Posted By: allen @ June 4th, 2010
Director: Teddy Chen
Hong Kong, 2009
Bodyguards and Assassins is a long film. Too long. It’s about 45 minutes too long. It’s also overwrought. There’s a lot of grown men crying about pride and integrity. Things that matter to a lot of people, but not stuff we as the audience particularly care about. In the beginning there are a lot of assassins, not many bodyguards. Lots of people die. Then, there are a lot of bodyguards and not a lot of assassins. Lots of people cry. Eventually the bodyguards and the assassins all appear on the same set. You get 50 minutes of pretty awesome action.
Do you want to see a dude* stop a horse with his head? It’s in the film. Do you want to see a large man named Stinky Tofu kill like 30,000 people? Bodyguards and Assassins got your back. Do you want to see a beggar inexplicably murder like 40 people with a steel fan? Hey I know the name of a movie you should check out. Do you want to see people yelling “Go!” and “Run!” a lot? No? We’ll that’s too bad.
The story is kind of sad if you know anything about Chinese history. Not that the film really cares about history, but you know that everything put out by Hong Kong now a days has to have a “Based on a true story” subtitle to sell. Just remember, no one’s really dead unless they get a little subtitle obituary. Lots of people get subtitle obituaries in this movie. If Bodyguards and Assassins were a TV miniseries, it’d have like 4 episodes. You should only see the last episode.
*Donnie Yen is still awesome.
Bodyguards and Assassins was screened at the 2010 Seattle International Film Festival.
Posted in 2009, Action & Adventure, China, Film Reviews, Hong Kong, Seattle International Film Festival | No Comments »
Posted By: allen @ June 2nd, 2010
The Wild Hunt
Director: Alexandre Franchi
Canada, 2009
When a previously fringe subculture is intelligently dramatized and written into a film, it is probably the largest step one can take to general acceptance. This goes for issues on race, sex, gender, and, as trivial as it may be comparably, geek issues. Sure, everyone and their mother are saying things like “It’s cool to be geek!” and “Geeks are taking over the world.” And it’s true to an extent. Being a geek is where the money is at, and when the money travels in that direction, so does entertainment. But Hollywood, while quite happy to suck at the teat of nostalgia for a few extra dollars, for the most part still considers the culture quite fringe. It’s why movies based on comic books and video games still blow ass after all these years; no one cares about the culture, the heritage that these things mean to the Geekdom. It’s all kitsch and no compassion.
And when Hollywood makes movies about being a geek? It’s pandering and fairly demeaning. Geexploitation has been a Hollywood trademark for years. From “Revenge of the Nerds” to “Superbad” to “Fanboys,” even when geeks are the heroes they are still tragi-comic characters with barely a single dimension to their name. Geeks are not real to the Hollywood scriptwriter. Their feelings and motivations are not like normal people; they act and think according to geek reason. Geeks do not come of age, they simply “sneak into the Skywalker Ranch” or “Have sex with a cheerleader” or “get to play Super Mario 3.” That is the ultimate goal, the Valhalla of a geek, according to Hollywood.
Geexploitation does nothing more to advance a maligned subculture than Audrey Hepburn’s Japanese-caricature neighbor did to advance the cause of Asians in film. Creating films with impenetrable dialogue and terminology don’t do anything either, though the conflict may be understandable the story becomes untranslatable. There’s a reason why people liked Brokeback Mountain much more than say Kevin Kline’s atrocious In and Out. One struggled to generate comedy from brutishly dissecting the alleged pros and cons of being gay. The other film made no such effort, accepting without question a world where the two main characters were gay. No onus of reason was necessary for the film to make sense.
So from the film summary of “The Wild Hunt,” most people (myself included) would expect yet another Geexploitation film, where the quirks are more important than the characters and the end results with “geeks learning lessons” rather than “people learning lessons.” Thank God that I’m wrong.
A thriller from Quebec, “The Wild Hunt” is the story of a young man, Erik Magnusson, trying to find his girlfriend, Evelyn, who had disappeared after spending a weekend at a Live Action Role Play (LARP) commune. The commune is secluded, its members are devoted, and each has their own personal reason for relishing the world of LARP. One of the more pivotal members, Erik’s estranged brother Bjorn, is dealing with his own crises within the confines of the LARP camp. When Erik arrives at the camp, he and his brother (reluctantly) unite to help each other. Things eventually get a little too real, as what starts out as regulated, rule-limited role play becomes darker and sinister as the real world starts to creep in.
