聽風者 The Silent War

The latest collaboration between Alan Mak Siu-Fai and Felix Chong Man-Keung, better known for their writing collaboration in the Infernal Affairs saga, is an entertaining movie that showcases Tony Leung Chiu-Wai as blind man with extraordinary hearing abilities. Found his performance interesting enough to allow you to keep watching this mainstream movie up to the end, but do not expect an easy to engage story as due to editing, story gives the impression of being fragmented and doesn't motivate you to fill the gaps.

If you are expecting a full-action movie you will not find it here as this spy thriller doesn't give much thrills; then if you are like me that absolutely love Tony Leung performances in fantastic Wong Kar wai's films, you could enjoy his performance here but surely you will miss the look/feel of Wong Kar wai as movie story even do could have travelled better a similar style, directors' opted for a different approach that left movie "bland" and unable to please directors' fans and/or actor's fans.

Set in 1949 story tells about government unit 701, the spy unit that "doesn't exist" who is fighting and losing to an "invisible enemy" (those conspiring against the government) until senior investigator Zhang Xue-Ning (good performance by Zhou Xun) fails to recruit noted tuner Luo San-Er (Pal Sin) but finds someone better: Luo San-Er's blind assitant Bing (Tony Leung) who doesn't need a cane as he "hears" everything around him. So we see how he is recruited, taken to 701 headquarters, trained in Morse code, finding hidden enemy radio frequencies and help in the capture of top leader Chungking. All of the above happens with some romance, some humor and nothing much else.

Not much to say except maybe that production values are above average, some photography is fabulous and IF you are not a directors' fan plus you want to have an entertainment moment then film is for you.

Enjoy!

Watch trailer @MOC

Elefante Blanco (White Elephant)

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary this is the definition of "white elephant":

a : a property requiring much care and expense and yielding little profit
b : an object no longer of value to its owner but of value to others
c : something of little or no value

According to Pablo Trapero's film all three definitions apply to his film and story as tells about life in a real-life Buenos Aires urban slum that surrounds an unfinished sixty-years-old abandoned hospital that was supposed to become "the largest hospital" in Latin America. A true "white elephant". So by now you can imagine that this film is another portrait of social realism but this time in my opinion Trapero lost his great golden touch as decided that his protagonists had to be two Catholic priests and while watching this story is impossible to see story in only one direction as to me film perhaps is more about another "white elephant": the Catholic Church.

But is his storytelling style what really bothered me as has an extremely weak screenplay that toys with the misery in slums life (like happens in many countries of the world and especially in Latin America), idealistic priests that end up killed (like many priests in Latin America), priests caught in between the Catholic Church hierarchy and both Church and country government politics, and most unconvincingly (a very lost opportunity) toys with priests breaking their celibacy vow. Themes that are daily news in Latin American and could have been interesting if well-developed, especially if he had focused more clearly in the second "white elephant" I mention.

Performances are adequate but nothing saves this movie that no matter how you wish to see story leaves you with a bitter taste and a very unpleasant feeling of disgust.  Saying all this while remembering that I have seen a large quota of Latin American films set in slums and have highly enjoyed the social realism style, the story and even the necessary violence.

Hard for me to say the following, as is a Pablo Trapero movie, but I cannot recommend this movie and suggest you skip it.

Sigh.

Watch trailer @MOC

2012 Stockholm Film Festival Feature Film Award Nominations

In four days one of the festivals that I follow will start but this year has films that I'm already familiar with so will publish only the winners. Still I suggest you check their lineup especially the most interesting section "1km film" and suggest to not miss the iFestival with their online short film competition.

One of the most interesting awards in this festival is the Feature Film Award that was launched to realize untapped potential among female filmmakers; the wining project will premiere at the 2014 Stockholm fest as well as receive a prize to be used in production financing and distribution aid.

