directors

This is what I get for being too busy to post a movie listing for the week or even looking at the new releases this week until Monday morning!  Hiro-kazu Kore-eda's (STILL WALKING, AFTER LIFE) AIR DOLL starring the divine Doona Bae, opened this week at the Kendall Square Cinema.  SEE IT NOW!

But don't see it on Thursday night, because the king of filth, John Waters, will be at the Boston Public Library at 6pm to talk about his new book Role Models with author Scott Heim (who wrote the novel Mysterious Skin).  You won't want to miss that.  More details here.

Another batch of films playing TIFF were announced last week, and there are some pretty exciting choices on the list. New films by Pedro Almodóvar, Lone Scherfig, Todd Solondz and Koji Yakusho are represented. In addition, there's a chance we'll finally get to meet Paprika Steen after her aborted trip to Chlotrudis last spring. The Danish actress' latest film, APPLAUSE, for which she won the Best Actress Award at Karolvy Vary, is screening as part of the Discovery series!

Check out the latest list below:

TIFF ADDS EIGHT NEW FILMS TO ITS SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS LINEUP

Toronto – The Toronto International Film Festival announces the addition of eight titles to its Special Presentations programming lineup for TIFF09, which runs September 10 to 19, 2009. These include works from Argentina, France, Italy, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. These new films join the nineteen previously announced Special Presentations. For more details, please refer to tiff.net/press.

Ticket packages for the Festival are now available for purchase by cash, debit or Visa†. Purchase online at tiff.net/thefestival, by phone at 416-968-FILM or 1-877-968-FILM (Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., closed weekends and holidays) or in person at the Festival Box Office at Nathan Phillips Square (Box Office hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week), located at 100 Queen Street West, in the white tent, west of the square.

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

Broken Embraces Pedro Almodóvar, Spain
North American Premiere
Harry Caine, a blind writer, reaches a point when he has to heal his wounds from 14 years ago, when he was still known by his real name, Mateo Blanco, and directing his last movie. As the past is revisited, a story of “amour fou” unfolds, dominated by fatality, jealousy, the abuse of power, treachery and a guilt complex.

An Education Lone Scherfig, United Kingdom
Canadian Premiere
A coming-of-age story about a teenaged girl in 1960s suburban London and how her life changes with the arrival of a playboy nearly twice her age. Torn between her parents’ dream of going to Oxford University and a more tempting kind of life, she must decide if the new path is one that will trap her or set her free.

The Front Line Renato De Maria, Italy
World Premiere
Set during a turbulent period in 1970-80s Italy, the plot centres on passionate couple Sergio and Susanna, who have been living as fugitives. Pursuing an uncompromising cause as members of the notorious Prima Linea, they have become increasingly alienated from the real world. Their luck finally runs out when Susanna is captured and thrown in jail. Putting his life on the line, Sergio embarks on a radical plan.

Glorious 39 Stephen Poliakoff, United Kingdom
World Premiere
This tense conspiracy thriller set on the eve of World War II and based on disturbing real events, focuses on a young woman who stumbles across evidence of a sinister Nazi appeasement plot. As her close friends begin to die in suspicious circumstances, she finds her own life in danger from an increasingly menacing and powerful enemy.

Kamui Yoichi Sai, Japan
World Premiere
A crowd pleasing, sweeping epic brilliantly directed by one of Japan’s finest auteurs, Kamui is the adventurous story of a fugitive ninja played by superstar Kenichi Matsuyama.

Life During Wartime Todd Solondz, USA
North American Premiere
Happiness director Todd Solondz returns with another unsettling dark comedy about sexual obsession between friends, family and lovers struggling to find love, forgiveness and meaning in a war-torn world. Allison Janney and Ciarán Hinds star.

A Prophet Jacques Audiard, France
North American Premiere
A young Arab man, Malik, is sent to a French prison where he is cornered by the leader of the ruling Corsican gang. He is given a number of “missions” to carry out, toughening him up and gaining the gang leader’s confidence in the process. But Malik is brave and a fast learner, daring to secretly develop his own plans.

The Secret of Their Eyes Juan José Campanella, Argentina/Spain
International Premiere
Benjamín Chaparro, a secretary of a court in Buenos Aires, is about to retire and decides to write a novel based on a case that deeply affected him thirty years ago. Chaparro’s tale crosses Argentina’s turbulent years during the 1970s, when nothing was necessarily what it seemed to be.

