6th Gopo Awards Winners

Last Monday they had the award ceremony and Cristi Puiu's Aurora won top awards even when director did not attend the gala as he had refused to be nominated as he stated that "the awards were not relevant in a film industry with so few features released annually". Winners are in *BLUE. To check winners in all categories go here.

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2/21
Recently the Romanian Film Promotion Association announced the nominations for the sixth edition and here are the nominees for the main categories.

Periferic by Bogdan George Apetri has the most nominations, 12, followed by Cristi Puiu’s Aurora (10) and Mitulescu’s Loverboy (9).

Best Film
*Aurora, Cristi Puiu, Romania, France, Switzerland and Germany
Crulic - drumul spre dincolo, Anca Damian, Romania and Poland
Din dragoste cu cele mai bune intentii (Best Intentions), Adrian Sitaru, Hungary and Romania
Loverboy, Cătălin Mitulescu, Romania, Serbia, France and Sweden)
Periferic (Outbound), Bogdan George Apetri, Romania and Austria

Best Director
*Cristi Puiu for Aurora
Adrian Sitaru for Din dragoste cu cele mai bune intentii (Best Intentions)
Bogdan George Apetri for Periferic (Outbound)
Cătălin Mitulescu for Loverboy

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Ada Condeescu in Loverboy, Cătălin Mitulescu
*Ana Ularu in Periferic (Outbound), Bogdan George Apetri
Natasa Raab in Din dragoste cu cele mai bune intentii (Best Intentions), Adrian Sitaru

Best Actor in a Leading Role
*Bogdan Dumitrache in Din dragoste cu cele mai bune intentii (Best Intentions), Adrian Sitaru
Cristi Puiu in Aurora, Cristi Puiu
Vlad Ivanov in Principii de Viata, Constantin Popescu

To check nominees in all 16 categories go here. Award ceremony will be on March 26, will be broadcast live by ProCinema and will be streamed live at the awards official site premiilegopo.ro.

Gay Movies Bits

Weekend. What a wonderful movie, one that I truly wish a storyteller could write and a filmmaker could film but for two women (lol! – that’s how good the story is) but I know will be very different as yes we women do not necessarily behave like here, even when men in this story are very sensitive –and realistic-. Film has been the object of many accolades in LGBT festivals but also in non-LGBT prestigious fests –like for example winning MovieZone Award at Rotterdam fest, the director Andrew Haigh winning the Breakthrough British Filmmaker award at the London Critics Circle Film Awards or Tom Cullen winning Most Promising Newcomer at BIFA- and yes I was very curious about this movie.

Well, movie is absolutely must be seen even when you do not particularly like gay interest movies as not only has very good tech specs, great performances, good directing but also story is very-well developed and one story that is not often told. Be aware that movie starts like if will be like many stories about a one night stand, but if you keep on watching eventually you will start to see that story turns into something more interesting, deeper and compelling, so I suggest being patient.

This is a very lovely movie that I find absolutely different to those that populate the gay or lesbian interest genres, maybe a little bit similar to those films that cast very well-known actors to ease the impact of a gay/lesbian story. But Haigh’s film has not-known actors so film is a lot more realistic, which will hit deeper viewers. Yes, it’s a good movie that I suggest you do not skip even if you don’t particularly like the genre. Enjoy!!! UK.

Watch trailer @MOC

The Big Gay Musical. This is a campy movie that fools around being a musical about how God created Adam and Steve, while the main actors try to find love or long-lasting relationships. The best way to describe this movie is that is the absolute opposite of the previous movie I review and one you can watch only if you feel like seeing something silly but entertaining. Should be honest and tell you that I found movie while changing TV channels and that’s why I saw it. Enjoy. USA

Amintiri din epoca de aur (Tales from the Golden Age)

I believe you don’t need to have lived any totalitarian real life episode to understand this magnificent sarcastic, very dark/black humor, bizarre, and plain funny period comedy/drama collection of short stories about Communism in Romania during the late ‘80s and the so-called Ceausescu Golden Age. All six shorts are written by none other than Cristian Mungiu and directed by Ioana Uricaru, Hanno Höffer, Răzvan Mărculescu, Constantin Popescu, and Cristian Mungiu who directed two episodes.