This is the second time this award is presented, last year the winner was Sofia Norlin's project Tenderness which is premiered in this year fest in the Work in Progress section of the Industry program. By the way in the Industry program one of the Master Classes will be given by none other than Ursula Meier and the most exciting news are about Pernilla August latest project Arvingerne (The Legacy) that also is in the Work in Progress section, is a Danish TV drama series that will premiere in Denmark on January 2014 and on BBC1 in the spring of 2014.

These are the nominated projects.

Cayuco by Görel Crona
Synopsis: Drama about 16-year-old Sara from Sweden who is on the Canary Islands when an overloaded refugee boat goes aground. Among the survivors from the difficult journey towards the Europe of dreams we find youngster Mamdou.

Unga Sophie Bell (Young Sophie Bell) by Amanda Adolfsson
Synopsis: Friendship, love and death. A thrilling and touching depiction of growing up, facing the future and simultaneously handling your past.

Wasted by Marietta von Hausswolf
Synopsis: Will you survive your last year as a teenager without losing everything? Will you handle turning 20? A story of survival with a strong and complex female lead

The winner will be announced in the festival awards ceremony on November 17.

85th Academy Awards Animated Features Submissions

Yesterday AMPAS announced that 21 films were submitted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category. Shortlist could bring surprises as several of the films listed have not yet had their required Los Angeles qualifying runs.

We have to remember that submitted features must fulfill the theatrical release requirements and comply with all of the category's other qualifying rules before they can advance in the voting process. At least eight eligible animated features must be theatrically released in Los Angeles County within the calendar year for this category to be activated.

These are the submitted films.

Adventures in Zambezia, Wayne Thornley, South Africa
A Liar's Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman, Bill Jones, Jeff Simpson and Ben Timlett, UK
Brave, Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman and Steve Purcell, USA
Delhi Safari, Nikhil Advani, India
Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, Chris Renaud and Kyle Balda, USA
Frankenweenie, Tim Burton, USA
Hotel Transylvania, Genndy Tartakovsky, USA
Ice Age Continental Drift, Steve Martino and Mike Thurmeier, USA
Kokuriko-zaka kara (From Up on Poppy Hill), Goro Miyazaki, Japan
Krishna Aur Kans (Hey Krishna), Vikram Veturi, India
Le chat du rabbin (The Rabbi's Cat), Antoine Delesvaux and Joann Sfar, France and Austria
Le Noël de Walter et Tandoori (Walter & Tandoori's Christmas), Sylvain Viau, Canada
Le tableau (The Painting), Jean-François Laguionie, France and Belgium
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath and Conrad Vernon, USA
ParaNorman, Chris Butler and Sam Fell, USA
Rise of the Guardians, Peter Ramsey, USA
Secret of the Wings, Roberts Gannaway and Peggy Holmes, USA
Shinpi no hô (The Mystical Laws), Isamu Imakake, Japan
The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists (aka The Pirates! Band of Misfits), Peter Lord, UK and USA
Wreck-It Ralph, Rich Moore, USA
Zarafa, Rémi Bezançon and Jean-Christophe Lie, France and Belgium

Not a category I particularly like but to my surprise and after watching trailers there are a couple that call my attention, both are French productions. Nice to find in the submissions films from other than USA countries, but after learning today the European Film Awards nominations wonder why Arrugas and Alois Nebel were not submitted, then maybe is because are not targeted to children as most of the submitted films are. Sigh.

25th European Film Awards Nominations

A few minutes ago at the Seville European Film Festival the European Film Academy announced the nominations for this year. Most were expected but there is one huge surprise.

Please remember that the award calendar runs from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012 and is the reason why the nominations have films from last year. Also, the films must have a director who was born in Europe or has a European passport and Europe has a geographical definition.

