Turks in Germany, Germans in Turkey, more coincidences than most movies, I was really looking forward to this latest release by the director of Im Juli, Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul and Gegen die Wand (Head-On); I was not disappointed by this film where personal allegiances conflict with political and moral ones. Almost as soon as she appeared on screen I said to myself, I like the German mother. When the credits rolled I learned she was Hanna Schygulla. Everyone else was good too. I loved this movie.
SIFF says: Mongol traces the formative years of legendary warrior Genghis Khan. This historical epic set in Central Asia boasts breathtaking landscapes, dazzling cinematography, bloody battles, and unique traditions.
What can I say, I loved this movie.
The life and times of a child-on-child murderer, while hardly non-violent, some of what we know is going to happen takes place off screen. A brilliant portrait of a very appealing title character.
SIFF says: Two women-one recently left with two sons to raise, the other a widow on the Mohawk reservation straddling the U.S. and Canadian borders-need money fast. They become unlikely, uneasy, and even unwilling partners in a perilous and illegal enterprise.
I say: Maybe I liked it because I lived the first five years of my life where this film was shot, or maybe it really was that good.
This is a one woman stand up routine, with the gentlest attacks on Christianity I’ve ever heard. I rarely disagreed with her and barely noticed the 2-1/2 hours going by.
Set in Kerala in 1937, this gorgeous film stars two favorites of mine, Nandita Das and Jennifer Uhle (with really bad hair). A symbolic story that runs out of steam at the end, directed by another favorite of mine.
SIFF says: Catherine Breillat's smartly crafted adaptation of the eponymous 19th-century novel tells the story of a young aristocrat, his virtuous new bride, and his intoxicating former mistress. The result is a sumptuous costume (and occasionally uncostumed) chamber piece that is erotic, funny, cruel, and supremely intelligent, starring the alluringly vulpine Asia Argento.
I say: Slow, predictable, short on plot, the costumes made it worth it.
SIFF says: Director Nina Paley's autobiographical "greatest break-up story ever told" is exquisitely illuminated by a witty '20s jazz musical version of the Indian epic "Ramayana." A rousing, high-energy visual feast filled with a winning myriad of animation styles.
I say: The best treatment of this story that I’ve ever come across, and I’ve come across a fair amount of them. I love the way the “greek” chorus handled the thornier plot issues, that are usually ignored. A complete delight!
SIFF says: A fanciful urban fairytale about Alisa, a girl who lives in a seaside shack with her mom and grandma and who has special talents-she can influence the weather and make wishes come true. Dubbed the Russian Amčlie, Mermaid grapples with love, modernity, and the materialism of New Russia.
I say: If this is Amčlie, then Moscow is Paris! Light-hearted (for a Russian film), funny and very satirical. Mark, be sure to see this for the green hair!
The scandalous true-crime story of the Baekelands, lurid and shocking, the acting was tremendous.
A Pakistani boy wants to go to school, his dad wants him to go into the family gun-making business. Great characters, beautiful scenery, interesting politics (especially the different views of the US); an outstanding feature by a first-time director.
A 12 year old vampire (she's been 12 for a long time) uses grown ups as slaves, but falls for a 12 year old boy. Who can blame her; he's a cutie! A little too much blood, but, hey, it's a vampire movie.
SIFF says: What is the behind the phenomenon that is Garrison Keillor? He began his one-man radio show in 1974, which exploded into "A Prairie Home Companion."
I say: So much more enjoyable than Altman’s “Prairie Home Companion,” Can’t see it? Don’t worry PBS was a producer, so expect it on TV soon.
SIFF says: In 1953, Christopher Isherwood met Don Bachardy. The attraction between them was instant and mutual.