What “The Wild Hunt” manages to do, and why it succeeds as a film, is that it doesn’t trivialize the characters, gives them a basis in the real world without being pandering, keeps them tethered to reality. Thus, their conflicts become sympathetic; their motivations are not alien to the non-LARPing audience. Though no extra knowledge is needed to enjoy “The Wild Hunt,” it does not trivialize the culture of LARP. Respect is given where it is due.
The characters LARP and they are flawed. But they are not flawed because they LARP. And they do not LARP because they are troubled. Erik remains a man apart, refusing the immersion from the very start but succumbing to his “birthright.” Bjorn channels his need for acknowledgement and accomplishment into his alter-ego. Evelyn craves attention, but requires action to see it manifest. Even villain Murtagh needs LARP to prove that he can work within a system, that his way of thinking and his philosophy can be useful. To some, LARP is a sandbox, to others a testament of faith.
Towards the beginning of the film, the director chooses to shoot from inside the LARPers’ imaginations. Swords are sharpened, fires blaze, magic and lore are very much real. Then with subtle sleight of hand, we are back in the real world. Weapons are rubber, the wigs are a little looser, and their face paint rubs off with the gentlest of touches. As order begins to disintegrate, this transition happens less and less frequently. The grey fantasy is lost, replaced by a dark reality. In the final moments of the film, Bjorn delivers a soliloquy worthy of Hamlet, lamenting all that has happened and all that he has done. He finally realizes what we’ve known all along, that his humanity is very real and his escape from it unsuccessful.
Writers Alexandre Franchi (also the director) and Mark Anthony Krupa (also stars as Bjorn) did an amazing job writing dialogue that matters, dialogue that gives us insight into a world only few of us have seen. The humor is subtle but satisfying, and doesn’t come at anyone’s expense. One LARPer laments the walk up and down a hill, as he has chosen to wear a full set of mail. Bjorn makes a phone call to his brother from a payphone requiring that he “fetch his mighty hammer, Mjollnir.” There is bickering about who is “dead” and who is “resurrected” and who has the bigger “enchantment.” LARP is not the joke. And while the film can be sardonically funny at times, it remains a thick character drama with a relatively bleak outlook. But this film stays away from being a commentary on geek fantasy. It does not laud or condemn LARP; it does not provide answers to the question of escapism. “The Wild Hunt” treats its audience with respect, and thus rewards its audience with a compelling story, tragic characters and a film experience worth viewing.
“The Wild Hunt” can be seen at the 2010 Seattle International Film Festival at these times:
June 5th - Egyptian Theater at 11:55 PM
June 7th - Neptune Theater at 9:30 PM
Posted in 2009, Canada, Fantasy, Film Reviews, Seattle International Film Festival | No Comments »
Posted By: vivian @ May 31st, 2010
This week’s recommended picks! Go to the website for the Seattle International Film Festival for more details.
Some Days Are Better Than Others
Four Portlanders with different — yet very Portland, Oregon-esque — lives spend their days trying to find meaningful human connections. The sell here is the acting debut of The Shins’ frontman James Mercer and Sleater-Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein.
SHOWTIMES
Mon, May 31 @ 9:00pm (Pacific Place)
Tue, Jun 1 @ 4:00pm (Pacific Place)
Garbo: The Spy
Certainly there is no shortage of stuff we don’t know, and Garbo: The Spy is a reminder that we really don’t know anything. An account about a Spanish doube agent during WWII who manipulated just about everyone, Garbo compiles archival footage, interviews, and music to show us the life of Catalan Juan Pujol, who ultimately retired by faking his own death.
SHOWTIMES
Tue, June 1 @ 5:00pm (Everett Performing Arts Center)
Thu, June 3 @ 7:00pm (Pacific Place)
Sat, June 5 @ 11:00am (Pacific Place)
Waste Land
Chosen as best documentary by audiences at Sundance and Berlin International Film Festival, Waste Land follows New York artist Vik Muniz as he heads to Brazil to take on a project in the world’s largest landfill. He creates portraits of local garbage pickers using recycled materials and uses time lapses to document the transformation of the portraits.