EXCITING WORKS FROM NEW FILMMAKERS ANNOUNCED FOR DISCOVERY
Toronto – The 34th Toronto International Film Festival announces twenty-one feature films for the Discovery programme, showcasing provocative feature films by new and emerging directors. This is where audiences can find the year’s most exciting debuts as the Festival shines a light on the works of up-and-coming filmmakers.

Ticket packages for the Festival are now available for purchase by cash, debit or Visa†. Purchase online at tiff.net/thefestival, by phone at 416-968-FILM or 1-877-968-FILM (Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., closed weekends and holidays) or in person at the Festival Box Office at Nathan Phillips Square (Box Office hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week), located at 100 Queen Street West, in the white tent, west of the square. The Festival runs from September 10 to 19, 2009.

DISCOVERY

The Angel Margreth Olin, Norway/Sweden/Finland
World Premiere
A young mother (played brilliantly by Maria Bonnevie) struggles with a history of drug abuse in this exquisitely rendered and deeply compassionate piece, the first fiction film from one of Norway’s most respected documentary filmmakers.

Applause Martin Pieter Zandvliet, Denmark
North American Premiere
Paprika Steen delivers a tour-de-force performance in this devastating drama about an alcoholic actress trying to put her life back together.

Bare Essence of Life Satoko Yokohama, Japan
International Premiere
In this original fusion of black comedy, surreal fantasy and feel-good drama about a mentally challenged hero, Japanese heartthrob Kenichi Matsuyama plays a strange farmer who finds an unexpected path to the miracle of love.

Beautiful Kate Rachel Ward, Australia
International Premiere
In order to make peace with his combative, dying father, a writer must return to his childhood home and confront long-suppressed memories of the mysterious deaths of his brother and twin sister.

A Brand New Life Ounie Lecomte, South Korea/France
North American Premiere
An impressive debut by French-Korean filmmaker Ounie Lecomte who, inspired by her childhood, recounts the emotional journey of a little girl abandoned by her father in an orphanage.

The Disappearance of Alice Creed J. Blakeson, United Kingdom
World Premiere
Two ex-cons kidnap a woman, but the tables turn and turn again in this tight, smart tale. This film is a terrific little thriller starring Eddie Marsan, Martin Compston and Gemma Arterton.

Eamon Margaret Corkery, Ireland
North American Premiere
A family holiday brings to a head the destructive love triangle between Eamon, a little boy with behavioural problems, his selfish mother Grace and his sexually frustrated father Daniel.

Every Day Is a Holiday Dima El-Horr, France/Germany/Lebanon
North American Premiere
From Lebanon, this is a striking debut about three women on the road to visit their imprisoned men. Mixing real politics and stark absurdity, El-Horr announces herself as a major new voice in Middle Eastern cinema.

Five Hours from Paris Leon Prudovsky, Israel
World Premiere
In a suburb of Tel Aviv, an Israeli cab driver who longs to fly and a Russian music teacher who is soon to board a plane find out that romance is only a cab ride away.

Heliopolis Ahmad Abdalla, Egypt
World Premiere
An Egyptian art film with some major stars, Heliopolis weaves together portraits from one of Cairo’s most storied neighbourhoods.

The Day Will Come Susanne Schneider, Germany/France
International Premiere
Thirty years after giving her daughter up for adoption to join the terrorist underground in Germany, Judith is tracked down by her now-adult daughter Alice to a vineyard in the Alsace where she is living with a new family and a new identity.

Le Jour où Dieu est parti en voyage Philippe van Leeuw, Belgium
World Premiere
Offering a new take on the Rwandan genocide, acclaimed cinematographer van Leeuw’s directorial debut recreates the first-person experience of one woman as the horror descends.

Last Ride Glendyn Ivin, Australia
International Premiere
A desperate father and his 10-year-old son flee into the wilderness of the desert and the human heart, battling the elements, the past and each other.

My Dog Tulip Paul Fierlinger and Sandra Fierlinger, USA
North American Premiere
Christopher Plummer and Isabella Rossellini voice this vividly animated, touching tale of friendship between an elderly bachelor and his German Shepherd.

My Tehran for Sale Granaz Moussavi, Australia/Iran
International Premiere
Shot underground on location in Tehran, the film tells the story of modern-day Iranian youth struggling for cultural freedom.

Northless Rigoberto Perezcano, Mexico/Spain
World Premiere
Andrés reaches the Mexican border to cross into the United States. As he waits between crossing attempts, he discovers the complicated border world of Tijuana.

