Cannes 2012 Trailer

As every year TVFestival de Cannes prepares a trailer with images of past festival, this year the trailer has many images from last year with all the glamour, the drama and the great filmmakers plus actors that populated the fest. Here is the 2012 Trailer. Please pay attention to what Catherine Deneuve says, very funny but somehow true! LOL. Enjoy!

If you wish to watch trailer at official site go here.


Bande Annonce - TV Festival de Cannes 2012 by TVFestival

Also around with some images from 2011 fest from AKA Media. Enjoy!!! Not allowed to be embed so have to go here to watch.

2012 Cannes Quinzaine des Réalisateurs Carrosse d’Or

A few minutes ago the Société des Réalisateurs de Films (SRF) announced that this year’s Carrosse d’Or goes to extraordinary master filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan and he’s to receive the honor at the 44th Directors’ Fortnight opening ceremony on May 17.

As you all know I highly admire Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s master oeuvres, especially the excellent 2011 Cannes Grand Prix winner Bir zamanlar Anadolu'da (Once Upon a Time In Anatolia) that if you have not seen you should as soon as possible.

Since 2002 the Carrosse d’Or recognizes a film director chosen for innovation in their films, for their boldness and intransigence in directing and production; so we know that this great honor is extremely well-deserved as his movies absolutely fit the award requisites well-above the norm.

To check the official announcement at the SRF site go here.

My sincere congratulations to Nuri Bilge Ceylan and hope to see the Quinzaine opening ceremony to enjoy the celebration of a great master filmmaker.

Cheers!!!

Shame

Extraordinary second movie by Steve McQueen, after also extraordinary Hunger, that is a strong felted cinematic experience that will blow your eyes, your senses and impressively is a movie that shows lots of sex, but is NOT about sex at all. Is about a horrendous inferno.

Movie tells about a damaged sibling relationship where Brandon (Michael Fassbender) expresses no feeling towards everyone and when he tries to feel, he can’t perform sexually; where Sissy (Carey Mulligan), his sister, is auto-destructive. Both are attractive, good at what they do but also dry, empty, and living life in automatic drive. Viewers can speculate about how they got so damaged (childhood abuse?) but actually whatever you guess is irrelevant as what we see is the actual today inferno and the whys’ are not as impactful as the hows’. How both express their neurosis and dysfunction. Intense.

Story is common, often portrayed in movies but I can assure you that never like in McQueen’s film that with his outstandingly peculiar style plus tremendous performances by Fassbender and Mulligan puts screen on fire, the kind of fire that you just imagine habits in hell. Ah! film is slow paced, has excellent long shots, outstanding indoors and outdoors compositions, mostly deadpan performances that with small expressions tell all, everything that excellent non-commercial movie has to have … and yes, lots of sex, naked bodies, duos, trios, homosexuality, etc. just like many European movies have in their stories but that seems to appall and attract as borderline porn to those that live in the other side of the ocean. So, no, it is not for all adult audiences.

I believe to know why movie, McQueen, Fassbender and Mulligan didn’t got more accolades and had no awards at top awards like Oscar and BAFTA. See, what most people seem to see in film is the sex, that Brandon is a sex addict; most see the evident story as probably movie hits them so hard that do not dare to go deeper into what’s really story about. Obviously top world awards will not easily recognize great performances in what most consider soft-porn. I’m crazy about Fassbender and know that he will get his BAFTA, his Oscar as he is so darn good. Same goes to Mulligan. Still, during the 2011 award season movie collected 21 wins and 41 nominations, all extremely well-deserved, especially Fassbender wining La Copa Volpi at 2011 Biennale.

You cannot love this type of story as there is nothing to love in what is shown, but I do love the actors’ performances plus the amazing style in McQueen technique and as such I recommend film to those that do not mind nudity in their films, especially when is not gratuitous and is integral part of the nightmarish story.

Enjoy!!!