European Film
Amour (Love), Michael Haneke, Austria, France and Germany
Barbara, Christian Petzold, Germany
Cesare Deve Morire (Caesar Must Die), Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, Italy
Intouchables (Untouchable), Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, France
Jagten (The Hunt), Thomas Vinterverg, Denmark
Shame, Steve McQueen, UK

European Director
Nuri Bilge Ceylan for Bir zamanlar Anadolu'da (Once Upon a Time in Anatolia)
Michael Haneke for Amour (Love)
Steve McQueen for Shame
Paolo Taviani and Vittorio Taviani for Cesare Deve Morire (Caesar Must Die)
Thomas Vinterberg for Jagten (The Hunt

European Actress
Emilie Dequene in À perdre la raison (Our Children)
Nina Hoss in Barbara
Emmanuelle Riva in Amour (Love)
Margarethe Tiesel In Paradies: Liebe (Paradise: Love)
Kate Winslet in Carnage

European Actor
François Cluzet & Omar Sy in Intouchables (Untouchable)
Michael Fassbender in Shame
Mads Mikkelsen in Jagten (The Hunt)
Gary Oldman in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Jean-Louis Trintignant in Amour (Love)

European Screenwriter
Michael Haneke for Amour (Love)
Tobias Lindholm & Thomas Vinterberg for Jagten (The Hunt)
Cristian Mungiu for După dealuri (Beyond the Hills)
Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano for Intouchables (Untouchable)
Roman Polanski and Yasmina Reza for Carnage

Carlo di Palma European Cinematographer Award
Sean Bobbitt for Shame
Bruno Delbonnel for Faust
Darius Khondji for Amour (Love)
Gökhan Tiryaki for Bir zamanlar Anadolu'da (Once Upon a Time in Anatolia)
Hoyte Van Hoytema for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

European Editor
Janus Billeskov Jansen & Anne Østerud for Jagten (The Hunt)
Roberto Perpignani for Cesare Deve Morire (Caesar Must Die)
Joe Walker for Shame

European Production Designer
Maria Djurkovic for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Niels Sejer for En Kongelig Affære (A Royal Affair)
Elena Zhukova for Faust

European Composer
Cyrille Aufort & Gabriel Yared for En Kongelig Affære (A Royal Affair)
François Couturier for Io Sono Li (Shun Li and the Poet)
George Fenton for The Angels' Share
Alberto Iglesias for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

European Documentary
Hiver Nomade (Winter Nomads), Manuel von Stürler, Switzerland
London - The Modern Babylon, Julien Temple, UK
Le thé ou l'électricité (Tea or Electricity), Jérôme le Maire, Belgium, France and Morocco

European Animated Feature Film
Alois Nebel, Tomáš Luňák, Czech Republic, Germany and Slovakia
Arrugas (Wrinkles), Ignacio Ferreras, Spain
The Pirates! In An Adventure with Scientists, Peter Lord, USA and UK

European Discovery - Prix FIPRESCI
10 Timer Til Paradis (Teddy Bear), Mads Matthiesen, Denmark
Broken, Rufus Norris, UK
Kauwboy, Boudewijn Koole, Netherlands
Портрет в сумерках Portret V Sumerkhak (Twilight Portrait), Angelina Nikonova, Russia
Die Vermissten (Reported Missing), Jan Speckenbach, Germany

As we know the European Achievement in World Cinema this year goes to Dame Helen Mirren. To learn nominees in the Short Film category please go to this post.

The more than 2,700 EFA members will now vote for the winners who will be presented during the awards ceremony on December 1st in Malta. To read info about each film go here.

My biggest surprise is the total absence of Jacques Audiard film and Marion Cotillard not getting a nomination. Unbelievable. But as unbelievable are the many nominations the other French film got, yes that film, the film that is France submission to Oscar. Now seems will be easier to guess what could happen at the Oscars in the foreign-language category and beyond. Nevertheless, this Academy has always given us surprises that sometimes do not reflect what Oscar could do, like for example, last year Melancholia winning the top award.

Still, I hope that this is Michael Haneke's year and Amour sweeps the awards as is the film with the most nominations (6). In 28 days we will know if the Academy celebrates Haneke with well-deserved honors.

