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Tag Archives: Philadelphia Film Festival

Dispatch from The Philadelphia Film Festival

05 Sunday Nov 2023

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

"American Fiction", "Goodbye Julia", "Green Border", "Monster:, "Perfect Days", "The Teachers' Lounge", 32nd Philadelphia Film Festival, Favorite Films from the 32nd Philadelphia Film Festival, Favorite Films from the Philadelphia Film Festival, Juliete Binoche, Philadelphia Film Festival

Film festivals are not for the faint of heart. Those who hate small dark places, people who need to eat three square meals a day, those who don’t like popcorn, those who can’t imagine seeing three or four movies in one day should stay away.

The Philadelphia Film festival is the only “Film Festival” we have attended regularly. We do so in part because it’s a time to catch up with long-standing friends who live there and helped found the festival, but also because the film curation – which is broad and deep and reflects a diversity of subject matter and world view – is superb. There is an ease of access to the films you want to see, and the convenience (and necessity) of walk ability between the three theater complexes where the films are shown.

We were joined by one of our BFFs from Atlanta — Donna Pollet — for this movie marathon. And while most of the time we saw the same films, our choices sometimes diverged. Donna selected as her Top Five three films that Richard and I didn’t see.  Richard’s and my Top Five lists matched nearly identically and included three films that Donna didn’t see. Sometimes we just had to choose between several films being shown at the same time.

We saw 20 films over our 6 1/2 days in Philly. You are lucky because we’re not going to review each movie, but we will provide a brief summary of the ones we really thought were memorable. We’ve provided links so you can read more about them. Watch for these to appear in your local theaters or on one of the various TV formats.

All three of us listed the opening night feature film as a Top Film:

American Fiction. Described as a “hilariously biting satire” in the Film festival program, this is the story of a serious, but disillusioned, author who comes to terms with being ignored by the publishing industry in an outrageous and indeed, very funny commentary.

Richard and I had three foreign films as our Top Films:

Perfect Days. A Japanese film in which there is absolutely no dialogue for the first 30 minutes. The film is an homage to the ordinariness of one man’s life, a man who cleans public toilets for a living. It’s charming and enlightening.

The Taste of Things. A French commentary on love and food with exquisite sentiment, story, acting, photography, and Julliete Binoche.

Goodbye Julia. A touching and engaging Sudanese civil war story focusing on two women from different classes.

Donna had three foreign films on her Top Films list too, but they were different than ours:

Monster. A poignant story of two troubled young boys whose intense relationship is revealed in a “Rashomon-like” structure to unveil what actually transpired in a series of incidents involving their teacher and parents with distressing consequences for all.

Green Border. A dramatic and harrowing portrayal examining the refugee crisis at the Polish-Belarusian boarder viewed from several perspectives, the plight of a Syrian family, a Polish psychologist turned refugee-aid activist, and a sensitive and ambivalent Polish border guard.

The Teacher’s Lounge. A German drama of a devoted and well-intentioned teacher whose independent investigation of a series of thefts occurring in the “teacher’s lounge” immediately goes awry creating ethically dubious and disastrous, unintended consequences for the entire school. 

The fifth film on our mutual Top List was not one offered at the Film festival, but it was playing in Philadelphia. So we took the time (3.5 hours!) to see the just-released Killers of the Flower Moon. We had all read the book, and while different in some respects, we found the movie equal parts fascinating and horrifying. It provided fodder for many long discussions. You can find the mixed reviews easily.

Suffice it to say, our Top Films mentioned above have some combination of great acting and direction, powerful narratives, and terrific cinematography.

                 ** ** **

In addition to these films, here’s a list of other films which we saw and enjoyed and would also recommend. Of course there were a few films that just didn’t work for us. but we don’t want to scare you away from something by listing them, because maybe they would work for you.

Other films worth considering:

Evil Does Not Exist. A taut Japanese film that pits countryside residents against corporate encroachment with tragic consequences.

Fancy Dance. A ‘real life’ story of a Native American woman (played beautifully by Lily Gladstone) trying to hold her family together in a very strong family drama.

La Chimera.  A funny Italian film, described as “Felliniesque,” that throws together grave robbers illegally digging for and selling priceless antiquities to gallery owners and their wealthy patrons. A highly entertaining “caper” with amusing twists and turns.