Watch trailer @MOC

Contraband

Baltasar Kormákur is a director I like and follow his work since his first film 101 Reykjavík, so was interested in checking his latest Hollywood movie even when I was expecting to be very different to his Icelandic productions I was hoping that at least his cinematic style was preserved. Well, no, film is like many action packed Hollywood movies starring Mark Wahlberg with the difference that here is sort of the bad guy doing stuff that feels and looks really like fantasy truly far-away from possible reality.

Film tells about Chris Faraday (Wahlberg) once a illegal smuggler that went legit only to be forced to go back to his old trade to save his family. Story is really bad and even ridiculous, especially all that happens in Panama. To be fair film has in some moments Kormákur particular visual style, but as soon as the action starts you have no time to pay attention to anything else but whatever is happening in story. Sigh.

So now I’m looking forward to watch Kormákur latest Icelandic film, Djúpið, that I know has to be more interesting visually and story-wise than his Hollywood incursions.

If you do not mind stories that make not much sense but have Hollywood star power and enough noise and action to kill time, then maybe you will enjoy this movie. I really did not like the story, the style, actors’ performances –didn’t understood why Kate Beckinsale did this role- and the movie in general, so cannot recommend it.

Sigh.

Watch trailer @MOC

Black Gold

There was one reason why I wanted to watch this Qatar, Italian and French production: Tahar Rahim that mesmerized me in A Prophet. Oddly enough Rahim role in this movie is quite similar to the one that had in A Prophet, which allows understanding how a director plus a good script can make the difference in a good actor performance as definitively his performance in this movie doesn’t look or feel as good as in Jacques Audiard film.

Jean-Jacques Annaud directing style doesn’t succeed handling this epic story set in the 1930s when oil was discovered in the Arab peninsula but the script does not help him either and above average production specs does not save movie that becomes like a pastiche of too many underdeveloped situations. It’s a shame as the dawn of the Arab oil boom is a story that hasn’t been told that many times and learning about the beginnings might help to understand whatever is happening today. Sigh, but this film will not give you much info anyway.

So only if you’re in the mood to watch good production values in some war fighting plus outdoor scenery and do not mind much following a fragmented story with below average actors performances, then maybe you will enjoy this movie as an escape moment. Yes there are good or well-known actors here like Rahim, Antonio Banderas, Freida Pinto and Mark Strong but maybe if producers had chosen unknown actors, viewers could enjoy more the story and pay less attention to how non-credible are their performances.

Enjoy.

Watch trailer @MOC

L'effrontée (The Hussy)

Today after a long illness Claude Miller died. He surely will be missed but I know that he will live through his magnificent body of work, especially two movies that touched me more than the others, 1981 Garde à vue with Romy Schneider and 1985 L'effrontée with 14-year-old Charlotte Gainsbourg.

To honor Claude Miller life and work decided to watch again L'effrontée even do I knew that probably my movie memories were going to be better than what I will see with today eyes. Definitively what I remember was better than what I saw today, but still film and story are compelling thanks to an outstanding Charlotte Gainsbourg performance and a director that deals with the most difficult time in a girl –between childhood and adolescence- by telling us about the summer of her first disillusion, all told with the most luminous images and compositions.

Film tells the story of Charlotte, 13-years-old, living with her father, her brother and the housekeeper in a village; she only has one friend younger than her Lulu that worships her and bores her. But everything bores Charlotte who dislikes her mediocre milieu where everything is predictable like at school or the Saturday dance at Roule Roule; she wishes to have another life. Her chance comes when she learns that the same age girl, Clara, that mesmerized Charlotte while watching her playing the piano is coming to her little town and she decides to do whatever is possible to get close to her after meeting Clara in the street. These are the basic dynamics that will evolve into an interesting story while the music of Mendelssohn, Beethoven and the unbelievable sticky song (still have it in my mind) “Sarà perchè ti amo” by Richi e Poveri that of course I sang in those years, a song that tells about the essence of this story.