SHOWTIMES
Tue, June 1 @ 7:00pm (Pacific Place)
Wed, June 2 @ 9:30pm (Pacific Place)
Gordos
Five overweight individuals struggle with images of self in this black comedy, and it doesn’t help that their skinny therapist feels more and more revulsion towards larger individuals as time goes on — especially for his pregnant wife.
SHOWTIMES
Wed, June 2 @ 9:30pm (Egyptian Theatre)
Fri, June 4 @ 11:00am (Pacific Place)
Mon, June 7 @ 9:20pm (Uptown Cinemas)
Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo
Apparently, in Japan, beetles are a respectable creature that are collected and sometimes even sold in vending machines. In this experimental documentary, Jessica Oreck explores this fascination and abstractly draws parallels between the lives of the Japanese and beetles.
SHOWTIMES
May 31 @ 1:30pm (Pacific Place)
Wed, June 2 @ 9:15pm (Harvard Exit)
Disco And Atomic War
resented in a combination of Estonian, Finnish, Russian, and English, Disco And Atomic War reveals the strained relationship between Finland and Russia during the Soviet era, as residents of Tallinn, Estonia did everything they could to rig their television sets to watch illegal Finnish television and get a handle on “dangerous” Western culture.
SHOWTIMES
Thu, June 3 @ 7:00pm (SIFF Cinema)
Mon, Jun 7 @ 9:30pm (Egyptian Theatre)
Wed, June 9 @ 7:00pm (Kirkland Performance Center)
Father And Guns
The highest-grossing French language film in Canada, Father And Guns (De pére en flic) is an outrageous buddy picture between father and son cops, Jacques and Mark Laroche (French-Canadian comedians Michel Côté and Louis-José Houde).
SHOWTIMES
Thu, June 3 @ 9:15pm (Uptown Cinemas)
Sat, June 5 @ 9:00pm (Uptown Cinemas)
Fri, June 11 @ 4:30pm (Kirkland Performance Center)
Ride, Rise, Roar
David Bryne’s collaboration with Brian Eno was a musical dream come true for many individuals, and this concert film documents a 2009 tour where the two decided to collaborate again for the first time in 30 years.
SHOWTIMES
Thu, June 3 @ 9:15pm (Everett Performing Arts Center)
Brotherhood
Brotherhood explores how homosexuality changes when placed under the weight of society. Lars and Jimmy meet when training together in a neo-Nazi group and soon find themselves feeling deeply passionate about one another. The atmosphere of intolerance forces them to keep their relationship under wraps.
SHOWTIMES
Mon, May 31 @ 9:00pm (SIFF Cinema)
Fri, June 4 @ 9:30pm (Uptown Cinemas)
Wed, June 7 @ 4:30pm (Egyptian Theatre)
Fight Club
This film needs no introduction. A part of SIFF’s Tribute To Edward Norton, Fight Club will be airing at the Egyptian as a midnight screening this year. You don’t want to miss it.
SHOWTIMES
Fri, June 4 @ Midnight (Egyptian Theatre)
Hidden Diary
An estranged mother-daughter relationship leads Audrey to her grandparents’ old home, where she discovers an old diary that recalls her grandmother’s life in the 1950s. The result gives Audrey new insight on her own relationships with the female figures in her life.
SHOWTIMES
Sat, June 5 @ 11:00am (Egyptian Theatre)
Thu, June 3 @ 4:00pm (Neptune Theatre)
Cell 211
New prison guard Juan Oliver falls unconscious after a minor accident, and after fellow guards place him in a cell to recover, inmates escape and seize control of the prison. When he comes to, he decides not to give himself away and fakes being a prison inmate through all the turmoil.
SHOWTIMES
Sat, June 5 @ 7:00pm (Neptune Theatre)
Mon, June 7 @ 4:00pm (Neptune Theatre)
The Two Horses Of Genghis Khan
The Two Horses Of Genghis Khan (Chingisiyn Hoyor Zagal) is a documentary film about a Mongolian vocalist, Urna Chahar-Tugchi, who is from a family livestock farmers from Inner Mongolia. She promises to repair her grandmother’s violin and find the song inscribed on the violin’s neck — one which originated in the Middle Ages and is utilizes a specific singing technique which makes it possible to sing on horseback for hours.