Maestro. A “big” film in which Bradley Cooper plays various stages in the life of Leonard Bernstein, celebrating his genius and his family life. See this one in a theater with a good sound system.

Rustin. A soaring biographical drama of civil rights icon Bayard Rustin, an often-overlooked leader in the Civil Right movement.  Extremely well-done and adds yet more details to the history of the Civil Rights Movement. This will be opening soon in a theater near you.

The Monk and the Gun. The film program described this as a “gently satirical comedy.” It is a story about  a village in Bhutan learning to mesh the old ways with the new.

Richland. A vivid documentary which explores a city forged by the Manhattan Project and both the pride and concerns that engendered.  Highly recommended for those who enjoyed Oppenheimer.

Upon Entry. Described as a “socio-political” film that digs deeply – and relentlessly — into a Spanish couple’s personal past as they try to enter the United States. 

Plenty of choices here for your consideration.

We can’t wait to return to Philadelphia next year!

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In Theaters Now – Films to See

06 Wednesday Nov 2019

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 2 Comments

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"A Hidden Life", "By the Grac3 of God", "Downton Abbey", "Harriet", "Just Mercy", "Les Miserables", "Marriage Story", "Parasite", "So Long My Son", "Sorry We Missed You", "The Australian Dream", "The Cave", "The Two Popes", "The Whistlers", "Varda by Agnes", "Waves", 28th Philadelphia Film Festival, LeftoverWomen", Philadelphia Film Festival

Here are three more films we’ve seen since we returned from the recent Philadelphia Film Festival (see reviews). All three of these new ones deserve your consideration.

Also, if you scroll to the end this post, I’ve listed when and if each of the 18 films we’ve highlighted (Philly and DC) was or will be released.

Reviews by Ellen Miller

Harriet  – Ellen *****   Richard *****

This is a blockbuster bio-epic of Harriet Tubman, the great heroine of the Underground Railroad. It is a ‘big film,’ and you-don’t-want-to-take-your-eyes-off-the-screen because of the superb acting, story-telling, direction, and cinematography.

Harriet is the story of the power of one woman’s desire to be free and to reunite all her family as free men and women. As an activist on the Underground Railway, she risked her own life each time she returned to the South to free her family and others. The film is a well-researched, fact-based inspiring portrait chiefly focusing on Tubman’s life just before the Civil War.

Harriet Tubman (played brilliantly by the British actress, Cynthia Erivo) was born a slave in Eastern Maryland until, improbably, she made her way to freedom in Philadelphia in 1849, when she was about 25 years old. There she connected with the Philadelphia Abolitionist network (Leslie Odom, Jr., plays the Abolitionist William Still). Then, between 1850 and 1860 she returned to free others, approximately 70 people, including almost all of her family, plus numerous other slaves in her 13 ‘return’ trips South.

Tubman remained active during the Civil War, working for the Union Army as an armed scout and spy. She was also the first woman to lead an armed expedition for the Union Forces at the Combahee River Raid, which liberated more than 700 slaves in South Carolina.

On all accounts, what the film has set out do, how well it’s done, and the value of doing it, Harriet is excellent.

The Cave  – Ellen ***** Richard *****

It’s easy to rate this documentary with five-stars, but that doesn’t mean I would recommend it to everyone. It is a difficult, unrelenting story of the human cruelty in southern Syria inflicted by leader of the country — Bashar Hafez al-Assad and his Russians allies — and the people who tried to save lives in an underground hospital (“The Cave”).  It takes place in the city of Eastern Gouta.

The film follows Dr. Amani Ballour, an extraordinary and inspiring woman who along with other doctors and assistants (many of whom are women) are indispensable to saving lives of the ordinary people. The documentary is so authentic that the audience — you — become part of the terrifying, frustrating, and murderous moments of brutal air attacks that occurred during a five year period by the Russians on their city.  The film is drawn from hundreds of hours of footage shot between 2016 and 2018.

Taken from a wonderful review by Indie Wire, written by Eric Kohn is this summary:

“But as a pure cinematic immersion into Syria’s civil war, it’s an unprecedented look at the deterioration of a country with no ground left to stand on. The movie’s horrific final stretch is an eye-opening look at the aftermath of chemical attacks, and its graphic details prove essential: Introduced by an ominous yellow fog overtaking the city’s horizon, the sequence provides an jarring look at systemic genocide impossible to convey through reductive headlines from afar. As the stench of chlorine overtakes the room, Fayyad doesn’t hold back on disturbing glimpses of burnt flesh and cries of pain.”