Can’t say that when I first saw this movie I clearly saw what I’m about to share with you but definitively today it was crystal clear to me that this movie has lesbian interest “undertones” or better in French, story is “crypto-lesbienne”. Let me start by saying that Céline Sciamma says that this film was his inspiration for her debut film Naissance des pieuvres (Water Lilies) and even Tomboy; don’t doubt it as both Sciamma’s films tell stories similar to the one told here plus the storytelling and cinematic techniques are quite outstandingly similar. As a matter of fact Lulu in this film looks very much alike to the lead character in Sciamma’s Tomboy. If you saw Sciamma’s films and you like them then this film is must be seen for you.

But there is more. The song Sarà perchè ti amo is constantly played at very key moments in the movie and can’t sing song for you here but check some of the lyrics in Italian (without accents).

Che confusione
sara perche ti amo
e un'emozione
che cresce piano piano
stringimi forte e stammi piu vicino
se ci sto bene
sara perche ti amo.

Goes something like this: “What a confusion, must be because I love you, is an emotion, that grows slowly slowly, hug me strongly and come close, if I feel good, must be because I love you”; which of course talks about what Charlotte surely feels for Clara… and Lulu for Charlotte! It’s a coming of age film but also is about Charlotte and Lulu first love, as well as about jealousy, disenchantment and reality acceptance. Quite nice story indeed.

But most of all Claude Miller's film is a very French movie, so I know is not for all audiences, much less for those that tend to have puritan views about sexuality. Still is a beautiful movie that I strongly recommend to those that love French cinema, like to revisit or visit for the first time movies by great French directors, wish to see the Prix Louis Delluc 1985 winner, wish to see great Charlotte Gainsbourg in the role that gave her the Cesar for Most Promising Actress in 1986, wish to watch non-traditional lesbian interest stories, and/or wish to have an excellent cinematic experience French style of course.

My humble homage to a great director, filmmaker and storyteller. Farewell Claude Miller.

Enjoy!!!

Watch trailer @MOC

The Hunger Games

I was going to watch this movie just because Jennifer Lawrence was in here as some of you recall I got very impressed with this young actress since her great performance (Oscar nod worthy) in Winter’s Bone. My expectations besides Lawrence performance were really low as no, I haven’t read the books, the idea of another “teen” franchise was not attractive to me, I’m no fan of scifi and well, I knew this was going to be more a mainstream blockbuster than good cinema. Last, I know actors have to pay their dues before being accepted in Hollywood and this had to be Lawrence turn to make money, get fame, become accepted by her peers, and hopefully continue doing great movies after.

So after that too big introduction feel so ridiculous when I say: I LOVED the movie! Not only is highly entertaining but also is NOT a movie to kill some time as after watching I’m sure what you saw will stay with you for a while, surely longer than what I imagined in my wildest dreams. Have to admit that is a good story and watching the first installment gives no real clue about what the next book will be about, so NO I’m not reading the books as don’t want to spoil the next movie installments. That’s how good this movie is. Surprise, surprise; yes was a huge surprise as after the two hours and half I wanted more, was so into the story that the end was a downer just because I didn’t want movie to end. Sigh. Hate the idea that now will have to wait two years –surely- to have seen the two next installments; that’s it if they don’t decide to split the last installment into two movies.

Enough rambling and let’s go to the point. Movie, story and performances are good, above average mainstream blockbusters and excellent production specs really enhance the entertainment experience. It’s a must be seen movie that will give you a little food for thought IF you haven’t read the books. Undoubtedly I do recommend it as great entertainment cinema as movie takes its time introducing characters (not many mainstream movies do that) and suddenly tension starts to build, thereafter is a rollercoaster with great rush adrenaline moments and the best of all, NO gratuitous violence.

I’m no teenager, so will not watch it twice or more and have too many movies pending, but I understand now what I read all over, yes this is like an old fashion movie, remember the ones that were for ALL audiences –against targeted to teens- as young, old and older audiences surely have already enjoy movie and will enjoy the series.

Enjoy!!!

Watch trailer @MOC