.
BRIAN DE PALMA: REDACTED (2007)
.
.
BRIAN DE PALMA: REDACTED (2007)
.
.
HOU HSIAO HSIEN: FLIGHT OF THE RED BALLOON (2007)
.
.
CRISTIAN MUNGIU: 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND TWO DAYS (2007)
.
Last edited by Chris Knipp; 09-26-2007 at 08:59 PM.
.
ED PINCUS, LUCIA SMALL: THE AXE IN THE ATTIC (2007)
.
.
WES ANDERSON: THE DARJEELING LIMITED (2007)
.
.
LEE CHANG-DONG: SECRET SUNSHINE (2007)
.
.
JUAN ANTONIO BAYONA: THE ORPHANAGE (2007)
.
.
BELA TARR: THE MAN FROM LONDON (2007)
.
Incredible job, Chris, excellent work, well done, nice graphics
Colige suspectos semper habitos
Thanks, cinemabon; the stills do add a lot I think.
Best so far:
THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY (SCHNABEL)
THE GIRL CUT IN TWO (CHABROL)
SILENT LIGHT (REYGADAS)
FLIGHT OF THE RED BALLOON (HOU)
Also notable:
FADOS (SAURA)
GO GO TALES (FERRARA)
It was interesting and instructive to see the others, but they had some flaws that kept them off the list.
12 more to come. I'm looking forward to:
ACTRESSES
Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, France, 2007; 110m
Fidelite Films
ALEXANDRA
Alexander Sokurov, Russia, 92m
Rezo Films
THE LAST MISTRESS
Catherine Breillat, France, 2007; 114m
IFC First Take
Also even though they'r opening very soon in theaters I"m looking forward to festival screenings here of :
MARGOT AT THE WEDDING
Noah Baumbach, US, 2007; 93m
Paramount Vantage
I'M NOT THERE
Todd Haynes, US, 2007; 136m
The Weinstein Company
PARANOID PARK
Gus Van Sant, US, 2007; 85m
IFC First Take
PERSEPOLIS
Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud, France, 2007; 95m
Sony Pictures Classics
And especially (what I seem to have omitted from my original list on this thread):
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Coen brothers, US, 2007; 122m
Miramax
The buzz for the latter is very good. I'm also a big Cormac McCarthy fan. He's one of the most important living American fiction writers; don't let anybody tell you different. Word is Persepolis could give Ratatouille a run for its money for Best Animation Oscar. Baumbach has a stellar cast this time, it sounds like Van Sant is up to form again and they say Haynes' non-Dylan Dylan picture is brilliant.
Unfortunately I'm not able to see the sidebar US classics, Chinese modern, and musical series, though I'd like to see the Dylan at Newport 1960's film and several other things.
Persepolis won the top prize here in Ottawa at our world renowned animation festival recently.
I heard the response to it was overwhelming.
Looking forward to your thoughts.
"Set the controls for the heart of the Sun" - Pink Floyd
You'll get my thoughts, I promise, Johann .
Check your email, please.
I wonder if mouton is making it to the Nyff? I never heard back from him.
*Chabrol is always fun to watch and he's a great interview subject because he is candid and honest. He's quite willing to admit he's made a lot of crappy movies because he's never as happy as when he is shooting a film_he's the most prolific French director of the past forty years. During an interview he gave in San Francisco in the late 70s, he admitted to beating his wife. Twice!
*I hope Mr. Reygadas' film gets distribution. He's simply the best new director to emerge during the current decade.
*Schnabel's film will be playing here at the Fort Lauderdale festival in late October. So far the two screenings are on working days during the early evening, which would require a long drive during rush hour. Fest people told me an added screening early afternoon on saturday or sunday remains a possibility. The most interesting film (to me) to this fest is the Chinese Berlinale winner which doesn't have distribution. Schanbel's film opens in NYC in late December and comes here in January 2008.
*I regret having opined that I wish Saura would make another Cria or Ay Carmela!. Musical films he started making in 1980 (Carmen, Tangos, etc) and the biographical essays he started making about a decade ago (Goya in Bordeaux, etc.) are worthy addition to the psychological dramas with political subtext that made him famous worldwide.
I am convinced that Chabrol has really done a good one this time. It's not deep stuff, but it's very witty, very buoyant, not at all un-thought-provoking, a bit of a new direction for him, and great to see Magimel emerging as such a protean "muse" for him. Chabrol may beat his wife, but he has a great family team, and he gets away with using it skillfully his films.
You know I still haven't seen Reygadas' second film, which people haven't liked much (and sounds rather unappetising), so I approached Silent Light with ony the most positive expectations. It really hangs in my mind as the most beautiful art film of the festival. It works, too; I mean it is an artistic whole. Marvellous--a step forward for him further into the big time.
Schnabel's film has been accused of being somehow lightweight or too pretty. I don't believe that. I think it really takes you there, and it's full of imagination. I hope it gets widely seen here. People are put off by the subject. I was too. In fact the experience of watching it was curiously enchanting.
I simply adore Saura's FLAMENCO. I watch and listen over and over. I think the style he's devised for these musical presentations is superb. I couldn't question your previous comment because I haven't seen CRIA or, as far as I can remember, AY CARMELA!
*Glad you like the new Chabrol. This quote from Slant's Ed Gonzalez gives me pause though: "It's hard to tell if he still cares to give the finger to the monstrous upper-class environs in his films".
*I've written at length about Battle in Heaven and its critical reception. I concluded that the reviews that were negative were based mostly on the writer being offended by at least one of 3 scenes:
-An obese, completely naked couple having sex.
-Explicit opening and closing scenes of a young, white, attractive, upper-class woman giving a blow job to a middle-aged, mestizo, ugly, working-class man.
-Macho, seemingly-heterosexual guy masturbating while watching men play soccer on television.
*Cria is one of my Top 10 All-time films. I've probably seen it more times than any other movie. It's finally available on home video with proper subtitles: a Criterion 2-disc edition that includes a definitive biographical documentary about Carlos Saura.
*My devotion for Bela Tarr is based on only 5 films that I've been able to watch. Tarr fans have been waiting since 2000 for a new release. And here it is!
*The trailer for Bayona's The Orphanage didn't look promising to me.
*I've seen three films by Korean tragedian Chang-dong Lee (Oasis, Peppermint Candy) and look forward to Secret Sunshine. The Korean dvd should become available online soon. Not a huge fan of this director though, and Secret Sunshine seems like a lesser and more conventional effort based on what I've read by you and others. I'll post my opinion after I watch it.
Bookmarks