SHOWTIMES
Thu, June 3 @ 5:00pm (Everett Performing Arts Center)
Sun, June 6 @ 4:00pm (Uptown Cinemas)
Tue, June 8 @ 9:15pm (Egyptian Theatre)
Posted in 2010, Film Previews, Seattle International Film Festival | 2 Comments »
Posted By: allen @ May 29th, 2010
Turtle: The Incredible Journey
Director: Nick Stringer
United Kingdom, 2009
An Interpretive Review by Lillian Sullam
I am a Loggerhead turtle.
I break out of shell and sand. I traverse the land to reach the sea. The crabs and gulls see me as prey, but I am determined, I must satiate this driving hunger that permeates my being, I must continue forward.
It is along the Gulf Stream that I navigate. Heading north on my float-sum raft with companions in the shape of sea horses and fish that have camouflage exteriors to mimic the vessel we reside upon. I am still soft shelled. I need to grow and rest.
A strange stillness envelopes our journey. We have been driven off course into a timeless Sargasso sea. Within moments a great beast obliterates our raft, tossing apart what kept alive my companions. I am alone now. I must use my arms to regain my sense of direction. I search and search. I swim through swamps of black sludge that sticks to my body. I pass the carcass of a turtle just like me, hollow in the eyes, covered in thick oil. I pass beautiful shinny float-sum. I am so hungry I eat it, but it does not break apart. It does not taste like anything. Ahead of me I see translucent orbs with beaded strands swaying in a breeze created by the creatures. Their movement is hypnotic. Their movement entices me, fuels my hunger. Is that a fish I see, encased in their arms, encased in death? I can’t tell, all I know is that I must eat this tantalizing creature. The first bite releases delicious chewy sustenance. In this consumption I am aware that eons of ancestors developed a tolerance to the poison, to make food out of an enemy. I again am hopeful. I know I can find my way out of this limbo.
Back in the Gulf Stream. How long has it been? I am older now. Larger, but still not as large as the magnificent humpback whale. Or the sleek blue shark. I trail behind them on my own journey, but I am curious about where they go. How long have they been making this voyage? In the North Sea the sky above the roof of the ocean sends down torrents of water droplets. It sends down thousands of hands that thrust apart portions of the surface, making waves, colliding with each other. I am too small to fight this energy. I give up and allow the current to take me towards the imposing rocky pillars of the shore.
Tranquility again. I swim away from the stone island, in a sea that is rapidly cooling. I makes me sleepy, as though I could just rest forever. But at night, I see the magnetic beacon. The shimmery curtain of light in the sky. I reminds me of my journey. Of the path I need to continue to follow.
Back south I have broken free of the Gulf Stream and head towards the warm waters of the Azores. In this place I can truly rest and build up my strength. Among the schools of fish and coral, are others like me. Some have been here a long time. Some are just arriving. I see their shapes floating by and wonder what their paths were like. I burrow into the sandy floor and sleep.
My shell is hard now. I am larger. I must continue traveling. I leave the peace and comfort of the Azores and continue south toward the heat of the equator. Along the way I see the bounty of the ocean. Schools of small fish form bait balls that shimmer and spiral like a whirlpool. Into this funnel dive sea birds, dolphins, sharks, and more, to eat whatever they can grasp. I look for stragglers. I am not fast enough to navigate those twirling masses. As I continue onwards I see the belly of a shadow hovering at the surface. From it descends delicious morsels of food. I swim up to one and investigate. It is a small squid. I am hungry and have been traveling for a while. I eat the squid. I am pricked in the jaw. I cannot control my movement. I am lifted up towards the edge of the water, towards the light. I struggle, but I cannot out maneuver this stronger beast. Hanging above the surface I am grasped. I see a blue shark drying up on the deck of the beast. The hook is removed from my jaw and I am tossed back into the water. As I reenter, I see others being lifted out of the water. My mind tells me to swim away and not look back.
I know I am close. I have been traveling for years. I know I am almost there. Finally, I reach the Caribbean. These clear warm waters feel like home, though I’ve never been here before. I know this is where I must stay for a while. Here, where food is bountiful, I swim through coral that sways an alluring dance. Past sting rays with their ghostly white bellies. I see hammerhead sharks. Fish the colors of sun beams passing through sparkling water. I make a home and rest. I eat the crunchy shells and sweet meat of crabs scurrying along the sandy floor. The seasons pass. I wait. I am patient.
