Film: The Hunter
Showing posts with label Showing: October 2010. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Showing: October 2010. Show all posts
NEWS: Cinema Release: The Hunter
Recently released from prison, Ali makes the most of his return, amidst much talk of the upcoming elections and promises of change. Despite working nights, he tries to spend the most time possible with his beautiful wife and young daughter. To escape the stress of urban living, Ali retreats to his favourite pastime of hunting in the secluded forest north of town.
Tragedy strikes when Ali's wife Sara is accidentally killed in a police shoot-out with demonstrators. After a long and frustrating experience at the police station, Ali's own search for his missing six-6-old daughter ends in horror and pushes him over the edge. In broad daylight, overlooking the busy city’s surrounding highways; Ali randomly shoots and kills two policemen.
After a high-speed car chase outside of town, Ali flees into the northern forest where he is captured by two police officers. Ali is resigned to his fate and watches quietly as the arguing policemen lose their way in the woods. Situations complicate and the line between hunter and hunted becomes difficult to define.
Film: The Hunter
Release date: 29th October 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 92 mins
Director: Rafi Pitts
Starring: Rafi Pitts, Mitra Hajjar, Ali Nicksaulat, Hassan Ghalenoi, Manoochehr Rahimi
Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller
Studio: Artificial Eye
Format: Cinema
Country: Iran/Germany
NEWS: Cinema Release: Involuntary
It’s almost summer in Sweden and minor indiscretions and misbehaviour abound.
Leffe likes to show off for his friends and play salacious pranks, especially when he’s drinking. Meanwhile, a righteous grade-school teacher doesn’t know where to draw the line: she insists her fellow educators need a bit of instruction. Then there are two young teenage girls who like to pose for sexy photos and to party, but one night in a park, a complete stranger finds one of the girls passed out drunk.
A humorous look at lessons to learn, lectures to give and lines not to cross.
Film: Involuntary
Release date: 29th October 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 98 mins
Director: Ruben Östlund
Starring: Villmar Björkman, Linnea Cart-Lamy, Leif Edlund, Sara Eriksson, Lola Ewerlund
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Studio: Trinity
Format: Cinema
Country: Sweden
REVIEW: Cinema Release: Carlos
Film: Carlos
Release date: 22nd October 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 246 mins (338 mins – Trilogy version)
Director: Olivier Assayas
Starring: Juana Acosta, Edgar Ramirez, Alexander Scheer, Alejandro Arroyo, Ahmad Kaabour
Genre: Biography/Crime/Drama/History/Thriller
Studio: Optimum
Format: Cinema
Country: France/Germany
Originally a three-episode television mini-series, Carlos has been cut down to a slightly more digestible running time for its UK cinema release. The production is rather impressive in its scale, traversing two decades and various countries around the world, giving us a glimpse of this Venezuelan terrorist in candid fashion.
The film shows how Carlos rose to prominence in the 1970s in association with the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine. He became a notorious figure in international affairs and a kind of celebrity amongst terrorist groups. His most daring and elaborate of operations was the 1975 raid on the OPEC conference in Austria.
He possessed an attitude of such self-assurance that he acted and made decisions almost independently, causing friction between himself and those who led him.
As time passed in a life without pause, Carlos found it increasingly difficult to carry out his radical agenda with his militant methods, in a world where the political climate was gradually shifting…
At a hefty running length and executed with faultless craft and attention to period detail, Carlos is a film that earns your respect. Unfortunately, it is rather difficult to state whether Assayas’ film really provokes any other thoughts or responses from its audience once the two and a half hours have ceased. To not reach an audience on a level deeper than just distant admiration is regrettable, especially when viewers have followed the film through what has been a considerable journey.
This is not to say that the cinematic journey itself has been unremarkable, because to suggest that would be completely erroneous. Carlos is unquestionably absorbing. One of the key factors that contribute to the film being so engaging is the unflinching directorial style of Assayas. He moves his hand-held camera around with total authority, but without inhibition - giving us an exposing view of the life and actions of this international terrorist.
