May 20</span></li>
<br /><br />
Recap of the seventh day of the <b>67th Cannes Film Festival</b> (Festival de Cannes), which runs until May 25, 2014.<br />
<br />Two <b>Compétition </b>films were screened today:<br />
<ul>
<li>
<b><i>Two Days, One Night (Deux jours, une nuit)</i></b> by <b>Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne</b> (Belgium, France, Italy).<br /><br /> The two-time Palme d'Or winning Belgian duo (1999: Rosetta, 2005: The Child) return to Cannes with a feature starring Marion Cotillard. Their first film with an international star in the lead role.<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
Sandra has only one weekend to visit her colleagues and - with the help of her husband - convince them to sacrifice their bonuses so she can keep her job. </blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<b><i>Still the Water (2つ目の窓)</i></b> by <b>Naomi Kawase</b> (Japan).<br /><br />This is the fifth trip to the Croisette from the Japanese director, and her fourth time in the main selection. It's shot on Amami Oshima, a tropical island south of Japan.<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
On the subtropical Japanese island of Amami, traditions about nature remain eternal. During the full-moon night of traditional dances in August, 16-year-old Kaito discovers a dead body floating in the sea. His girlfriend Kyoko will attempt to help him understand this mysterious discovery. Together, Kaito and Kyoko will learn to become adults by experiencing the interwoven cycles of life, death and love. </blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
<br />In the <b>Un Certain Regard</b> section:<br />
<ul>
<li><i><b>Titli</b></i> by <b>Kanu Behl</b> (India).<br /><br />Competing for the <i>Camera d'Or</i> with his first feature film. <br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
In the badlands of Delhi's underbelly, Titli, the youngest member of a violent car-jacking brotherhood, plots a desperate bid to escape the 'family' business. </blockquote>
</li>
<li><i><b>Lost River</b></i> by <b>Ryan Gosling</b> (USA).<br /><br />The American filmmaker also competes for the <i>Camera d'Or</i> with his first feature film as a writer-director. A modern day fairytale starring Christina Hendricks and Iain de Caestecker.<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
Set against the surreal dreamscape of a vanishing city, Billy, a single mother of two, is swept into a macabre and dark fantasy underworld while her teenage son discovers a secret road leading to an underwater town. Both Billy and Bones must dive deep into the mystery if their family is to survive.</blockquote>
</li>
<li><i><b>The Salt of the Earth</b></i> by <b>Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado</b> (France).<br /><br />A look at the life and work of photographer Sebastião Salgado, as revealed to us by his son Juliano, and by celebrated German director Wim Wenders.<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
During the last forty years, the photographer Sebastião Salgado has been travelling through the continents, in the footsteps of an ever changing humanity. He has witnessed the major events of our recent history ; international conflicts, starvations and exodus… He is now embarking on the discovery of pristine territories, of the wild fauna and flora, of grandiose landscapes : a huge photographic project which is a tribute to the planet's beauty. </blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
<a name='more'></a>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Two Days, One Night (Deux Jours, Un Nuit)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-be"></i> Belgium, <i class="flag-fr"></i> France, <i class="flag-it"></i> Italy</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYm_XhB4axf4D3zM_PErYh9sCyGTRgk1L2NIuq6goYfoWwdWub1z4SMojZDA3VQ4B-ABxbnGLJxe4ny1gqP9s-vc90psA6uQztGMdnRfS2nlISvgusStZCtwkou-eT2M4KW4Bxs79Mv6M/s568/two-days-one-night.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<b>Quotes from the press conference:</b><br />
<br />
<blockquote>
"I think that solidarity is something that must be built. It is not a natural born right. It's a moral commitment. I think we can still have solidarity today, and that's what we try to depict in the film."<small>Luc Dardenne on the theme of solidarity.</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"We really wanted to work with Marion. We initially met her when we co-produced Rust and Bone, and we told her we were interested in working with her, and she told us the same thing. We instantly got along. Afterwards, we went home to change the screenplay with Marion in mind. "<small>Luc on the unusual choice to work with an established movie star.</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"We like to work with women. When we started out, someone told us that we could work with actors, but never succeed with experienced actresses. It's something that we've never forgotten."<small>Jean-Pierre Dardenne on female characters.</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"I love complex roles. I see these women as truly fighting for survival, and they discover hidden things within themselves. That's what interests me about the human condition. I'm deeply moved by people who manage to cope despite their circumstances. "<small>Marion Cotillard on her recent roles.</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"I've always dreamed of an adventure with directors who could lead me to the deepest finest details of a character. I've always known that there is a great amount of work involved in acheiving the perfection of their films. Also Jean-Pierre and Luc make their films for audiences, they make their spectators experience certain feelings. You cannot call their films, simply art-house films."<small>Cotillard on the Dardennes.</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"In fact, to portray the truth while giving the impression of improvisation, requires a huge amount of work. Nothing is improvised in this film."<small>Cotillard on improvisation.</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"With the Dardenne brothers, the idea of rehearsals is fundamental. We try several different takes, in order to find the right balance of movement. I believe that it is essential to their way of making films."<small>Actor Fabrizio Rongione</small></blockquote>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Within their circumscribed world, the Dardennes once again find a richness of human experience that dwarfs most movies made on an epic canvas."<small>Scott Foundas <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-marion-cotillard-shines-in-two-days-one-night-1201186779/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"While its radical, but nevertheless bravely optimistic, message is not as powerful as the most hard-hitting works in the Dardenne brothers’ filmography, it still has the luxury of being showcased loud and clear by the world’s most prestigious film festival."<small>Domenico La Porta <cite><a href="http://cineuropa.org/nw.aspx?t=newsdetail&l=en&did=257666">(Cineuropa)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"While it may lack the breathless dramatic energy of earlier works like La Promesse or L’Enfant, this is still a powerful, finely scripted issue movie, made all the more incisive by Marion Cotillard’s raw performance"<small>Lee Marshall <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/two-days-one-night/5072210.article?blocktitle=The-Latest&contentID=598">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Grips from start to finish with its candid account of a situation that for many will be relatable. "<small>David Rooney <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/two-days-one-night-deux-705835">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Cotillard's best work since "La Vie En Rose" unquestionably ranks as her most credible turn."<small>Eric Kohn <cite><a href="http://www.indiewire.com/article/cannes-review-two-days-one-night-starring-marion-cotillard-shows-the-dardenne-brothers-best-qualities">(IndieWire)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"This is another hugely admirable entry in the Dardenne canon: nothing all that new, perhaps, but as thoughtful, humane and superbly composed as we have, very fortunately, come to expect from them. A third Palme is not out of reach."<small>Robbie Collin <cite><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/10843352/Two-Days-One-Night-review-dripping-with-juice.html">(The Telegraph)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Cotillard is predictably immense in the lead, managing to bring subtle variation to the deliberately repetitious narrative which in turn exhibits the refinement of her tack as well as a process of realisation that her endeavour might just be entirely selfish."<small>David Jenkins <cite><a href="http://www.littlewhitelies.co.uk/features/articles/cannes-2014-two-days-one-night-26508">(Little White Lies)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Two Days, One Night is well made, and Cotillard and the rest of the cast give assured performances, but its optimism is desperate"<small>John Bleasdale <cite><a href="http://www.cine-vue.com/2014/05/cannes-2014-two-days-one-night-review.html">(Cine-Vue)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
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<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Still the Water (2つ目の窓)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Naomi Kawase</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-jp"></i> Japan, <i class="flag-fr"></i> France, <i class="flag-es"></i> Spain</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13pI_Q06-0dzQwRx4cRfrmkQ6rXpn8HVgDrhu3xoq5JgW-YbVqqUcYn0RqTGwVupqyoq1YmgkBtQL2CrCjkPqUWZWTRzk6QHz4EgTI4TId4cShyphenhyphenzpujP1o9JrHGnEzBi83ECeXf4FQMg/s568/still-the-water.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<b>Quotes from the press conference:</b><br />
<br />
<blockquote>
"It's an intersting question because, I found my roots when I first went to the island in 2008, I actually discovered that one of my great-great-great-grandmothers was a shaman. So perhaps I inherited something from this ancestor."<small>Naomi Kawase on the shamanistic nature of her work.</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"I believe that this is the most sophisticated film I have made in terms of the performance of the actors, from a technical stance, and the breadth of topic addressed. I believe this is a major piece of work for me. One can dream of a prize or award, but what really matters is the fact that this film exists, It's full of our knowledge and expertise, and that we enjoyed making it. It's very moving to have the film viewed by people from around the world. But, we're not at the Olympic games."<small>Kawase on being Japan's hope for the Palme d'Or.</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Actually, I can hardly believe I'm in Cannes. I never imagined it, and thanks to the character, and to the opportunity given to me by Naomi."<small>Actress Jun Yoshinaga</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"This is not only my first time at Cannes, but it's also my first time ever in a film. It's been one big discovery. I'm still questioning whether I'm actually here. I've heard that Cannes is always rainy, but did you see? Today is a magnificent day. It feels so lovely to be here with everyone."<small>Actor Nujiro Murakami</small></blockquote>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Kawase delivers a striking meditation on what are clearly deeply personal themes, underscored by a profoundly moving death that gives the film its heart and soul."<small>Fionnuala Halligan <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/still-the-water/5072192.article?blocktitle=The-Latest&contentID=598">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"While retaining some of Kawase's favorite themes -- the meaning of life and death, the unseen umbilical cords between mother and child and the power of nature over human civilization -- Still the Water elects to spell all this out through its chunky dialogue, in an ironic reverse of the mumbling, obscure symbolism which sunk the director's previous film, Hanezu."<small>Clarence Tsui <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/still-water-futatsume-no-mado-705554">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"A spectacle for the senses, which, if there is any justice, will be remembered as one of the greater films of the competition. "<small>Nikola Grozdanovic <cite><a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/cannes-review-naomi-kawases-still-the-water-is-a-spectacle-for-the-senses-20140520">(The Playlist)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"With its woozy voiceover and fascination with the beauty and violence of nature, Kawase's film most resembles the works of Terrence Malick. "<small>John Bleasdale <cite><a href="http://www.cine-vue.com/2014/05/cannes-2014-still-water-review.html">(Cine-Vue)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
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<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Un Certain Regard Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Titli</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Kanu Behl</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-in"></i> India</div>
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<div class="festival-notes">
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"This first feature directed by documaker Kanu Behl strikes a nice balance between irony and social realism."<small>Deborah Young <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/titli-cannes-review-705883">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
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</div>
</ul>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Un Certain Regard Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Lost River</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Ryan Gosling</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-us"></i> USA</div>
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<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGsfnVUlRaG6fYdp7YcT-1YVvv8pF1Cft6poqKjDEUWkUfsGAM8ZyGtrCcHd_jfaekUwntqJcqgPmBhfA62-Sk8HQXnbPORoRMmD_lM0zaltqY5AJ6ADsBsk9gyH-F1v-ICnHeBEnNCik/s568/lost-river.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Ryan Gosling’s heavily-hyped directorial debut turns out to be an over-cooked affair that lacks much needed wit and humour to go alongside its self-aware art intentions."<small>Mark Adams <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/lost-river/5072235.article?blocktitle=The-Latest&contentID=598">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"A visual and aural sensory bath that shows some real flair but feels madly derivative at every moment."<small>Todd McCarthy <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/lost-river-cannes-review-705908">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Given the talent assembled, the emptiness at its center only makes it feel like more of a waste."<small>Oliver Lyttleton <cite><a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/cannes-review-ryan-goslings-lost-river-starring-christina-hendricks-saoirse-ronan-matt-smith-20140520">(The Playlist)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Rather than making his own movie, Gosling has composed a messy love letter to countless others."<small>Eric Kohn <cite><a href="http://www.indiewire.com/article/cannes-review-ryan-goslings-flashy-directorial-debut-lost-river-is-a-dreamlike-fable-but-havent-we-seen-it-before">(IndieWire)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The result is cinema you don’t watch so much as absent-mindedly scroll through, wondering when an idea or an image worth clicking on will finally show up. "<small>Robbie Collin <cite><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/10844097/Ryan-Goslings-Lost-River-review-mouth-dryingly-lousy.html">(The Telegraph)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
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<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Un Certain Regard Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
The Salt of the Earth (Le Sel de la Terre)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-fr"></i> France</div>
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<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDSTgjIGSGsbCrKl5LlhUgNYlpOb5uw6NdVhbmxyhDuDaYlVWWIxNGyC1GxptAgOd8qfxKQxubG1LXfIW3SAXsr7Q2WRGMx4e5DZIXR_AwuIRk-MUr1G5QYkSAIeF64MirmQTsfPAIPVM/s568/the-salt-of-the-earth.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Doesn’t reveal so much as gracefully confirm that the empathy and humanism that make Salgado’s photojournalistic work so special are also a part of the artist’s outlook on life."<small>Boyd van Hoeij <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/salt-earth-cannes-review-705842">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"What audiences cannot fail to notice, once again, is the director’s exceptional eye for black-and-white, combining his own sensitivity to the form with the influence of Sebastiao’s work"<small>Jay Weissberg <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-the-salt-of-the-earth-1201188584/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
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The <b>2014 Cannes Film Festival</b> runs from May 14-25, be sure to return for our daily coverage!<br />
<br />
Screening Tomorrow at <b>#Cannes2014</b> (Wednesday, May 21):<br />
<ul>
<li><b>The Search</b> by Michel Hazanavicius (In Competition)</li>
<li><b>Goodbye to Language</b> by Jean-Luc Godard (In Competition)</li>
<li><b>Fantasia</b> by Wang Chao (Un Certain Regard)</li>
<li><b>Snow in Paradise</b> by Andrew Hulme (Un Certain Regard)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>See our other coverage of the 67th Cannes Film Festival:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-1.html">Day 1: (Grace of Monaco)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-2.html">Day 2: (Mr. Turner, Timbuktu, Party Girl, That Lovely Girl)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-3.html">Day 3: (The Captive, Winter Sleep, The Blue Room, Amour Fou)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-4-5.html">Days 4-5: (Saint Laurent, Wild Tales, The Homesman, The Wonders)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-6.html">Day 6: (Foxcatcher, Maps to the Stars, A Girl at my Door, Xenia, Bird People)</a>
</li>
</ul>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597866901901238462noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556159764413551252.post-53953391756860289022014-05-19T15:00:00.000-07:002014-05-22T15:51:51.552-07:002014 Cannes Film Festival: Day 6<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZJO8g3zf8l99ygqNXkUF4hnIuoiTBNdTd7glrijs5m-V3elSm3xOMTZSOyxuM_g8KXKwJzJDrRKo8V3syeuoA1CP0p4M39ofwZUEiEBhhLrHAQTwHyebf02zbK4qhkr_CO_s6zNApsc/s1600/red-carpet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZJO8g3zf8l99ygqNXkUF4hnIuoiTBNdTd7glrijs5m-V3elSm3xOMTZSOyxuM_g8KXKwJzJDrRKo8V3syeuoA1CP0p4M39ofwZUEiEBhhLrHAQTwHyebf02zbK4qhkr_CO_s6zNApsc/s640/red-carpet.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cannes Red Carpet © FDC</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul class="festival-list">
<li class="festival-day"><span class="festival-date">Day 6 - Monday, May 19</span></li>
<br /><br />
Recap of the sixth day of the <b>67th Cannes Film Festival</b> (Festival de Cannes), which runs until May 25, 2014.<br />
<br />Two <b>Compétition </b>films were screened today:<br />
<ul>
<li>
<b><i>Foxcatcher</i></b> by <b>Bennett Miller</b> (USA).<br /><br /> The Academy Award nominated director of <i>Moneyball </i>and <i>Capote </i>makes his Cannes debut, with this, his third feature film.<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
Based on true events, FOXCATCHER tells the dark and fascinating story of the unlikely and ultimately tragic relationship between an eccentric multi-millionaire and two champion wrestlers.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<b><i>Maps to the Stars</i></b> by <b>David Cronenberg</b> (Canada, Germany).<br /><br />The veteran Canadian director returns to the main competition for the fifth time, with an ensemble cast that includes <b>Julianne Moore</b>, <b>Mia Wasikowska</b>, <b>John Cusack</b>, <b>Robert Pattinson</b>, <b>Olivia Williams</b>, <b>Sarah Gadon</b>, and <b>Evan Bird</b>.<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
A tour into the darkly comic heart of a Hollywood family chasing celebrity, one another and the relentless ghosts of their pasts. </blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
<br />In the <b>Un Certain Regard</b> section:<br />
<ul>
<li><i><b>A Girl At My Door</b></i> by <b>July Jung</b> (South Korea).<br /><br />Competing for the <i>Camera d'Or</i> with her first feature film. <br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
Only people who live under the weight of the world’s prejudices can recognize the preciousness of the people around them...</blockquote>
</li>
<li><i><b>Xenia</b></i> by <b>Panos H. Koutras</b> (Greece, France, Belgium).<br /><br />This is the Greek director's fourth feature film, and first time at Cannes.<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
After the death of their mother, Dany, leaves Crete to join his older brother, Odysseas, who lives in Athens. Born from an Albanian mother and a Greek father they never met, the two brothers, strangers in their own country, decide to go to
Thessaloniki to look for their father and force him to officially recognize them. At the same time in Thessaloniki, is held the selection for the cult show, “Greek Star.” Dany dreams that his brother Odysseas, a gifted singer, could become the new star of the contest, in a country that refuses to accept them.</blockquote>
</li>
<li><i><b>Bird People</b></i> by <b>Pascale Ferran</b> (France).<br /><br />Winner of the <i>Camera d'Or</i> (<i>1993: Coming to Terms with the Dead</i>). The French director, probably best known for her multiple <i>Cesar </i>award winning 2006 film <i>Lady Chatterley</i>, returns to Cannes with her fourth feature film.<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
In the Paris airport zone, two strangers are trying to make sense out of their lives: an American engineer under professional and emotional pressure who decides to radically change the course of his life, and a young hotel chambermaid who faces a life-altering supernatural experience.</blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
<a name='more'></a>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Foxcatcher</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Bennett Miller</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-us"></i> USA</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRh7DslRX2O_ktgK-4FUKHhZ2kc5Pm78iLdeBPm_Alp2xroLlNSI7GaJgKLTtRa3pOpPBWQEHQzsqCBJTqdGjANoW1UZ0c5PaiyYKdwyfAUCFAhRLwt0S8OixTCNRC0Jk6B0PFG6BDdDU/s568/foxcatcher.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<b>Quotes from the press conference:</b><br />
<br />
<blockquote>
"I think that the style of my films is not so much in telling a story but observing a story. There's a lot of American male repressed non communication happening in this film. There's an undercurrent beneath the undercurrent."<small>Bennett Miller on his style.</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"To work with actors who are willing to put faith in you. You have to be grateful for the rest of your life. I really can't imagine anyone else doing these roles except for these guys."<small>A visibly emotional Miller discussing his cast.</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"We wrestled a lot against some world class atheletes. We immersed ourselves into that world."<small>Mark Ruffalo on role preparation.</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"I got to spend time with the real Mark Shultz, that was very special."<small>Channing Tatum</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"I did as much research as I could. There is quite a bit written about John du Pont, but there was also a lot of commissioned video footage about himself, his life, and his interests. "<small>Steve Carell</small></blockquote>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Crucially, this meticulously researched picture feels as authentic in its understanding of character as it does in its unvarnished re-creation of the world of Olympic sports in the late ’80s."<small>Justin Chang <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-foxcatcher-1201185646/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"A wonderfully taut and thoughtfully unnerving drama likely to attract awards attention thanks to three very different lead performances that dovetail perfectly"<small>Mark Adams <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/foxcatcher/5072112.article?blocktitle=The-Latest&contentID=598">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"As a consequence of Miller's relentless de-dramatization, Foxcatcher offers us next to nothing of utility or complexity about du Pont's pathology."<small>Budd Wilkins <cite><a href="http://www.slantmagazine.com/house/2014/19/cannes-film-festival-2014-foxcatcher-review">(Slant)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"With Bennett Miller's Palme-worthy Foxcatcher (2014), we have a film which, despite devoting significant screentime to the sport of large men in tights, has as its main theme the absolutely corrosive effect of too much money on just about everything."<small>John Bleasdale <cite><a href="http://www.cine-vue.com/2014/05/cannes-2014-foxcatcher-review_19.html">(CineVue)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"This challenging, intense drama is not a natural crowdpleaser."<small>Anne Thompson <cite><a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/cannes-review-foxcatcher-tells-riveting-murder-tale">(Thompson on Hollywood)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"From the beginning, you can't take your eyes off Steve Carell; as if by some secret alchemy, the actor makes you believe that his character is an entirely uncharismatic man while delivering a completely charismatic performance."<small>Todd McCarthy <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie/foxcatcher/review/705537">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Anchored by a affecting and sullen turn by Channing Tatum, the movie derives its primary discomfiting power from Steve Carell in a revelatory performance as a monster of American wealth. "<small>Eric Kohn <cite><a href="http://www.indiewire.com/article/cannes-review-channing-tatum-anchors-bennett-millers-icy-foxcatcher-but-the-revelation-is-steve-carrell">(IndieWire)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The sweeping intelligence of Miller’s enormous movie feels like it will be feeding our minds for days to come and as the best of his films, it is also simply one of the best dramas dissecting contemporary America (despite its period) that we've ever seen."<small>Jessica Kiang <cite><a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/cannes-review-bennett-millers-foxcatcher-starring-steve-carell-channing-tatum-mark-ruffalo-vanessa-redgrave-20140518">(The Playlist)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Foxcatcher is something dark and delirious, yet rigidly controlled: a film to be considered alongside David Fincher’s The Social Network and Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master as a swirling, smoke-black parable of modern America. "<small>Robbie Collin <cite><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/10841111/Cannes-2014-Foxcatcher-review-dark-and-delerious.html">(The Telegraph)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Like the director's previous films, this one is based on true events, although the facts have plainly been dramatised as a means towards extracting truth in what is a complex story of loyalty, paranoia and betrayal."<small>Adam Woodward <cite><a href="http://www.littlewhitelies.co.uk/features/articles/cannes-2014-foxcatcher-26685">(Little White Lies)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Despite the running time of 134 minutes there is not a moment of slack in the whole film and it becomes mesmerisingly compulsive."<small>Richard Mowe <cite><a href="http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/foxcatcher-2014-film-review-by-richard-mowe">(Eye For Film)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
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</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Maps to the Stars</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>David Cronenberg</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-ca"></i> Canada, <i class="flag-de"></i> Germany</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqUg4HofTlCqMd_052ko9asBTCHqSegECEPluWNduuqyBIeJZ2t-AEKbzzD_2PUUe3gY-_Xb46_vmJoD36769oKL80w7gPw1ECZJmCGdvokz_hyoQekoxtr1iIF_Z1F_Jywvk56HpvRwI/s568/maps-to-the-stars.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<b>Quotes from the press conference:</b><br />
<br />
<blockquote>
"A lot of the directing is in casting. I would say that 72.5% of my work is done once I have the cast together."<small>David Cronenberg on his ensemble</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"In terms of comedy, I think all my movies are funny. This could be the divine comedy."<small>Cronenberg on the film's sense of humor</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"It's not just about Hollywood and the movie business, you could set this in Silicon Valley or Wall Street. Any place where people are desperate, ambitious, greedy, fearful. You could set it anywhere and have that same tone and ring of truth."<small>Cronenberg on the theme of Hollywood bashing.</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"He's such a precise director. I don't think we changed a word of the script as it was written. There was creativity, but it was an excercise in extreme precision."<small>John Cusack</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"David is such appreciative of actors that he encourages you to bring your all. He's so enthusiastic, and accepting of who you are, that you want to please him. "<small>Julianne Moore</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"He knows exactly what he wants when we're on set, and he's someone you want to impress. If you don't do what he wants, he'll bark at you."<small>Evan Bird</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"It was great, David really trusts the people he casts. So we had freedom within the structured script."<small>Mia Wasikowska</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Whenever you get a script for a Cronenberg film, it's so dense that you spend time peeling back the layers. It's really fulfilling as an actor, because you can just dive into it."<small>Sarah Gadon</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"I'm always excited. I said yes before I even read the script. "<small>Robert Pattinson</small></blockquote>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"It’s not as if Cronenberg is pulling any of his punches. He just doesn’t manage to land very many of them."<small>Peter Debruge <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-david-cronenbergs-maps-to-the-stars-1201185571/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The long-awaited spawn of the union between director David Cronenberg and writer Bruce Wagner is Mulholland Drive, Sunset Boulevard and The Player wrapped up into one darkly comic, Gothic-tinged package."<small>Lee Marshall <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/maps-to-the-stars/5072096.article?blocktitle=The-Latest&contentID=598">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Looks sharp but, in the end, comes off like a prank more than a coherent take on 21st century Hollywood, even if there are crumbs of truth and wit scattered throughout it."<small>Todd McCarthy <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/maps-stars-cannes-review-705374">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Cronenberg never strays from the big picture of a world not only comprised of destructive impulses, but designed to breed more of them."<small>Eric Kohn <cite><a href="http://www.indiewire.com/article/cannes-review-maps-to-the-stars-is-david-cronenbergs-angriest-movie">(IndieWire)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"the film is a sickly enjoyable wallow in the scandalous, f'ed-up side of showbusiness, and a real return to form for the filmmaker. If nothing else, it'll rid you of any last desire to go on an actual LA star tour, and that alone is something to be thankful for."<small>Oliver Lyttelton <cite><a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/review-david-cronenbergs-maps-to-the-stars-with-robert-pattinson-mia-wasikowska-julianne-moore-john-cusack-20140518">(The Playlist)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"There’s so much in this seething cauldron of a film, so many film-industry neuroses exposed and horrors nested within horrors, that one viewing is too much, and not nearly enough. Cronenberg has made a film that you want to unsee – and then see and unsee again."<small>Robbie Collin <cite><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/10838381/Cannes-2014-Maps-to-the-Stars-review-a-nightmare-you-dont-want-to-wake-from.html">(The Telegraph)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"After carefully constructing his crystal kingdom, Cronenberg launches his stones with dark, mischievous joy."<small>John Bleasdale <cite><a href="http://www.cine-vue.com/2014/05/cannes-2014-maps-to-stars-review.html">(Cine-Vue)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"It's an infuriating movie, and that is possibly the point. It feels like a ten-part TV mini-series which has been inelegantly compressed to feature length."<small>David Jenkins <cite><a href="http://www.littlewhitelies.co.uk/features/articles/cannes-2014-maps-to-the-stars-26579">(Little White Lies)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Although there is plenty to relish in the barbed one-liners it doesn’t add up to a satisfying whole – and by the end of it you feel almost as empty as the characters."<small>Richard Mowe <cite><a href="http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/maps-to-the-stars-2014-film-review-by-richard-mowe">(Eye For Film)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
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<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Un Certain Regard Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
A Girl at my Door (도희야)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>July Jung</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-kr"></i> South Korea</div>
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<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYCT3PQ76dmD_mUXDgXz8YeqmB1bQiF-LZnQ_GOqMJwWn6-uXCqxM1xd-tZwAc19RjR6dmstLVWDzpU8Ji5K1wow0ztKVwJ11jy036hHeSsR7ps9Xy_lUXaGj76yEmX8own5mgimLVhmk/s568/a-girl-at-my-door.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"An engagingly strange drama, that weaves in abuse, sexual manipulation and racism into its apparently low-key story."<small>Mark Adams <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/a-girl-at-my-door/5072172.article?blocktitle=The-Latest&contentID=598">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Could have been an intense drama or even a thriller of sorts; being neither could certainly provide a new way of breaking norms, but here Jung's reinvention struggles to go through the door."<small>Clarence Tsui <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/a-girl-at-my-door-705257">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
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</ul>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Un Certain Regard Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Xenia</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Panos H. Koutras</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-gr"></i> Greece, <i class="flag-fr"></i> France, <i class="flag-be"></i> Belgium</div>