I say: A total delight
SIFF says: Josef von Sternberg's legendary final film is based on a famous incident in which a group of Japanese sailors become marooned on the Pacific island of Anatahan in 1944. They lived there for seven years-fighting over the island's sole woman-before finding out that World War II had been over for years.<\i>
I say: Dated, but fascinating, in black and white with no subtitles, however, the voice over is in the form of a memoir, and the action illustrates the tale. Things are semi-civilized until someone finds some weapons . . .
SIFF says: Director Jonathan Levine expected to attend. Without friends, short of cash, and single after graduation, Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck) forms an offbeat friendship with his shrink (Sir Ben Kingsley) whom he pays in dime bags of pot. Luke complicates their relationship when he falls in love with the doctor's stepdaughter, leading both men to realize they have a lot of growing up to do.<\i>
I say: The old ladies hated all the drug use. Others found it unrealistic, but I’m from NY and dated pot dealers in my teens and twenties. I know Fire Island too, and found it quite realistic. I predict the powers that be will not let this get into wide release.
SIFF says: Director Ricardo de Montreuil expected to attend. With his romantic, educational and familial lives all nearing implosion, self-absorbed 21-year-old student Santi casts his responsibilities aside and plans a road trip to the Peruvian beach town of Mancora. Moments before liftoff, his plans are complicated by the appearance of his smoldering older stepsister and her endlessly nitpicky husband. <\i>
I say: Everyone I spoke to liked this more than I did. If you see this pay attention to the sound of the voices, one of the main characters pops up only vocally at the end and we disagreed as to who it was.
SIFF says: In this wondrous paean to Scottish language and storytelling, Angus and his sister are sent to live with their grandparents following the deaths of their parents. In his attempts to soothe young Angus's anger, his grandfather spins yarns from Scottish folklore, which might just contain the reconciliation Angus longs for.<\i>
I say: There was a print/projector mismatch that spoiled the resolution of this movie for me. Had I seen a well presented version, the landscapes, stories, and Gaelic language would have thrilled me beyond measure.
SIFF says: Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics Directors Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass expected to attend. The creators of cult-favorite The Puffy Chair bring Baghead, a lurid tale of four would-be movie stars who sequester themselves in the woods to write their masterpiece screenplay. Soon they find themselves menaced by an unwelcome visitor with a bag over his head. Plot holes and attitude spoiled this movie. But I hated the puffy chair. Sympathetic characters though.
SIFF says: Not just another penguin movie-humans share equal time with nature as maverick director Werner Herzog explores Antarctica, his newest frontier. There, he captures the absurd, the surreal, and the sublime in this icy wilderness at the bottom of the world.<\i>
I say: Definitely not another penguin movie, the beauty of the water under the ice, the ugliness of MacMurdo and all those crazy people in Antarctica show a place truly unique in this world.
A women's insane asylum in 1913. Pure torture for those on screen and for the viewers. Beautiful and well-acted, I just couldn’t turn away.
A silly diversion after the heavy-duty Hungarian movie. I wouldn’t have wanted to pay money to see this, but if you have a pass and it is showing after a depressing Eastern European film, it might be worth checking out.
A truly well made documentary about the cannibal rugby team, more than 25 years after the event. I kept trying to match the middle-aged faces with the faces from the 70s.
Lasted too long - felt like three hours not two. We don’t hear the words on the videos that show the soon-to-be-suicides addressing their friends and families, because I guess no one understands why so many teens kill themselves. In Quebecois French.
Violent and brutal, I had my eyes closed through much of this film. It made its points. I don’t ever want to deal with the police in Rio.
A dysfunctional Chinese family and their friends in LA cope at the end of days. Oh come on, its gotta be more fun that that!
SIFF says: Lynn Shelton's funny and moving ode to the complexities of broken friendships finds former buddies Eric and Dylan spending an uncomfortable weekend together in a cabin in western Washington. They work through their differences by splitting logs, matching wits, and eventually embarking on a booze-fueled search for danger in the woods. I say: dull, and not very funny **Up the Yangtze, Yung Chang (Canada, 2007) 93 min., US Distributor: Zeitgeist Films
SIFF says: Bewitching documentary about the collateral human damage involved in the construction of China's mammoth Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River, focusing on the contrasting fortunes of two young workers on a "farewell" cruise through the spectacular but doomed region. Director Yung Chang is expected to attend the Festival. I say: very, very sad ***Emmanuel Jal: War Child, directed by C. Karim Chrobog (USA, 2008) 93 min.