La Soga Josh Crook, Dominican Republic/USA
World Premiere
This gritty and gripping drama explores political intrigue, love, death and the power of memory, set in the Dominican Republic.

Shirley Adams Oliver Hermanus, South Africa/USA
North American Premiere
This intimate, precise portrait focuses on a mother in Cape Town, South Africa, whose son is disabled in a neighbourhood shooting.

Toad’s Oil Koji Yakusho, Japan
International Premiere
The story of Takuro Yazawa, a day-trader who claims he can earn hundreds of millions of yen in one day, and those around him as they attempt to cope with the death of his son and somehow find a way to benefit spiritually from the experience.

Together Matias Armand Jordal, Norway
International Premiere
The tragic death of a mother causes her family to shatter when they struggle to cope with the loss.

The Unloved Samantha Morton, United Kingdom
International Premiere
Morton shifts from actor to director in this stark portrait of a young British girl plucked from an abusive family and thrown into the hands of government care.

NEWS RELEASE #11
NEW VANGUARD FILMS ANNOUNCED FOR 2009 FESTIVAL
Toronto – The 34th Toronto International Film Festival adds nine titles to its Vanguard programme.

Works presented under the Vanguard banner are bold films that challenge our social and cultural assumptions. This is where innovative filmmakers tend to blur the distinction between different genres, styles and narrative conventions – and where savvy film-goers can expect a satisfying challenge.

Ticket packages for the Festival are now available for purchase by cash, debit or Visa†. Purchase online at tiff.net/thefestival, by phone at 416-968-FILM or 1-877-968-FILM (Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., closed weekends and holidays) or in person at the Festival Box Office at Nathan Phillips Square (Box Office hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week), located at 100 Queen Street West, in the white tent, west of the square. The Festival runs from September 10 to 19, 2009.

VANGUARD

Accident Soi Cheang, Hong Kong, China
North American Premiere
Gripping and smartly constructed, this unconventional crime thriller/psychological drama, revolves around assassins who commit murder by making perfectly staged crimes look like unfortunate accidents. Produced by Johnnie To.

The Ape Jesper Ganslandt, Sweden
World Premiere
A descent into hell, Jesper Ganslandt’s disturbing and suspenseful second feature begins with a man waking up in unfamiliar surroundings, only to find the life he knew the day before is gone.

Bunny and the Bull Paul King, United Kingdom
World Premiere
Shy Stephen and his totally disordered boozehound of a best friend, Bunny, show us how to embark on an adventure-filled road trip without leaving the room.

The Dirty Saints Luis Ortega, Argentina
World Premiere
Luis Ortega’s apocalyptic third feature follows a group of five survivors as they embark on a journey that will force them to face their fears, dreams and longings in their quest for salvation across the Fijman River.

Enter the Void Gaspar Noé, France/Germany/Italy
North American Premiere
Controversial filmmaker Gaspar Noé (Irreversible) is back with a mind-bending journey that transcends life and death as he follows the exploits of a young American drug dealer living in Japan.

Hipsters Valery Todorovsky, Russia
North American Premiere
In a fantastical 1950s Moscow, straight-laced Mels swaps his drab Communist uniform for a saxophone, pompadour and zoot suit in this vibrant musical that is bursting with razzle and dazzle and of course, rhythm.

The Misfortunates Felix Van Groeningen, Belgium/Holland
North American Premiere
From Belgium comes this rambunctious, vulgar story of a 13-year-old boy growing up in a small village with his father and three uncles, all drunken, incorrigible louts. Yet they are hilarious and they love Roy Orbison.

My Queen Karo Dorothée van den Berghe, Belgium
World Premiere
A young girl witnesses the moral dilemmas of free love when her parents join a squatter community in 1970s Amsterdam.

Spring Fever Lou Ye, China
North American Premiere
A lyrical and audacious portrait of a doomed gay love triangle that spins out of control, Spring Fever is inspired by prohibited Chinese novels from the 1920s and directed by controversial filmmaker Lou Ye.

Richard Kelly’s The Box Movie Trailer | /Film

Posted using ShareThis

Check out this trailer for Richard Kelly's new film, THE BOX. You may recall Kelly as the director of Chlotrudis Award-winner DONNIE DARKO. What's extra cool about this trailer is the number of scenes shot in the Boston Public Library!