One day, I wake up and know my time has come. My body is healthy and ready. I must return to the sands where I was born. I bid the Caribbean goodbye. I will be back, but not for a while. I begin to swim north again. To go back to those sands I must bring something. I must give something to the land. I wait in the shallows of sea grasses. The sun drops beads of light. I sense his presence. There in the distance, heading toward me is another turtle. Like me. We are few at this age. Our lives are solitary. But we know were to go to find each other. In the descent of a timeless sun I am ready to bestow upon the land my burden, my gift.
How many years has it been since I left? Twenty summers have passed. I catch the scent of my home waters and swim with greater determination. My mind is a map and I am making a complete circle. The beach is obstructed by a barrier. A dead reef barrier. I must find a way around it. There are large shadows, large sentinels guarding the beach. They do not move, but blink a light display when the sun disappears. With all of my might I make it across the strange obstruction. I allow the tide to take me onto the shore. I have not touched land since I left this beach, breaking out of the shell. Here, on a surface that makes me awkward and slow, I move at a pace that is filled with determination. I find the spot. I begin to dig, I shift sand and shift sand and I stop when I know that it is the right depth. I lay my eggs. Hundreds. I encase them in sand and return to the ocean. I leave them behind, entrusted to the land, entrusted to millennia of knowledge.
My journey is complete.
Turtle: The Incredible Journey screened at the 2010 Seattle International Film Festival. All screenings have passes since the posting of this review.
Posted in 2010, Documentary, Film Reviews, Seattle International Film Festival, United Kingdom | No Comments »
Posted By: allen @ May 28th, 2010
Review by Yair Rubinstien
Directors: Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass
USA, 2010
Brothers, and Cyrus co-directors, Jay and Mark Duplass have not shied away from their stated intent to make ‘genre films.’ It’s an odd conceit from a duo who’ve been lumped in with the for-better-or-worse-entitled ‘mumblecore’ movement; a style more prone to moody atmospheres and sparse dialog than showboat character acting and predictable plot developments.
I suppose it’s fitting then that Cyrus splits the difference between the two. The plot is fairly formulaic – lonesome divorcee John C. Reilly befriends equally lonesome single mother Marisa Tomei at a swanky LA dinner party. Their courtship quickly escalates, only to be sabotaged by Tomei’s needy, 21 year old man-child, Cyrus (played by Jonah Hill).
Photo by Chuck Zlotnick
Hilarity abounds throughout the film, emanating mostly from Reilly and Hill’s combative, juvenile relationship (and more generally from Cyrus’ bizarre demeanor). The film swiftly charts its course, ending with little fanfare. However, it’s clear from early on the Duplass brothers have little interest in making an Apatow-like farce.
Rather than descend into pure caricature, the Duplass brothers treat their subjects with a tenderness and introspection that pushes them more towards their mumblecore peers. While the stellar cast deftly explores these dimensions, it’s clear that Hill, either as a result of his prescribed role or his acting chops more generally, has the most trouble breaking out of the one-dimensionality of his character. Overall though, the film was able to be entertaining without losing its empathetic sensibility. In other words, it’s mumblecore for the masses.
“Cyrus” has screened already at the Seattle International Film Festival. It opens in theaters everywhere during the summer.
Posted in 2010, Comedy, Film Reviews, Seattle International Film Festival, United States | No Comments »
Posted By: vivian @ May 27th, 2010
Director: Jo Baier
Cast: Julien Boisselier, Joachim Krol, Hannelore Hoger, Ulrich Noethen, Armelle Deutsch, Chloé Stefani, Gabriela Maria Schmeide, Roger Casamajor, Sven Pippig, Sandra Huller
Country: Germany
Year: 2009
Henry Of Navarre is a historical dramatization that attempts to document the period of Henry IV’s ascension to the throne and the religious wars which preceeded it. But despite the film’s loftiest intentions, a weak script and an even weaker crew burden it to the point of no recovery.
All of the characters in the film are just that — characters — and they fulfill their general beings with mind-blowing one-dimensionality. Take, for instance, Henry Of Navarre (Henry IV) himself. While generally loved throughout his reign, Henry is shown in the film as completely without fault — a point that is accentuated by the fact that he is surrounded by a slew of ridiculously worthless characters. Those characters include Catherine de Medici, mother of the three kings prior to Henry IV. She is known in history for her ruthlessnesss, but the only quality she possesses in the film is cruelty; she might as well have been Cruella de Vil, with less style. Her youngest son, Henry III, is probably the most complex character in the film, and even he is a caricature of a helpless homosexual king who keeps eccentric company. But it’s obvious that character development means little, since new characters spring up inconsequentially and main characters die off without warning. Their deaths are alluded to but never shown (not that viewers are saved from their breathily expelled “last words,” however).