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<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZP9eHnMAacjFBTxdQ66dNJall5L0TyoSUEh3TKGn79SMLS9ZzTEocjanNvRyOs6JkVvMT5AaTvManQWVs3YF1WNJfnmlGFZoNCKLBoJrYXf1ruC16SKlLo2y29yuLKvd9YDDAd3VIU2s/s568/xenia.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Alternating between a fable lulled by a playful spirit and the youthful get-up-and-go of the two heroes, and a raw analysis of the thorny societal issues that are shaking up the political debate in Greece and, indeed, in Europe, Xenia (a Greek word meaning “hospitality”) is above all a very successful portrait of brotherhood."<small>Fabien Lemercier <cite><a href="http://cineuropa.org/nw.aspx?t=newsdetail&l=en&did=257650">(Cineuropa)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Though the story’s finally too predictable and a little too thin to captivate for the film’s entire two-hours-plus running time, the characters, their chemistry and their plight are compelling."<small>Boyd van Hoeij <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/xenia-cannes-review-701756">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
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<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Un Certain Regard Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Bird People</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Pascale Ferran</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-fr"></i> France</div>
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<div class="festival-notes">
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"It’s deliciously risky, though Ferran falls far short of Icarus’ folly, soaring low and returning to earth having risked too little."<small>Peter Debruge <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-bird-people-1201179375/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The story is brimming with ideas about solitude in the modern world, using a bifurcated narrative to follow two characters whose destinies will be determined by fate, willpower and a touch of the supernatural. "<small>Jordan Mintzer <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/bird-people-cannes-review-702111">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
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The <b>2014 Cannes Film Festival</b> runs from May 14-25, be sure to return for our daily coverage!<br />
<br />
Screening Tomorrow at <b>#Cannes2014</b> (Tuesday, May 20):<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Two Days, One Night</b> by Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne (In Competition)</li>
<li><b>Still the Water</b> by Naomi Kawase (In Competition)</li>
<li><b>Titli</b> by Kanu Behl (Un Certain Regard)</li>
<li><b>Lost River</b> by Ryan Gosling (Un Certain Regard)</li>
<li><b>The Salt of the Earth</b> by Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado (Un Certain Regard)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>See our other coverage of the 67th Cannes Film Festival:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-1.html">Day 1: (Grace of Monaco)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-2.html">Day 2: (Mr. Turner, Timbuktu, Party Girl, That Lovely Girl)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-3.html">Day 3: (The Captive, Winter Sleep, The Blue Room, Amour Fou)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-4-5.html">Days 4-5: (Saint Laurent, Wild Tales, The Homesman, The Wonders)</a>
</li>
</ul>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597866901901238462noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556159764413551252.post-16461422655742879012014-05-18T15:00:00.000-07:002014-05-19T15:51:09.724-07:002014 Cannes Film Festival: Day 4-5<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWzP2K0Ym6NLwiFAnOk9QyJYzzv-gJx1vLhkx0ZbG11Ctch0CRIvMyoEmIi52koSeypqgwPlQxPihmwO5BSRod1uNfO5J4TcJPvW4AeARCjry-pNdSRF2Y1NC7cZDgdbTcS6Dulq7XRx8/s1600/grand-theatre-lumiere.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWzP2K0Ym6NLwiFAnOk9QyJYzzv-gJx1vLhkx0ZbG11Ctch0CRIvMyoEmIi52koSeypqgwPlQxPihmwO5BSRod1uNfO5J4TcJPvW4AeARCjry-pNdSRF2Y1NC7cZDgdbTcS6Dulq7XRx8/s640/grand-theatre-lumiere.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Théâtre Lumière © FDC</td></tr>
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<ul class="festival-list">
<li class="festival-day"><span class="festival-date">Day 4 & 5 - Saturday-Sunday, May 16-17</span></li>
<br /><br />
Recap of the first weekend (Days 4 & 5) of the <b>67th Cannes Film Festival</b> (Festival de Cannes), which runs until May 25, 2014.<br />
<br />Four <b>Compétition </b>films were screened:<br />
<ul>
<li>
<b><i>Saint Laurent</i></b> by <b>Bertand Bonello</b> (France).<br /><br /> This is the French director's third time in the main competition. A biopic of the legendary French fashion designer <b>Yves Saint Laurent</b>.<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
As one of History's greatest fashion designers entered a decade of freedom, neither came out of it in one piece.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<b><i>Wild Tales</i></b> by <b>Damián Szifrón</b> (Argentina, Spain).<br /><br />The Argentinian director makes his Cannes debut with a compendium of six short films involving revenge. <br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
Vulnerable before a reality that can suddenly be modified and become unpredictable, the characters of Wild Tales cross the thin line that divides civilization from brutality. A story about love deception, the return of the past, a tragedy, or even the violence contained in an everyday detail, appear themselves to push them towards the abyss, into the undeniable pleasure of losing control. </blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<b><i>The Homesman</i></b> by <b>Tommy Lee Jones</b> (USA).<br /><br />In 2005, Jones made his debut at Cannes with <i>The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada</i>, a film for which he won the <i>Best Actor</i> award. He returns with a western adapted from a novel by <b>Glendon Swarthout</b>.<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
Mary Bee Cuddy, 31, lives a solitary existence in a God-fearing mid-western town. She is designated by members of her church to take back East three women who have lost their minds. On the way from Nebraska to Iowa, where those women will at last find refuge, Mary Bee saves the life of Briggs, a claim-jumper and outlaw. He agrees to help in her mission through snowstorms and perilous encounters with settlers, Indians and the harshness of the Frontier territory. </blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<b><i>The Wonders (Le Meraviglie)</i></b> by <b>Alice Rohrwacher</b> (Italy, Switzerland, Germany).<br /><br />The Italian director's second feature film and her first competition nod. Her first film, <i>Corpo Celeste</i>, appeared in the 2011 <i>Director's Fortnight</i>. <br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
Nothing will be the same at the end of this summer for Gelsomina and her three younger sisters. She is the designated heir of the strange, secluded kingdom that her father constructed around them to protect his family from “the end of the world”. An extraordinary summer, when the strict rules that hold the family together, are beginning to break: in part due to the arrival of Martin, a German boy on a youth rehabilitation program, and in part the local community’s participation in a TV competition for big prizes “Village Wonders”, presented by the mysterious Milly Catena. </blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
<br />In the <b>Un Certain Regard</b> section:<br />
<ul>
<li><i><b>Run</b></i> by <b>Philippe Lacôte</b> (Côte d'Ivoire, France).<br /><br />Competing for the <i>Camera d'Or</i> with his first film.<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
RUN is running away… He has just killed his country’s Prime Minister. Therefore he had to take the face and clothes of a madman wandering throughout the town for months. His life returns to him in flashes: his childhood with master Tourou, when he dreamt of becoming a rainmaker, his incredible adventures with Greedy Gladys and his militia past as a Young Patriot in Ivory Coast's political and military conflict. RUN has not chosen all of these lives. He stumbled into them, escaping from one life to another. This is why he is called RUN. </blockquote>
</li>
<li><i><b>The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby</b></i> by <b>Ned Benson</b> (USA).<br /><br /> Competing for the <i>Camera d'Or</i> with his first film. A new concise edit of the two-parter that premiered last year at TIFF. It stars <b>Jessica Chastain</b> and <b>James McAvoy</b>.<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
An enviable couple are seemingly so in love until their marriage is shaken to the core when life throws them a devastating curve. Now this New York couple must try to understand each other as they cope with loss and attempt to reclaim the life and love they once had.</blockquote>
</li>
<li><i><b>White God (Fehér Isten)</b></i> by <b>Kornél Mundruczó</b> (Hungary, Germany, Sweden). <br /><br /> The sixth feature film from the Hungarian actor-director. He has been twice previously selected for the main competition, winning the <i>FIPRESCI Prize</i> in 2008 for <i>Delta</i>.<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
A cautionary tale between a superior species and its disgraced inferior... </blockquote>
</li>
<li><i><b>Force Majeure (Turist)</b></i> by <b>Ruben Östlund</b> (Sweden).<br /><br /> The fourth feature from the Swedish director, winner of the <i>Short Film Golden Bear</i> at Berlin (<i>2010: Incident by a Bank</i>).<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
A Swedish family travels to the French Alps to enjoy a few days of skiing. The sun is shining and the slopes are spectacular but, during a lunch at a mountainside restaurant, an avalanche turns everything upside down.</blockquote>
</li>
<li><i><b>Beautiful Youth (Hermosa Juventud)</b></i> by <b>Jaime Rosales</b> (Spain, France).<br /><br /> The fifth feature film from the Spanish director, and his third to appear in the <i>Un Certain Regard</i> section. He previously won the <i>FIPRESCI Prize</i> in the <i>Directors' Fortnight</i> section (<i>2003: The Hours of the Day</i>)<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
Natalia and Carlos, both aged 20, are in love and struggling to survive in today’s Spain. Their limited resources prevent them from getting ahead as they’d like to. They have no great ambitions because they have no great hopes. To earn some money, they decide to shoot an amateur porno film. The birth of their daughter Julia is the main catalyst for the changes they make. </blockquote>
</li>
<li><i><b>Jauja</b></i> by <b>Lisandro Alonso</b> (Argentina, USA, Netherlands, France, Mexico).<br /><br /> The fifth feature film from the Argentinian director.<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
The Ancient Ones said that Jauja was a mythological land of abundance and happiness. Many expeditions tried to find the place to verify this. With time, the legend grew disproportionately. People were undoubtedly exaggerating, as they usually do. The only thing that is known for certain is that all who tried to find this earthly paradise got lost on the way.</blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
<a name='more'></a>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Saint Laurent</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Bertand Bonello</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-fr"></i> France</div>
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<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0pkoAYRnROjN7oTa_U6ikPY3LoaT2l2T8lRHHyU6tfmAPZvqjq_H8uvhk0tAFYbq9SUIdYPw1_GAfoCWWM5456Yy_4W6_6kzDIjLmxT_KA9ZL2a7NCsG3SAZh4ZLlBsZwv_2Ld2nVyzo/s568/saint-laurent.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"while seductively silly and largely unmoving, does a better job than its predecessor of celebrating Saint Laurent’s flamboyant artistry. "<small>Guy Lodge <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-saint-laurent-1201184381/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Endowed with an immense reserve of personal creativity and a very highly skilled sense of aesthetics, Bertrand Bonello gives to the trajectory of Yves Saint Laurent all of the wealth which it merits, and the film is full of original and surprising ideas, always arriving at the right time."<small>Favien Lemercier <cite><a href="http://cineuropa.org/nw.aspx?t=newsdetail&l=en&did=257536">(Cineuropa)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Succeeds as a warts and all story of a legendary fashion designer, but as with Jalil Lespert’s more soap opera orientated film Yves Saint Laurent, released earlier this year, it offers little insight into this complex character."<small>Mark Adams <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/saint-laurent/5071988.article?blocktitle=Other-latest-Reviews&contentID=592">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The screenplay seems to generally lack a throughline or focus, coasting from party scenes full of drugs and alcohol to work-related drama but rarely managing to get inside the head of the self-destructive character the designer had become by the 1970s."<small>Boyd van Hoeij <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/saint-laurent-cannes-review-704879">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Perhaps through time this hallucinatory quasi-dream of a biopic will grow in stature, but as first impressions go, the film loves itself so much it renders itself beautiful, but utterly shallow."<small>Nikola Grozdanovic <cite><a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/cannes-review-bertrand-bonellos-saint-laurent-starring-gaspard-ulliel-lea-seydoux-louis-garrel-more-20140517">(The Playlist)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Over two and a half hours, it becomes not just tedious but thunderously vapid, and you leave feeling drained, wondering if the film even knew what it wanted to tell you. "<small>Robbie Collin <cite><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/cannes-film-festival/10838188/Saint-Laurent-review-thunderously-vapid.html">(The Telegraph)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Traditional chronology is eschewed in favour of smelting moments together via sounds, images, objects and ideas, which does well to help place us into the mindset of our subject, even if it does tamp down any real over-arching dramatic sweep."<small>David Jenkins <cite><a href="http://www.littlewhitelies.co.uk/features/articles/cannes-2014-saint-laurent-26715">(Little White Lies)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
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<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Wild Tales (Relatos Salvajes)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Damián Szifrón</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-ar"></i> Argentina, <i class="flag-es"></i> Spain</div>
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<div class="festival-notes">
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"A wickedly delightful compendium of six standalone shorts united by a theme of vengeance — the kind that explodes in spectacular bursts after a put-upon soul is screwed over too many times."<small>Jay Weissberg <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-wild-tales-1201184260/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"It’s entertaining and subdued, and it’s a pure moment of rock’n’roll fun which could have perhaps been better placed in a Special Screening, rather than in the Official Competition of the Cannes Film Festival."<small>Domenico La Porta <cite><a href="http://cineuropa.org/nw.aspx?t=newsdetail&l=en&did=257526">(Cineuropa)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Its tales of the unexpected have twists and turns, but they’re always innovative, and the music choices are unexpectedly left-field and pulpishly entertaining."<small>Fionnuala Halligan <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/wild-tales/5071980.article?blocktitle=Other-latest-Reviews&contentID=592">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Opens and closes with a bang, and at its best is a riotously funny and cathartic exorcism of the frustrations of contemporary life."<small>David Rooney <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/wild-tales-relatos-salvajes-cannes-705074">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Almost any one of these shorts would have you sitting up and paying attention. Together, it only cements Szifron's clear talent, but it does also overstay its welcome just a tiny bit. "<small>Oliver Lyttleton <cite><a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/cannes-review-snappily-made-darkly-funny-wild-tales-announces-a-sparkling-new-talent-20140517">(The Playlist)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
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<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
The Homesman</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Tommy Lee Jones</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-us"></i> USA</div>
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<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhjgh7jR32YRGMVbRBW6hC6-_bBIWEHbN7MfQhxW4acy1A-LOVgOLrQpvk6KY8OWMqfsBd9ENcCsEkV8DuN-KnKp2sUwmUjS1_XbLaI3OCdZaN5YzP3Bs7XL38uNcnBSQlQy8wMgjo0as/s568/the-homesman.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Unlike other actor-directors, Jones never seems to indulge excess on the part of his cast. Though the characters are strong, the performances are understated."<small>Peter Debruge <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-the-homesman-1201184932/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"By concentrating on the vast human toll of those pioneer days, Tommy Lee Jones has created a beautifully crafted, heartbreaker of a tale that will find a ready welcome among older audience attracted by the unusual subject matter and the classical, unfussy elegance of the storytelling."<small>Allan Hunter <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/the-homesman/5072046.article?blocktitle=Other-latest-Reviews&contentID=592">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"In what’s probably her best big screen role since Million Dollar Baby, Swank is obliged to keep Mary Bee’s emotions in tight check, but the pain her valiant character bottles up emerges in piercing flashes to lasting effect."<small>Todd McCarthy <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/homesman-cannes-review-705259">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Jones' alternately skillful and irreverent approach results in a mixed bag of possibilities, with many terrifically entertaining on their own even as the overall picture remains muddled."<small>Eric Kohn <cite><a href="http://www.indiewire.com/article/cannes-review-is-tommy-lee-jones-the-homesman-the-strangest-movie-in-competition-at-cannes">(IndieWire)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Too meditative to tick boxes for the gunplay crowd, and too silly and uneven for the arthouse gang, the film will likely be dismissed by many as a misfire."<small>Oliver Lyttleton <cite><a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/cannes-review-tommy-lee-jones-awkwardly-interesting-the-homesman-co-starring-hilary-swank-and-meryl-streep-20140518">(The Playlist)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Swank and Jones are a sensational pairing and their peculiar chemistry places the film at almost the precise mid-point between two more modern Westerns: the smoky whimsy of the Coen brothers’ True Grit and the tougher, drier Meek’s Cutoff, from Kelly Reichardt"<small>Robbie Collin <cite><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/10839215/Cannes-2014-The-Homesman-review-Swank-and-Jones-are-sensational.html">(The Telegraph)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
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<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
The Wonders (Le Meraviglie)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Alice Rohrwacher</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-it"></i> Italy, <i class="flag-ch"></i> Switzerland, <i class="flag-de"></i> Germany</div>
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<div class="festival-notes">
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Rohrwacher’s style lays more emphasis on mood than plot (though the storyline is clear), conjuring a conflicted world of regulation and freedom in all aspects of the characters’ lives."<small>Jay Weissberg <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-the-wonders-1201184521/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Although we can’t say it’s an autobiography, it’s true that Alice is delving into a subject she knows well. Her parents are bee keepers, and what she observed as a child, the act of questioning her own identity in a family in which different languages were spoken, lit the spark to this story endowed with great power and elegance."<small>Camillo Di Marco <cite><a href="http://cineuropa.org/nw.aspx?t=newsdetail&l=en&did=257581">(Cineuropa)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Rohrwacher listens to her characters, lets them take the story in unexpected directions, at the same time building resonance out of recurrent symbols and triggers."<small>Lee Marshall <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/the-wonders/5072031.article?blocktitle=Other-latest-Reviews&contentID=592">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The tone hovers mysteriously between dream and reality and Rohrwacher pins the film on stark and striking images."<small>Deborah Young <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/wonders-le-meraviglie-cannes-review-705155">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The film comes and goes without commotion, but its magic settles on you as softly and as steadily as dust."<small>Robbie Collin <cite><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/10839261/Cannes-2014-The-Wonders-review-a-mesmerising-coming-of-age-tale.html">(The Telegraph)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"As a quirky coming-of-ager with a dash of magical realism, The Wonders achieves what it sets out to do and as such it will surely enhance its director's reputation, but it's too slight to make it a serious Palme d'Or contender."<small>Adam Woodward <cite><a href="http://www.littlewhitelies.co.uk/features/articles/cannes-2014-the-wonders-26714">(Little White Lies)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
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<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Un Certain Regard Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Run</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Philippe Lacôte</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-ci"></i> Côte d'Ivoire, <i class="flag-fr"></i> France</div>
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<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGxXYGXozz1sVOekBpa1sfo5RLDa9kdDljQy0XWDW4vCAKejll4J9ECYGtjWpipxzI9Ee6JrqOqGkGXTFJX0IJJsj-DHOCV4biOXcubM3BUZyvw-31Nbh6n_MOfbfYG_3nczL8MlUkCE/s568/run.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Feels both deeply personal and urgent, but not strident or mannered. The current hotness of African cinema just got a little hotter."<small>Leslie Felperin <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/run-cannes-review-705177">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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</div>
</ul>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Un Certain Regard Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Ned Benson</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-us"></i> USA</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHeJi0Nx86BCBqHc0_GzjUJHT1up9OSfnoGehY8qcLbeZW-LXh_SiGGmDYVYBDcJfPeHNS7QKUE9bMn89I6UiDCfqRBqfNoeBTyZMVkU9IFWaYN_rs1xADt1HdghOnSpPAXtt305lTRE/s568/the-disappearance-of-eleanor-rigby.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"A far more conventional film and, as it turns out, a much less fascinating journey with the characters. More committed audiences would do well to invest in the whole shebang when the full two-part film finds limited art house release later in the fall."<small>Deborah Young <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/disappearance-eleanor-rigby-cannes-review-705182">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"It is very much a first film, albeit one of rare ambition, and there's every reason to think that Benson will nail it next time around."<small>Oliver Lyttleton <cite><a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/cannes-review-the-disappearance-of-eleanor-rigby-them-starring-jessica-chastain-james-mcavoy-isabelle-huppert-20140517">(The Playlist)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"It's like a decent TV dinner, where the individual flavours risk blurring into mulch."<small>Xan Brooks <cite><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/may/17/cannes-2014-review-disappearance-eleanor-rigby">(The Guardian)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Despite the refreshingly honest treatment of its subject, however, not to mention some terrific central performances, the film is let down by not allowing what makes it work enough room to breathe."<small>Adam Woodward <cite><a href="http://www.littlewhitelies.co.uk/features/articles/cannes-2014-the-disappearance-of-eleanor-rigby-26710">(Little White Lies)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Un Certain Regard Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
White God (Fehér Isten)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Kornél Mundruczó</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-hu"></i> Hungary, <i class="flag-de"></i> Germany, <i class="flag-se"></i> Sweden</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKoAybOlUtDAO1MuQoJJeuLsoe3WSUNJG8yBpkftwcmng-XvqD48b01p040W0YKAZTP3EMJGykAL7ifzqfU4s2PTA_VFIMMHoy1lpAs43T5V7wVCvqyAaiGBwro-0TGrhE7hExhbZka0A/s568/white-god.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Best feature to date from distinctive Hungarian stylist Kornel Mundruczo, “White God” initially looks to be a sizable departure from his previous work, with its appealingly naive adventure narrative, until the story’s mythic proportions, not to mention its visceral violence, reveal themselves."<small>Guy Lodge <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-white-god-1201184899/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"A real feat in terms of shooting, the film very quickly chucks away its Lassie clone disguise for a brutal immersion in an environment in which the authority obeys unjust laws which provoke violence and which backfire on it."<small>Fabien Lemercier <cite><a href="http://cineuropa.org/nw.aspx?t=newsdetail&l=en&did=257570">(Cineuropa)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Animal lovers will look away in some of the scenes here but ultimately, they should be pleased….because ultimately dogs have the upper hand."<small>Dan Fainaru <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/white-god/5072063.article?blocktitle=Other-latest-Reviews&contentID=592">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Most shot in jerky hand-held style, with a stridently percussive score pumping up every hint of tension, White God falls somewhere between a superior genre thriller and a Big Statement movie"<small>Stephen Dalton <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/white-god-feher-isten-cannes-705224">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Un Certain Regard Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Force Majeure (Turist)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Ruben Östlund</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-se"></i> Sweden</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0g0GCPcRrImCpKCoejcii-sqYfYSzRVsYLZPF2PqJT_9KgAIv2iehyphenhyphenZAklfU7QWlQpGqScWlOELPpTLfRYNgnixtmj1u_3M5CrsNgjiI3yNyma6OSzixhogQV7OCBC6hMvNC4nnh9a2I/s568/turist.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"One of this superbly directed film’s many pleasures is the way Ostlund risks provoking out and out laughs from the midway point on, as the dramatic stakes heighten."<small>Lee Marshall <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/force-majeure/5072061.article?blocktitle=Other-latest-Reviews&contentID=592">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Visually stunning even in its most banal moments and emotionally perceptive almost to a fault, the film stands to complicate many a romantic arthouse date."<small>Peter Debruge <cite><a href="https://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-force-majeur-turist-1201184517/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Though the two-hour film should’ve ended a reel or so before it actually fades to black, this is another solid and provocative feature from Ostlund."<small>Boyd van Hoeij <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/force-majeure-turist-cannes-review-703556">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Östlund invites us to look at ourselves honestly. He points out our inconsistencies, attempts to hold us to account for our worst hypocrisies. Force Majeure is a frightening film. It brushes off our surface layer, shows us the icy truth underneath."<small>Hernry Barnes <cite><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/may/18/cannes-2014-force-majuere-review">(The Guardian)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Un Certain Regard Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Beautiful Youth (Hermosa Juventud)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Jaime Rosales</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-es"></i> Spain, <i class="flag-fr"></i> France</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3GGciE43XHNDIgbsuN0b0J-_eC_HzUQ7P5uUAbsXvjESSZz1Yv7y0qgAWCy8RUlelXsOJKYJgnKDn3cFtWvczvF_Ge3gmoejd1Tkf57_pSK3JvOoerLt6X9_KoRE6IrqTVcofD2ffah0/s568/beautiful-youth.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Rosales’ film subscribes to the philosophy that “real life” doesn’t reduce to neatly packaged narratives, offering instead an episodic series of incidents set in real apartments and buses and alleys."<small>Peter Debruge <cite><a href="https://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-beautiful-youth-1201175999/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Filmed with such raw cinematography that it leaves the audience in no doubt as to the movie’s realism"<small>Alfonso Rivera <cite><a href="http://cineuropa.org/nw.aspx?t=newsdetail&l=en&did=257342">(Cineuropa)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The film’s depiction of unemployed, directionless 20-somethings is anything but pretty, revealing a lost generation where few viable solutions exist beyond exploitation or expatriation."<small>Jordan Mintzer <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/beautiful-youth-hermosa-juventud-cannes-703132">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Un Certain Regard Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Jauja</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Lisandro Alonso</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-ar"></i> Argentina, <i class="flag-us"></i> USA, <i class="flag-nl"></i> Netherlands, <i class="flag-fr"></i> France, <i class="flag-mx"></i> Mexico</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHDGQbkGG3s7rmJuLcAppnZnYktSKgW_E6Mm03lG7O2WP8CdibnUYkyB51zyt9Ex0BPhv_bTsle_Zq7gqnzMdhQLWr9ri3wKiOUbZjiSoyGaiSQpJeCv4VrIWP3GaIvNhwfoAIUhRXU5M/s568/jauja.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"A more magical, philosophical and indeed surreal trip than we’re used to from him, Jauja is likely to divide Lisandro’s admirers, purists liable to balk at the story’s dream elements."<small>Jonathan Romney <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/jauja/5072155.article?blocktitle=The-Latest&contentID=598">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"An extremely enigmatic work that dangles possible meanings before viewers, who are forced to put their thinking caps on."<small>Deborah Young <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/land-plenty-jauja-705315">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Perversely episodic, strangely empty, and unfolding in a series of beautifully composed but static wide shots, the film is a test of patience which may work better if you think of it as staring at a series of lovely paintings for two hours. Watching them dry. "<small>Jessica Kiang <cite><a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/cannes-review-lisandro-alonsos-beautiful-but-belabored-jauja-starring-viggo-mortensen-20140519">(The Playlist)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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</div>
The <b>2014 Cannes Film Festival</b> runs from May 14-25, be sure to return for our daily coverage!<br />
<br />
Screening Tomorrow at <b>#Cannes2014</b> (Monday, May 19):<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Foxcatcher</b> by Bennett Miller (In Competition)</li>
<li><b>Maps to the Stars</b> by David Cronenberg (In Competition)</li>
<li><b>A Girl at my Door</b> by July Jung (Un Certain Regard)</li>
<li><b>Xenia</b> by Panos H. Koutras (Un Certain Regard)</li>
<li><b>Bird People</b> by Pascale Ferran (Un Certain Regard)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>See our other coverage of the 67th Cannes Film Festival:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-1.html">Day 1: (Grace of Monaco)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-2.html">Day 2: (Mr. Turner, Timbuktu, Party Girl, That Lovely Girl)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-3.html">Day 3: (The Captive, Winter Sleep, The Blue Room, Amour Fou)</a>
</li>
</ul>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597866901901238462noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556159764413551252.post-45107011805818253242014-05-16T15:00:00.000-07:002014-05-18T12:11:36.247-07:002014 Cannes Film Festival: Day 3<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMvKHwGsNCmgwHXFmPbsJYfSb8Y2KALrA7Nb5endyvhKsywqEJnLvRqDwKamGaz3ItEfNoSaX5OSYd4VYXYLLEBYtKDs9h7IBXQMPuC_dnBrJGn2ci8ybIUQWO5G3rzCDRRScem8ubKOc/s1600/cannes-festival-zone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMvKHwGsNCmgwHXFmPbsJYfSb8Y2KALrA7Nb5endyvhKsywqEJnLvRqDwKamGaz3ItEfNoSaX5OSYd4VYXYLLEBYtKDs9h7IBXQMPuC_dnBrJGn2ci8ybIUQWO5G3rzCDRRScem8ubKOc/s640/cannes-festival-zone.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cannes © FDC</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul class="festival-list">
<li class="festival-day"><span class="festival-date">Day 3 - Friday, May 16</span></li>
<br /><br />
Recap of the third day of the <b>67th Cannes Film Festival</b> (Festival de Cannes), which runs until May 25, 2014.<br />
<br />Two <b>Compétition </b>films were screened today:<br />
<ul>
<li>
From Canada, <b><i>The Captive (Captives)</i></b> by <b>Atom Egoyan</b>.<br /><br /> A multiple award winner: Jury Grand Prix, FIPRESCI Prize, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury (1997: The Sweet Hereafter); FIPRESCI Prize (1994: Exotica), returns to the main competition for the sixth time in his career.<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
8 years after the disappearance of Cassandra, some disturbing indications seem to indicate that she's still alive. Police, parents and Cassandra herself, will try to unravel the mystery of her disappearance.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
From Turkey, co-produced with France and Germany, <b><i>Winter Sleep</i></b> by <b>Nuri Bilge Ceylan</b>.<br /><br />Another frequent Cannes favorite, twice winner of the Jury Grand Prix (2002: Distant, 2011: Once Upon a Time in Anatolia), and Best Director (2008: Three Monkeys). This is his fifth time in the main competition. <br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
Aydin, a former actor, runs a small hotel in central Anatolia with his young wife Nihal with whom he has a stormy relationship and his sister Necla who is suffering from her recent divorce.
