February 01, 2004World / Independent Film Blog Archives |
| « January 2004 | Main | March 2004 » |
Indie Spirit Award WinnersSofia Coppola's "Lost In Translation" takes the top prizes, Charlize Theron wins Best Actress, Shohreh Aghdashloo gets the Best Supporting Actress -- and no, it's not the Oscars. The complete list of Indie Spirit Award Winners.12:50 PM # Review: Goodbye, Lenin! Comedy and history lesson rolled into one, the biggest hit from Germany since "Run, Lola, Run" is a thoughtful and hilarious film about the effects of Reunification on one East Berlin family. Daniel Brühl stars as the son of an ardent socialist who wakes out of a coma in a changed country. The film opens tomorrow. Read Jürgen's review.
04:39 PM # New DVD Releases The always remarkable Sarah Polley stars in this week's top DVD pick "My Life Without Me" as a wife and mother dying of cancer. Rather than grieving the old-fashioned way, she takes a lover and gets her nails done. Also out this week: the uniquely disturbing documentary "Wisconsin Death Trip," the musical surprise hit "Camp," the two-disc Criterion release of "Salvatore Giuliano" and "Memories" by anime master Katsuhiro Otomo.
01:57 PM # 2004 Oscar PreviewOnly six days left before Billy Crystal picks up the microphone once again to hand out golden statuettes at the 76th Academy Awards! We take a closer look at foreign and independent films that stand to win an Oscar or three, including Charlize Theron for her performance in "Monster," Keisha Castle-Hughes for "Whale Rider," Sofia Coppola's historic nomination for "Lost In Translation," and two surprise nominations for "City of God." For the historically minded, we also have a complete list of past Foreign-language Oscar winners.11:47 AM # Review: Kitchen Stories A well-meaning comedy set in Norway in the 50s, "Kitchen Stories" tells the droll tale of two lonely men brought together by an absurd study. The film, directed by Bent Hamer, opens today. Read our review.Also playing: An Amazing Couple, On the Run, After the Life, The Dreamers, The Return, Secret Things, Osama, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Touching the Void, My Architect 04:47 PM # Review: Secret ThingsIn Jean-Claude Brisseau's "Secret Things," two aimless women decide to move on up the social ladder by using their bodies. The ensuing comedy of office manners culminates in a quasi-philosophical orgy of pretense and trashy would-be kicks that feels like watching sub-par soft porn while listening to a bargain Nietzsche audiobook. Read Jurgen's review.02:06 PM # Digital Blow-Up: New DVD Releases Michelangelo Antonioni's Swinging Sixties classic "Blow-Up" moves into the digital age this week, along with Bob Dylan's "Masked and Anonymous," a film that's much better than most critics would have you believe. Also new this week on DVD: Herni-Georges Clouzot's "Le Corbeau (The Raven)," the Spanish Midsummer-night sex comedy "Km. 0," and the literary detective story "Stone Reader."
01:52 PM # Review: Osama The first feature film made in Afghanistan since the rise of the Taliban tells the uncompromising story of a desperate young girl trying to survive by posing as a boy. But "Osama" is not "Yentl," and the film's powerful sense of hopelessness is hard to shake. "Osama" won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film and is playing in theaters now. Read the review.
04:40 PM # Review: After the Life - Trilogy 3 The final installment of Lucas Belvaux's "Trilogy" is a touching melodrama about a marriage between a junkie and a crooked cop coming apart while a mysterious terrorist wreaks havoc in the city. Together with "An Amazing Couple" and "On the Run," the audacious experiment in structure is a thrillingly successful hypertext-as-film that's well worth the price of three movie tickets. Read our review.