Oscar nominee Feras Fayyad (Last Men in Aleppo) as director has made a critically important personal view of the Syrian war. It will stay with you long after you leave the theater, and it’s just right to awaken anyone to what is happening there (particularly if you haven’t paid much attention to this devastation). This film won the People’s Choice Documentary Award at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

See it. Just be prepared to avert your eyes.

Waves  – Ellen **** Richard  ****

Waves is another important movie, and, despite what I felt were some flaws in execution, I would urge everyone to see it. It’s fresh — a story of an upper class African-American family and their struggles. The story centers around a strong demanding father determined to push his son to be his best in all he does and particularly in his ability to be a wrestling star in his high school senior year in Miami. It’s also the story of the younger sister of the family and the husband and wife — a story of addiction, violent emotions, and heartbreak, blame and forgiveness. It offers a universal lesson.

This film works because not only is there a compelling family story but there is also extraordinary acting. The son is played by Kelvin Harrison who is mesmerizing. Sterling Brown (the father) and Rene Elise Goldsberry (the mother) are equally first rate. The acting is prize worthy.

If you go to see this film when it’s released (Nov. 15th), plan to spend a bit over two hours involved in a dramatic and a non-stop tension building narrative that you know from the beginning is not going to turn out well.

To give you some breathing room the director creates artificial breaks in the story as it unfolds using a blank screen followed by waves of light sequences. They punctuate each scene. I found the repetition of this annoying and an unwanted interruption of the story. These “breaks” also added, unnecessarily in my opinion, to the overall length of the film, but they didn’t ruin the film for me.

We had first flagged this film to see at the Philadelphia Film Festival but had a conflict, so we are happy that we had an opportunity to catch it at the DC Cinema Club. The writer/director Trey Edward Shults is one of the new bright lights of independent film. Like his first film Kirsha (it won both the Grand and Audience Prizes at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival), this one contains many autobiographical elements.

Combined Ratings (Ellen & Richard) and Availability of these 18 Films

Already Released

  1. By the Grace of God *****
  2. Downton Abbey *1/2
  3. Harriet *****
  4. Leftover Women ****1/2
  5. Les Miserables *****
  6. Pain & Glory ****1/2
  7. Parasite ****
  8. So Long My Sons *****
  9. The Australian Dream ****1/2
  10. The Cave *****
  11. Varda by Agnes *****

Future Releases

  1. Waves **** – November 15, 2019
  2. The Two Popes ***** – November 27, 2019
  3. Marriage Story **** – December 6, 2019
  4. A Hidden Life ****1/2 – December 13, 2019
  5. Just Mercy ***** – December 25, 2019
  6. The Whistlers *1/2 – February 28, 2020
  7. Sorry We Missed You ***** – March 6, 2020

(Note: You may notice that we have rated the majority of these films quite highly. Our only ‘excuse’ is that we choose carefully, in advance, what we are going to see.)

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PFFWA: The Philadelphia Film Festival Wins Again

31 Wednesday Oct 2018

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 3 Comments

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"A Long Day's Journey", "A Private War", "All Square", "Amin", "And Breathe Normally", "Birds of Passage", "Egg", "Everybody Knows", "Green Book", "If Beal Street Could Talk", "Overlord", "Roma", "Shirkers", "Shoplifters", "Sofia", "The Guilty", "Transit", "Treat Me Like Fire", "Widows", "Yommedine", A.B. Shawky, Alfonso Cuarno, Asghar Farhadi, Ben Is Back, Cannes Film Festival, Films, Gustav Moller, Isold Uggadottiir, Jakob Cedergren, Javier Bardem, Julia Roberts, Lucas Hedges, Maha Alemi, Mahershala Ali, Marie Colvin, Mathew Heinerman, Meryem Benim'Berek, Movies, Penelope Cruz, Peter Farrelly, Peter Hedges, Philadelphia Film Festival, Rady Gamal, Rosamund Pike, Sundance Film Festival, The 27th Annual Philadelphia Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Viggo Mortensen, Yalitza Aparcio

Reviews by Ellen Miller:

We continue to enjoy everything about the October annual Philadelphia Film Festival (from which we returned recently): the selection of films; the ease of getting into them; the proximity of all the theaters for easy walking between them; and our long-time Philly based-friends and their friends with whom we have seen dozens of films over the years.