In winter as the snow begins to fall, the hotel turns into a shelter but also an inescapable place that fuels their animosities..</blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
<br />In the <b>Un Certain Regard</b> section:<br />
<ul>
<li>From France, <i><b>The Blue Room (La Chambre Blue)</b></i> by <b>Mathieu Amalric</b>.<br /><br />The famous French actor-director makes an appearance in the UCR section after winning for Best Director in the Main Competition a few years back (2010: On Tour).<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
A man and a woman, secretly in love, alone in a room. They desire each other, want each other, even bite each other. In the afterglow, they share a few sweet nothings. The man at least seems to believe they were nothing. Now under investigation by the police and the courts, Julien fails to find the words.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>And from Austria, <i><b>Amour Fou</b></i> by <b>Jessica Hausner</b>.<br /><br /> Best known for her previous film (2009: Lourdes), an official selection at Venice. She has previously been to Cannes twice but so far never in the main selection.<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
A "romantic comedy" based loosely on the suicide of the poet Henrich von Kleist in 1811. </blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
<a name='more'></a>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
The Captive (Captives)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Atom Egoyan</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-ca"></i> Canada</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXPLcwZkCfV41dC_32YvzNMUMEL9Gd9DkFq_gXWFUa99bqhOagbBoAst5mFkFKZ7YQhAKwwi-tWwSkhNnNGVzAPEpkGUN4EltiLO8YMlr3V-g0ol6FigI0c-p8Mh5ZJ8LGr5ULZ1dxI0/s538/captives.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<b>Quotes from the press conference:</b><br />
<br />
<blockquote>
"I'm from a town on the west coast of Canada, and there is a very well known case there, of a boy who went missing from a park very close to where I live. Every time I go back home I still see posters and the parents are still very invested. That story is the basis of this film. "<small>Atom Egoyan on the origins of the film.</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"If you look back at my track record, I've often gone back and forth with varying degrees of success between larger and smaller projects. You want to work with great directors, that's the bottom line. It doesn't matter if you're paid or not, you just want to work with those kinds of guys. To be in league with a guy like Atom was extremely exciting for me."<small>Ryan Reynolds on working with Egoyan</small></blockquote>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Captives is fascinating in its close focus on the mental scarring associated with this type of abuse, but it's also unbearably manipulative and heavy-handed."<small>Adam Woodward <cite><a href="http://www.littlewhitelies.co.uk/features/festivals/cannes-2014-captives-26574">(Little White Lies)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Leaves a strong cast flailing to keep up with a contrived and fatally unconvincing drama that makes the recent “Prisoners” look like a masterpiece in retrospect."<small>Justin Chang <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-atom-egoyans-the-captive-1201183274/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Egoyan has made an edgy and contemporary psychological thriller that has resonances of such TV series as The Killing and is none the worse for that."<small>Richard Mowe <cite><a href="http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-captive-2014-film-review-by-richard-mowe">(Eye For Film)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Feels like a further retreat from whatever gifts once made Egoyan a filmmaker worth our attention, and it left me wondering if we'll ever see that guy again."<small>Drew Mcweeny <cite><a href="http://www.hitfix.com/motion-captured/review-atom-egoyans-kidnapping-drama-captive-is-arch-and-ridiculous">(HitFix)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"This is Egoyan’s best film for a very long time. Its eeriness creeps up on you and taps you on the shoulder, and when you spin around, it’s still behind you. "<small>Robbie Collin <cite><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/10834352/The-Captive-review-queasily-unsettling.html">(The Telegraph)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The director renders an already bogus story more preposterous by lathering it in portentous solemnity; misguided loyalty to competition alumni is the only explanation for the film's presence in the Cannes lineup."<small>David Rooney <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/captive-cannes-review-704831">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"A bold variation on genre tropes, but it demands a certain leap of faith from viewers willing to enter into the playful and perverse spirit of the game."<small>Jonathan Romney <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/the-captive/5071909.article?blocktitle=IN-COMPETITION&contentID=40428">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Any other year, in any other context, “The Captive” would simply be another overcooked rote thriller that, like so many other films in this genre, totally loses the run of itself in the final act. But debuting In Competition in Cannes, and coming from one-time auteur Atom Egoyan, we might have expected more. "<small>Jessica Kiang <cite><a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/cannes-review-atom-egoyans-pointless-graceless-silly-child-abduction-drama-the-captive-20140516?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+indiewiremoviereviews+%28Indiewire+Reviews%29&utm_content=FeedBurner">(The Playlist)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The greater tragedy is that a filmmaker once considered a unique voice has ventured into the fog of familiarity."<small>Eric Kohn <cite><a href="http://www.indiewire.com/article/cannes-review-with-the-ryan-reynolds-thriller-the-captive-has-atom-egoyan-lost-his-way-for-good">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Winter Sleep</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Nuri Bilge Ceylan</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-tr"></i> Turkey, <i class="flag-fr"></i> France, <i class="flag-de"></i> Germany</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="festival-notes">
<b>Quotes from the press conference:</b><br />
<br />
<blockquote>
"The inspiration for the film comes from three short stories by Chekhov. "<small>Nuri Bilge Ceylan on the origins of the film.</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"I think the duty of a film director is different from that of a journalist. A director should focus more on the spectator's soul. In my films sometimes I may try to give people ideas, to nourish their soul."<small>Nuri Bilge Ceylan on whether his film deals with current events.</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"When i first got the script it was frightening, because it was 183 pages long. It was like a New York telephone book.
"<small>Actor Haluk Bilginer on the film's dialog.</small></blockquote>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"A richly engrossing and ravishingly beautiful magnum opus that surely qualifies as the least boring 196-minute movie ever made."<small>Justin Chang <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-winter-sleep-1201184094/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The 3½ hour running time takes no prisoners even among art house audiences and demands a commitment to attentive viewing that, despite the film's sometimes terrible longeurs, pays off in the end."<small>Deborah Young <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/winter-sleep-kis-uykusu-cannes-704978">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Ceylan’s film is a monologue and a relentless one, leaving no room for us to interpret or engage with the material he presents."<small>Jessica Kiang <cite><a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/cannes-review-nuri-bilge-ceylans-winter-sleep-20140516">(The Playlist)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
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<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Un Certain Regard Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
The Blue Room (La chambre blue)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Mathieu Amalric</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-fr"></i> France</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQfrwVu4QDIABy__8yxNt2stjQPp9ngeFolF_Agf8-i2_tUqFPI58P23OIVoG3NFUhKQ2qtIEdRua0s1HYRCvzcPxSpk1EZigVgZDknv3V8Z7GOrpNZyMq9aMa8iY9eZ77am-Ym5g4CfA/s538/amour-fou.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"While this appropriately brief film unravels its enigma at a tidy clip, it gathers neither enough heat, nor quite enough of a chill, to linger in the bones."<small>Guy Lodge <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-the-blue-room-1201183218/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The Blue Room weaves both methodically and subtly a beautiful and cruel variation on the classic boundary of love and hate."<small>Fabien Lemercier <cite><a href="http://cineuropa.org/nw.aspx?t=newsdetail&l=en&did=257202">(Cineuropa)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"A clipped, fragmented piece of cinematic modernism, shuffling its time frames in a staccato narrative that makes for a tense, involving experience from start to finish."<small>Jonathan Romney <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/the-blue-room/5071933.article?blocktitle=UN-CERTAIN-REGARD&contentID=40442">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Takes a cue from both classic Hollywood noir and the time-shuffling narratives of the late Alain Resnais, telling a familiar story in ways that can feel compellingly new."<small>Jordan Mintzer <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/blue-room-la-chambre-bleue-699849">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"A pungent tale of infidelity and (possible) murder, gently filleted from a Georges Simenon novel."<small>Xan Brooks <cite><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/may/16/cannes-2014-review-the-blue-room-mathieu-amalric">(The Guardian)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
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</ul>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Un Certain Regard Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Amour Fou</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Jessica Hausner</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-at"></i> Austria</div>
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<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87VV1kS1p4UZw_cMcnOy0rcCWclmBeAvA_D6trVZ4N9-raB6dXpkevksD43P7_vzp4Ispk6zoVsF8YkMpnxee5Ljk0TKbj6RyfjOJxqu7-TCedhQ5GaAeb-VCIl7yc6ynC7SIuWn2eb8/s538/the-blue-room.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"The great talent of director of photography Martin Gschlacht and the pictorial sense of the composition of Jessica Hauner’s shots, in particular her mastery of depth of field, give the film a magnificent sense of stylised realism which makes Amour fou an accomplished work of art."<small>Fabien Lamercier <cite><a href="http://cineuropa.org/nw.aspx?t=newsdetail&l=en&did=257203">(Cineuropa)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"A dryly amusing and characteristically layered reflection on the absurdity of what humans call love."<small>Justin Chang <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-amour-fou-1201182914/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"There is an attention to detail and manners that is quietly absorbing."<small>Allan Hunter <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/amour-fou/5071948.article?blocktitle=UN-CERTAIN-REGARD&contentID=40442">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Visually, Hausner and her regular crew have painstakingly recreated the interiors of the time and her ace cinematographer, Martin Gschlacht, frames everything in rigid, tableaux-like fashion, with the resulting visual classicism suggesting the oppressive and straitjacketed environment the characters are so desperate to leave behind."<small>Boyd van Hoeij <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/amour-fou-cannes-review-703112">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
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The <b>2014 Cannes Film Festival</b> runs from May 14-25, be sure to return for our daily coverage!<br />
<br />
Screening Tomorrow at <b>#Cannes2014</b> (Saturday, May 17):<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Saint Laurent</b> by Bertand Bonello (In Competition)</li>
<li><b>Wild Tales</b> by Damián Szifrón (In Competition)</li>
<li><b>Run</b> by Philippe Lacôte (Un Certain Regard)</li>
<li><b>The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby</b> by Ned Benson (Un Certain Regard)</li>
<li><b>White God</b> by Kornél Mundruczó (Un Certain Regard)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>See our other coverage of the 67th Cannes Film Festival:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-1.html">Day 1: (Grace of Monaco)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-2.html">Day 2: (Mr. Turner, Timbuktu, Party Girl, That Lovely Girl)</a>
</li>
</ul>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597866901901238462noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556159764413551252.post-49601171455404724002014-05-15T18:00:00.000-07:002014-05-15T18:00:00.450-07:002014 Cannes Film Festival: Day 2<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgFmRSyiCb4u_0JJrnm3a-ytw430fIq8tPI_7HBlYgC95vk3uyZQbAc-j2B2XMA0ker-sh6RZNFTGl40xJLVUAtpP65-KN-vrBdhNX_Hs12MWyMBjt7NN-hgeY7Pz3LjeNKcaHvtwRkaQ/s1600/cinema-beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgFmRSyiCb4u_0JJrnm3a-ytw430fIq8tPI_7HBlYgC95vk3uyZQbAc-j2B2XMA0ker-sh6RZNFTGl40xJLVUAtpP65-KN-vrBdhNX_Hs12MWyMBjt7NN-hgeY7Pz3LjeNKcaHvtwRkaQ/s640/cinema-beach.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cinema of the Beach © FDC</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul class="festival-list">
<li class="festival-day"><span class="festival-date">Day 2 - Thursday, May 15</span></li>
<br /><br />
Recap of the second day of the <b>67th Cannes Film Festival</b> (Festival de Cannes), which runs until May 25, 2014.<br />
<br />Two <b>Compétition </b>films were screened today:<br />
<ul>
<li>
From the UK, co-produced with France and Germany, <b><i>Mr. Turner</i></b> by <b>Mike Leigh</b>.<br /><br />The former Palme d'Or (<i>1996: Secrets & Lies</i>) and Best Director (<i>1993: Naked</i>) winner competes at Cannes for the fifth time, with this, his thirteenth feature film.<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
Explores the last quarter century of the great if eccentric British painter J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851).</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
From Mauritania, co-produced with France, <b><i>Timbuktu</i></b> by <b>Abderrahmane Sissako</b>.<br /><br />A previous winner of the FIPRESCI Prize (<i>2002: Heremakono</i>) in the Un Certain Regard section. This is his first film in the Official Competition.<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
Not far from Timbuktu, now ruled by the religious fundamentalists, Kidane lives peacefully in the dunes with his family. Until a fateful accident forces Kidane to face the new laws of the foreign occupants.</blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
<br />In the <b>Un Certain Regard</b> section:<br />
<ul>
<li>Opening the section from France, <i><b>Party Girl</b></i> by <b>Marie Amachoukeli</b>, <b>Claire Burger</b>, and <b>Samuel Theis</b>.<br /><br />Co directed by three longtime friends and graduates from La Fémis, this is their first trip to Cannes.<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
Angelique is a 60-year-old bar hostess. She still likes to party, she still likes men. At night she makes them drink, in a cabaret by the French-German border.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>And from Israel, <i><b>That Lovely Girl (Loin de mon père)</b></i> by <b>Keren Yedaya</b>.<br /><br />Previous winner of the Camera d'Or (<i>2004: Or</i>), which screened in the <i>Critics Week</i> sidebar. This is her second feature film, and first to appear in the competition at Cannes.<br /><br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
Moshe and Tami are a couple, Moshe is in his fifties and Tami is in her early twenties. They live together in a cruel and violent relationship, from which Tami seems unable to set herself free. Tami and Moshe are father and daughter.</blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
<a name='more'></a>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Mr. Turner</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Mike Leigh</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-gb"></i> UK, <i class="flag-fr"></i> France, <i class="flag-de"></i> Germany</div>
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<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1z7FPhxTALgJ0O66Iz6bryEWCd0XETlph6gZzNesR2iUYNOXO7sIjC4DMxM45lAQyzFpQM4m7K4VJo0HhN-zKG0s3t3FOlPJDNLa5ea822H-p752XAajsBsJLY5HQi3cSKkNk9nTUFDU/s538/mr-turner.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<b>Quotes from the press conference:</b><br />
<br />
<blockquote>
"He was a great, sublime radical painter. I found it possible to generate plenty of interesting content from the life of this fascinating man."<small>Mike Leigh on the subject of the film.</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"I already worked on a film (<i>Topsy Turvy</i>) that took place in Victorian times. There was a responsibility to create a reality that was properly grounded in the research. You can do all the research, but you still have to create a characterization. There was no script, as always."<small>Leigh on the historical accuracy.</small></blockquote>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"The immaculate, semi-gothic production design anchors you in the period, as does a script which feels like it was laboured-over for years, decades, without ever feeling precious or wantonly ornate."<small>David Jenkins <cite><a href="http://www.littlewhitelies.co.uk/features/festivals/cannes-2014-mr-turner-26699">(Little White Lies)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Leigh has made another highly personal study of art, commerce and the glacial progress of establishment tastes, built around a lead performance from longtime collaborator Timothy Spall that’s as majestic as one of Turner’s own swirling sunsets."<small>Scott Foundas <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-mr-turner-1201182098/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"A successful and accomplished film, which is particularly well written and directed, and impeccably executed."<small>Domenico La Porta <cite><a href="http://cineuropa.org/nw.aspx?t=newsdetail&l=en&did=257343">(Cineuropa)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Leigh’s creation of the period, ranging geographically from Margate to London, exudes authenticity in every detail."<small>Richard Mowe <cite><a href="http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/mr-turner-2014-film-review-by-richard-mowe">(Eye For Film)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Timothy Spall, gives what’s probably the finest performance of his career — the equal, at least, of his role in Leigh’s Secrets & Lies, which won the Palme d’Or here at Cannes 18 years ago."<small>Robbie Collin <cite><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/10833174/Mr-Turner-review-supremely-enjoyable.html">(The Telegraph)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Anchored by a masterful performance by Timothy Spall in a role he was born to play, and gilded by career-best effort from DoP Dick Pope, working for the first time on digital for Leigh to bridge the gap between the painting and cinematography, Mr. Turner manages to illuminate that nexus between biography and art with elegant understatement."<small>Leslie Felperin <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/mr-turner-cannes-review-704352">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Moving, scholarly and serious as it is, Mr. Turner may be the most entertaining art biopic yet made – a grand canvas of inexhaustible riches."<small>Jonathan Romney <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/mr-turner/5071722.article?blocktitle=IN-COMPETITION&contentID=40428">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
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<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Timbuktu</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Abderrahmane Sissako</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-mr"></i> Mauritania, <i class="flag-fr"></i> France</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoWpKmaGHseFCOLuYrKhzzwNRSd0dhET6q_v0q6jdtA3txAV0463ZvmWmC3Hq67OnktxV0vda1ouNRCjO4jPBAs28rGIa8SjK93TcfRmEzTvlZXvdUzmiwhwJhrYDaR5oV2YtfJOzR7Oc/s538/timbuktu.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<b>Quotes from the press conference:</b><br />
<br />
<blockquote>
"The triggering factor, a couple was stoned in a tiny village in the north of Mali. However it wasn't the event, but the fact that no one spoke about it. The world today is becoming increasingly indifferent to the face of horror."<small>Director Abderrahmane Sissako on the film's origin.</small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"In Africa everything is focused on the family. This is a tale of a family and we were like a family. He gave me general advice and his view of things, yet I was free to do my own work as an actor."<small>Actor Ibrahim Ahmed</small></blockquote>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"The beauty of Timbuktu comes from its narrative simplicity, from the strength of the acting and from editing which alternates immediate cuts with more contemplative moments, broadly facilitated by the beauty of the frames and the magic and natural lighting of this timeless place."<small>Domenico La Porta <cite><a href="http://cineuropa.org/nw.aspx?t=newsdetail&l=en&did=257358">(Cineuropa)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Sissako confirms his status as one of the true humanists of recent cinema with this stunningly shot and deeply empathetic drama."<small>Jay Weissberg <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-timbuktu-1201181839/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"After all the orgiastic brutalities Hollywood indulges in to show the mean streak of the human race, Sissako’s precise, economic, style looks almost monastic, but unsurprisingly obtains a far more powerful effect."<small>Dan Fainaru <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/timbuktu/5071810.article?blocktitle=IN-COMPETITION&contentID=40428">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"A great help is the palpably sensuous cinematography by Sofian El Fani who follows his fine work on Blue Is the Warmest Color with an open-air feast of sunlight and space."<small>Deborah Young <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/timbuktu-cannes-review-704198">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"This is in no way the remorselessly grim film its subject matter might lead you to expect – it’s full of life, irony, poetry and bitter unfairness. It demands respect, but it also earns it. "<small>Tim Robey <cite><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/10833200/Cannes-2014-Timbuktu-brutal-Sharia-Law-fable.html">(The Telegraph)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The individual set pieces linger in the mind, while the film as a whole bursts with beauty and originality."<small>Sophie Monks Kaufman <cite><a href="http://www.littlewhitelies.co.uk/features/festivals/cannes-2014-timbuktu-26725">(Little White Lies)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"For all its value in bearing witness to the kind of atrocious acts that get but little attention on the world stage, this is not mere testimony, this is cleverly crafted and remarkably affecting storytelling. "<small>Jessica Kiang <cite><a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/cannes-review-abderrahmane-sissakos-powerful-persuasive-and-profound-timbuktu-20140514">(The Playlist)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwJPh6NTeAATapjUTffKsPyZhLs00R_y4MLJTQ_VcZn0O9GfZIRP2ftDu8NIg3gL0LdHFfwkbzwnsRckDK6OA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Un Certain Regard Opening Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Party Girl</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Marie Amachoukeli, Clair Burger, Samuel Theis</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-fr"></i> France</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoIG_4A9OTYdpB_xzdogPRVjfmCUch7ltSeDUBYAHL-0d7ayQNEBpTTduzs9WnurPlCTnUqdtg0xSXrBI41OkNZqXlIeCs6EDcO1WIXZUgln4Vuv8dQs4kD1f4TX1rbmXQq-UlMpGmLwo/s538/party-girl.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Explores some of the same terrain as Sebastian Lelio’s 2013 Berlinale hit “Gloria,” although Paulina Garcia’s titular Santiago divorcee proved more consistently empathetic."<small>Charles Gant <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-party-girl-1201182242/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"While the three directors are certainly enamored with their subject (after all, she is one of their moms), they sometimes allow that to get in the way of efficient filmmaking, letting seemingly improvised scenes run on for no major reason."<small>Jordan Mintzer <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/party-girl-cannes-review-701938">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Un Certain Regard Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