Stories are based on urban myths, rumors of farcical absurdities that Romanians lived under communist rule; shorts were screened in different order and not all screenings had the six shorts, whilst viewers can have different reactions to the compilation, which somehow simulates what Romanians lived while being in line to buy something, that’s it according to the director.

As a movie has an uniform look and feeling which I assume was not what was expected of having different directors and have to admit that I wonder what would have happened if Mungiu had directed all episodes but settle with would not have been that different as stories in the order I saw them had fluidity and style look quite similar. So from a cinematic point-of-view film is a good representative of the new wave of Romanian Cinema and if you enjoy the form, style and stories from what has become one of my favorite cinemas in the world, then I’m sure you will enjoy these stories that will make you laugh hard, smile and perhaps even shred one tear.

If you enjoy absurd stories with dry black humor then this compilation is for you but please remember that film absolutely belongs to Romanian new wave cinema that is not for general audiences. Still if you love Romanian cinema as much as I do then film absolutely is must be seen for you.

Enjoy!!!

Watch trailer @MOC

6th Asian Film Awards Winners

A few minutes ago the Hong Kong Film Festival Society announced the award winners and here they are for main categories. Winners are in *BLUE. To check winners in all categories go here. 

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1/17

Today Hong Kong International Film Festival Society announced the nominations and right now official site has crashed due to “capacity problems”! Nevertheless here are the nominees from different sources and will confirm nods as well as post link to official site when site is up again.

Update
Finally I’m in the official site and here is an excerpt from the official press release.

Hong Kong, 17 January 2012 – The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFFS) announced today the nominees in the 14 categories and the jury for the 6th Asian Film Awards (AFA). Eric KHOO, Singapore-based director and producer, will take up the mantle of Jury President, heading the panel of international film community notables who will select the winners of these prestigious awards. The Asian Film Awards Presentation Ceremony will be held at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Grand Hall on 19 March 2012.

To continue reading press release go here.

Best Film
*Jodaeiye Nader az Simin (Nader and Simin, A Separation), Asghar Farhadi, Iran
Ichimai no hagaki (Postcard), Kaneto Shindô, Japan
金陵十三釵 Jin líng shí san chai (The Flowers of War), Zhang Yimou, China
龍門飛甲 Long Men Fei Jia (Flying Swords of Dragon Gate), Tsui Hark, Hong Kong and China
賽德克•巴萊 Seediq Bale (Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale), Wei Te-sheng, Taiwan
ज़िन्दगी ना मिलेगी दोबारा Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (You Don’t Get Life a Second Time), Zoya Akhtar, India

Best Director
*Asghar Farhadi for Nader and Simin, A Separation, Iran
Teddy Soeriaatmadja for Lovely Man, Indonesia (okay I'm curious about film)
Sono Sion for 恋の罪 Koi no Tsumi (Guilty of Romance), Japan
Tsui Hark for Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, Hong Kong and China
Wei Te-sheng for Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale, Taiwan
Zhang Yimou for The Flowers of War, China

Best Actress
Vidya Balan in The Dirty Picture, India
Michelle Chen in 那些年，我们一起追的女孩 Na Xie Nian, Wo Men Yi Qi Zhui De Nu Hai (You Are the Apple of My Eye), Taiwan
Eugene Domingo in Ang Babae sa Septic Tank (The Woman in the Septic Tank), Philippines
Leila Hatami in A Separation, Iran
*Deanie Ip in Tao Jie (A Simple Life), Hong Kong

Best Actor
Chen Kun in Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, Hong Kong and China
*Donny Damara in Lovely Man, Indonesia
Andy Lau in Tao Jie (A Simple Life), Hong Kong
Park Hae Il in Choi-jong-byeong-gi Hwal (War of the Arrows), South Korea
Yakusho Koji in Waga haha no ki (Chronicle of My Mother), Japan

Best Newcomer
Ko Chen-tung in You Are the Apple of My Eye, Taiwan
Eric Lin Hui-min in 星空 Starry Starry Night, Taiwan
Maeda Ohshiro in 奇跡 Kiseki (I Wish), Japan
*Ni Ni in The Flowers of War, China
Gita Novalista in Laut Bercermin (The Mirror Never Lies), Indonesia

To check nominations in all categories go here.Can’t help but to comment that infamous Christian Bale is NOT nominated (lol!); I’m so glad as he was really bad on role even when you consider that his character was another century person that used to live in China like “conquerors” do. Got really interested in watching Lovely Man that has LGBT interest, specially in the T, but is the story of a child that finds that her father is a she-prostitute that sells herself in the streets.