Unintentionly, Henry Of Navarre feels like a complete spoof of period pieces. It begins with running and screaming peasants, who seem fresh from theatre school. Over time, the theatrical aspects fade a little, but the cliches remain. Henry Of Navarre attempts to appease everyone by incorporating all genres of cinema. Immense battle scenes with hectic camerawork show up time and time again. A voyeuristic jaunt through a hedonistic masquerade evokes a scene from Eyes Wide Shut. Sex scenes of numerous types satiate the viewer with a plethora of breasts. And montages of flashbacks add nothing to the storyline whatsoever.
The worst points of the film, though, are when the soundtrack becomes noticeable. Veteran composer Hans Zimmer and Henry Jackman, who has worked on films like Pirates Of The Caribbean and The Da Vinci Code, crafted it. But whereas the aforementioned films probably have a series of checks and balances to keep their soundtracks from becoming too predictable, Henry Of Navarre seems to have none of those, and some scenes are seriously laughable. Each time Henry IV’s latest lover appears from the woodwork — standing in the sunlight, of course — a lute and flute combination befitting the Renaissance period cues. As Henry IV and his comrades dash up the stairs to aid a fallen king, an action soundtrack you might find in Die Hard accompanies. Haunting music one might find in a horror movie seems to build up to a tense point, but there’s actually no gravity behind it at all; a few soldiers are casting shadows onto the metal bars of what could be a prison, but it’s not a prison at all, and the soldiers are complete nobodies.
The lack of a critical thought process behind segues and general mood shifts are, in the end, the absolute downfalls of Henry Of Navarre. While the filmmakers obviously approached the project with a genuine desire to craft a fantastic high-budget period piece, what they end up with is quite a failure.
Posted in 2009, 2010, Biography, Drama, Film Reviews, Germany, Period Pieces, Seattle International Film Festival | No Comments »
Posted By: allen @ May 25th, 2010
Mao’s Last Dancer
Director: Bruce Beresford
Australia, 2009
Based on his bestselling autobiography, the dramatized story of Li Cunxin escaping from Communist China is not a particularly unique one. Handpicked from a dusty village in rural China, a young Li is forced to abandon his family and attend the most prestigious (and rigorous) arts school in all of China. At first, Li is inattentive, unmotivated. But, after viewing a tape of Baryshnikov (another ballet dancer who defected from his communist homeland), Li is inspired to become the greatest ballet dancer in the entire world.
His fame eventually leads him to an exchange program with the Houston Ballet Company. It is here in America where his talents and love for ballet are allowed to thrive. Li falls in love not only with the freedom of dancing in America, but a young American woman who attends the same school. It is from there that Li fights for his right to stay in America. But what will his desire for freedom cost him, and his family back home?
Strands of “Farewell My Concubine” and “Forever Enthralled” are (unavoidably) wrapped around the film. Director Bruce Beresford is more than capable, but “Mao’s Last Dancer” lacks the depth and familiarity that Chen Kaige has expressed over and over again on the subject of culture vs Communism. But what the film does offer is an exemplary physical performance by debut actor and Birmingham Royal Ballet Principal Dancer Chi Cao. His physical prowess in the movie is breathtaking; watching his performances in the film is on the level of watching Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon. I don’t watch much ballet, but after seeing this film it was easier to appreciate the art of dance. Coupled with some genuinely touching moments, satisfying performances from the leads Chi Cao, Bruce Greenwood and Joan Chen, and exquisite dance cinematography, “Mao’s Last Dancer” is sure to please anyone looking for a pleasant, visually stimulating film with an inspirational story attached.
This film marks the opening night of SIFF 2010 at the Everett Performing Arts Center. Kyle MacLachlan, the Northwest native famous for his starring roles in the Twin Peaks series and Dune, will be in attendance at the Everett Opening Night. His role in the film as the immigration lawyer who represents Li is understated yet excellent, much like Mr. Maclaclan always is.