That Lovely Girl (Loin de mon père)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Keren Yedaya</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-il"></i> Israel</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim5xnm6pA9pvxS3c-fHutvjFBUD0JdG0qfdQrUujTMdpZMGXYJcug6RdFWgfgfrHEdQcLYvp3n1wZdWR4xsVBwxJeGyASv5UCduUzLeyudPNksBRoW0ljjezLRU6hDofsa8PsUVTDoOag/s538/loin-de-mon-pere.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Claustrophobic and essentially a two-hander, it's not so much a movie as a series of increasingly traumatizing, bleak indignities... Even Lars Von Trier would probably shift uneasily in his seat and find it a bit much."<small>Oliver Lyttelton <cite><a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/cannes-review-keren-yedayas-israeli-incest-drama-that-lovely-girl-20140515">(The Playlist)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</ul>
The <b>2014 Cannes Film Festival</b> runs from May 14-25, be sure to return for our daily coverage!<br />
<br />
Screening Tomorrow at <b>#Cannes2014</b> (Friday, May 16):<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Captives</b> by Atom Egoyan (In Competition)</li>
<li><b>Winter Sleep</b> by Nuri Bilge Ceylan (In Competition)</li>
<li><b>The Blue Room</b> by Mathieu Amalric (Un Certain Regard)</li>
<li><b>Amour Fou</b> by Jessica Hausner (Un Certain Regard)</li>
</ul>
<br/>
<b>See our other coverage of the 67th Cannes Film Festival:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/05/2014-cannes-film-festival-day-1.html">Day 1: (Grace of Monaco)</a>
</li>
</ul>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597866901901238462noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556159764413551252.post-14090722713695585182014-05-14T18:00:00.000-07:002014-05-15T09:32:30.032-07:002014 Cannes Film Festival: Day 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a class="BTposter" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEA_bcoSCaO8zCZtZ5LHbf5L6iiJPejz6yuqXgwfbw0VL8hbPHNYHv65ceWmPXI3xXPdMsJG6cpNUDGG5BLBw7ARiZFRcS28bOVXoi4cVedc7mZwn5MCn1LG_z7OhWIcm7Aw1iDfNoHSI/s1600/Cannes2014-wide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEA_bcoSCaO8zCZtZ5LHbf5L6iiJPejz6yuqXgwfbw0VL8hbPHNYHv65ceWmPXI3xXPdMsJG6cpNUDGG5BLBw7ARiZFRcS28bOVXoi4cVedc7mZwn5MCn1LG_z7OhWIcm7Aw1iDfNoHSI/s640/Cannes2014-wide.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
The cinematic world has converged in the South of France for the <b>67th Festival de Cannes</b>. <br />
<br />
This year's festival opened with the <i>Out of Competition</i> premiere of <i><b>Grace of Monaco</b></i> (<i>Grace de Monaco</i>), the much discussed biopic from French director <b>Olivier Dahan</b>, starring <b>Nicole Kidman</b> as Princess Grace Kelly.<br />
<br />
The day's lone screening was preceded by the Opening Ceremony, wonderfully hosted by veteran French actor, <b>Lambert Wilson</b><i>. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Wilson introduced the competition jury: presided this year by New Zealand director <b>Jane Campion</b>, who is joined by French actress <b>Carole Bouquet</b>, American director <b>Sofia Coppola</b>, Iranian actress <b>Leila Hatami</b>, South Korean actress <b>Do-Yeon Jeon</b>, American actor <b>Willem Dafoe</b>, Mexican actor-director <b>Gael Garcia Bernal</b>, Chinese director <b>Jia Zhangke</b>, and Danish director <b>Nicolas Winding Refn</b>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwW-byWvVouFvBLptD8wSQ0BW29B4_TZrF-H7af_JuzNUA3FOTatQzabp0Hyu57ZeVC_x6PemCHtwC5nsxxDMFPFAwFI58DXkewnv8zv8SOZClTVt-1z1dvzB71kvcR_1_7nQKuuA_824/s1600/lambert-wilson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwW-byWvVouFvBLptD8wSQ0BW29B4_TZrF-H7af_JuzNUA3FOTatQzabp0Hyu57ZeVC_x6PemCHtwC5nsxxDMFPFAwFI58DXkewnv8zv8SOZClTVt-1z1dvzB71kvcR_1_7nQKuuA_824/s400/lambert-wilson.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2014 Master of Ceremonies: Lambert Wilson</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a><ul class="festival-list">
<li class="festival-day"><div class="festival-date">
Day 1 - Wednesday, May 14</div>
</li>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Opening Film - Out of Competition</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Grace of Monaco (Grace de Monaco)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Olivier Dahan</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-fr"></i> France</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGbnDPkjZeqY-1dQBTKI0_fb7A2Fhg3jQLRfvB7hTZev_nRlqVjrduCHGsyIry8iHzSL_6My5mWQbi29WIJwNE-NkPW_v09net0Y9dA9Y3jR-UDaRCS9eykKz8GZY3weaaeel0oSpxMGY/s568/grace-de-monaco.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical reception:</b>
<br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"You remember Dahan’s last film, La Vie en Rose, and wonder anew just how much of its emotional potency stemmed from Marion Cotillard. Dahan searches frantically for it in Kidman, often moving the camera so close to her face that you worry the lens hood might bump her forehead, but it isn’t there to find."<small>Robbie Collin <cite><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/10829756/Grace-of-Monaco-Cannes-2014-review.html">(The Telegraph)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Too earnest for its terminal chintziness, this Princess Problem Picture establishes that Grace Kelly's real life was no fairytale, but has little idea of what it was instead."<small>Guy Lodge <cite><a href="http://amiresque.blogspot.com/2013/05/review-great-gatsby.html">(In Contention)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Could have been a camp delight, but it feels too much like a stodgy, outdated television movie to work even as kitsch. "<small>Dave Calhoun <cite><a href="http://www.timeout.com/london/film/grace-of-monaco">(TimeOut London)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The very attractive cinematography is indisputably one of the strong points of a feature film that plays the stardom card throughout at the expense of a plot whose patchy twists and turns are strung together like the pearls on an unimaginative necklace in the middle of a shower of famous faces."<small>Fabien Lemercier <cite><a href="http://cineuropa.org/nw.aspx?t=newsdetail&l=en&did=257262">(Cineuropa)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The film made headlines due to conflicts between the director and Harvey Weinstein, but for once, we’d be tempted to side with Harvey Scissorhands, because it’s hard to see how his edit of the film could be any worse than this one."<small>Oliver Lyttelton <cite><a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/cannes-review-olivier-dahans-grace-of-monaco-starring-nicole-kidman-tim-roth-20140514">(The Playlist)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/bFYmYWa348c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
</ul>
An universally cold reaction to the opening film, but at least things can only get better from here. The actual competition kicks off tomorrow with the latest from <b>Mike Leigh</b> and <b>Abderrahmane Sissako</b>.
<br/><br/>
The <b>2014 Cannes Film Festival</b> runs from May 14-25, be sure to return for our daily coverage!<br />
<br />
Screening Tomorrow at <b>#Cannes2014</b> (Thursday, May 15):<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Mr. Turner</b> by Mike Leigh (In Competition)</li>
<li><b>Timbuktu</b> by Abderrahmane Sissako (In Competition)</li>
<li><b>Party Girl</b> by Marie Amachoukeli, Claire Burger, Samuel Theis (Un Certain Regard)</li>
<li><b>That Lovely Girl</b> by Keren Yedaya (Un Certain Regard)</li>
</ul>
<br/>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597866901901238462noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556159764413551252.post-13798884569619180772014-05-10T00:00:00.000-07:002014-05-10T00:00:08.504-07:00A Bill of Divorcement (1932)<div class="hreview">
<div class="poster-image">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a class="BTposter" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqyZ356jw8-rOdY6lLeI4mfuIrsct1rHKrPYQx6XHpUpVvcCjgrHdzBe94_SepFQUBdDEjCqhA8pjrK70JYjaIBYfxNyGjhSrA2TpxzwSgN77y81cxPWPbytNw1J5sxMrtWjHz6V113w/s1600/a-bill-of-divorcement-1932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A Bill of Divorcement (1932) " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqyZ356jw8-rOdY6lLeI4mfuIrsct1rHKrPYQx6XHpUpVvcCjgrHdzBe94_SepFQUBdDEjCqhA8pjrK70JYjaIBYfxNyGjhSrA2TpxzwSgN77y81cxPWPbytNw1J5sxMrtWjHz6V113w/s1600/a-bill-of-divorcement-1932.jpg" height="640" title="A Bill of Divorcement (1932) " width="470" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="poster-title">
<span class="item"><span class="fn">A Bill of Divorcement (1932) </span></span></div>
<div class="review-info">
<div class="review-genre">
<b>Genre:</b> Drama</div>
<div class="review-director">
<b>Director:</b> George Cukor</div>
<div class="review-starring">
<b>Starring:</b> John Barrymore, Katharine Hepburn, Billie Burke, David Manners</div>
<div class="review-language">
<b>Language:</b> English</div>
<div class="review-duration">
<b>Duration:</b> 70 min.</div>
<div class="review-rating rating">
<b>Rating:</b> <span class="rating-box"><span class="value">6.0</span></span><span class="best"><span class="value-title" title="10"> </span></span></div>
<div class="review-summary">
<b>Summary:</b></div>
<div class="summary">
A man returns home after fifteen years in a mental asylum. However, he finds things are not the way they were when he left.</div>
</div>
<a name='more'></a><div class="bt-trailer">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/dUWvmCD7Pso?rel=0" width="480"></iframe></div>
<div class="imdb-logo">
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022685/reference"><img alt="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022685/reference" class="nofx" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivvp5R6Yce5a_L4VSZgDWL7g-fjqvKXXo1YRfXy3ysvPubnJDlkwSSgX-6uXXDcDQEQZh0j9fSeoAdPsjIO71OtC1ky_W4iIlaGxo8Eq_iUYGIE0I5vHnEszC0cVV0eRa-KtrRJ2ZF0_Vc/s90/imdb-new.png" /></a></div>
<div class="review-description description">
<b><i>A Bill of Divorcement </i></b>is a 1932 film directed by <b>George Cukor</b> for <b>RKO</b>, adapted from a play written by <b>Clemence Dane</b>. Though not the first, nor the last time this source material was adapted for screen (first in 1922, later in 1940), this version is notable for two reasons: it features the debut silver screen role for then stage actress, <b>Katharine Hepburn</b>; and it was the beginning of a career-long collaboration between Cukor and Hepburn. The pair would eventually shoot a total of ten films together over the next forty years.<br />
<br />
The story follows the family of WWI veteran Hilary (John Barrymore), who returns home after 15 years in an asylum<b> </b>only to find that things are not what they used to be. Wife Margaret (Billie Burke), has filed for divorce in absentia and is preparing to marry current lover Gray (Paul Cavanagh). He also discovers that he has a grown daughter named Sydney (Katharine Hepburn), with whom he shares much in common.<br />
<br />
<b> </b>As with many films from this era of Hollywood, the
plot, presentation, and dramatic style all feel more than a touch
dated. It's also limited by its stage origins, with the picture taking
place almost entirely on a single set. However, the unusually short
running time makes for a nicely compact story with no wasted scenes or
red herrings to pad out the duration.<br />
<br />
While the naturally talented Hepburn, is what makes it watchable. Even when acting on film for the first time, she displays that unique feisty presence and delivers a lovely performance that more than holds its own against those from her more accomplished (at the time) co-stars. </div>
<div class="review-signature">
— <span class="reviewer">Bonjour Tristesse</span></div>
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<a class="BTscreenshots" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHbptlJVlqsbSvPcwpJK1JJcCCR9g8zeuea651KrR1ONbuz3Wqi5FuMuaVgSBK62yo7PTO5aDcy_z2m06G6AKpAtsDo07lqo0MXrExd2uqRLlmIK4QPxQrW8kjnK4BD8zglbUonc3wn5Q/s1600/A+Bill+of+Divorcement+(1932)+PAL+DVDRip+BBM.avi_snapshot_00.04.56_%5B2014.05.09_15.16.38%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="group1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A Bill of Divorcement (1932) " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHbptlJVlqsbSvPcwpJK1JJcCCR9g8zeuea651KrR1ONbuz3Wqi5FuMuaVgSBK62yo7PTO5aDcy_z2m06G6AKpAtsDo07lqo0MXrExd2uqRLlmIK4QPxQrW8kjnK4BD8zglbUonc3wn5Q/s1600/A+Bill+of+Divorcement+(1932)+PAL+DVDRip+BBM.avi_snapshot_00.04.56_%5B2014.05.09_15.16.38%5D.jpg" height="378" title="A Bill of Divorcement (1932) " width="504" /></a></div>
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<a class="BTscreenshots" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigLmhD7coTOLNxBIwUDzNo_2BDl6H0U_9jSon5toK1tltS6HpwGhHZXOlkosbldr3TUpuezkL7hHuKcH3z-8K6NodNio3lm40YPJ2Ub3em4oVjenA8kaN0V6UfDhqJWyRGSUb7IjTf99c/s1600/A+Bill+of+Divorcement+(1932)+PAL+DVDRip+BBM.avi_snapshot_00.11.24_%5B2014.05.09_15.17.00%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="group1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A Bill of Divorcement (1932) " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigLmhD7coTOLNxBIwUDzNo_2BDl6H0U_9jSon5toK1tltS6HpwGhHZXOlkosbldr3TUpuezkL7hHuKcH3z-8K6NodNio3lm40YPJ2Ub3em4oVjenA8kaN0V6UfDhqJWyRGSUb7IjTf99c/s1600/A+Bill+of+Divorcement+(1932)+PAL+DVDRip+BBM.avi_snapshot_00.11.24_%5B2014.05.09_15.17.00%5D.jpg" height="378" title="A Bill of Divorcement (1932) " width="504" /></a></div>
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<a class="BTscreenshots" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_GI9z5QzO9VhPcT7EAJPn5bqKiXGQJ6wwwUmyW-ooMTr0PO3mFODkcUsd7Z8Fk8qy2Yn1vXp4DQCi6g6HSPbZdD3MvCWA0fGhoTVqI1-AcPpcR47517FePT6S2eTww5gpaiGM4n5YmSE/s1600/A+Bill+of+Divorcement+(1932)+PAL+DVDRip+BBM.avi_snapshot_00.21.46_%5B2014.05.09_15.19.50%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="group1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A Bill of Divorcement (1932) " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_GI9z5QzO9VhPcT7EAJPn5bqKiXGQJ6wwwUmyW-ooMTr0PO3mFODkcUsd7Z8Fk8qy2Yn1vXp4DQCi6g6HSPbZdD3MvCWA0fGhoTVqI1-AcPpcR47517FePT6S2eTww5gpaiGM4n5YmSE/s1600/A+Bill+of+Divorcement+(1932)+PAL+DVDRip+BBM.avi_snapshot_00.21.46_%5B2014.05.09_15.19.50%5D.jpg" height="378" title="A Bill of Divorcement (1932) " width="504" /></a></div>
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<a class="BTscreenshots" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX67oJyLmmmdB24Dc4XG2YriUd-CdqpVLgCzllHoBN2bcmEdnZs93hq_hWIwnhyjWI3-M15O2f4iWWjiRAwC3vJ2shoUYMzbgE8CwCT5xBj4pa1LxC0hzZDviB8q4kOaZyHjl9Jrvh8Jo/s1600/A+Bill+of+Divorcement+(1932)+PAL+DVDRip+BBM.avi_snapshot_00.28.23_%5B2014.05.09_15.17.56%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="group1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A Bill of Divorcement (1932) " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX67oJyLmmmdB24Dc4XG2YriUd-CdqpVLgCzllHoBN2bcmEdnZs93hq_hWIwnhyjWI3-M15O2f4iWWjiRAwC3vJ2shoUYMzbgE8CwCT5xBj4pa1LxC0hzZDviB8q4kOaZyHjl9Jrvh8Jo/s1600/A+Bill+of+Divorcement+(1932)+PAL+DVDRip+BBM.avi_snapshot_00.28.23_%5B2014.05.09_15.17.56%5D.jpg" height="378" title="A Bill of Divorcement (1932) " width="504" /></a></div>
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<a class="BTscreenshots" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2UFnZsUDKWLzog9lxwCJRCiWs-jWqPOr_UlzdA4ELmE8xEejIG_Amk7SFqDafa8R6QXE41ForWjFe3GgrH5b47oHfzorcLecdcDV3KHf0mrwlM4qqvIBMUzJqKnMPRJEpVL9zXRbjn8/s1600/A+Bill+of+Divorcement+(1932)+PAL+DVDRip+BBM.avi_snapshot_00.33.53_%5B2014.05.09_15.18.16%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="group1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A Bill of Divorcement (1932) " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2UFnZsUDKWLzog9lxwCJRCiWs-jWqPOr_UlzdA4ELmE8xEejIG_Amk7SFqDafa8R6QXE41ForWjFe3GgrH5b47oHfzorcLecdcDV3KHf0mrwlM4qqvIBMUzJqKnMPRJEpVL9zXRbjn8/s1600/A+Bill+of+Divorcement+(1932)+PAL+DVDRip+BBM.avi_snapshot_00.33.53_%5B2014.05.09_15.18.16%5D.jpg" height="378" title="A Bill of Divorcement (1932) " width="504" /></a></div>
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<a class="BTscreenshots" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQGg9Bpw-np0-AaYfyX730_mqCdqwQSTq7oz9sNtwcnob_-TyrfkE_k3CTuPFCLpSMjAPiZkh7mrdDSIIZbeT295-NEyLkyaHqdHiTBDugSScX8YDIY-E6SSfnCl8VS_pbAVtwkyRiEY/s1600/A+Bill+of+Divorcement+(1932)+PAL+DVDRip+BBM.avi_snapshot_00.54.18_%5B2014.05.09_15.19.28%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="group1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A Bill of Divorcement (1932) " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQGg9Bpw-np0-AaYfyX730_mqCdqwQSTq7oz9sNtwcnob_-TyrfkE_k3CTuPFCLpSMjAPiZkh7mrdDSIIZbeT295-NEyLkyaHqdHiTBDugSScX8YDIY-E6SSfnCl8VS_pbAVtwkyRiEY/s1600/A+Bill+of+Divorcement+(1932)+PAL+DVDRip+BBM.avi_snapshot_00.54.18_%5B2014.05.09_15.19.28%5D.jpg" height="378" title="A Bill of Divorcement (1932) " width="504" /></a></div>
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<i>This post is a contribution to Margaret Perry's <a href="http://margaretperry.org/announcing-the-great-katharine-hepburn-blogathon/"><b>The Great Katharine Hepburn Blogathon</b></a>.</i><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597866901901238462noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556159764413551252.post-41309488307145565352014-02-15T14:03:00.001-08:002014-02-15T14:03:52.296-08:002014 Berlin International Film Festival: Award Winners<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a class="BTposter" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq3oOABx4MkF5_xlvTm3OY_ezEFhvDRFHZUW48Auvpyf98hd0om4wPSirxBlOjkeyCu4vhDrGK06guZPcxpsb8rZq5xUHAbQLZrtHZ8V_E3hjzvaH7zzDK4pBsqllNrV3acZgQs7WGfj3-/s1600/golden-bear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq3oOABx4MkF5_xlvTm3OY_ezEFhvDRFHZUW48Auvpyf98hd0om4wPSirxBlOjkeyCu4vhDrGK06guZPcxpsb8rZq5xUHAbQLZrtHZ8V_E3hjzvaH7zzDK4pBsqllNrV3acZgQs7WGfj3-/s538/golden-bear.jpg" />
</a>
</div>
<br />
The closing ceremony of the 64th <b>Berlin International Film Festival</b>, was held Saturday evening in the storied Berlinale-Palast at Potsdamer Platz.<br />
<br />
The winner of the <b>2014 Golden Bear</b> for Best Feature Film is <i><b>Black Coal, Thin Ice</b></i> from Chinese director <b>Diao Yinan</b>. The film's star <b>Liao Fan</b>, also received the Silver Bear for best actor.<br />
<br />
The best director Silver Bear was awarded to American director <b>Richard Linklater</b> for <b><i>Boyhood</i></b>.<br />
<br />
The best actress award went to <b>Haru Kuroki</b> for her role in the Japanese film <i><b>The Little House</b></i>.<br />
<br />
Read on for the full list of award winners from the 64th Berlinale:<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><h3>
64th Berlinale Competition</h3>
<h5 class="awards-item">
Golden Bear for Best Feature Film</h5>
<ul class="awards-list">
<li class="awards-nominee"><b>Black Coal, Thin Ice (白日焰火)</b>
<br />directed by Diao Yinan
<br />
<i class="flag-cn"></i> China</li>
</ul>
<h5 class="awards-item">
Silver Bear - Grand Jury Prize</h5>
<ul class="awards-list">
<li class="awards-nominee"><b>The Grand Budapest Hotel</b>
<br />directed by Wes Anderson
<br />
<i class="flag-us"></i> USA</li>
</ul>
<h5 class="awards-item">
Silver Bear - Alfred Bauer Prize</h5>
<ul class="awards-list">
<li class="awards-nominee"><b>Life of Riley (Aimer, boire et chanter)</b>
<br />directed by Alain Resnais
<br />
<i class="flag-fr"></i> France</li>
</ul>
<h5 class="awards-item">
Silver Bear - Best Director</h5>
<ul class="awards-list">
<li class="awards-nominee"><b>Richard Linklater</b>
<br/>for <i>Boyhood</i>
<br />
<i class="flag-us"></i> USA</li>
</ul>
<h5 class="awards-item">
Silver Bear for Best Actor</h5>
<ul class="awards-list">
<li class="awards-nominee"><b>Liao Fan</b> in <i>Black Coal, Thin Ice</i>
<br />directed by Diao Yinan
<br />
<i class="flag-cn"></i> China</li>
</ul>
<h5 class="awards-item">
Silver Bear for Best Actress</h5>
<ul class="awards-list">
<li class="awards-nominee"><b>Haru Kuroki</b> in <i>The Little House (Chiisai Ouchi)</i>
<br />directed by Yoji Yamada
<br />
<i class="flag-jp"></i> Japan</li>
</ul>
<h5 class="awards-item">
Silver Bear for Best Script</h5>
<ul class="awards-list">
<li class="awards-nominee"><b>Stations of the Cross (Kreuzweg)</b>
<br />screenplay by Dietrich Brüggemann and Anna Brüggemann<br />
directed by Dietrich Brüggemann
<br />
<i class="flag-de"></i> Germany</li>
<li class="awards-nominee">64th Berlinale Jury: James Schamus (President), Barbara Broccoli, Trine Dyrholm, Mitra Farahani, Greta Gerwig, Michel Gondry and Christoph Waltz</li>
</ul>
<div class="awards-separator" style="border-bottom: 2px dashed #cccccc; margin-bottom: 2em; margin-top: 2em;">
</div>
<b>Don't miss our previous #Berlinale coverage:</b>
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival.html">Day 1: (The Grand Budapest Hotel)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_7.html">Day 2: ('71, Jack, Two Men in Town)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_9.html">Day 3-4: (Beloved Sisters, The Monuments Men, Stations of the Cross, History of Fear, Nymphomaniac)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_10.html">Day 5: (Life of Riley, In Order of Disappearance, Blind Massage)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_11.html">Day 6: (Praia do futuro, Stratos, Inbetween Worlds)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_12.html">Day 7: (Aloft, Black Coal Thin Ice, The Third Side of the River)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_13.html">Day 8: (Boyhood, No Man's Land)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_14.html">Day 9: (Beauty and the Beast, The Little House, Macondo)</a>
</li>
</ul>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597866901901238462noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556159764413551252.post-89301590725643639832014-02-14T15:54:00.001-08:002014-02-15T14:01:17.775-08:002014 Berlin International Film Festival: Day 9<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOB7Q17Wxdu6vlB6O0EdJHZJ7NcN5j91KwKnekP1iG9d48OB0kfugkSx7vw6rNWT0ZZDdyE3SNt5ZcwQbWwFfgWpKxVfycbAh-meIKC1p3v0Mjm7TqKhdqQqyYBQjZJLQtC1L3S4N2cV9/s1600/berlinale-palast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOB7Q17Wxdu6vlB6O0EdJHZJ7NcN5j91KwKnekP1iG9d48OB0kfugkSx7vw6rNWT0ZZDdyE3SNt5ZcwQbWwFfgWpKxVfycbAh-meIKC1p3v0Mjm7TqKhdqQqyYBQjZJLQtC1L3S4N2cV9/s640/berlinale-palast.jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Berlinale Palast</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Recap of the ninth and final day of competition at the <b>64th Berlin International Film Festival</b> (Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), which runs until February 16.<br />
<br />
Screening <b>In Competition</b> today:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>
<b><i>Beauty and the Beast</i></b> by <b>Christophe Gans</b> (out of competition).<br /><br />
The latest from French fantasy/genre director <b>Christophe Gans</b> (<i>Brotherhood of the Wolf</i>), is a retelling of the classic fairy tale, starring <b>Vincent Cassel</b> and <b>Lea Seydoux</b>.<br />
<br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
1810. After losing his fortune at sea, a ruined merchant is forced to retire to the countryside with his six children. Among them is Belle, his youngest daughter, who is full of joy and grace.<br />
On an arduous journey, the Merchant discovers the magical realm of the Beast, who sentences him to death for stealing a rose.<br />
Belle, who blames herself for her family’s terrible misfortune, decides to sacrifice her life
in place of her father’s. However,it isn’t death that awaits Belle in the Beast’s castle, but rather a peculiar life of magic, joy and melancholy.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<i><b>The Little House</b></i> by <b>Yoji Yamada</b>.<br /><br />
82-year-old Japanese director <b>Yoji Yamada</b> (recipient of the 2010 Berlinale Camera), returns to the competition lineup for the 5th time in his lengthy career, with <i>The Little House</i>. A family drama set before and during WWII, based on the <b>Kyoko Nakajima</b> novel of the same name.<br />