Some of the most outstanding sequences featured in Carlos are the scenes of violence. Here the director, in conjunction with his cinematographers Denis Lenoir and Yorick Le Saux, depicts several violent events that are astounding in their immediacy and power. What is noticeable in these scenes is the adherence to realism. In using this realism to establish the tone prior to the commencement of the use of physical force, the director only heightens the impact of the brutality on the audience watching. Assayas also demonstrates his technical brilliance elsewhere through his rapid pace of editing, in addition to other post-production techniques, such as the blending of black-and-white news archive footage into the subsequent scene in colour.
If there is any defining sequence or moment in Carlos that the film will most likely be remembered for, it is the siege of the OPEC conference in Vienna, 1975. Carlos’ objective in the operation was to assassinate the Saudi Arabian oil minister, thus removing the obstacle to ensuring elevated oil prices to benefit ally Saddam Hussein. Aside from the frantic pace of the carnage that takes place once Carlos and his team begin their hostile takeover, Assayas also conveys a genuine sense of menace and uncertainty in the process. The uncertainty for Carlos grows as the scene progresses, with his operation failing to run as planned, especially when his crew move the hostages onto the airplane.
The film reaches a peak at this point. There is little subsequently that has the same urgency or sense of purpose as this vibrant cluster of scenes. As the narrative proceeds to take us through the following decades, Carlos struggles to maintain his influence over international affairs, particularly due to the Cold War ending further into the film. While the historical and political backdrop of the film is very interesting, we do not learn much else about Carlos. It is not mandatory that Carlos explore and examine its central character, and weave a character study of the man behind his history. However, if the film elects not to do this then surely it should provide more in the way of drama to distinguish itself. This is particularly noticeable due to the fact that the thriller-esque elements of the film are much less prominent further into the film.
One of the highlights of Assayas’ film is Edgar Ramirez’s performance. A film of this kind needs a solid performance from its leading actor, and Ramirez more than satisfies the brief. His is a magnetic, dominating portrayal, infused with masculinity, dignity and passion.
Whether it is because, as a movie version, too much has been lost from the TV series it derives from, Carlos is not as fulfilling as one would hope. It does nearly everything correctly, but just doesn’t do enough to be truly great. BN
NEWS: One-off Theorem Screening
The Barbican Cinema in London will be screening the 1968 Italian flick Theorem on Saturday, 16th October 2010.
In Theorem, Terence Stamp plays the beautiful young stranger who briefly visits a wealthy Milanese family, seducing each of its shallow members in turn, so that when he leaves they must search for ways to fill the vacuum left by his overpowering spirituality.
Controversial Italian writer, artist and philosopher Pier Paolo Pasolini’s film has inspired Polish director Grzegorz Jarzyna’s production of T. E. O. R. E. M. A. T. showing in the Barbican Theatre.
For more information, click here.
NEWS: Cinema Release: Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow
In 1993, Anselm Kiefer left Buchen, Germany for La Ribaute, a derelict silk factory near Barjac. From 2000 he began constructing a series of elaborate installations there.
Like a strange, sprawling village, La Ribaute extends over 35 hectares and is composed of old industrial buildings and working studios that link to a network of underground tunnels dug out by Kiefer, which run underneath pavilions built to house paintings and installations.
An underground pool at the cul-de-sac of a tubular iron tunnel is embedded within a crypt which backs onto to a 20m tiered concrete amphitheatre. There are caves and woods, an open landscape of concrete towers – assembled like so many card houses – and secluded, private spaces. Traversing this landscape, the film immerses the audience in the total world and creative process of one of today’s most significant and inventive artists.
Shot in cinemascope, the film constructs visual set pieces alongside observational footage to capture both the dramatic resonance of Kiefer's art and the intimate process of creation. This polarity – in terms of scale, sensibility and time – animates the film, creating a multi-layered narrative through which to navigate the complex spaces of La Ribaute. Here creation and destruction are interdependent; the film enters into direct contact with the raw materials Kiefer employs to build his paintings and sculptures - lead, concrete, ash, acid, earth, glass and gold.
Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow gives privileged access to Kiefer’s last days at La Ribotte.
Film: Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow
Release date: 15th October 2010
Certificate: U
Running time: 105 mins
Director: Sophie Fiennes
Starring: Anselm Kiefer, Klaus Dermutz
Genre: Documentary
Studio: Artificial Eye
Format: Cinema
Country: France/Netherlands/UK
NEWS: Cinema Release: Crook - It's Good To Be Bad
Bollywood thriller directed by Mohit Suri.