GreenCine has a nice interview with Atom Egoyan about his new film ADORATION (which opens in Boston on Friday.) There's a really neat exchange about why Atom gives Arsinee roles that are difficult to empathize with. I especially like what he says about seeing her in other people's films.

This year's Independent Film Festival of Boston took place over the weekend, and I was quite happy to catch five films this year. I seem to have trouble doing festivals when they're in my hometown. This year Chlotrudis co-sponsored two films, Bruce McDonald's inventive, psychological thiller, PONTYPOOL, and Hirokazu Kore-eda's masterful homage to Ozu, STILL WALKING. I was also able to catch WE LIVE IN PUBLIC, Ondi Timoner's thought-provoking follow-up to DIG!, I NEED THAT RECORD, a documentary about the fading independent record store, and Monday night's very special event, FOR THE LOVE OF MOVIES.

Many attendees of this year's Chlotrudis Awards ceremony noticed that Gerry Peary and Amy Geller (left), stalwart supporters of the Society, were absent. They had a good reason: they were at South by Southwest, premiering their debut documentary, FOR THE LOVE OF MOVIES: THE STORY OF AMERICAN FILM CRITICISM. Gerry's been working on this film for years, and we were lucky to be a part of the New England premiere of the film at the Institute of Contemporary Art, as part of this year's IFFB. It was a wonderful evening, with Gerry and Amy;s friends and family in attendance. Chlotrudis members came out in force, filling an entire row in the theatre. It was nice to see Boston film critics and Chlotrudis supporters Peter Keough and Wesley Morris (who also appears in the film) as well as documentary filmmaker, and Chlotrudis nominee Lucia Small (MY FATHER, THE GENIUS and THE AXE IN THE ATTIC).

So congratulations to Gerry and Amy for their accomplished and informative film, and to the Independent Film Festival of Boston for another great year! Next year maybe I'll make it to seven films!

Unlikely perhaps, but one that's sure to thrill Chlotrudis members. Director Hirokazu Kore-eda first caught our attention with the masterful AFTER LIFE in the late 90s. Since then he challenged us with the powerfully unreadable DISTANCE, and the emotionally crushing NOBODY KNOWS. HANA has yet to receive distribution in the U.S., and Chlotrudis is co-presenting his latest completed effort, STILL WALKING, at the Independent Film Festival of Boston next weekend. South Korean actress and Chlotrudis nominees Du-Na Bae first caught our eye in the lovely TAKE CARE OF MY CAT, before wowing us with her comedic chops in the effervescent LINDA! LINDA! LINDA! and thrilling us with her archery-wielding heroine in THE HOST. But when these two come together later this year, the result promises to be something truly very special.

In Kore-eda's Kûki Ningyô (AIR DOLL), Du-Na Bae plays an inflatable sex-doll who gains a soul and comes to life, eventually falling in love with a video store clerk played by Arata, one of the counsellors from AFTER LIFE. Kore-eda intends to convey the deeper emotional impact of the story, exploring both the pain and joy of being alive, and with Du-Na Bae in the title role, it's bound to be very special.

Now you can see a 5 minute clip on the making of AIR DOLL featuring a magical sequence where we see that the doll has the ability to float. Check it out over at Nippon Cinema.

It's amazing what you'll find, Googling mindlessley on a Saturday morning. (Don't ask what I Googled, by the way.) I was unexpectedly redirected to Logo Online where I watched "Hirsute", a 14-minute short film by A.J. Bond. Bond, a Canadian (go figure) actor and film editor, apparently has launched his directing career with this fascinating low-tech sci-fi short and the results are fantastic. I've always been a fan of really smart time travel stories and this film reminds me of one of my favorite books in the genre, The Man Who Folded Himself by the legendary David Gerrold. (Yeah, the guy who wrote the Star Trek "Trouble With Tribbles" episode.) Only "Hirsute" is more cynical. And that's not a bad thing.

Bond seems like a pretty intelligent guy and I'm pleased to see that he was in Chlotrudis friend Gary Burns' Kitchen Party, not to mention providing the voice of "Bad Hat" Pepito in the Madeleine cartoon. I wonder if we should have him down for the awards to speak about editing. Did I mention that he's Canadian?

I don't usually watch much Logo, as films set out to be "gay films" are usually pretty disappointing. But maybe I'll have to start flipping past that channel more often.

Check out the trailer below, and if you like it, watch the whole thing at Logo Online or on IMDB.