Last but not least I am pleased that some of my favorite and most admired directors are being honored with a well-deserved nomination including Haneke but also Nuri Bilge Ceylan and Cristian Mungiu; plus do not mind that Steve McQueen's excellent Shame got five (5) nominations, including one for Michael Fassbender. Somehow this year the Actress category does not excite me that much as really enjoyed Nina Hoss performance but know that probably Emmanuelle Riva will get the award. There is one movie nominated to the top award that I could not watch but maybe now will try to see it again hoping that I can see it up to the end; also will see the film (the other French film) I have been avoiding to see even when I know will like it as is a mainstream crowd-pleader. Sigh.

En kongelig affære (A Royal Affair)

I was really impressed with this movie, the remarkable performances, the little known (for me) piece of history and how Nikolaj Arcel was able to do "another" European period movie quite different to many that I have seen. So, just imagine the "cultural" shock I had when discovered the not so good reviews movie gets mainly, but not only, in English from a few professional critics and many viewers. This motivates me to do a different approach here as seems like if I saw (again) a different story than many did.

The Film Story - Part 1

Film tells the story of a young queen, Caroline Mathilde, who is married to insane king, Christian VII of Denmark, falls secretly in love with the king's German physician, Johan Friedrich Struensee, and together change too early what later becomes the norm not only in Denmark but across the civilized world or -if you wish- Europe. Is told from the queen's perspective and accordingly to what I read is based primordially on the novel Prinsesse af blodet (Princess of Blood) by Danish author Bodil Steensen-Leth where the queen is the protagonist and the one who narrates story; but also is based on the novel Livläkarens besök (The Visit of the Royal Physician) by Swedish author Per Olov Enquist. So these gives us some clues that story even do is based on actual facts has to have some fiction.

The History

As I'm not that much familiar with Danish history my first instinct told me to check what was fact, so I did a little research from reliable sources. Seems movie is a good dramatization of actual events but there are several issues that seems today are still questionable; most are related to the "affair" or the romance. Some still doubt that Struensee had an affair with the queen, but others confirm that the daughter pictures show resemblance to him and many claim that he had an affair with the queen and also with another woman in the court, which made both women very jealous of each other.

What seems to be real is everything related to Struensee ascension to power, his ahead of time rulings based on his studies of Enlightenment philosophers, and his fall to the aristocrats that had lost all power and finally got it back. All this happening in Denmark 20 years before the French Revolution.

The Story - Part 2

Seems that most viewers see film and only watch the romance, after all who can blame them as if you read the movie title is none other than "A Royal Affair", which most will relate to the romance and not to the other kind of affairs. All right I also saw the romantic affair and admit that it was good, interesting; yet was similar to many European royal stories that we have seen in film, including one mentioned profusely in viewers reviews: the story of Camelot. Most like the romance movie and some even call it a "girlie" film, meaning that is suited only for female audiences. I totally disagree, but then I saw more the "other" story, the one that really captured me to feel all kind of intense emotions, the one that made me think that infamous phrase: "people have the government they deserve".

As movie begins to introduce us to the characters, the queen's tragedy, the king's insanity and whatever follows I was seeing the film with "romance" eyes; but there was one scene that changed all and made me think that there was something more in this story. I'm talking about the scene where the queen finds the books hidden behind the front books in the bookshelf. From that moment on I awoke and started to see film with different eyes. What captured my attention are all the elements that seem to be history accurate and that story seemed to me just fascinating.

I was not aware of this piece of history that happened 20 years before the French Revolution, regret that is lost in history annals and probably will be lost for many even after seeing this film. Won't get into analyzing all the implications but due to Arcel's so contemporary storytelling style plus the outstanding screenplay, made me think about what is happening nowadays around the world, where history tends to repeat itself many times. About the fear of change that some have because will lose their power while others because ignorance. Then, just imagine if Struensee had remained in power world history would have been told quite different today.