SIFF says: Emmanuel Jal was one of the many thousands of child soldiers who fought during the brutal two-decade civil war in Sudan. His survival was a long shot. His becoming one of Africa’s biggest hip-hop stars is even more incredible. This moving documentary traces Emmanuel’s remarkable story of survival and his redemption through positive music. I say: Appealing documentary about an appealing individual.
SIFF says: Everybody's lost in this black comedy about alienation and loneliness. I say: What goes with loneliness and alienation? Boredom ... there were some good laughs, but not enough to make it worthwhile. Maybe some guns would have perked it up.
Lasted too long - felt like three hours not two. We don’t hear the words on the videos that show the soon-to-be-suicides addressing their friends and families, because I guess no one understands why so many teens kill themselves. In Quebecois French.
Violent and brutal, I had my eyes closed through much of this film. It made its points. I don’t ever want to deal with the police in Rio.
A dysfunctional Chinese family and their friends in LA cope at the end of days. Oh come on, its gotta be more fun that that!
SIFF says: This revelatory documentary gives us a unique opportunity to watch the peerless Meryl Streep develop her interpretation of the monumental title role in "Mother Courage." Director John Walter's film is also a tribute to playwright/poet Bertolt Brecht-whose theatrical indictment of the profit-driven business of war resonates as sharply today as it did in its 1941 debut. Festival Screenings: 7:00pm, June 10,
SIFF Cinema 4:30pm, June 12,
SIFF Cinema I say: This made me want to rush out and see or if not at least read Mother Courage. Others said, “not necessary,” They’d gotten all they deeded from the documentary. Towelhead, directed by Alan Ball (USA, 2007) 124 min., US Distributor: Warner Independent Pictures
SIFF says: Alan Ball ("Six Feet Under") makes his feature directorial debut with this adaptation of Alicia Erian's 2005 novel about a young girl bounced between her American mother (Maria Bello) and Lebanese father (Peter Macdissi). Set against the backdrop of the first Gulf War, Towelhead is an affecting, darkly comic portrait of racial and sexual alienation lurking beneath the wholesome façade of suburban America. Director Alan Ball is expected to attend the Festival. Festival Screenings: 6:30pm, June 14, Egyptian Theatre 1:30pm, June 15, Egyptian Theatre I say: I got gypped! Due to technical difficulties, they showed only the first 45 minutes and aren’t going to repeat in preview screenings.
SIFF says: Elsa's middle-class lifestyle is threatened when husband Michele reveals he's been out of work for months. The altered circumstances begin to bite, causing a schism in the marriage. This absorbing drama about commitment is from the director of Bread and Tulips. Festival Screenings: 7:00pm, June 10, Uptown Theater 1:30pm, June 14, Uptown Theater I say: Not so much fun, but at least a film for grownups.
SIFF says: A high-octane sci-fi noir thrill ride. When Lieutenant David Hoffman finds the mutilated corpse of an illegal immigrant, it leads him on a fever-pitched investigation through futuristic Paris. The hunt starts with a high-priced plastic surgery clinic and leads to the notorious human trafficker Dimitri Nicolov, the man who killed Hoffman's wife five years earlier. Director Julian Leclerq is expected to attend the Festival. Festival Screenings: 12:00am, June 13, Egyptian Theatre 10:00pm, June 14, Cinerama I say: So dark, that except for some skin tones on the ruddiest complected individuals, one would think this was shot in black and white. A predictable plot, with the futuristic Paris being standard Parisian shots with a few futuristic items stuck in the foreground.