When You're Strange: New Docu About the Doors

March 22, 2010 by

When You're Strange, a Film About the Doors, uncovers historic and previously unseen footage of the illustrious rock quartet and provides new insight into the revolutionary impact of its music and legacy. Directed by award-winning writer/director Tom DiCillo and narrated by Johnny Depp, the film promises to be a riveting account of the band’s history and the first feature docu about them. 
 

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Motherhood–Korean Style

March 9, 2010 by
Bong Joon-ho’s fourth feature, “Mother,” was well received when it world premiered at the Cannes Film Fest in May, though critics were surprised that the picture was placed in the “Certain Regard” series, rather than the more prestigious competition, where South Korea was represented with a lesser effort, the socially-conscious vampire tale, “Thirst.”
 
"Mother" has just been selected to represent Korea for the best foreign language film in the next year's Oscar. The film plays at the Toronto and then N.Y. Film Fests.  According to the Korean Film Council, the strength of the story's narrative, its potential for a wide release in the U.S. and the director's reputation were considered as priorities for the final contender. 
 

 

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Oscar 2009: Best Picture Predictions

December 24, 2009 by

Ten of the these 16 pictures likely will get Best Picture nomination, now that the filed is wider and includes more films. But be prepared for major surprises–it's called the Oscar game.  The fronterunners this year are: Avatar, Up in the Air, and The Hurt Locker.  See the rest of the list.

 

 

 

 

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Police, Adjective: Another Excellent Film from Romania

December 9, 2009 by

With his remarkable second feature, “Police, Adjective,” Romanian director Corneliu Porumboiu joins the ranks of Cristi Puiu (“The Death of Mr. Lazarescu”) and 2007 Palme laureate Cristian Mungiu (“4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days”) of a major and startling talent blessed by a lively, funny and startling way of breathing new life into familiar or received ideas.

His debut, “1208: East of Bucharest” captured the Camera d’Or for best first feature three years ago. The set up of “Police, Adjective” is fairly simple, but Porumboiu elliptically, immersing us in the quotidian action and cumulative details to present a scrupulous, deeply moral vision of the present. In his director’s notes, he states: “I wanted to make a film about language, about its meaning, or better yet, about its lack of meaning.”

 

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Oscar 2009: Better Year for Women than Men?

December 2, 2009 by
Now that the movie year is almost over, we can label 2009 as the year in which "Women Came Back from the Cold." It's hard to recall another year in recent memory in which the mainstream Hollywood (and foreign) cinema has seen so many good, meaty, substantial roles for women, many of which in the lead category. 
 
Moreover, unlike previous years, we may see a more juvenile Best Actress category, in which Meryl Streep, who just turned 60, and Helen Mirren, 64, may be the eldest nominees! If my reading is valid, half of the contenders will be new, fresh faces, that is, first-time nominees. (See list below).

 

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