<br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
A furtive love affair that began under the roof of a little house. After 60 years, a closely guarded secret is finally revealed...</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<i><b>Macondo</b></i> by <b>Sudabeh Mortezai</b>.<br /><br />
German-Iranian documentarian <b>Sudabeh Mortezai</b> presents her feature-length fiction debut in competition at the Berlinale. A drama named after the tough ethnic neighbourhood in the suburbs of Vienna where the film takes place. The story follows an 11-year-old Chechen refugee living with his mother and two younger sisters detailing their lives as foreigners in a new society.<br />
<br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
Ramasan has a lot of responsibility for an 11-year-old. In traditional Chechen society, he is now considered the man of the house in charge of his mother and two younger sisters. His world is now centered in Macondo, a tough ethnic neighborhood in the industrial suburbs of Vienna.</blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<ul class="festival-list">
<li class="festival-day"><span class="festival-date">Day 6 - Thursday, February 14</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Out of Competition</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Beauty and the Beast</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Christophe Gans</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-fr"></i>France, <i class="flag-de"></i>Germany</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIIYGPHHHb7Xpk73e81ZLolHJjE28MBH-l7okuDxI4I792hxtzEqG5FlmyVz_5p2GtMLHMhJKTfiJklPomE7SecCOxcvvZ8ShQrjWB7-Pn6aAzkPnI6WS-cK4pBWJoLJfkNLogT6fVlbA/s538/beauty-and-the-beast-2014.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"An effects-laden adaptation of the famous fairly tale whose visual flourishes hardly compensate for a premise that plays out as kitschier than ever before"<small>Jordan Mintzer <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/beauty-beast-la-belle-la-680395">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The film's failings, mainly the wasted opportunity of updating and contextualizing the story for a contemporary audience."<small>Shelagh M. Rowan-Legg <cite><a href="http://twitchfilm.com/2014/02/berlinale-2014-review-beauty-and-the-beast-looks-spectacular-but-story-fails.html">(Twitch)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Not one for the ages, then, but also not without its entertainment value, especially towards the end when it goes off the rails."<small>Anne Bilson <cite><a href="http://multiglom.wordpress.com/2014/02/13/la-belle-et-la-bete/">(Multiglom)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/WtvoFZH2yZ4?rel=0" width="480"></iframe>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
The Little House (Chiisai ouchi)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Yoji Yamada</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-jp"></i>Japan</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhCz2iwqdSkiKEkFaiDvMdz3PePZ0rbqhFkHiD8eakyYAjcM7TOPzfxbONgWfMMfQVLTcE1vkFKFBKy1oMnv6_1YVJgy0ciUu4qmFqczCrDv3X366g8KQMtN4rzOM2h_9hRbw01aWInmg/s538/the-little-house.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Most audiences are likely to find this prim romance hokey, dull and dramatically unconvincing."<small>David Rooney <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/little-house-chiisai-ouchi-berlin-680403">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Looks entirely fictitious, a banal collection of clichés piling up one on top of the other, all of it wrapped in Joe Hisaishi’s syrupy soundtrack, entirely alien to what the Japanese spirit the images pretend to convey. "<small>Dan Fainaru <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/the-little-house/5066771.article?blocktitle=Competition&contentID=39621">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/kg7dbImWyXQ?rel=0" width="480"></iframe>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Macondo</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Sudabeh Mortezai</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-at"></i>Austria</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIkVvZUgjvA0m8npgSwE8p8wxEStC1cvsBEKzOhgTccSJ3lYoPjgl8H3CVcOlxENs1J5pWFwpkxi-vkZwkzj5AWx6pzdF3s9Ik34_s5awjXfIJ94Qix2vLbl6eYPuWD5c_suDbOwZU09Y/s538/macondo.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Modest in scope yet entirely captivating in the docu-style humanism of its approach, enriched by unsentimental compassion for its characters."<small>David Rooney <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/macondo-berlin-review-680350">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Without the slightest hint of manipulation, Macondo allows audiences to discover Ramasan’s fate for themselves, opening its heart to a character who becomes our connection to an incredibly foreign lifestyle, just arm’s reach from opportunity the rest of us take for granted."<small>Peter Debruge <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/berlin-film-review-macondo-1201103805/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/iYCRTL6Xw2U?rel=0" width="480"></iframe>
</div>
</div>
<br />
Tomorrow at the Berlinale (Saturday, February 15):<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Award Ceremony and Encore Screening of the Golden Bear Winner.</b></li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>See our other coverage of the 64th Berlinale:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival.html">Day 1: (The Grand Budapest Hotel)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_7.html">Day 2: ('71, Jack, Two Men in Town)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_9.html">Day 3-4: (Beloved Sisters, The Monuments Men, Stations of the Cross, History of Fear, Nymphomaniac)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_10.html">Day 5: (Life of Riley, In Order of Disappearance, Blind Massage)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_11.html">Day 6: (Praia do futuro, Stratos, Inbetween Worlds)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_12.html">Day 7: (Aloft, Black Coal Thin Ice, The Third Side of the River)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_13.html">Day 8: (Boyhood, No Man's Land)</a>
</li>
</ul>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597866901901238462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556159764413551252.post-41674686128512553452014-02-13T17:02:00.004-08:002014-02-13T17:02:55.503-08:002014 Berlin International Film Festival: Day 8<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNOeDVNpGICASFbclZuyE3l7dU2bUADMil6aLjukB4ZPvWbF22WFtOHM2eNy1cJwofkRXcpNkWCbKQm316RCs0huSzI46vo5MW0q146v6KAgXVky9WLgRJYCSr8cscinRZZNJs8yBraRH/s1600/berlin-cinemaxx.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNOeDVNpGICASFbclZuyE3l7dU2bUADMil6aLjukB4ZPvWbF22WFtOHM2eNy1cJwofkRXcpNkWCbKQm316RCs0huSzI46vo5MW0q146v6KAgXVky9WLgRJYCSr8cscinRZZNJs8yBraRH/s538/berlin-cinemaxx.JPG" height="480" /></a></div>
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</div>
<br />
Recap of the eighth day of the <b>64th Berlin International Film Festival</b> (Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), which runs until February 16.<br />
<br />
Screening <b>In Competition</b> today:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>
<b><i>Boyhood</i></b> by <b>Richard Linklater</b>.<br /><br />
American director <b>Richard Linklater</b> (winner of the Silver Bear for Best Director in 1995 for <i>Before Sunrise</i>, and last year's recipient of the Berlinale Camera Award), returns to the competition with <i>Boyhood</i> (his 17th feature), an epic undertaking that took 12 years to complete. The ambitious project starring <b>Patricia Arquette</b>, <b>Ethan Hawke</b>, and <b>Ellar Coltrane</b>, follows a young boy as he grows up between the ages of 6-18.<br /><br />
</li>
<li>
<i><b>No Man's Land</b></i> by <b>Hao Ning</b>.<br /><br />
Another newcomer to the Berlinale competition, Chinese director <b>Hao Ning</b> enters with his sixth feature film. Filmed in 2009 and delayed by censors until now, <i>No Man's Land</i> is a violent and visually compelling self styled homage to the westerns of Sergio Leone, set in the Gobi desert.<br />
</li>
</ul>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<ul class="festival-list">
<li class="festival-day"><span class="festival-date">Day 8 - Thursday, February 13</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Boyhood</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Richard Linklater</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-us"></i>United States</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4whe2ud98d4JvBOiaaiQ4XyEZpmalzPPHHeAApmz8LX9iiNQIvQUUEtEGb7zRmrd7W7RbMBa0zW7-2bwi-qOMP1I9ljHTc3u0rg8426MlMl3f5irZkAXnB3ZNSJoL4kmFLZ6cpbl9t-M/s538/boyhood.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"It's lovingly assembled and acted with such grace and ease that it scarcely looks like acting at all."<small>Xan Brooks <cite><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jan/21/sundance-boyhood-review-richard-linklater">(The Guardian)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Favouring naturalistic warmth over clichéd melodrama and realism of performance above all else, Linklater's Boyhood is an utterly enrapturing marvel."<small>Daniel Green <cite><a href="http://www.cine-vue.com/2014/02/berlin-2014-boyhood-review.html">(CineVue)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Casting any six-year-old must have been a gamble but Linklater hit the jackpot with Coltrane, whose subtle style suits the naturalistic dialogue perfectly."<small>Amber Wilkinson <cite><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/10584358/Sundance-2014-Boyhood-review.html">(The Telegraph)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Linklater has an especially sharp eye—and ear—for objects, sounds, tunes and phrases that define a particular moment even as he’s living it, and he applied this unique sense of his for over a decade while making Boyhood."<small>David Hudson <cite><a href="http://www.fandor.com/keyframe/daily-berlinale-2014-diary-8">(Keyframe)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
No Man's Land</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Ning Hao</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-cn"></i>China</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRXq4iRKbnCjF5z3aGsZBebAmRAaG49XWjwGjxnSdTzM9LMQOODAEO3Ygw5a716c9_CfuoxDgmnYpyvsDT7UdQbnRtRrG8l6Ge_DariSb7mTKnAtqtj5IwOVkk9B3Qv-vgbdWVksT6J8/s538/no-mans-land.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Engagingly cast with assorted character plug-uglies giving their all, the film goes gangbusters at the start, but once it hits the desert roads, the action really has nowhere much to go."<small>Jonathan Romney <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/no-mans-land/5066731.article?blocktitle=Competition&contentID=39621">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"It’s familiar genre stuff but Ning takes such pleasure in exploiting its conventions the end result is a darkly humorous comment on disintegrating morality and unchecked, rampant selfishness."<small>Elizabeth Kerr <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/no-man-s-land-film-671106">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Delivers white-knuckle suspense and mean action sequences spiked with an undercurrent of misanthropy and outrage."<small>Maggie Lee <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/no-mans-land-review-1200963050/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
</div>
<br />
Screening tomorrow at the Berlinale (Friday, February 14):<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Beauty and the Beast</b> by Christophe Gans (Out of Competition)</li>
<li><b>The Little House</b> by Yoji Yamada (In Competition)</li>
<li><b>Macondo</b> by Sudabeh Mortezai (In Competition)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>See our other coverage of the 64th Berlinale:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival.html">Day 1: (The Grand Budapest Hotel)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_7.html">Day 2: ('71, Jack, Two Men in Town)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_9.html">Day 3-4: (Beloved Sisters, The Monuments Men, Stations of the Cross, History of Fear, Nymphomaniac)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_10.html">Day 5: (Life of Riley, In Order of Disappearance, Blind Massage)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_11.html">Day 6: (Praia do futuro, Stratos, Inbetween Worlds)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_12.html">Day 7: (Aloft, Black Coal Thin Ice, The Third Side of the River)</a>
</li>
</ul>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597866901901238462noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556159764413551252.post-39410155395704453532014-02-12T17:32:00.000-08:002014-02-12T17:32:00.880-08:002014 Berlin International Film Festival: Day 7<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilwMNlMdHSFHvoxgaMZNbiesjq6WpR19sJ-GvPOTKf3p5J3IZ_3IFlEhPqK7zVMjBY04Bq5bSzqo1UuOxd3gtQRn09Vxi25hd2Jm-KpQD4haQz9vgnURvgNWDLNllzLI835iMeT9107UNv/s1600/800px-Berlin_Kongresshalle_BW_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilwMNlMdHSFHvoxgaMZNbiesjq6WpR19sJ-GvPOTKf3p5J3IZ_3IFlEhPqK7zVMjBY04Bq5bSzqo1UuOxd3gtQRn09Vxi25hd2Jm-KpQD4haQz9vgnURvgNWDLNllzLI835iMeT9107UNv/s538/800px-Berlin_Kongresshalle_BW_1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Berlin Haus der Kulturen der Welt</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Recap of the seventh day of the <b>64th Berlin International Film Festival</b> (Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), which runs until February 16.<br />
<br />
Screening <b>In Competition</b> today:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>
<b><i>Aloft</i></b> by <b>Claudia Llosa</b>.<br /><br />
Peruvian director <b>Claudia Llosa</b>, 2009 Golden Bear winner, (<i>The Milk of Sorrow</i>), returns to the competition for the second time with a drama about a struggling mother and the son she abandoned 20 years ago. It stars <b>Jennifer Connelly</b>, <b>Cillian Murphy</b>, and <b>Mélanie Laurent</b>.<br />
<br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
The story of a struggling mother, and her evolution into a renowned artist and healer. When a young journalist tracks down her son 20 years after she abandoned him, she sets in motion an encounter between the two at the very edge of the earth that will bring the very meaning of their lives into question, and force them to contemplate living life to its fullest, despite the distance between them and the uncertainties littering their paths.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<i><b>Black Coal, Thin Ice</b></i> by <b>Diao Yinan</b>.<br /><br />
<b>Yinan Diao</b>, a leading figure in China's avant-garde theatre scene, and winner of the 2003 VIFF Dragons and Tigers Award (<i>Uniform</i>), makes his Berlinale debut this year with his third feature film, a noirish thriller set in a remote village in Northern China.<br />
<br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
North China: Investigating a murder, Zhang, a detective is badly wounded and forced to retire. 5 years pass. More murders occur. Zhang, determined to solve the case, falls in love with a mysterious woman, Wu Zhizhen, who seems to be connected to the victims.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<i><b>The Third Side of the River (La tercera orilla)</b></i> by <b>Celina Murga</b>.<br /><br />
Argentinian director <b>Celina Murga's</b> third fiction feature and her first to screen in competition at the Berlinale is a drama (notably executive produced by <b>Martin Scorsese</b>) about a teenage boy torn between the mother who raised him, and the estranged father who wants the boy to follow in his footsteps.<br />
<br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
Seventeen-year-old Nicolas lives with his mother and younger siblings in a small provincial city. His estranged father, Jorge, a respected doctor, has decided that Nicolas will be his successor in both his medical practice and agricultural business. Nicolas is pressured by his father’s steps to prepare him for this responsibility, leaving no room for the teenager’s feelings. Nicolas obeys his father, but he hates him. He has seen his mother suffer because of Jorge’s double life. The first one with his official family, and the other one with Nicolas’ family, not acknowledged publicly. As tensions between father and son rise, Nicolas realizes that he must make a choice and take action toward his own future</blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<ul class="festival-list">
<li class="festival-day"><span class="festival-date">Day 7 - Wednesday, February 12</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Aloft</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Claudia Llosa</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-es"></i>Spain, <i class="flag-ca"></i>Canada, <i class="flag-fr"></i>France</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYO5rz0LXZwhZTgJagX9Y3fUureGJJBTLJomTkHEX-FyuLWxW9G6LwOx9tU05fW1HOcDQ7pVi-ls1QvTquikAOnIwZBB7qBfoLa39txgVAfZ99Bnb0NLpvzjRDseIJDh4fahcr11fbS6U/s538/aloft.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"The odd thing about Aloft, which is bleakly bonkers, is that it keeps your attention in skeptical suspense, at least up to a point. It's arrestingly pretentious."<small>Tim Robey <cite><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/10633196/Berlin-Film-Festival-2014-Aloft-review.html">(The Telegraph)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Llosa shoots for the stars with her oblique pseudo-think piece, but unfortunately ends up dragging her latest offering down to the bottom of the coldest, darkest abyss of cod spirituality imaginable."<small>Daniel Green <cite><a href="http://www.cine-vue.com/2014/02/berlin-2014-aloft-review.html">(CineVue)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"New Age hooey, is gorgeously visualised, very well acted but only intermittently convincing."<small>Demetrios Matheou <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/aloft/5066698.article?blocktitle=Competition&contentID=39621">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Strip away its gorgeous wintry landscapes and we are left with a symphony of ponderous New Age mumbo-jumbo masquerading as philosophical wisdom."<small>Stephen Dalton <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/aloft-berlin-review-679734">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"In the end, everything fits together rather ingeniously, though it’s clear that in orchestrating her needlessly complicated nonlinear narrative, Llosa has mistaken confusion for suspense."<small>Peter Debruge <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/berlin-film-review-aloft-1201099510/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
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</div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Black Coal, Thin Ice</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Yinan Diao</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-hk"></i>Hong Kong, <i class="flag-cn"></i>China</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRX4jppIvaD_OIYEhYsCQK6zX6g3f3IWiBHstez3m9o7FakRRCSW-b2myhp5Dzb7o72MLQf-FqwnPKwwhpdof2a4yk6vuk_UJIeRrgve0a1XuKbuTHDtU4oxlXWZeOmDLubm_5rBmlxc/s538/black-coal-thin-ice.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"What’s missing is a solid, well-told plot to keep audiences alert and justify the painstaking trouble taken with the background."<small>Dan Fainaru <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/black-coal-thin-ice/5066673.article?blocktitle=Competition&contentID=39621">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Perhaps the most innovative of the Chinese films creating buzz in Berlin, Black Coal, Thin Ice is a salute to the classic Hollywood film noir, an exciting stylistic tour-de-force."<small>Deborah Young <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/black-coal-thin-ice-bai-679757">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
The Third Side of the River (La tercera orilla)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Celina Murga</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-ar"></i>Argentina, <i class="flag-de"></i>Germany, <i class="flag-nl"></i>Netherlands</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_VBM8CZr90IfZuMgGssebTILhJGYZQ5o99LBN6Of8YJXzRrIKXqnD9GG4_fNBko0vVtljeGJ81c_JRZm9AcABIrV134EWnp7ue5TVoJL9n4nw7zA1ceffQZYkt6QPEp7TFA_VVQyn2I/s538/third-side-of-the-river.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"A typically modest but beautifully achieved film in which the most important things remain unspoken and placid surfaces belie cauldrons of violent emotion."<small>Scott Foundas <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/berlin-film-review-the-third-side-of-the-river-1201099419/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"As absorbing as it is affecting, this is a small but beautifully observed film."<small>David Rooney <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/third-side-river-la-tercera-679733">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"It’s an intelligent, contemplative film, its social details finely sketched, and well acted... But ultimately the low-key, fragmentary approach makes the film a rather more introverted experience that it ideally might have been."<small>Jonathan Romney <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/the-third-side-of-the-river/5066667.article?blocktitle=Competition&contentID=39621">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
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</div>
</div>
<br />
Screening tomorrow at the Berlinale (Thursday, February 13):<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Boyhood</b> by Richard Linklater (In Competition)</li>
<li><b>No Man's Land</b> by Ning Hao (In Competition)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>See our other coverage of the 64th Berlinale:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival.html">Day 1: (The Grand Budapest Hotel)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_7.html">Day 2: ('71, Jack, Two Men in Town)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_9.html">Day 3-4: (Beloved Sisters, The Monuments Men, Stations of the Cross, History of Fear, Nymphomaniac)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_10.html">Day 5: (Life of Riley, In Order of Disappearance, Blind Massage)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_11.html">Day 6: (Praia do futuro, Stratos, Inbetween Worlds)</a>
</li>
</ul>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597866901901238462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556159764413551252.post-54148082250241686852014-02-11T17:12:00.000-08:002014-02-11T17:12:05.603-08:002014 Berlin International Film Festival: Day 6<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi05cdTJYT9jnbMQzjm2bzEJcOSpM1Huxo_-C8jXnuD5EorW0c-BF_12WXcfnB6kktpka1hyphenhyphenwutrSJ_dTUlsgAk0pApzklsfmDa5gNxGEIC12zbBJTJ60zp1PGLyPTwdrNTCII4-nYJlDZG/s1600/Kino_International_Berlin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi05cdTJYT9jnbMQzjm2bzEJcOSpM1Huxo_-C8jXnuD5EorW0c-BF_12WXcfnB6kktpka1hyphenhyphenwutrSJ_dTUlsgAk0pApzklsfmDa5gNxGEIC12zbBJTJ60zp1PGLyPTwdrNTCII4-nYJlDZG/s538/Kino_International_Berlin.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Recap of the sixth day of the <b>64th Berlin International Film Festival</b> (Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), which runs until February 16.<br />
<br />
Screening <b>In Competition</b> today:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>
<b><i>Praia do Futuro</i></b> by <b>Karim Aïnouz</b>.<br /><br />
Titled after a beach located in the director's hometown of Fortaleza in Northeastern Brazil. <b>Karim Aïnouz</b> makes his first trip to Berlin with a story about a relationship between a local lifeguard and a German tourist.<br />
<br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
Donato works as a life guard patrolling the spectacular but treacherous Praia do Futuro beach. When he dives into the sea after two men caught in the undercurrent, he saves Konrad, a German vacationing in Brazil, but Konrad’s friend is lost to the sea.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<i><b>Stratos (To Mikro Psari)</b></i> by <b>Yannis Economides</b>.<br /><br />
Also making his Berlinale debut is Cypriot director <b>Yannis Economides</b>. Stratos is the story of a baker/hitman who tries to raise funds in order to help his friend break out of prison.<br />
<br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
At age 19, Stratos committed a crime of passion. He spent half his life in prison, where underground boss Leonidas took him under his wing. One day during a rival gang attack, Leonidas saved his life.