The Film

Nikolaj Arcel might be known to some of you because he wrote the outstanding screenplay of Män som hatar kvinnor (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), that for me is the best of the Millenium saga films; so was not surprising that the screenplay of this movie won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at the 2012 Berlinale that he co wrote with Rasmus Heisterberg. I believe that what makes this movie quite outstanding is the remarkable screenplay that spectacularly blends romance, some humor and historic events while impregnating a very contemporary feel.

Performances by Alicia Vikander (the queen) and Mads Mikkelsen (Struensee) are remarkable but the one that steals the movie for me is Mikkel Boe Følsgaard that gives his insane king performance many layers to make our eyes fixed on him every time he is on the screen. Production design is lavish as well as costumes and production values are on the high end of the scale.

In the end the film is as good as many other European royal period films if you think only about the production values but what makes this film very different is not only the story it tells but also how is told.

As we know film is Denmark's submission to Oscar and before reading reviews I was sure this film will make it to the shortlist of nine and maybe will get a nomination; now I think that only if Academy members see the "other" affairs and how magnificently is blend into romance then perhaps will make the shortlist. Sigh.

Still this is a film I highly recommend to many regular readers as know will enjoy the romance and will appreciate the historic value of this film.

Enjoy!!!

Watch trailer @MOC

Kauwboy

What seems to be Boudewijn Koole's feature film debut, has done mainly documentaries and TV movies, is an impressive oeuvre that looks and feels like made by a more experienced, accomplished filmmaker as turns an often seen story into an amazing lyrical visuals and narrative film that will engage you very fast even when you do not particularly like kids stories, just like me.

Been delaying watching as usually have a hard time relating to kids stories plus most directors seem to not being able to extract from kids actors outstanding performances; but this film absolutely is the exception as not only Rick Lens performance as Jojo is fantastic but director magnificent storytelling style engaged me fast. With a narrative that you will not fully decode until almost the end, beautiful visuals that eases what you are seeing plus engage you perhaps as much as story if not more, Koole created a very uplifting movie that will explode many emotions and perhaps bring one or two tears to your eyes. A true delightful ride that will please your eyes and make you really feel for Jojo.

Film tells the story of nine/ten years-old Jojo that goes into battle mode with his father; you can see that he's left alone too much, finds some solace talking by phone to his absent mother while telling not the truth about his father, he is aggressive and easily explodes and so on and so forth. But something changes when Jojo finds a baby jackdaw as now he not only has a companion, someone to take care for but also someone that helps him to ease his daily pain. How the story evolves you have to see it as don't want spoilers to ruin the film for you, but let me reinforce that is an uplifting story with a happy great end and message.

As Koole says in an interview this film is all about the casting and definitively agree as he was able to extract from non-actor Lens a magnificent performance but I also believe that film is extremely beautiful to watch with some scenes that look and feel like visual poetry, extraordinary hand-held camera scenes that contribute to the narrative, amazing stills (yes, photographs) that made me go into awe mode, absolutely fantastic framing, editing and almost perfect production values are ALSO elements that made this film a great art piece while telling a very compelling story that will entertain you. Many call film unpretentious and this time I have to agree but that doesn't mean that this is a masterful piece of art too.

Film premiered at the 2012 Belinale where it won the Best First Feature and the Crystal Bear in Generation Kplus section plus the Young Audience Award of the 2012 European Film Awards, as yes is a film that young children could enjoy as much as their parents. My only concern is that parents are adults and what they might see could be different to what children could see. Also as we know film is Netherlands submission to Oscar and truly I will not be surprised if film makes it to the shortlist of nine and even if gets a well-deserved nomination; but with the average age of foreign language committee members you never know what they will do.

A must be seen film that could please general audiences plus those that like art cinema; not often I'm able to say art and masses together but this film really fits both.

Enjoy!!!

Watch trailer @MOC