Cinematical reports that Chlotrudis Hall-of-Famer Philip Seymour Hoffman will be stepping behind the camera for the first time with JACK GOES BOATING, an adaptation of an Off-Broadway play by Bob Glaudini. Phil will also star in this quirky, romantic comedy opposite GONE BABY GONE'S Amy Ryan. With "cooking classes, swimming lessons, and illegal drugs" involved in the plot, it's sure to be quirky and fun. Given Phil's thoughtful film choices as an actor, and his experience directing for the stage, it's a safe bet that he will make a fine film director.

Next up for Phil as an actor is the intriguing-sounding Richard Curtis film, THE BOAT THAT ROCKED. Phil will co-star opposite Emma Thompson, Bill Nighy and Kenneth Brannagh among others, and Curtis is responsible for the Mr. Bean films and the Bridget Jones films among others. Sounds like fun to me!

I haven't been paying a whole lot of attention to this year's award's season yet, and while I've been watching with some interest the critics' prizes for 2008, I haven't been moved to post anything about them. This week the Director's Guild of America and Cinema Eye Honors have announced the first rounds in their respective awards, and I felt they worth pointing out. The former because it's always interesting to see which directors are being honored by their peers, and the latter because Cinema Eye Honors is a project created by IndiePix and Chlotrudis Awards Advisory Council member A.J. Schnack.

The Director's Guild's nominations are pretty unsurprising if you've been paying attention to the critics' lists these past few weeks. The winner will be announced on January 31.

Danny Boyle for SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
David Fincher for THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Ron Howard for FROST NIXON
Christopher Nolan for THE DARK KNIGHT
Gus Van Sant for MILK

The Cinema Eye Honors released their short list of documentary contenders from which a list of nominees will be culled. It's a pretty varied list with representation from all styles in the non-fiction filmmaking spectrum.

AMERICAN TEEN
THE BETRAYAL (NERAHKOON)
ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD
THE ENGLISH SURGEON
FORBIDDEN LIES
IN A DREAM
MAN ON WIRE
MY WINNIPEG
THE ORDER OF MYTHS
ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE
STRANDED, I COME FROM A PLANE THAT CRASHED ON THE MOUNTAINS
TROUBLE THE WATER
UP THE YANGTZE
WALTZ WITH BASHIR

Looks like Chlotrudis members have been slacking off with their reviews! Nominations will be announced on January 19 in Park City, Utah, and the awards will be announced in New York City on March 29. A.J. has an in-depth look at the nominees at his blog. Expect several of these docs to show up on the Chlotrudis Best Documentary list, to be announced during the first week of February.

As we all know, I wasn't able to go to the Toronto International Film Festival this year. It was difficult for me, but I will survive. Thanks to Wiebke, Alberta and Tracy for sharing in my pain. I would loved to have seen them on this trip.

Fortunately, as you've seen, Beth is doing a great job providing coverage for Chlotrudis, and there are a lot of online film outfits covering the festival from top to bottom, so I almost feel like I'm there. Today I read the first piece that made me really excited.

Obviously I'm excited about the upcoming releases, BLINDNESS, written by Don McKellar, and ADORATION, the latest film from Atom Egoyan, but I have no doubt I will be seeing both of these films soon after the festival when they are released Stateside. I think I am most excited, however about the new film by French director Claire Denis called 35 RHUMS. I'm hoping someone from Chlotrudis caught it (I'm sure I can count on Ivy) but indieWIRE's Eugene Hernandez reports on it in his blog. Here's an excerpt:

...its a wonderful movie that I've had a hard time shaking. 35 RHUMS offers quiet moments with its characters -- each striving for someone, or something, else. Agnes Godard's photography and Tindersticks' music, in particular, are striking and beautiful.

Eugene refers to a review in indieWIRE by Shane Danielsen who also had a great quote:

I was looking forward to a number of films here, but none more than the latest from Claire Denis. Such anticipation usually ends in disappointment, but 35 RHUMS only confirmed her mastery. Her finest piece of work since 1999's superb BEAU TRAVAIL, it seemed like nothing so much as her version of a late Ozu, a latter-day response to EQUINOX FLOWER and LATE SPRING -- and like those films, it's about the bonds of family, and people being kind and desiring the best, for themselves and for each other. Yet it's no mere homage; rather, it's imbued with Denis' own, unmistakeable sensibility, the patient and watchful eye that disinguished earlier Paris-set masterpieces like I CAN'T SLEEP and FRIDAY NIGHT.

Now I just have to hope that I won't be waiting too long before we get to see it in the States.