Stratos never forgot this.<br />
A free man now, Stratos works the night shift at a bakery workshop, a far cry from the killing contracts he executes by day. He gives away all his money to spring Leonidas out of prison, funding an escape
plan managed by Leo’s brother, Yorgos.<br />
The fulfillment of his debt is the only thing that matters to Stratos, everything else is indifferent and he lives detached, surrounded by ghosts and fallacies. The day of the escape, the most important day of his life, is near...</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<i><b>Inbetween Worlds (Zwischen Welten)</b></i> by <b>Feo Aladag</b>.<br /><br />
Austrian actress turned director <b>Feo Aladag</b> (<i>When We Leave</i>), steps up from the <i>Panorama</i> to the <i>Main Competition</i> with her second feature film. <i>Inbetween Worlds</i> is the story of a German soldier stationed in a remote village in Afghanistan, starring <b>Ronald Zehrfeld</b>.<br />
<br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
German soldier Jesper signs up for a mission in Afghanistan, despite having lost his brother during an operation in the war-torn country. Jesper and his squad are assigned to protect a village outpost from increasing Taliban influence. With the help of young and inexperienced interpreter Tarik, Jesper seeks the trust of the local community and the allied Afghani militia. More than ever, he discovers the immense differences between the two worlds. When the lives of Tarik and his sister Nala are threatened by the Taliban, conflicted Jesper is torn between his military obligations and his conscience.</blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<ul class="festival-list">
<li class="festival-day"><span class="festival-date">Day 6 - Tuesday, February 11</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Praia do futuro</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Karim Aïnouz</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-br"></i>Brazil, <i class="flag-de"></i>Germany</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7V95brvV_k9L85k-O8_KVg3JDVi5kcIdTo-X4vJzkHbIlavuMmzv9p835yo31dy81rPGZwXgnfBSIMuZB0NCWc7D2iP1JtT-lVUAQzwSyssMh9Lz-bbKdWtSfZyKvp8xE3fZ2BqPp8os/s538/praia-do-futuro.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"At its best, when concentrated on deep focus shots and compositional symmetry, this overly developed sense of style lures us into a vividly drawn world."<small>Patrick Gamble <cite><a href="http://www.cine-vue.com/2014/02/berlin-2014-praia-do-futuro-review.html">(CineVue)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The three leads are strong, if inevitably impeded by the script’s refusal to dig for anything other than impressionistic insights."<small>David Rooney <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/praia-do-futuro-berlin-review-679303">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Altogether a visually elegant film, with equal emphasis on the characters and on the landscapes, maritime and urban, that they inhabit."<small>Jonathan Romney <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/praia-do-futuro/5066640.article?blocktitle=Competition&contentID=39621">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Stratos (To mikro psari)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Yannis Economides</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-gr"></i>Greece, <i class="flag-cy"></i>Cyprus, <i class="flag-de"></i>Germany</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK4NH3ndhElLhtid4zgFjTUFHOHAg4Vuu1oTlwRdUuXvZK7tUwBb_puCQo3MddFvcNbgfrPVxmIWgCbOQWixfkne_WQX7vrR669rmiGaRcBRrN16BcH5-uz2FIqrf8nNh89gMvzp4-5aY/s538/stratos.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"This may not be <i>Chinatown</i>, but Economides has summoned forth a nightmarish vision of a European nation in near-complete collapse."<small>Daniel Green <cite><a href="http://www.cine-vue.com/2014/02/berlin-2014-stratos-review.html">(CineVue)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"What comes out is a series of righteous statements tied together by several, vastly overlong, intersecting and highly defused plots, which are never explored on their own and don’t always make much sense."<small>Dan Fainaru <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/stratos/5066602.article?blocktitle=Competition&contentID=39621">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Economides opts for low-key naturalism, dragging out the running time to over two hours, draining away any guilty pleasure and replacing it with somber self-seriousness."<small>Stephen Dalton <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/stratos-mikro-parasi-berlin-review-679241">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"There is a talent here that can not be denied, in service of a movie that cannot be redeemed."<small>Scott Foundas <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/berlin-film-review-stratos-1201097101/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Inbetween Worlds (Zwischen Welten)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Feo Aladag</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-de"></i>Germany</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiaPemd4M76J6cYVBbnL6F1k-U5aVaXA5dCI5_3HbEQf0uFU7tz1tNYFEhEbhVcHFdiPgpIb4c-teNqlmukV6KB8yam_a2ePhYjWra-73UblPhpFQYm01VyqrHd1KwdNAgcSmCiPklSV0/s538/inbetween-worlds.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Even-handed to a fault, though outstanding work from Ahmady and Zehrfeld ensures they at least feel more like characters than constructs."<small>Guy Lodge <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/berlin-film-review-inbetween-worlds-1201097420/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"All the soldiers seem unusually vulnerable for a war film, not to say wimpy, and their brief ventures into combat, all convincingly shot, emphasize their fear in a very unheroic way."<small>Deborah Young <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/inbetween-worlds-zwischen-welten-berlin-679238">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
</div>
<br />
Screening tomorrow at the Berlinale (Wednesday, February 12):<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Aloft</b> by Claudia Llosa (In Competition)</li>
<li><b>Black Coal, Thin Ice</b> by Diao Yinan (In Competition)</li>
<li><b>The Third Side of the River</b> by Celina Murga (In Competition)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>See our other coverage of the 64th Berlinale:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival.html">Day 1: (The Grand Budapest Hotel)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_7.html">Day 2: ('71, Jack, Two Men in Town)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_9.html">Day 3-4: (Beloved Sisters, The Monuments Men, Stations of the Cross, History of Fear, Nymphomaniac)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_10.html">Day 5: (Life of Riley, In Order of Disappearance, Blind Massage)</a>
</li>
</ul>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597866901901238462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556159764413551252.post-40615858213750810182014-02-10T16:00:00.000-08:002014-02-10T16:00:09.474-08:002014 Berlin International Film Festival: Day 5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivStI3UCUFbs7su5msQaEtmkaqElW5QL70cnvOpYB_aTJZRQSc1wMSgrjqG8PrA6IWA_FNIe3xhw9ozW-jeMko1FIKan43ZabNoWdf3yq3dXxjhdurnsu28vDV7C7EeeiIllkFPtT_AfjC/s1600/Berlinale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivStI3UCUFbs7su5msQaEtmkaqElW5QL70cnvOpYB_aTJZRQSc1wMSgrjqG8PrA6IWA_FNIe3xhw9ozW-jeMko1FIKan43ZabNoWdf3yq3dXxjhdurnsu28vDV7C7EeeiIllkFPtT_AfjC/s538/Berlinale.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Recap of the fifth day of the <b>64th Berlin International Film Festival</b> (Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), which runs until February 16.<br />
<br />
Screening <b>In Competition</b> today:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>
<b><i>Life of Riley (Aimer, boire et chanter)</i></b> by <b>Alain Resnais</b>.<br /><br />
91-year-old French filmmaker <b>Alain Resnais</b> (twice awarded the Silver Bear), marks his third trip to the Berlinale competition programme with an adaptation of British playwright <b>Alan Ayckbourn</b>'s <i>Life of Riley</i>, starring <b>Sabine Azéma</b>, <b>André Dussollier</b>, <b>Michel Vuillermoz</b>, <b>Hippolyte Girardot</b> and <b>Sandrine Kiberlain</b>.<br />
<br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
In the Yorkshire countryside, the life of three couples is upset for a few months, from Spring to Fall, by the enigmatic behavior of their friend George Riley. </blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<i><b>In Order of Appearance (Kraftidioten)</b></i> by <b>Hans Petter Moland</b>.<br /><br />
Also making his third trip to the Berlinale competition is Norwegian filmmaker <b>Hans Petter Moland</b>; with <i>In Order of Disappearance</i>, billed as an action comedy starring <b>Stellan Skarsgard </b>and <b>Bruno Ganz</b>.<br />
<br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
Nils snow ploughs the wild winter mountains of Norway, and is recently awarded Citizen of the Year. When his son is murdered for something he did not do, Nils wants revenge. And justice. His actions ignites a war between the vegan gangster “The Count“ and the Serbian mafia boss “Papa“. Winning a blood feud isn't easy. Especially not in a welfare state. But Nils has something going for him. Heavy machinery and beginner's luck.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<i><b>Blind Massage (Tui Na)</b></i> by <b>Lou Ye</b>.<br /><br />
Chinese director <b>Lou Ye</b> makes his Berlinale debut with <i>Blind Massage</i>. A story based on a novel by <b>Bi Feiyu</b> that revolves around a blind massage therapist in Nanjing.<br />
<br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
Nanjing. At a massage centre run by the blind, damaged bodies find relief beneath sensitive fingers. A new couple comes to work at the centre. The others are drawn to them. Within this community, we witness seduction, suffering and - above all - the search for love.</blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<ul class="festival-list">
<li class="festival-day"><span class="festival-date">Day 5 - Monday, February 10</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Life of Riley (Aimer, boire et chanter)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Alain Resnais</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-fr"></i>France</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7GTRzFENeqtLUNntfjFZckelp5k72qjfXPm4aYD1H2OJbummubHsMZrm1uK7rzV0Z2LUBsQ01PZPDFpAjdgmfiS7n5EmysCye-nnQkut1LPigaF28MVUiyuqfjyt3C4gjFTAPHPApuQ4/s538/life-of-riley.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Largely a superfluous footnote to the lofty career of its nonagenarian director. "<small>Eric Kohn <cite><a href="http://www.indiewire.com/article/berlin-review-alain-resnais-life-of-riley-is-disappointingly-lackluster-filmed-theater-from-a-a-french-new-wave-master">(IndieWire)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Joyous yet melancholic effort once again charts the woes of middle-class couples coping with problematic love lives, solitude and death, though manages to do so with a bit of a smile."<small>Jordan Mintzer <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/life-riley-aimer-boire-chanter-678890">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"If the whole point of a film is to put a big smile on your face and have you walk out of the cinema feeling a bit better about yourself, having learned just that little bit more about your fellow men and women, then Alain Resnais’ latest film does a splendid job of it."<small>Dan Fainaru <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/life-of-riley/5066526.article?blocktitle=Competition&contentID=39621">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Resnais orchestrates all of these comings and goings with such graceful ease that it can be a pleasure simply to watch the movement of the performers through his meticulously composed widescreen frames, which alternate between expansive master shots and intimate closeups."<small>Scott Foundas <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/berlin-film-review-alain-resnais-life-of-riley-1201095311/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
In Order of Disappearance (Kraftidioten)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Hans Petter Moland</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-no"></i>Norway, <i class="flag-se"></i>Sweden, <i class="flag-dk"></i>Denmark</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlZzmeXasCExtRUuoqCUWGs4UQAoGtNOTuSKZkqyRMDulPPBI2Cbu-hjEb-hhdJYphfZfvblECYvx8gmYn0aGn-ABUyd_uL62mr4_qA4qktz0BKNtA67rY4tJ16__5m9O7V-83CgDCT8/s538/in-order-of-disappearance.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Terrifically smart and funny Norwegian thriller starring Stellan Skarsgard and Bruno Ganz, has great appeal across borders."<small>Tom Christie <cite><a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/kraftidioten-in-order-of-disappearance-review">(Thompson on Hollywood)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"A delightfully droll tale of bloody revenge ... may well fit loosely into the much-hyped Nordic Noir bracket, but thanks to a series of nicely oddball performances and a plethora of killings it could even fall into Coen Brothers or Tarantino territory."<small>Mark Adams <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/in-order-of-disappearance/5066567.article?blocktitle=Competition&contentID=39621">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Those formulaic elements are here, make no mistake, but the wit of the screenplay and the actors’ characterizations ensure that it's highly entertaining, giving the film a distinctive personality."<small>David Rooney <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/order-disappearance-kraftidioten-berlin-review-678865">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Feels more like an American crime thriller than virtually anything Scandinavia has produced before. "<small>Peter Debruge <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/berlin-film-festival-in-order-of-disappearance-1201095730/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/wrS0URuaWEA?rel=0" width="480"></iframe>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Blind Massage (Tui Na)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Lou Ye</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-cn"></i>China, <i class="flag-fr"></i>France</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVICwBQCZTF8Ek5SOzjtZFKYY8FGag8E5v2x6v5F4SOnuedjgzK7C2AjciaaEl-loZkMCKoCe7E1XwUBZCqkUYbtlfVgYZzOsMyNBrTOeYwgPPSYHlOxJ4O7zutPTsJ9EZYKha_QiazDs/s538/blind-massage.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"The emotionally overwrought representation of his characters' lives makes the film's few subtle attempts at social commentary feel incredibly faint-hearted."<small>Patrick Gamble <cite><a href="http://www.cine-vue.com/2014/02/berlin-2014-blind-massage-review.html">(CineVue)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Lou’s detachment has a kind of tactfulness here that allows these absorbing stories to speak for themselves."<small>Maggie Lee <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/berlin-film-review-blind-massage-1201095936/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"One of the most convincing films made by Chinese director Lou Ye in recent years."<small>Deborah Young <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/blind-massage-tui-na-berlin-678798">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"It’s not hard to figure out why Lou Ye was technically attracted to this project, and he throws every angle of light and darkness at its visual ebb and flow, from jarring moments of high melodrama to the more gentle, blurred edges of love."<small>Fionnuala Halligan <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/blind-massage/5066560.article?blocktitle=Competition&contentID=39621">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/eBbcyds8QHg?rel=0" width="480"></iframe>
</div>
</div>
<br />
Screening tomorrow at the Berlinale (Tuesday, February 11):<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Praia do Futuro</b> by Karim Aïnouz (In Competition)</li>
<li><b>Stratos</b> by Yannis Economides (In Competition)</li>
<li><b>Inbetween Worlds</b> by Feo Aladag (In Competition)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>See our other coverage of the 64th Berlinale:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival.html">Day 1: (The Grand Budapest Hotel)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_7.html">Day 2: ('71, Jack, Two Men in Town)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_9.html">Day 3-4: (Beloved Sisters, The Monuments Men, Stations of the Cross, History of Fear, Nymphomaniac)</a>
</li>
</ul>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597866901901238462noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556159764413551252.post-8260187046679441592014-02-09T14:32:00.000-08:002014-02-09T14:32:19.170-08:002014 Berlin International Film Festival: Days 3-4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivStI3UCUFbs7su5msQaEtmkaqElW5QL70cnvOpYB_aTJZRQSc1wMSgrjqG8PrA6IWA_FNIe3xhw9ozW-jeMko1FIKan43ZabNoWdf3yq3dXxjhdurnsu28vDV7C7EeeiIllkFPtT_AfjC/s1600/Berlinale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivStI3UCUFbs7su5msQaEtmkaqElW5QL70cnvOpYB_aTJZRQSc1wMSgrjqG8PrA6IWA_FNIe3xhw9ozW-jeMko1FIKan43ZabNoWdf3yq3dXxjhdurnsu28vDV7C7EeeiIllkFPtT_AfjC/s538/Berlinale.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Recap of days 3 and 4 of the <b>64th Berlin International Film Festival</b> (Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), which runs until February 16.<br />
<br />
Five films from the Competition programme were screened over the weekend (3 competing and 2 out of competition):<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>
<b><i>Beloved Sisters (Die geliebten Schwestern)</i></b> by <b>Dominik Graf</b>.<br /><br />
German writer director Dominik Graf enters the Berlinale competition for the second time with a historical period piece set in 1788 about two sisters (Charlotte and Caroline Lengefeld) who fall in love with the same man, writer and philosopher Friedrich Schiller.<br />
<br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
The aristocratic sisters Charlotte and Caroline both fall in love with the controversial young writer and hothead Friedrich Schiller. Defying the conventions of their time, the sisters decide to share their love with Schiller. What begins playfully, almost as a game among the three of them, soon turns serious as it leads to the end of a pact...</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<i><b>The Monuments Men</b></i> by <b>George Clooney</b> (Out of Competition).<br /><br />
Star actor director George Clooney's latest. The story of an Allied platoon tasked with preventing precious works of art from being destroyed by the Nazis.<br />
<br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
an action drama focusing on seven over-the-hill, out-of-shape museum directors, artists, architects, curators, and art historians who went to the front lines of WWII to rescue the world’s artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their rightful owners. With the art hidden behind enemy lines, how could these guys hope to succeed? But as the Monuments Men found themselves in a race against time to avoid the destruction of 1000 years of culture, they would risk their lives to protect and defend mankind’s greatest achievements. </blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<i><b>History of Fear (Historia del miedo)</b></i> by <b>Benjamin Naishtat</b>.<br /><br />
A rare first feature in the main competition. From promising Argentinian director Benjamín Naishtat, whose shorts have previously been presented at Cannes and Rotterdam. <br />
<br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
When a heat wave grips the suburbs, black-outs and waves of pollution push the social order to the brink of collapse, forcing each inhabitant to confront his own motives, instincts and fears</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<i><b>Stations of the Cross (Kreuzweg)</b></i> by <b>Dietrich Brüggemann</b>.<br /><br />
The third feature from German brother and sister directing writing duo Dietrich and Anna Brüggemann.<br />
<br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
Maria is 14 years old. Her family is part of a fundamentalist Catholic community. Maria lives her everyday life in the modern world, yet her heart belongs to Jesus. She wants to follow him, to become a saint and go to heaven–just like all those holy children she’s always been
told about. So Maria goes through 14 stations, just like Jesus did on his path to Golgatha, and reaches her goal in the end. Not even Christian, a boy she meets at school, can stop her, even if in another world, they might have become friends, or even lovers. Left behind is a broken family that finds comfort in faith, and the question if all these events were really so inevitable</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<i><b>Nymphomaniac Volume I (long version)</b></i> by <b>Lars von Trier</b>. (Out of competition)<br /><br />
The world premiere of the 145-minute-long director's cut of the first half of Nymphomaniac.<br />
<br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
In the alley in front of his tenement building, aging bachelor Seligman finds a young woman covered in blood. He takes her to his apartment where Joe tells him about her life, her experiences with men and her insatiable appetite for sex.</blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<ul class="festival-list">
<li class="festival-day"><span class="festival-date">Day 3 - Saturday, February 8</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Beloved Sisters (Die geliebten Schwestern)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Dominik Graf</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-de"></i>Germany</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJupHxj5g-5H1kMgDy-SA2aB1ycxC_uCksY-kpAMa7S-a2ZC96X_0bRJnbGU4nnqQuJVZ8eBHDDwWQfHSNrXinxEDeopuceXz-WPD2Elk29UT0Hcbz7bTliyf4Id48b8KV0EsPqVFK0LE/s538/beloved-sisters.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Graf has created an unusually intelligent costume drama of bold personalities torn between the stirrings of the heart and the logic of the mind."<small>Scott Foundas <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/berlin-film-review-beloved-sisters-1201093035/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Handsomely produced if occasionally rather old-fashioned feeling period drama, which plays like a soap opera in which the characters just happen to have better manners and finery."<small>Boyd van Hoeij <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/beloved-sisters-die-geliebten-schwestern-678571">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"It’s a challenging prospect at almost three hours duration, but Beloved Sisters can occasionally thrill with its confident mise-en-scene, splendid craft credits, and solid characterisation, particularly from the sisters."<small>Fionnuala Halligan <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/beloved-sisters/5066457.article?blocktitle=Competition&contentID=39621">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Over its run time of three hours Beloved Sisters does not do anything in particular to reinvent the period fictional biography genre."<small>Bénédicte Prot <cite><a href="http://cineuropa.org/nw.aspx?t=newsdetail&l=en&did=252121">(Cineuropa)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Out of Competition</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Monuments Men</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>George Clooney</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-us"></i>USA, <i class="flag-gb"></i>UK, <i class="flag-de"></i>Germany</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjido6NW-B4ZLZbTFTDpBoRvrUrxRxbMBcwWgJb96N8fh_0HCGA9LDHkvbdZ6Ij28RW8W5RApvVgnM273LIjVCbNzl-aGlhuAoRCl2xGxIHUI2zEToS1HH-dghmbYX93RRPb-bXnrCryGY/s538/monuments-men.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"The problem isn't a lack of weight, but of lightness. It's stuck with lead feet for a historical caper and serves no other worthwhile purpose."<small>Tim Robey <cite><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/10625987/Berlin-Film-Festival-2014-The-Monuments-Men-review.html">(The Telegraph)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"For all its quality pedigree and good intentions, the result is a frustratingly flat film that drifts from moment to moment with a curious lack of urgency and an overbearing sense of self-importance"<small>William Goss <cite><a href="http://www.film.com/movies/review-the-monuments-men">(Film.com)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"It's a big old creaky airplane that never achieves liftoff."<small>Anne Thompson <cite><a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/monuments-men-review-george-clooney-matt-damon">(Thompson on Hollywood)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
</div>
<br />
<ul class="festival-list">
<li class="festival-day"><span class="festival-date">Day 4 - Sunday, February 9</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
History of Fear (Historia del Miedo)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Benjamin Naishtat</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-ar"></i>Argentina, <i class="flag-uy"></i>Uruguay, <i class="flag-fr"></i>France, <i class="flag-de"></i>Germany</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDl6L9LnBngT5SXtQR6AohThc6PIInZydAZy9io86pUQK7tgjVAMfqKHj9TWsnJPTy5iUZSfiuSPpT1YF2nOETO2RK51LsZEeCW8EiR5QhC4RIuj6gzKSMXXQgQPX_JJyaHtSoZrUevU/s538/history-of-fear.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"As the latest neophyte auteur to kneel at the altar of Michael Haneke, Naishtat doesn’t seem confined to homage, but instead has fresh, regionally relevant observations to make."<small>Peter Debruge <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/berlin-film-review-history-of-fear-1201093712/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"There are few reactions as unconscious and direct as the ones generated by fear and the closely associated idea of self-preservation, and the director turns his debut into a feature-length exploration of how terror of the unknown can become a destructive force."<small>Boyd van Hoeij <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/history-fear-historia-del-miedo-678694">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The film’s structure is so freeform that one can’t say that it lacks a third act, per se; but at 80 minutes and with everything moving along with such wit, strangeness and menace, one can’t help wanting more."<small>Demetrios Matheou <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/history-of-fear/5066475.article?blocktitle=Competition&contentID=39621">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Stations of the Cross (Kreuzweg)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Dietrich Brüggemann</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-de"></i>Germany</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTKf-vQhDIanxwmQlkW_b7-87YF96Xiw1y74RiyjfGr8qPkzn67QC54O8o3f30b3y6OPxD4aPL4FjU3VRY-F3qTsaMd3XJLiZL_paYI72ZEdVQAG4EIZxPjqgU8QZRfaEWAAeAhs0tuG8/s538/stations-of-the-cross.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Shades of Michael Haneke and references to classic religious paintings will certainly not go unnoticed, though rest assured the Catholic Church is not about to integrate this new version of the Holy Passion of Christ into its catechism."<small>Dan Fainaru <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/stations-of-the-cross/5066491.article?blocktitle=Competition&contentID=39621">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Though leavened with occasional moments of acerbic humor, this Berlinale competition title is an impressive but also rather grim cinematic experience."<small>Boyd van Hoeij <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/stations-cross-kreuzweg-berlin-review-678691">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Divided into the 14 Stations of the Cross, all but three consisting of a single fixed shot, the film plays into the expectations of religiophobes who will praise its stiffness while ignoring its obviousness."<small>Jay Weissberg <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/berlin-film-review-stations-of-the-cross-1201094609/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Whilst it's not exactly difficult to chart Stations of the Cross' trajectory after the first few expositionary chapters, a fitting finale highlights just how fine a balancing act between the ludicrous and the laconic Brüggemann has achieved."<small>Daniel Green <cite><a href="http://www.cine-vue.com/2014/02/berlin-2014-stations-of-cross-review.html#.Uvf-wYVPLKE">(CineVue)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Out of Competition</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Nymphomaniac Volume I (long version)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Lars von Trier</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-dk"></i>Denmark</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMqjKc6tjRoO6dOO6_X-9RJXJNSkUrc4MuXaBqa0QZIYO-OmNlQYJQo7_wHsqfngyk_zfjDaqkdihV_H8cH9Xo1iMmcPndzZ0JimSfJ_J5OBnW5I1WqVKsOD479PZjHMXOAvOxHdU0Y0/s538/nymphomaniac.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"It’s sardonic and detached, which has the unfortunate effect of keeping Joe at arm’s length. She feels less like a real character than a symbol."<small>Beth Hanna <cite><a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/nymphomaniac-review-lars-von-trier-sundance-shia-labeouf-charlotte-gainsbourg">(Thompson on Hollywood)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"It is a symphony, or perhaps a thrusting, punk-inflected heavy metal power grind of rude, funny, sexy, sad, gross, pretentious, meta and brilliant, and sometimes all of these things at the same time."<small>Jessica Kiang <cite><a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/berlin-review-lars-von-triers-directors-cut-of-nymphomaniac-part-1-20140209">(The Playlist)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"In either edit, the movie remains a ferociously entertaining experience in which one finds von Trier at the peak of his craft, linking together ideas about female sexuality, fly-fishing and artistic creation with equal amounts of playfulness and intellectual rigor. "<small>Scott Foundas <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/international/nymphomaniac-vol-1-bigger-longer-and-uncut-1201094720/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
</div>
<br />
Screening tomorrow at the Berlinale (Monday, February 10):<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Life of Riley</b> by Alain Resnais (In Competition)</li>
<li><b>In Order of Disappearance</b> by Hans Petter Moland (In Competition)</li>
<li><b>Blind Massage</b> by Lou Ye (In Competition)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>See our other coverage of the 64th Berlinale:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival.html">Day 1: (The Grand Budapest Hotel)</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival_7.html">Day 2: ('71, Jack, Two Men in Town)</a>
</li>
</ul>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597866901901238462noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556159764413551252.post-15758788643862550352014-02-07T14:00:00.000-08:002014-02-07T14:03:48.062-08:002014 Berlin International Film Festival: Day 2<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWMLJojqAU7hcZZHnwrRF14-6sxOM3ph_Ps3CjEuuaQ_OVkDXSEDMXx3HBHOEs2f2ppyqaefkxtk3lff9zEcMqEvTZRpGIWHqdmEdVxyNWhTsgzkqANxpJye7KAOfBemi9DL9UH4cSvsfn/s1600/friedrichstadt-palast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWMLJojqAU7hcZZHnwrRF14-6sxOM3ph_Ps3CjEuuaQ_OVkDXSEDMXx3HBHOEs2f2ppyqaefkxtk3lff9zEcMqEvTZRpGIWHqdmEdVxyNWhTsgzkqANxpJye7KAOfBemi9DL9UH4cSvsfn/s640/friedrichstadt-palast.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friedrichstadt-Palast