Shot in Australia, the film is based around the racial attacks on Indian students that took place in Melbourne in 2009.
Emraan Hashmi, Neha Sharma and Arjan Bajwa star.
Film: Crook - It's Good To Be Bad
Release date: 8th October 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: TBC mins
Director: Mohit Suri
Starring: Emraan Hashmi, Neha Sharma, Arjan Bajwa
Genre: Bollywood/Thriller
Studio: Bollywood
Format: Cinema
Country: India
NEWS: Cinema Release: A Town Called Panic
Animated plastic toys like Cowboy, Indian and Horse have problems, too.
Cowboy and Indian's plan to surprise Horse with a homemade birthday gift backfires when they destroy his house instead. Surreal adventures ensue as the trio travel to the centre of the earth, trek across frozen tundra and discover a parallel underwater universe where pointy headed (and dishonest!) creatures live.
With panic a permanent feature of life in this papier mache town, will Horse and his girlfriend ever be alone?
Each speedy character is voiced - and animated - as if their very air contains both amphetamines and laughing gas.
Film: A Town Called Panic
Release date: 8th October 2010
Certificate: PG
Running time: 78 mins
Director: Stephane Aubier & Vincent Patar
Starring: Stephane Aubier, Jeanne Balibar, Nicolas Buysse, Véronique Dumont, Bruce Ellison
Genre: Animation
Studio: Optimum
Format: Cinema
Country: Belgium/Luxembourg/France
NEWS: Unchosen Film Festival
Unchosen is a new film festival, setup to raise awareness of human trafficking through film, which will run in Bristol’s Colston Hall and Bath’s The Forum between 18th October and 16th November 2010.
“Film is pivotal to raising awareness of human trafficking. Watched by thousands, film will have a much greater impact than any white paper read by a few.”
Amongst the films being shown is Paths Of Pain (Portugal), which will be followed by a Q&A with director Rui Simoes. “The Paths of Pain are populated by men and women of all ages, suffering from lack of affection, lack of money, mental problems, alcoholism and drug addiction, or they are simply people who have come to a new country in search of a life that is better.”
For more information on the event, visit the festival’s official website here.
Paths Of Pain
NEWS: Aspects Of Japanese Cinema
For two months, from 19th October to 19th December 2010, Barbican Film presents a programme of Japanese film, which complements Barbican Art Gallery’s Future Beauty: 30 Years Of Japanese Fashion.
The programme includes three Directorspectives, focusing of the work of Japanese film directors from three different eras of cinema, for whom costume and set design formed a critical element of their work – Kenji Mizoguchi, Akira Kurosawa and Takeshi Kitano.
The Mizoguchi Directorspective launches on Sunday, 24th October with a screening of The Water Magician accompanied, for the first time in the UK, by benshi narration and live traditional Japanese musical accompaniment on the koto. The screening will be introduced by Japanese film expert Tony Rayns.
The season also features GirlsWorld, a series of contemporary Japanese films focusing on women, including a Cosplay special event on Saturday, 6th November, and a schlockfest double bill for Halloween, as well as two Japanimation screenings.
Amongst the screenings to look out for are: Nana (21st October), “a delightful coming-of-age tale of friendship set amidst Tokyo’s rock music scene;” Lala Pipo (4th November), “a vibrant, candy-coloured romp through the gutters of Tokyo’s sex industry;” Sakuran (14th November), “a lavish period drama brimming with costume eye-candy;” Hana-Bi (14th November), winner of 21 international awards and the first Japanese film to win the Golden Lion at Venice since Kurosawa’s Rashomon; Dolls (15th November), “highly stylised, with gorgeous costumes from Yohji Yamamoto and richly saturated colour as the film moves through the four seasons;” and Seven Samurai, “Kurosawa's epic is a cornerstone of world cinema, which again brought Japanese cinema to amazed audiences in the West with its dazzling photography and unforgettable images.”
For more information on the Aspects of Japaense Cinema season, visit the official website here.
The Water Magician
Dolls
The programme includes three Directorspectives, focusing of the work of Japanese film directors from three different eras of cinema, for whom costume and set design formed a critical element of their work – Kenji Mizoguchi, Akira Kurosawa and Takeshi Kitano.