As it says in the press release award ceremony will be on March 19.

Higher Ground

I’m really not crazy about religion films but when I see one that shows something special that I haven’t seen before I have to spread the word as not only Vera Farmiga debut film is surprisingly good but also story critiques religion from a very natural point-of-view that becomes quite entertaining. So no matter if you care or not for any religion, film will take you into a nice voyage that starts when Corinne (played by Farmiga) is a child and accepts God followed by a process that will disenchant her from her beliefs; indeed most of all –in brief- film has a woman story worth watching.

Movie has very good –and surprising- tech specs, but Farmiga’s storytelling style is what will engage you and will allow you to watch her film that absolutely showcases Farminga not only as a great performer but also as a good storyteller. Great.

Please do not expect much and I’m sure you will enjoy this film as much as I did; I do recommend film especially to women and to those that are not that crazy about any religion.

Enjoy!!!

Watch trailer @MOC

14th Jutra Awards Winners

Last Saturday Québec Cinéma had the awards ceremony and here are the winners for some categories, to check winners in all categories go here. Winners are in *BLUE. Not surprisingly Monsieur Lazhar sweep the major awards and got seven of the nine categories where it was nominated.

Best Film
Coteau Rouge, André Forcier
Le Vendeur (The Salesman), Sébastien Pilote
*Monsieur Lazhar, Philippe Falardeau
Nuit #1, Anne Émond
Starbuck, Ken Scott

Best Director
Anne Émond for Nuit #1
*Philippe Falardeau for Monsieur Lazhar
Micheline Lanctôt for Pour L’Amour de Dieu
Ken Scott for Starbuck
Jean-Marc Vallée for Café de Flore

Best Actress
Céline Bonnier in Coteau Rouge
Catherine de Lean in Nuit #1
Julie LeBreton in Une Vie qui Commence
*Vanessa Paradis in Café de Flore
Madeleine Peloquin in Por L’Amour de Dieu

Best Actor
Fellag in Mosieur Lazhar
Patrick Huard in Starbuck
Charles-Antoine Perreault in Une Vie qui Commence
Mario Saint-Amand in Gerry
*Gilbert Sicotte in Le Vendeur

One or two films that really call my attention -from those I haven't seen or already know about them-. Looking forward to watch them.

Островът, Ostrovat (The Island)

One of the most interesting and surprising films that I have seen lately and one that I strongly suggest you read nothing about the story so you can be surprised as I was as well as many other that have enjoyed the film. Critics and viewers comments tend to manifest dislike for the movie when they were aware of what story was about, so I insist you go “virgin” to this movie.

Can share with you that movie has three parts, the first very brief is quite realistic and has the amazing cameo by none other than Alejandro Jodorowsky; the second happens in a small island in the Black Sea where the main character lives an interior cataclysm and the third happens in a big city, a modern society. The point is that each part has a different style and Kamen Kalev really plays with the styles plus with you, the viewer, if you allow yourself to get inside the story and film. As you can imagine is not a regular art or European cinema, this is quite unusual storytelling that could blow your mind or make you go to the other extreme, bore you to death.

One of the most surprising elements of this film is that is the only film I know where Laetitia Casta has a more than acceptable performance as indeed her performance is very credible; but movie belongs to Thure Lindhardt that speaks Bulgarian phonetically and more than what he says is what he doesn’t say –his face expressions and body language- what really amaze you.

I have not seen Kalev’s debut movie as I really dislike the actor in the lead, but after watching this movie with another not pleasant to watch actor in the lead, I’m warming into watching his first and most acclaimed oeuvre Eastern Plays. I know has to be a good movie as from trailer know cinematography looks spectacular, which by the way in this film cinematography is also spectacular both outdoors as indoors.

First part is so brief that suggest you pay attention as introduction is key to second part that very slowly involved me –almost lost me, so try to endure- but when third part started my reaction was with amazement –incredulity- and you have no idea how could enjoy such a style, story and unconventional ending. This movie is quite unique.

I do recommend to those that really do not like to read about story before watching a movie, like slow story development with some tension building and most of all, enjoy at being surprised with most amusing and unexpected situations.

Big Enjoy!!!

Watch trailer @MOC