The film screens at the Seattle International Film Festival on these dates at these locations:
May 27th - Everett Performing Arts Center - 7:00 PM
May 29th - Uptown Cinemas - 5:30 PM
May 31st - Uptown Cinemas - 3:00 PM
Posted in 2009, Australia, Biography, Drama, Film Reviews, Seattle International Film Festival | No Comments »
Posted By: vivian @ May 24th, 2010
Prince Of Tears is a historical drama directed by well-known Hong Kong film director, Yonfan. A look into 1950s Taiwan, the film documents a young family during an era when Communists — and suspected Communists — were questioned and detained by the Taiwanese government. It is a tale of simultaneous betrayal and loyalty, where best friends turn into enemies and women take on lovers to secure social status. It offers a glimpse into a controversial era in Taiwanese history that is rarely discussed or even known outside of the country.
Prince Of Tears utilizes expertly crafted sets and cinematography to give viewers a look back into a time where some families were torn apart by simple accusations and others were living in extravagance. A focus is placed upon one family with two girls who find themselves abandoned when their parents are taken by the government. They are pitifully shuffled from family to family, but they are not without fault. Starting from the very first scene of the film, when the younger sister’s professor is captured, the younger sister’s naivete becomes the root cause of trouble to all those around her. Without even knowing it, she brings about tragedy upon tragedy, and Prince Of Tears becomes a film with no shortage of tears. But unlike similar films where tension becomes unbearable and misunderstandings become frustrating, Prince Of Tears is excellently paced and even the most questionable of decisions becomes understandable, to a degree.
To some, Prince Of Tears might seem overly dramatic. But, to those who are familiar with Chinese culture, the film might ring true. Most of the characters can indeed be described as intense or dramatic, but they are not inaccurately portrayed; they simply hold onto traditional values of family far beyond the notion of self, like anyone who has experienced loss might.
NOW SHOWING IN SEATTLE:
May 26, 2010 @ 9:15 PM (Admiral Theatre)
Posted in 2010, Drama, Film Reviews, Period Pieces, Seattle International Film Festival, Taiwan | No Comments »
Posted By: vivian @ May 24th, 2010
When 11-year-old Paloma (Garance Le Guillemic) decides that she wants to commit suicide on the date of her next birthday, she has 165 days left to go. By viewing her mother, who talks to house plants, and her father, who is well-intentioned but has nothing much more to offer, Paloma concludes that her life is bound to be horrible. Her promise to herself comes with one self-assigned stipulation, though; while other people might make climbing Mt. Everest their lives’ greatest goal, Paloma aims to make a film. She begins to do so with her father’s 8mm camera, filming everyone and anyone who will allow her to.
With The Hedgehog (Le Herisson), director Mona Achache brings Muriel Barbery’s novel to life with a clear and concise vision. Although the film’s subject matter seems bleak, it is far from; instead, it captures beauty in seemingly insignificant moments, making it clear that even the smallest details can hold worth when viewed from the outside. All throughout the film, Paloma’s dry, sardonic narration is charming and keeps viewers in line with the childish yet thought-provoking viewpoint.
Paloma inches closer and closer to reaching her suicidal deadline, but finds herself forming close bonds with unlikely individals, including the building’s lonely bookworm janitor, Renée Michel (Josiane Balasko) and a refined Japanese widower Kakuro (Togo Igawa). By finding refuge in the company of those two individuals, she begins to discover that beyond the walls of her home, life really can contain some mystery and wonder.
NOW SHOWING IN SEATTLE:
May 28, 2010 7:00 PM (Uptown Cinemas)
May 30, 2010 4:00 PM (Uptown Cinemas)
Posted in 2010, Black Comedy, Film Reviews, France, Seattle International Film Festival | No Comments »
Posted By: vivian @ May 24th, 2010
This week’s recommended picks! Go to the website for the Seattle International Film Festival for more details.
Between Two Worlds
A man returns to his homeland in Sri Lanka — post its 26-year civil war — to discover that the repercussions of war last far beyond wars themselves.
SHOWTIMES
Mon, May 24 @ 5:00pm (SIFF Cinema)
Mon, May 31 @ 1:00pm (Everett Performing Arts Center)
The Chef Of South Polar
The story of Antarctic researchers turning to eccentric clothing and extravagant foods to cope with loneliness, The Chef Of South Polar (Nankyoku ryôrinin) is feel-good and overflowing with food.