07:45 PM # German-Turkish Filmmaker Wins in BerlinFor the first time in 18 years, a German film took home the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival: earlier today, the jury, presided over by Frances McDormand, awarded its top prize to Fatih Akin's "Gegen die Wand" (Head-On), a film about second-generation Turkish immigrants. The Silver Bear of the jury went to "El Abrazo Partido" (Lost Embrace) by Daniel Burman. Catalina Sandino Moreno and Charlize Theron tied for Best Actress and Kim Ki-Duk was awarded the prize for Best Director for "Samaria" (Samaritan Girl). The cast of Björn Runge's "Om Jag Vander Mig Om" (Daybreak) won for Outstanding Artistic Contribution.The 54th Berlin Film Festival concludes tomorrow. You can find the complete list of awards at the official site, and David Hudson of GreenCine Daily has in-depth coverage of the festival. 08:46 PM # Let's Go Out For Dinner and a Blue Movie Looking for a date movie this Valentine's weekend? Not to worry: the theaters are practically throbbing with love, lust, and romance. After a strong opening at the indie box office, Bernardo Bertolucci's sexually explicit "The Dreamers," starring beautiful newcomers Eva Green, Louis Garrel, and Michael Pitt, goes into its second week. More nudity comes in the form of Jean-Claude Brisseau's trashy soft-core flick "Secret Things," but our hearts beat for the ravishing Catherine Deneuve in "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg," one of the most romantic films ever made. A restored version of the Jacques Demy's 1964 musical is opening at Film Forum in New York. Other new releases include the third and final installment of Lucas Belvaux's brilliant "Trilogy," "After The Life," the crime drama "The Code," Francois Dupeyron's "Monsieur Ibrahim," and the Nordic comedy "Kitchen Stories."
01:04 PM # Together, At Last: New DVD Releases Two long-awaited favorites are finally being released on DVD this week: Lucas Moodyson's lovely and hilarious look at a Swedish hippie commune "Together" and Canadian Patricia Rocezma's lesbian classic "I've Heard The Mermaids Singing." Other new DVDs include "Sylvia" starring Gwyneth Paltrow and the Japanese sci-fi spectacle "The Returner."
07:18 PM # DVD Review: The Rules of the GameThe Criterion Collection's two-disc DVD of Jean Renoir's "The Rules of the Game" does the celebrated 1939 film justice with lavish bonus materials that examine its troubled history, controversial reception, and influental legacy.07:09 PM # Review: The Return If the sexy innocence of "The Dreamers" doesn't turn you on and the antics of "The Amazing Couple" leave you cold, we've got just the film for you: Andrei Zvyagintsev's "The Return" is a sparse, deliberate, and patiently observed family drama about a father's reunion with his sons. The film won the Golden Lion in Venice and opens today in New York and Los Angeles. Read the review.
04:03 PM # Review: An Amazing Couple After the menacing opening installment "On The Run," the second part of Lucas Belvaux's "Trilogy" is a perfect farce--a charming and side-splittingly funny comedy of errors starring Ornella Muti and François Morel. "An Amazing Couple" opens on Friday. The third and final film, the melodrama "After the Life," follows next week. Read the review.
09:58 AM # Review: The Dreamers Self-discovery times three equals NC-17: Bernardo Bertolucci's sumptuous tale of an American who finds himself infatuated with a couple of French twins during the spring of 1968 is ripe with movie references, twisted mindgames, and the anticipation of sex. Starring Eva Green and Michael Pitt, "The Dreamers" opens on Friday. Read the review.
08:10 PM # Lost on DVD: New Releases Sofia Coppola's "Lost In Translation" is a positively dreamy film, and with its release on DVD, you can lost again and again. Also out this week: the acclaimed Harvey-mentary "American Splendor," "Porn Theater," "Children of the Century," and "The Gods Must Be Crazy."
11:33 AM # Book Review: "Down and Dirty Pictures" by Peter Biskind Mischievously released in the week before Sundance, Peter Biskind's muckraking report about "Miramax, Sundance, and the Rise of Independent Film" has already caused quite a stir. Filmmakers and industry insiders are fascinated by the book--but should moviegoers bother? Read our review.
11:13 AM # The World's Hardest Movie QuizTest your arcane cinema knowledge (and google-fu) with Michael Atkinson's devilishly difficult Village Voice Movie Trivia Quiz 2004. Among the questions: in which movie does Catherine Deneuve explore a cave in high heels? Which famous film director attended Dewson Street Public School? And what movie ends with the line "Don't shoot--they're in Switzerland?" The prize: a $150 gift certificate.05:13 PM # |
Explore World / Independent Film
Must Reads
More from About.com
Work Hard, Travel Easy
The best tips for business travelers.Dog Care
Get tips on training and caring for dogs of all ages.48 Hours in Vegas
Plan a hot weekend in Sin City.Hotel Advice
The must-stay hotels worldwide.
©2008 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.
All rights reserved.