© Berlinale</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Recap of the second day of the <b>64th Berlin International Film Festival</b> (Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), which runs until February 16.<br />
<br />
Screening <b>In Competition</b> today:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>
<b><i>Jack</i></b> by <b>Edward Berger</b>.<br /><br />
Berlin based director <b>Edward Berger</b>, known mainly for television and commercial work, makes his Berlinale competition debut with a film about a 10-year-old boy with a neglectful and irresponsible single mother.<br />
<br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
Although he is only ten years old, Jack is responsible for himself and his little brother Manuel and this fills him with pride. Their single mother works during the day and often goes out at night. There’s no father in sight. One day, Manuel burns himself with boiling hot water while bathing and Jack is blamed for the incident. It's reason enough for social services to put him in a home where he is dreadfully homesick. He soon gets into trouble and bolts, heading for home. He arrives back, only to find his mother is once again absent. Jack and Manuel roam the city in search of her. They sleep in parks and in an underground car park, run away from the police and encounter adults, some of whom help and others who are indifferent.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<i><b>Two Men In Town</b></i> by <b>Rachid Bouchareb</b>.<br /><br />
French-Algerian filmmaker <b>Rachid Bouchareb</b>, returns to the Berlinale competition for the fourth time. It's the second part in a trilogy of English language films that explore the relationship between America and the Arab world, and is loosely based on the 1973 French film <i>Two Men In Town</i> starring <b>Alain Delon</b> and directed by <b>Jose Giovanni</b>. It tells the story of a born-again Muslim ex-con played by <b>Forest Whitaker</b> who is hounded by a vengeful cop played by <b>Harvey Keitel</b>.<br />
<br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
A small town in New Mexico surrounded by desert which, time and again as the day breaks, disgorges an increasing number of Mexicans who have either been murdered or have died of thirst. A convict is released from prison. Thanks to his new-found Muslim faith, William Garnett’s behaviour has been exemplary and, with the aid of a sympathetic parole officer, he begins a new life in the town. But his past is well-known and before long, a sheriff bent on revenge and an ex-crony from the underworld are both breathing down his neck.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<i><b>'71</b></i> by <b>Yann Demange</b>.<br /><br />
Acclaimed Paris born, London based, television director <b>Yann Demange</b> (<i>Dead Set</i>) makes his feature film debut with '71. A thriller set in 1971 Belfast starring <b>Jack O'Connell</b>, as a young British soldier accidentally abandoned by his unit during a deadly riot. <br />
<br />Official Synopsis:<br /><blockquote>
A young British soldier is accidentally abandoned by his unit following a riot on the streets of Belfast in 1971. Unable to tell friend from foe, and increasingly wary of his own comrades, the raw recruit must survive the night alone and find his way to safety through a disorientating, alien and deadly landscape.</blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<ul class="festival-list">
<li class="festival-day"><span class="festival-date">Day 2 - Friday, February 7</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Jack</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Edward Berger</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-de"></i>Germany</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2XpUqIltSQDxwBb5cQyVvXZVI4196g_uvaGGYrGn0byQeJxemAbX0De4Q5DYD22i5kZhA080TdV2-BNHfRUftLdqOGimVddLb45AtKkrr8DLwP1f8uU8J4cDI90K5zPvx73xuSGc6W-Q/s538/jack.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Nods credibly to the Dardenne brothers and Ken Loach ... but is short on character development and socio-economic texture."<small>Guy Lodge <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/berlin-film-review-jack-1201091187/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Doesn’t really say anything new, especially when compared with, say, the recent Short Term 12 or Ursula Meier’s Sister, the latter another Berlin competitor made a couple years back, which covered similar ground with more bite."<small>Leslie Felperin <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/jack-berlin-review-678196">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"a thoroughly watchable film that never resorts to simply overly dramatic moments, instead favouring a steady and thoughtful story that respectful to the children’s journey."<small>Mark Adams <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/jack/5066408.article?blocktitle=Competition&contentID=39621">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Pietzker proves he has great potential on the silver screen. Born in Berlin, the promising young actor carries the film on his own, and nobody would be surprised if Jack is only the first in a series of great characters that he plays."<small>Stefan Dobroiu <cite><a href="http://cineuropa.org/nw.aspx?t=newsdetail&l=en&did=252088">(Cineuropa)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
Two Men In Town (La voie de l'ennemi)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Rachid Bouchareb</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-fr"></i>France, <i class="flag-dz"></i>Algeria, <i class="flag-us"></i>USA, <i class="flag-be"></i>Belgium</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBT830O6yTT57mxB1xSm7XvQw77XXh6LXWUKJSzsHzoKxCZcKtzEcX7_2SG01W2AwrGAc0_07chhnHhkZzVcwdHNFJszGwAU5J1NKwbLItWqaoSxt5JVlMUnr-FtFH0c8BmPoW7CPJ7ek/s538/two-men-in-town.jpg" /></div>
<div class="festival-notes">
<b>Quotes from the press conference:</b><br />
<br />
<blockquote>
"I was very happy that Rachid asked me to work with him again. The experience I had working with him and his team on London River was one of the highlights of my career."<small>Brenda Blethyn <cite></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"It was one of the greatest experiences I've had working with a filmmaker."<small>Forest Whitaker <cite></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"I'm from a Muslim family. I think it's interesting to give some background. To explore what's happening in the world today. It's my point of view in the ongoing debate."<small>Rachid Bouchareb <cite>on the recurring influence of Islam on his work.</cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"While this puzzling remake can sometimes shudder tonally, Forest Whitaker plays smooth and true throughout."<small>Fionnuala Halligan <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/two-men-in-town/5066439.article?blocktitle=Competition&contentID=39621">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"A game cast isn’t enough to make this choppy drama work in a convincing fashion."<small>Deborah Young <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/two-men-town-berlin-review-678244">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"A standard-issue drama set in New Mexico, where grand open spaces highlight the big open gaps in logic."<small>Jay Weissberg <cite><a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/06/the-grand-budapest-hotel-review-wes-anderson-s-whimsical-crime-caper.html">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
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<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Competition Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
'71</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Yann Demange</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-gb"></i>United Kingdom</div>
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<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"Outstanding, muscular feature debut almost never puts a foot wrong, from the softly underplayed performances to the splendidly speckled cinematography and fine-grained period detailing."<small>Leslie Felperin <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/71-berlin-review-678211">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Tactile and expressionistic rather than journalistic, its initially opposing British perspective blurring amid the carnage, it’s effectively a horror film with a strict historical pretext."<small>Guy Lodge <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/berlin-film-review-71-1201090449/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Balances intense and often thrilling action with intriguingly developed and complex supporting characters."<small>Mark Adams <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/71/5066348.article">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
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Screening tomorrow at the Berlinale (Saturday, February 8):<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Beloved Sisters</b> by Dominik Graf (In Competition)</li>
<li><b>The Monuments Men</b> by George Clooney (Out of Competition)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>See our other coverage of the 64th Berlinale:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2014/02/2014-berlin-international-film-festival.html">Day 1: (The Grand Budapest Hotel)</a>
</li>
</ul>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597866901901238462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556159764413551252.post-22351105081064045312014-02-06T13:00:00.000-08:002014-02-06T13:00:03.244-08:002014 Berlin International Film Festival: Day 1<br />
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<br />
Today was the opening day of the <b>64th Berlin International Film Festival</b> (Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), one of the most prestigious and well attended film festivals in the world.<br />
<br />
Separate press conferences were held to introduce the official competition jury as well as the opening film, <b>The Grand Budapest Hotel</b>, directed by <b>Wes Anderson</b>.<br />
<br />
Presiding over this year's International Jury is American producer <b>James Schamus</b> (<i>Brokeback Mountain</i>). Schamus is joined by American producer <b>Barbara Broccoli</b> (<i>Skyfall</i>); Danish actress <b>Trine Dyrholm</b> (<i>In a Better World</i>); Iranian filmmaker and painter <b>Mitra Farahani</b> (<i>Just a Woman</i>); American actress <b>Greta Gerwig</b> (<i>Greenberg</i>); French filmmaker <b>Michel Gondry </b>(<i>Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind</i>); Hong Kong actor <b>Tony Leung</b> (<i>The Grandmaster</i>); and Austrian Actor <b>Christoph Waltz</b> (<i>Inglourious Basterds</i>).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 64th Berlinale International Jury: <b>Tony Leung, Barbara Broccoli, Trine Dyrholm, Michel Gondry, Mitra Farahani, Christoph Waltz, Greta Gerwig, James Schamus</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<ul class="festival-list">
<li class="festival-day"><span class="festival-date">Day 1 - Thursday, February 6</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-label">
<b>Opening Film</b></div>
<div class="festival-title">
The Grand Budapest Hotel</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by <b>Wes Anderson</b></div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-us"></i>USA, <i class="flag-de"></i>Germany</div>
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<div class="festival-notes">
<b>Quotes from the press conference:</b><br />
<br />
<blockquote>
"Well the romance is gone..."<small>Bill Murray <cite>joking about his long working relationship with Wes Anderson.</cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"It's such a precious place for me. I came here with the first film I ever made. It's like my battery charger, cinematically."<small>Tilda Swinton <cite>on what the Berlinale means to her.</cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"This character is quite grand and theatrical and has to recite poetry, paragraphs of text. Raplh is the person I thought will make this a real man."<small>Wes Anderson <cite>on the the casting of Ralph Fiennes</cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"There are some things that I steal on purpose, and other things that I don't have to make an effort to steal and I think Kubrick falls into that category. I just love the way he worked."<small>Wes Anderson <cite>on the influence of Stanley Kubrick</cite></small></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="festival-review">
<br />
<b>Critical response:</b><br />
<div class="festival-quote-new">
<blockquote>
"This might just be Wes Anderson’s best film; it’s certainly his most thrilling."<small>Nico Hines <cite><a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/06/the-grand-budapest-hotel-review-wes-anderson-s-whimsical-crime-caper.html">(The Daily Beast)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"At once absurd and beautiful, Anderson's world has never been so spectacularly realized."<small>Eric Kohn <cite><a href="http://www.indiewire.com/article/review-wes-andersons-the-grand-budapest-hotel-is-a-delightful-action-comedy-as-only-he-could-make-it">(Indiewire)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The film’s shaggy-dog, sort-of-whodunit yarn offers laughs and energy that make this Anderson’s most fun film since ‘Rushmore’."<small>Dave Calhoun <cite><a href="http://www.timeout.com/london/film/the-grand-budapest-hotel">(Time Out London)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"A vibrant and imaginative evocation of a bygone era, with a brilliant lead performance from Ralph Fiennes that lends Anderson’s latest exercise in artifice a genuine soul."<small>Justin Chang <cite><a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/berlin-film-review-the-grand-budapest-hotel-1201088058/">(Variety)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"In relocating his fixed sensibility to an obsolete European neverwhere, and making the eponymous institution as storied and tragic a subject as any of its residents, Anderson has hit on the ideal narrative context for his restless romanticism and production design fetish."<small>Guy Lodge <cite><a href="http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/review-wes-andersons-delightful-grand-budapest-hotel-never-outstays-its-welcome">(In Contention)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Led by the impeccable, flamboyant and sometimes profane Fiennes, the cast goes calculatedly over the top with aplomb."<small>Todd McCarthy <cite><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie/grand-budapest-hotel/review/677467">(The Hollywood Reporter)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"As off-kilter affecting as we found its nostalgia for a world of charm and dash that really only ever existed in the movies, and as terrific as almost all of the performances are, as a whole package it fell just slightly short of the promise of its parts."<small>Jessica Kiang <cite><a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/berlin-review-wes-andersons-the-grand-budapest-hotel-20140206">(The Playlist)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Subtle pangs of melancholy — that Anderson staple — permeate every immaculate frame, even as the film's plot barrels along at more of a sprint pace than usual."<small>David Jenkins <cite><a href="http://www.littlewhitelies.co.uk/theatrical-reviews/first-look-the-grand-budapest-hotel-25840">(Little White Lies)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"A warmly whimsical and deftly magical tale of love, robbery, murder and comedy mishaps all set against the fantastical backdrop of an imaginary central European region, Wes Anderson’s beautiful and thoroughly enjoyable The Grand Budapest Hotel sees the director deliver his best film."<small>Mark Adams <cite><a href="http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/the-grand-budapest-hotel/5066291.article">(Screen Daily)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The most intensely pleasurable curtain-raiser in recent history, if not ever."<small>Tim Robey <cite><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/10621457/The-Grand-Budapest-Hotel-Berlin-Film-Festival-review.html">(The Telegraph)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"It's lush and gorgeous and colorful and twee and utterly obviously fake."<small>Anne Thompson <cite><a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/review-wes-andersons-grand-budapest-hotel-is-delightful-delicious-and-delovely">(Thompson on Hollywood)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Compared to 2012′s heartfelt Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel is a lark, but what an elaborately entertaining lark it is."<small>David Hudson <cite><a href="http://www.fandor.com/keyframe/daily-berlinale-2014-diary-1">(The Keyframe)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"At the end of the day it’s really pretty simple: either you want to see a movie in which a bearded Jeff Goldblum plays a character named Deputy Vilmos Kovacs, or you don’t. But trust me, you do. You really do."<small>David Ehrlich <cite><a href="http://badassdigest.com/2014/02/06/the-grand-budapest-hotel-review/">(Badass Digest)</a></cite></small></blockquote>
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Screening tomorrow at the Berlinale (Friday, February 7):<br />
<ul>
<li><b>'71 </b> by Yann Demange (In Competition)</li>
<li><b>Jack</b> by Edward Berger (In Competition)</li>
<li><b>Two Men in Town</b> by Rachid Bouchareb (In Competition)</li>
<li><b>Snowpiercer</b> by Bong Joon-ho (Forum)</li>
</ul>
The <b>2014 Berlin International Film Festival</b> runs from February 6-16, be sure to return for our daily coverage!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597866901901238462noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556159764413551252.post-66364586915260730482013-11-04T00:00:00.000-08:002013-11-04T00:00:01.193-08:00Ilo Ilo (2013)
<div class="hreview">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5WHaiStja-5pAgLk1HfnNACq5oFXmOpN1RUtxoadKqx1Vj3ErU1sNzsz61IhZBlFOV3wOVu2Znao1N-TEmdvI99_DYwuRYGjJSWfhs_QSU8BpB4PdfION-6vtQnqQMsIvxH_dGiEwGLI/s1600/iloilo-2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" class="BTposter"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5WHaiStja-5pAgLk1HfnNACq5oFXmOpN1RUtxoadKqx1Vj3ErU1sNzsz61IhZBlFOV3wOVu2Znao1N-TEmdvI99_DYwuRYGjJSWfhs_QSU8BpB4PdfION-6vtQnqQMsIvxH_dGiEwGLI/s640/iloilo-2013.jpg" width="448" title="Ilo Ilo • 爸妈不在家 (2013)" alt="Ilo Ilo • 爸妈不在家 (2013)" /></a></div>
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<div class="poster-title">
<span class="item"><span class="fn">Ilo Ilo • 爸妈不在家 (2013)</span></span></div>
<div class="review-info">
<div class="review-genre">
<b>Genre:</b> Drama</div>
<div class="review-director">
<b>Director:</b> Anthony Chen</div>
<div class="review-starring">
<b>Starring:</b> Chen Tianwen, Yeo Yann Yann, Koh Jia Ler, Angeli Bayani</div>
<div class="review-language">
<b>Language:</b> Mandarin, English, Tagalog</div>
<div class="review-duration">
<b>Duration:</b> 99 min.</div>
<div class="review-rating rating">
<b>Rating:</b> <span class="rating-box"><span class="value">7.6</span></span><span class="best"><span class="value-title" title="10"> </span></span></div>
<div class="review-summary">
<b>Summary:</b></div>
<div class="summary">
Chronicles the relationship between a family of three and their newly arrived Filipino maid, who has come to Singapore in search of a better life.</div>
</div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2901736/reference"><img alt="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2901736/reference" class="nofx" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivvp5R6Yce5a_L4VSZgDWL7g-fjqvKXXo1YRfXy3ysvPubnJDlkwSSgX-6uXXDcDQEQZh0j9fSeoAdPsjIO71OtC1ky_W4iIlaGxo8Eq_iUYGIE0I5vHnEszC0cVV0eRa-KtrRJ2ZF0_Vc/s90/imdb-new.png" /></a></div>
<div class="review-description description">
<b><i>Ilo Ilo </i></b>is the debut feature film by writer director <b>Anthony Chen</b>. It premiered in the Directors' Fortnight section of the <a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2013/05/2013-cannes-film-festival-award-winners.html">2013 Cannes Film Festival</a> where it won the Camera d'Or (Best First Film). It is the Singaporean entry to the <a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2013/09/86th-academy-awards-2014-foreign-film.html">2014 Academy Awards</a> for Best Foreign Language Film.<br />
<br />
Set in 1997 Singapore, and centered on a working class family and their newly hired Filipino nanny, the film explores the tensions and bonds that develop as they feel the crunch of the Asian financial crisis. Chen's simple story follows a conventional narrative, but the whole package comes together remarkably to provide a genuinely heartfelt and tender tale.<br />
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<br />
The performances are impressive all around. Young <b>Koh Jia Ler</b> as 10-year-old Jiale, nails the role of an attention seeking child who acts out insufferably as his world drastically changes with the arrival of nanny Terry (<b>Angeli Bayani</b>) and also a new sibling on its way. Despite his wild and bratty behavior, underneath lies a good kid that one can easily relate with. <b>Jian Wen Chen</b> and <b>Yann Yann Yeo</b>, are perfect as working parents Teck and Hwee Leng who try their hardest to keep it together in dire financial circumstances.<br />
<br />
While Bayani completes the cast, as a strong dignified woman who delicately handles each and every interaction no matter how hostile in order to earn her welcome. There is great chemistry between Terry and Jiale who transition from adversaries to friends in an always believable and natural manner.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Tying it all together is the keen observational eye and subtle direction from Chen which immerses us in a realistic and intimate portrait full of emotion. You get the strong sense that every set detail is recollected from his own childhood memories. He also maintains a wonderful sense of humor, one particular recurring joke involving baby chicks is superbly handled.<br />
<br />
All in all a noteworthy debut. Thoroughly moving yet always restrained enough that the nostalgia isn't over sentimental, and the feelings are never too bitter nor too sweet. The well deserved awards and accolades should ensure that Chen gets further opportunities to use his talents. I look forward to them.</div>
<div class="review-signature">
— <span class="reviewer">Bonjour Tristesse</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597866901901238462noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556159764413551252.post-34278681135878273272013-10-17T00:00:00.000-07:002013-10-17T00:00:03.857-07:002013 Vancouver International Film Festival - Final Report<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdbCcTZ0KugwPxu7Qt5U4Ell8h2cZko33dEA3Qrf6rNEf_SWwaJ63dJuq0BrEOLDbLzKQiZzXgikdHGEPcrG4xJFR7Qy17PG9oevWJ1MZjEkwKQhi7LqM1T8yv3435FpJY1u3d6xH6LA/s568/VIFF-WebsiteImage_600CS5.jpg" /></div>
A few notes on my VIFF 2013 experience:<br />
<ul>
<li>This year I was able to attend <b>69</b> features during the 16 days of the festival, 5 more than last. </li>
<li>The slate of 2013 films was not as strong compared to 2012, but the overall festival experience this year was more enjoyable.</li>
<li>A most welcome change was the elimination of the early morning passholder lineup. In previous years passholders were required to queue up early every morning to reserve a ticket for each show they wanted to see that day. This year, you just joined a designated line outside the venue before showtime. This made it possible for me to sleep in most days. </li>
<li>Aside from a persistent issue with the handheld barcode ticket scanners (it would often take several attempts to get scanned in), I was impressed by the overall smooth handling of lineups and theatre loading.</li>
<li>Respect to all the staff and volunteers, even with some unusually short turnaround times, there were only a couple of instances where the following show started late. </li>
<li>Although the venues were more spread out than in the past, scheduling was usually friendly enough for you to get from one place to the next on time. </li>
</ul>
Speaking of venues, a few words on the new additions and replacements at VIFF for 2013:<br />
<br />
Most impressive was the huge 50 foot screen at the 1,800 seat, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshe_Safdie">Moshe Safdie</a> designed, <i><b>The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts</b>. </i>Last year it was used only once, during the closing gala screening of <a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2012/10/holy-motors-2012.html"><i><b>Holy Motors</b></i></a> (I did not attend), but this time around, it was host to over 40 films. I had some doubts about the quality of presentation on a temporary screen in a venue of this size, but they've done a fantastic job with the setup here. A nice bonus was the no food or drink policy, it helped to keep the distracting crowd noises to a minimum. I hope VIFF is able to secure this location again for 2014.<br />
<br />
Another temporary screen was installed at<b> <i>The Vancouver Playhouse</i></b>, a 668 seater normally used for live theatre and other performance arts. This venue had the best sight-lines overall. The stadium style curved seating, and the unique placement of the screen due to the size and shape of the permanent stage, meant that even the very first row provided an excellent vantage point. The only drawback were the acoustics of the building. Since it was designed to carry unamplified voices to the rear of the house, sounds reverberate and echo more noticeably in here than in a traditional cinema.<br />
<br />
The newest venue was at the <b><i>SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts</i></b>. A 350 seat lecture hall opened in the fall of 2010, and upgraded for VIFF with a digital projector and sound system. The screen and sound here were excellent, but there's room for improvement in the projection booth. I noticed on multiple occasions, problems with the sound feed, wrong aspect ratio, incorrect cropping, and sometimes the house lights were left on well after the film had started. Those are minor wrinkles that will no doubt be smoothed over with experience. Not much can be done about the uncomfortable seats however.<br />
<br />
For ten days, shows were also held at 3 of the 12 screens at the <b><i>Cineplex Odeon International Village</i></b>. It's one of only two remaining multiplexes in the city centre, and a long time favorite of mine. Sure, it's located at the edge of one of the shadiest looking neighborhoods you will ever encounter, but it was the first with reclining seats, and has a history of offering first-run festival style films throughout the year. In a perfect world, VIFF would have the funding for 6 screens here for the entire duration.<br />
<br />
The last, new to VIFF venue, is <b><i>The Rio</i></b>. A 420 seat, single screen venue originally built in 1938. It's a little out of the way compared to the others, requiring a vehicle or transit to get there, but its a cool and comfortable place. Renovated not long ago, with nice plush seats, adjustable armrests, and a concession licensed to serve alcohol, this was the perfect home for VIFF's new midnight movie series, <i>Altered States</i>. Hopefully, for many years to come.<br />
<ul>
</ul>
<br />
Finally, here's my top 20 list of films seen at VIFF 2013. In brackets is the festival where they premiered. Check back for full reviews for all of these in the coming weeks:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><b>Stray Dogs</b> (Venice)</li>
<li><b>The Great Beauty</b> (Cannes) </li>
<li><b>Harmony Lessons</b> (Berlin)</li>
<li><b>In Bloom </b>(Berlin)</li>
<li><b>The Past</b> (Cannes)</li>
<li><b>Blue is the Warmest Colour</b> (Cannes)</li>
<li><b>The Great Passage </b>(Hong Kong)</li>
<li><b>Borgman </b>(Cannes) </li>
<li><b>Gloria</b> (Berlin)</li>
<li><b>Like Father, Like Son </b>(Cannes) </li>
<li><b>The Future</b> (Sundance) </li>
<li><b>Breach in the Silence </b>(Cairo)</li>
<li><b>The Strange Little Cat</b> (Berlin)</li>
<li><b>The Oxbow Cure </b>(Sarasota)</li>
<li><b>Manakamana</b> (Locarno)</li>
<li><b>Vic + Flo Saw a Bear </b>(Berlin)</li>
<li><b>Burning Bush</b> (Czech HBO)</li>
<li><b>Camille Claudel 1915</b> (Berlin)</li>
<li><b>The Broken Circle Breakdown </b>(Berlin)</li>
<li><b>Ilo Ilo</b> (Cannes) </li>
</ol>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597866901901238462noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556159764413551252.post-40219155761853296122013-10-14T00:00:00.000-07:002013-10-14T00:00:04.925-07:00#VIFF2013 Days 14-16 Diary<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
The Strange Little Cat (Das merkwürdige Kätzchen)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Ramon Zürcher</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-de"></i>Germany</div>
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<div class="festival-description">
A pleasantly surprising little film following an ordinary day with an ordinary German family. Rookie director Ramon Zürcher (a student of Bela Tarr) has a real talent for subtly humorous observations, unique camera placement, and complex choreography in confined spaces. Especially the kitchen where most of the film takes place, the main stage where the family must constantly interact with, navigate around, and seek refuge from each other while performing their daily tasks.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
Camille Claudel 1915</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Bruno Dumont</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-fr"></i>France</div>
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<div class="festival-description">
This is a film of firsts for Bruno Dumont, it's his first time working with a bona fide star in Juliette Binoche (he is known for preferring non-professional actors) and his first historical film (all his others are contemporary). An unique biopic that eschews the norm and focuses only upon a brief moment in the life of sculptor Camille Claudel. It falters in the second half when the focus sidetracks to follow her brother Paul (Jean-Luc Vincent), but needless to say Binoche delivers a tremendously moving performance as a tortured genius committed to a psychiatric hospital against her will by her family.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
The Broken Circle Breakdown</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Felix Van Groeningen</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-be"></i>Belgium</div>
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<div class="festival-description">
Belgium's submission to the 2014 Academy Awards. A compelling chronicle of a relationship through all its soaring highs and tragic lows. Driven by a pair of raw and heartfelt performances from the leads, and a brilliant bluegrass soundtrack, the film follows a non-linear path that takes us on a roller coaster ride of emotions. It loses its way towards the end when things take a heavy-handed political turn, but the rest make it well worthwhile.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
Blind Detective</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Johnnie To</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-hk"></i>Hong Kong</div>
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<div class="festival-description">