SHOWTIMES
Mon, May 24 @ 7:00pm (Harvard Exit)
Wed, May 26 @ 6:30pm (Admiral Theatre)
The Maldives Perform Riders Of The Purple Sage
A part of SIFF’s Face The Music series which REDEFINE covers every year, the first of this year’s live film scoring sessions includes The Maldives bringing their Americana-folk rock style to Tom Mix’s silent 1925 Western, Riders Of The Purple Sage. Guaranteed to be brilliant, as always.
SHOWTIMES
Tue, May 25 @ 7:00pm & 9:30pm (Triple Door)
Hidden Diary
An estranged mother-daughter relationship leads Audrey to her grandparents’ old home, where she discovers an old diary that recalls her grandmother’s life in the 1950s. The result gives Audrey new insight on her own relationships with the female figures in her life.
SHOWTIMES
Tue, May 5 @ 7:00pm (Egyptian Theatre)
Sat, June 5 @ 11:00am (Egyptian Theatre)
Thu, June 3 @ 4:00pm (Neptune Theatre)
City Of Life And Death
A brutal recreation of the “Rape Of Nanking,” in which more than 300,000 Chinese civilians were massacred by the Japanese army during the late 1930s.
SHOWTIMES
Tue, May 25 @ 6:30pm (Neptune Theatre)
Sun, May 30 @ 8:30pm (Everett Performing Arts Center)
Alternative Waves
SIFF’s most abstract short film grouping this year, Alternative Waves is a culmination of fascinating experimental shorts that are open to interpretation and beyond words.
SHOWTIMES
Wed, May 26 @ 9:30pm
Amplified Seattle
A documentary look at notable musicians in the Seattle arts and music scene, shot by director John Jeffcoat (Outsourced). Musicians like The Spits, Thee Emergency, Chapagne Champagne, and The Light make appearances.
SHOWTIMES
Wed, May 26 @ 9:15pm (Neptune Theatre)
Night Catches Us
Taking place in 1976, an infamous year for Philadelphia, director Tanya Hamilton’s debut film incorporates archival footage with dramatizations to take a look at race and social relations in a tense time.
SHOWTIMES
Wed, May 26 @ 7:00pm (Egyptian Theatre)
Thu, May 27 @ 4:30pm (Egyptian Theatre)
Sat, May 29 @ 3:00pm (Everett Performing Arts Center)
Winter’s Bone
A highly anticipated addition to SIFF’s lineup, Winter’s Bone follows a teenager attempting to find her missing father. Along the way, she runs into a series of roadblocks, mostly set into place by her own family.
SHOWTIMES
Fri, May 28 @ 7:00pm
Sun, May 30 @ 1:30pm
Ride, Rise, Roar
David Bryne’s collaboration with Brian Eno was a musical dream come true for many individuals, and this concert film documents a 2009 tour where the two decided to collaborate again for the first time in 30 years.
SHOWTIMES
Fri, May 28 @ 9:30pm (SIFF Cinema)
Sat, May 29 @ 1:30pm (SIFF Cinema)
Thu, June 3 @ 9:15pm (Everett Performing Arts Center)
RoboGeisha
Robogeisha is an outlandish film where cyborg geishas fire machine guns out of their hands and chop off heads with blades emerging from leg warmers. Directed by Noboru Iguchi, creator of Tokyo Gore Police, RoboGeisha is meant to be ridiculous, and it revels in it.
SHOWTIMES
Fri, May 28 @ Midnight (Egyptian Theatre)
Tue, June 8 @ 10:00pm (Neptune Theatre)
Mediterranean Food
One of many sensual films offered from Spain this year as part of SIFF’s Ambiente: New Spanish Cinema series, Mediterranean Food explores a love triangle that actually seems to work due to sacrifice and compromise.
SHOWTIMES
Sat, May 29 @ 6:00pm (Neptune Theatre)
Sun, May 30 @ 1:30pm (Neptune Theatre)
Tue, June 1 @ 9:15pm (Everett Performing Arts Center)
Amer
Amer is not a film for everyone — or even close to everyone — but it is an abstract stylistic delight for those interested in films that make you uncomfortable. Amer is strongest when focusing on creepy details — including sound effects that make it feel like someone is breathing over your shoulder.
SHOWTIMES
Sat, May 29 @ Midnight (Egyptian Theatre)
Sun, May 30 @ 9:30pm (Egyptian Theatre)
Posted in 2010, Film Previews, Seattle International Film Festival | 1 Comment »