The Mizoguchi Directorspective launches on Sunday, 24th October with a screening of The Water Magician accompanied, for the first time in the UK, by benshi narration and live traditional Japanese musical accompaniment on the koto. The screening will be introduced by Japanese film expert Tony Rayns.
The season also features GirlsWorld, a series of contemporary Japanese films focusing on women, including a Cosplay special event on Saturday, 6th November, and a schlockfest double bill for Halloween, as well as two Japanimation screenings.
Amongst the screenings to look out for are: Nana (21st October), “a delightful coming-of-age tale of friendship set amidst Tokyo’s rock music scene;” Lala Pipo (4th November), “a vibrant, candy-coloured romp through the gutters of Tokyo’s sex industry;” Sakuran (14th November), “a lavish period drama brimming with costume eye-candy;” Hana-Bi (14th November), winner of 21 international awards and the first Japanese film to win the Golden Lion at Venice since Kurosawa’s Rashomon; Dolls (15th November), “highly stylised, with gorgeous costumes from Yohji Yamamoto and richly saturated colour as the film moves through the four seasons;” and Seven Samurai, “Kurosawa's epic is a cornerstone of world cinema, which again brought Japanese cinema to amazed audiences in the West with its dazzling photography and unforgettable images.”
For more information on the Aspects of Japaense Cinema season, visit the official website here.
The Water Magician
Dolls
NEWS: Cinema Release: Police, Adjective
Corneliu Porumboiu writes and directs this Romanian drama.
On orders from his superiors, police officer Cristi (Dragos Bucur) is asked to investigate the case of a teenage boy, Alex (Alexandru Sabadac), who has been caught in possession of the recreational drug cannabis.
Realising that Alex is just a kid who occasionally smokes pot with his friends and is hardly a threat to society, Cristi starts to question the ethical ramifications of his task, and avoids taking the case further, knowing that conviction would lead to a prison term of up to seven years.
Film: Police, Adjective
Release date: 1st October 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 113 mins
Director: Corneliu Porumboiu
Starring: Dragos Bucur, Vlad Ivanov, Irina Saulescu, Ion Stoica, Marian Ghenea
Genre: Crime/Drama
Studio: Artificial Eye
Format: Cinema
Country: Romania
NEWS: Cinema Release: Little Big Soldier
Set in the war period in China between 476 BC – 221 BC, Little Big Soldier tells the story of a soldier (Jackie Chan) and a general (Wang Leehom) from opposing states (Liang and Wei), who have very much opposing views on the war and world.
Jackie Chan - in one of his finest performances - plays the soldier from Liang, who survives the war which had left most men killed, by playing dead until the war was over. Lee Hom Wang, who plays the general from Wei, survives the war, but would rather be dead after the bloodshed.
A painful yet comical journey commences when the soldier decides to abduct the downtrodden general and bring him back to his state in the high hopes of collecting a reward. Taking the general home was not as easy as expected, however, as the general attempts suicide many a time, but the soldier insists on saving him for his huge reward - even if that means endangering his own life.
Film: Little Big Soldier
Release date: 1st October 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 96 mins
Director: Sheng Ding
Starring: Jackie Chan, Wang Lee-hom, Yoo Seung-yun, Lin Peng, Xiao Dong Mei
Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy
Studio: Cine Asia
Format: Cinema
Country: China/Hong Kong
NEWS: Cinema Release: Bella
An international football star (Eduardo Verastegui) is on his way to sign a multi-million dollar contract when a series of events unfold that brings his career to an abrupt end. A beautiful waitress (Tammy Blanchard), struggling to make it in New York City, discovers something about herself that she’s unprepared for. In one irreversible moment, their lives are turned upside down…until a simple gesture of kindness brings them both together, turning an ordinary day into an unforgettable experience.
Film: Bella
Release date: 1st October 2010
Certificate: PG
Running time: 91 mins
Director: Alejandro Gomez Monteverde
Starring: Tammy Blanchard, Eduardo Verastegui, Manny Perez, Ali Landry
Genre: Drama/Romance
Studio: Kaleidoscope
Format: Cinema
Country: USA/Mexico
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