A playful, genre-jumping film that goes all over the map from police procedural, to dark thriller, to tender romance, to silly cartoon comedy, sometimes all in the same sequence. Definitely not one of Johnnie To's best, but worth seeing for the entertaining physical performances from Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng who make it look like they are having the time of their lives playing their characters here.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
Antisocial</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Cody Calahan</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-ca"></i>Canada</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="festival-description">
An interesting take on the crowded zombie/infected genre that uses social media as the source and means of spreading the deadly virus. Unfortunately it follows a well worn path with stock young-adult characters and all the same old moral dilemmas and obvious melodrama we've seen so many times before. It also fails to provide the audience with the good stuff by always cutting away from or obscuring the action.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
A Story of Children and Film</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Mark Cousins</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-gb"></i>United Kingdom</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip1JcuziqA8ngbZhlNhlXCXyUdUQ-vsLKmuqj0tH9EanDvIKm7yNou8iQ82fFgopsBuRvwxtL-gqN5I_eQUTW1WIRHS-tbxqJ6zHyzzgomlW4t8IosPs4NzQLWh6dSR6rci8AdNoVrsZU/s568/StoryOfChildrenAndFilmA.jpg" /> </div>
<div class="festival-description">
Building off the style seen in his epic 15 hour masterclass <i>The Story of Film: An Odyssey</i>, this is a very well researched and uniquely presented documentary about young children in cinema. Though this is less of a film history lesson and more of a personal musing about the similarities and common traits of children everywhere, using examples in film (from the well-known to the obscure) to make the connections. Some of his comparisons and assertions are sketchy at best, but his friendly voice and accessible presentation make it a joy to watch.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
So Much Water (Tanta Agua)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Ana Guevara & Leticia Jorge</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-uy"></i>Uruguay</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="festival-description">
The first feature length film from Guevara and Jorge, is a simple film that follows a divorced father and his two children on a heavily rain soaked vacation. What seems at first to be a bleak and depressing drama turns into a wonderful family portrait and coming of age tale full of clever observations and ironies. Always subtle and cautiously paced, details are revealed with careful framing of small actions and quick glances.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
The Future (Il Futuro)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Alicia Scherson</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-it"></i>Italy, <i class="flag-cl"></i>Chile</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="festival-description">
The one and only film I saw in the festival that was projected on traditional 35mm film. There's something magical about seeing the imperfect flutter and flicker accompanied by the appearance of dust and scratches on the big screen that can sometimes actually improve the viewing experience. That was the case with this film, one containing many references to the past of cinema. A stylishly directed, slightly surreal story of two teenagers who suddenly become orphans in Rome and must learn to look after each other.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
Young & Beautiful (Jeune & jolie)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by François Ozon</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-fr"></i>France</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="festival-description">
There have been a number of French films about student prostitution in recent years: <i>Student Services (2010)</i>, <i>Léa (2011)</i>, <i>Elles (2011)</i>, to name a few, and this one doesn't say anything particularly new or provide any meaningful insight. However, it is a polished production as you would expect from François Ozon, who displays a strong sense of color and style to match the film's progression through the four seasons. Along with a strong central performance from Marine Vacth, who remains an enigma to the audience while effortlessly playing her double role.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
When Evening Falls on Bucharest or Metabolism (Când se lasa seara peste Bucuresti sau metabolism)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Corneliu Porumboiu</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-ro"></i>Romania</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img class="festival-still" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4u9sNeOtzsfyOa-p12c0UtOqf2JMbTDRKpY3ceI6OBEce8ULyMf4ShKZJoIn6XQyfxTGflfG1N29gcZfuVSdsfAuNzjROThbz42CJkTv19_LNDB9OlMmr7WwjDJnNQnEGM5sQvD3cQYs/s568/WhenEveningFallsOnBucharest.jpg" /> </div>
<div class="festival-description">
The minimalist Romanian director's third feature film. True to his style, it's one of long unbroken takes (I counted only 16 cuts) and insightful dialogue, with little regard for a traditional story. The simple scenario follows a director and his lead actress behind the scenes as they have a fling while working on a film. It doesn't take long for it to become clear that Porumboiu is using their mundane conversations to provide a clever self referential commentary track. Several scenes here seem directly inspired by the trademark restaurant table sequences of Hong Sang-soo.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
Wadjda</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-sa"></i>Saudi Arabia</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="festival-description">
The Saudi Arabian contender to the 2014 Academy Awards. The story surrounding the first ever film shot in Saudi Arabia, and even more significantly, by a female director with permission from the government, is more significant than the story in the film itself. With a narrative that ultimately plays it safe rather than subversive. However, the result is still a rather charming tale with an adorable performance from young Waad Mohammed, who represents a rebellious and mischievous but good-hearted symbol that everyone can root for. It stands a very good chance for a nomination.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
The Great Beauty (La grande bellezza)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Paolo Sorrentino
</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-it"></i>Italy</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="festival-description">
Italy's submission to the 2014 Oscars. A visually intoxicating experience with what is arguably one of the greatest openings in all of cinema. Sorrentino expands on the ideas of Fellini to present us with a dolly and crane shot filled extravaganza through modern day Rome, with frequent collaborator, the ever charismatic Toni Servillo, as our guide through a city of culture and rich history with no shortage of empty lives celebrating in wild debauchery and decadence. It remains to be seen whether or not The Great Beauty will hold up as a masterpiece, but it makes as strong a case as anything I've seen so far this year.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
Karaoke Girl (Sao Karaoke)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Visra Vichit-Vadakan</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-th"></i>Thailand</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="festival-description">
A directorial debut, hybrid docu-drama portrait of a country girl who works as a 'hostess' in a karaoke bar in Bangkok. A slow, moody and impressively lensed character study that never gets exploitative or lurid, but lacks acting talent to make a convincing drama, and is too visually cinematic to work as a documentary.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
Michael Kohlhaas</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Arnaud des Pallières</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-fr"></i>France</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="festival-description">
Based loosely on the novella by Heinrich von Kleist, set in the Middle Ages and starring Mads Mikkelsen as a horse trader who stages a violent revolt for personal justice after he is wronged by the courts and nobility. A raw and gritty depiction of the 16th century which has moments of action and violence but is more of a character study than a heroic epic. Young Mélusine Mayance adds a glowing presence, with the perfect look of an impossible innocent beauty in an ugly world.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
Wolf Children</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Mamoru Hosoda
</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-jp"></i>Japan</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="festival-description">
A bittersweet, often humorous tale about a young single mother raising two lycanthrope children on her own. Has more than enough cuteness for kids but a thoughtful allegorical story meant for adults. Not a groundbreaking work, but it looks great on the big screen, and plays well in a packed house.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
Stray Dogs</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Tsai Ming-liang</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-tw"></i>Taiwan</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="festival-description">
Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Venice. An atmospheric and unforgettable film about a homeless family existing on the outskirts of modern day Taipei. Strangely beautiful and hypnotic, filled with lengthy shots of the absurd and the mundane, all perfectly staged and lit to astonish the viewer, while also conveying a deep sense of loneliness, misery, and despair.
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597866901901238462noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556159764413551252.post-43325205719009629352013-10-09T14:30:00.000-07:002013-10-09T15:14:46.440-07:00#VIFF2013 Days 11-13 Diary<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
Gloria</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Sebastian Lelío</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-cl"></i>Chile</div>
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<div class="festival-description">
The Chilean entry to the 2014 Oscars. Paulina García deservedly won best actress at the Berlinale for her courageous performance as a divorced woman navigating through the perils of midlife. It's a crowd pleasing film, receiving the loudest and longest ovation I've heard this year, but one which balances all the drama and emotion in a thoughtful and unforced manner. There's also a wonderful use of music throughout.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
The Lunchbox (Dabba)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Ritesh Batra</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-in"></i>India</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="festival-description">
A sweet and charming little romantic tale from first time director Ritesh Batra set amongst the nonstop hustle and bustle of modern day Mumbai. Greatly enjoyable for the simple way that the story develops and then unfolds with humor and emotion without resorting to melodrama. A word of advice, do not watch this film with an empty stomach.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
Tracks</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by John Curran</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-au"></i>Australia</div>
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<div class="festival-description">
The true story of Robyn Davidson's 2700km solo trek across the Australian desert. Beautifully shot, as you would expect a film set in the outback to be. It also further cements Mia Wasikowska as one of the true talents of her generation. Though it never quite manages to convey the degree of physical challenge and danger she faced on her walk. You get the impression that dealing with people was more difficult than dealing with nature. Perhaps that was the point.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
Gabrielle</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Louise Archambault</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-ca"></i>Canada</div>
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<div class="festival-description">
Canada's submission to the 2014 Academy Awards, winner of the Audience Award at Locarno. The coming of age story of a young woman with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams_syndrome">Williams Syndrome</a>. A feel-good drama with documentary aspects (most of the cast including lead Gabrielle Marion-Rivard are non-pros playing a version of themselves). Strong use of music, and mostly avoids being too sentimental or sympathy seeking, but still feels a little too politically correct to be true.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
The Venice Syndrome</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Andreas Pichler</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-it"></i>Italy</div>
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<div class="festival-description">
A sobering documentary seen through the eyes of Venice's quickly dwindling remaining residents that strips away all the romance and glamour to show a side of the city that tourists are unaware of. It shows how the natives have been priced out of real estate by investors, and how the once great city is now just a glorified amusement park. Shots of imposing cruise-liners dominating the frame underscore how hundreds of years of history and culture have been completely and irreversibly overshadowed by commerce and tourism.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
Manakamana</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Stephanie Spray & Pacho Velez</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-us"></i>USA, <i class="flag-np">Nepal</i></div>
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<div class="festival-description">
Produced by Lucien Castiang-Taylor and Véréna Paravel, the duo responsible for <a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2012/11/leviathan-2012.html">Leviathan</a>. Like that film, this is another unique and challenging experimental documentary that caused the most walkouts of the festival. The entire film consists of real-time still camera shots inside a cable car carrying passengers (who seem unaware they are being filmed) up and down the mountainous location of Nepal's Manakamana Temple. Depending on the viewer this will either be infinitely fascinating or hopelessly boring.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
Hotell</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Lisa Langseth</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-se"></i>Sweden</div>
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<div class="festival-description">
Soon to be household name Alicia Vikander displays incredible range in this drama about a group of strangers who take an unconventional approach to dealing with their individual traumas, running from their troubled lives by checking into different hotels and pretending they are someone else. It's very funny at times and tragically sad at others, but even an amazing lead performance can't overcome what you know deep down is a ridiculous and unbelievable story.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
XL</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Marteinn Thórsson</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-is"></i>Iceland</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="festival-description">
Winner of best actor at Karlovy Vary. A dark dark comedy with intense and frantic visuals made to match the perpetual inebriation and crazed raw debauchery engaged by the thoroughly unlikable yet amusingly watchable protagonist. Ólafur Darri Ólafsson fills the role perfectly, but whatever political message the director intended is lost in all the drunken chaos and confusion.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
The Oxbow Cure</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Yonah Lewis & Calvin Thomas
</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-ca"></i>Canada</div>
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<div class="festival-description">
A quietly simple yet utterly entrancing story of a woman who retreats to a winter cottage to deal with a debilitating illness in isolation. Slow paced, minimal and almost entirely dialogue free, with evocative visuals that recall the style of <a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2010/12/lake-2008.html"><b>Phillippe Grandrieux<i></i></b></a> with just a touch of early Cronenberg, this is wonderfully mesmerizing cinema. The first independent film from English Canada I've been impressed with in a long while.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
Vojta Lavička: Ups and Downs</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Helena Třeštíková</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-cz"></i>Czech Republic</div>
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<div class="festival-description">
Directed by Helena Třeštíková, who is known in her home country for documentaries that follow their subjects over several years. This one recounts the past 16 years in the life of Romany musician and television host Vojta Lavička. It's an interesting approach, but its presented entirely from the words and perspective of Lavička who has the vibe of a good storyteller, one who may or may not be telling the truth at any given time. The many musical interludes are what make this worth seeing, especially touching are moments of him playing the violin with his young son.
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597866901901238462noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556159764413551252.post-34179247777627502222013-10-07T14:00:00.000-07:002013-10-07T13:59:00.766-07:00#VIFF2013 Days 8-10 Diary<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
A Place in Heaven</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Joseph Madmony</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-il"></i>Israel</div>
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<div class="festival-description">
Another Israeli drama that delves into the rocky relationship between a father and son. It spans several decades and does well to capture the important moments, but can't quite escape the trap of films of this nature, that too much is being left out.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
Youth</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Tom Shoval</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-il"></i>Israel</div>
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<div class="festival-description">
A story of two teenage brothers (played impressively by non-professional real life siblings Eitan and David Cunio) who concoct a half baked plan to kidnap a rich schoolgirl for ransom to save their family from economic troubles. Serves as an amusing and sobering look at modern Israeli life.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
A Touch of Sin</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Jia Zhangke</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-cn"></i>China</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="festival-description">
Winner of Best Screenplay at Cannes. A set of four very loosely connected scenarios ripped from recent headline news stories in China. Overall this a captivating depiction of the plight of the everyday citizen. It's also beautifully shot, in a variety of locations around the country. Unfortunately it starts with the most interesting protagonist and segment, and the rest never quite match the level of intensity of the first.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
La jaula de oro</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Diego Quemada-Díez</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-mx"></i>Mexico</div>
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<div class="festival-description">
Winner of the A Certain Talent Prize at Cannes for the non-professional ensemble cast. Tells the familiar tale of a small group of youths making their way north to the USA in hopes of a better life. So not the most original story, but an involving and realistic one aided by the grainy film and non-professional cast which gives it a documentary feel.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
Distant</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Yang Zhengfan</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-cn"></i>China</div>
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<div class="festival-description">
Very similar in style and execution to Benedek Fliegauf's <i><a href="http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/2011/09/milky-way-2007.html">Milky Way (2007)</a></i>, this is an experimental film comprised entirely of a series of voyeuristic long static shots seen from a remote vantage point with no dialogue or music. The framing and sequencing give an extraordinary meditative effect, and the spontaneity of the onscreen action enables the viewer to craft their own stories from all the details.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
Breach in the Silence (Brecha en el silencio)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Andrés & Luis Rodriguez</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-ve"></i>Venezuela</div>
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<div class="festival-description">
Venezuela's entry to the 2014 Oscars. The most visually arresting film I've seen at the festival so far. Former social workers and long time documentary filmmakers Andrés & Luis Rodriguez, have created a dark modern fairy tale that because of the subject matter becomes very frustrating to watch, but highly recommended for remarkable acting from first timer Vanessa Di Quattro, and for the surreal imagery and sound.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
See You Never (Hasta Nunca)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Mark Street</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-uy"></i>Uruguay</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="festival-description">
Part documentary part fiction set in Uruguay's capital city of Montevideo, framed around a radio show where callers dial in to share their secrets and stories. Never succeeds dramatically, and doesn't say anything particularly insightful, but gives a fascinating look at the city from a tourist or outsiders point of view. Highly recommended for those who love to people-watch.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
Longing for the Rain</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Lina Yang</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-cn"></i>China</div>
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<div class="festival-description">
The story of a 30-year-old rich housewife who starts to get erotic visits from a ghost lover in her dreams. Sounds ridiculous, and it is for the most part, especially in the way the story plays out with its focus on various religious superstitions. However it's well acted, visually stylish, and it's a non exploitative and unique exploration of sexuality (the first I've ever seen) told from a Chinese woman's perspective.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
Borgman</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Alex van Warmerdam</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-nl"></i>Netherlands</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="festival-description">
A hugely enjoyable dark comedy that plays like a twisted Dutch version of Down in Out in Beverly Hills. Its strange and illogical narrative falters under close scrutiny, but the firm handed direction and the ominous mood created make up for any plot holes that may exist. Jan Bijvoet plays the title character with irresistible charisma.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
Like Father Like Son</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Hirokazu Koreeda</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-jp"></i>Japan</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="festival-description">
Winner of the Jury Prize at Cannes. Koreeda in his usual fashion, handles the story with a light and carefully paced direction. He's able to wring profound amounts of emotion from the tiniest of scenes or gestures, and his ability to direct young children is matched by no other. Though the outcome of this story seems a bit obvious and inevitable from the start.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
Anatomy of a Paperclip</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Ikeda Akira</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-jp"></i>Japan</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="festival-description">
Winner of the 2013 VIFF Dragons and Tigers Award. A very odd and highly repetitive surrealistic tale set in a handmade paperclip factory. Very funny in moments but definitely requires a patient and open minded viewer to handle its strange rhythms. There were plenty of walkouts at the encore screening.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
Code Black</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Ryan McGarry</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-us"></i>USA</div>
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<div class="festival-description">
Winner of Best Documentary at the Los Angeles Film Festival. Gives an unflinching first hand look inside LA County Hospital's emergency room. Works best when depicting the chaos and camaraderie that exists in one of the world's busiest hospitals, less so when it turns to politics, health care reform, and the bureaucracy.
</div>
</div>
<div class="festival-item">
<div class="festival-title">
Vic + Flo Saw a Bear (Vic+Flo ont vu un ours)</div>
<div class="festival-director">
directed by Denis Côté</div>
<div class="festival-country">
<i class="flag-ca"></i>Canada</div>
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Winner of the Alfred Bauer Award for innovation at Berlin 2013. Côté has definitely raised the creative bar with this unique film that can't really be categorized, and it's best seen without knowing the reasons why it is so original and innovative. Also, Pierrette Robitaille (known mainly in Quebec for appearing in silly comedies) is amazing here in a role that obliterates her typecast.
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Big Bad Wolves</div>
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directed by Aharon Keshales & Navot Papushado</div>
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<i class="flag-il"></i>Israel</div>
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A suspenseful dark thriller about a rogue cop and a vengeful father who get in each others way while tracking down a suspected serial child killer. Feels in a way like the recent hyper violent and morally ambiguous films from South Korea. The screenplay keeps the audience guessing until the end, at the same time prevents things from getting too bleak with some very humorous twists. All three leads are excellent as well in this all around entertaining and thought provoking thrill ride. The only annoyance is the very generic sounding score.
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597866901901238462noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556159764413551252.post-79464872580085148632013-10-04T12:00:00.000-07:002013-10-04T12:00:03.616-07:00#VIFF2013 Day 7 Diary<div class="festival-item">
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Sarah Prefers to Run (Sarah préfère la course)</div>
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directed by Chloé Robichaud</div>
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<i class="flag-ca"></i>Canada</div>
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Another intriguing feature debut from the Cannes Un Certain Regard section. Young actress Sophie Desmarais is entrancing to watch despite the detached and closed off nature of her character. There's a cold aesthetic and quirky feel to the picture that resembles that of recent Greek cinema. However, the direction is perhaps too minimal, Robichaud never truly lets the audience inside Sarah's headspace. It's obvious what drives her, but we barely get a real sense of why.
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Closed Curtain (Pardé)</div>
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directed by Jafar Panahi & Kambuzia Partovi</div>
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<i class="flag-ir"></i>Iran</div>
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Amazingly, this is the second film released by Panahi since receiving a 20 year ban. Like <i>This is Not a Film</i>, this is another self reflexive scenario. The mysterious and suspenseful first half works better than the play on reality/fiction that occurs in the second half. However, Panani creates an effective portrait of a director near the end of his rope. One who would rather drown in the sea, than live in creative silence. This also features the best performance by a dog I've seen since The Artist.</div>
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Grand Central</div>
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directed by Rebecca Zlotowski</div>
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<i class="flag-fr"></i>France</div>
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Zlotowski's second feature film has an incredible cast that once again features the red hot Léa Seydoux, alongside Tahar Rahim, Olivier Gourmet, and Denis Ménochet. It also has a unique setting, taking place in and around a nuclear power plant. Unfortunately the narrative never manages to convey the intensity and excitement needed to convince us of the passion of the affair or the danger of the work.
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In Bloom (Grzeli nateli dgeebi)</div>
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directed by Nana Ekvtimishvili & Simon Groß</div>
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<i class="flag-ge"></i>Georgia</div>
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Georgia's official submission to the 2014 Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film.<br/>
The first effort from Ekvtimishvili and the second for Groß, is a note for note copy straight out of the Romanian New Wave playbook. You know, the now familiar story of two young girls growing up in a difficult and dangerous world. They've even got Cristian Mungiu's regular cinematographer Oleg Mutu on board to recreate that exact same gritty look and feel. Though, even with the plagiarized style and basic scenario, this is a wonderful film that gives us a strong sense of what life was like in early 1990's Georgia. The directorial duo also show great talent for choreographing long chaotic scenes in close quarters, with several of these outstanding sequences peppered throughout. This was easily one of my favorite films of the festival so far.
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Soul</div>
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directed by Chung Mong-Hong</div>
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<i class="flag-tw"></i>Taiwan</div>
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Taiwan's entry to the 2014 Oscars. A strange supernatural psychological thriller set in the remote forested mountains in Taiwan. Far more gruesome and visually stylish than any Taiwanese film in recent memory. Chung creates a genuinely creepy and haunting mood using super saturated colors and heavy contrast of bright lights with dark shadows. It likely has no chance at making the shortlist, but is definitely worth checking out if the description fits your tastes.
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00597866901901238462noreply@blogger.com5