This year was no different. Over the course of the first weekend, we saw a total of 12 films (our goal had been 13, but I called “uncle” at the end of the 12th one!), and of this total five were outstanding; and four were very good. Only one or two didn’t seem to meet their own objectives, or, in one case, the film didn’t match the description. (And be sure to watch out for the late night films that operate under the genre of “Graveyard Shift.” You might just end up in a horror film!)

One of the things we’ve learned over the years, especially when we go to a film festival and see multiple films in just a few days, is that we enjoy many different kinds of films and that for us a five-star review can go equally to a big box office, big studio type film where the public appeal is obvious, to a small, independent, foreign film whose goal is small but compelling. And we use a set of criteria for our evaluations that we learned from a Washington Post film critic: What was the director trying to do? Did s/he do it well? Was it worth doing? All the films we rated four or five stars met each of the these criteria with flying colors.

Trust us on these films. When they come your way, and most of them will, go see them.

Here are those with five stars from both of us:

Ben Is Back *****

Most opening night films, such as this one was, tend to disappoint, but
not this time. This one is a tautly told story of a Mom (Julia Roberts) desperate to help her drug-addicted son (Lucas Hedges). It is as intimate portrait as you are likely to find on the ongoing opioid addiction and what it does to families. It’s a powerful story, brilliantly acted (though it took me a few minutes to “get over” Julia Roberts, the actress), tightly edited, and an emotionally searing film that leaves you gripping your seat until the end.

The film was written and directed by Peter Hedges, Lucas Hedges’ father. He spoke and answered questions at the end of the Opening Night screening, and it was clear from the audience’s comments that the film struck a powerful note for many of those in attendance, particularly individuals who had personal connections to the opioid crisis sweeping the nation.

Green Book *****

This film just makes you feel good, really good. It takes place in the early 1970’s and is a portrait of racial tolerance in the making. Mahershala Ali (as Dr. Don Shirley) plays a world class concert black pianist who hires the Bronx born, Italian-American, Viggo Mortensen (played by Tony Lip) as his driver for a concert tour in the Deep South. Together the pianist and his driver negotiate the racism they find along the way and emerge better people for it. This film will be compared to Driving Miss Daisy, but this version has more humor and quirkiness to it than its predecessor. It feels genuine, and both actors, along with the writer, are responsible for a heart warming and delightful viewing experience.

(Writer and Director: Peter Farrelly. USA – Many Audience Awards, including 2018 People’s Choice Award at Toronto)

Everybody Knows *****

When a film stars Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, and the director is Asghar Farhadi (former films include A Separation and The Salesman), the likelihood that you have a winning film is strong. A family wedding in a beautiful rural Spanish town sets the  scene. Long held family jealousies and past history come to play is this compelling, complicated family drama, where deep secrets (or perhaps not so secret) are revealed in tantalizing fashion that will take several minutes and help from whomever joins you at the film, to sort out at the end. It’s both a “who done it” and a story about the larger human condition. The film is richly filmed and deeply satisfying. The acting is superb.

(Director: Asghar Farhadi, Spain)

The Guilty *****

This is a small Danish film that has the power of an atomic bomb. It’s only 85 minutes long and is shot entirely in the control room of a police emergency response center. Here we see sidelined Danish Policy Officer Asger (played by Jakob Cedergren) who has been assigned to this call center while he awaits a decision about his future. In trying to respond to an emergency call, he gets deeply into making assumptions and taking actions as he tries to find a missing woman and her assailant. It’s a nail-biting scenario for the viewer as the story unfolds in real time, with grim consequences. Phenomenal acting, filming, and direction.

(Director: Gustave Moller; Denmark, first feature film – Many awards, including the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize, 2018, Cannes.)

A Private War. *****

Based on the true story of the renowned war correspondent and
journalist Marie Colvin (played by Rosamund Pike), this film is a compelling,
gripping story that takes place in various war zones around the world, though principally in Syria. The narrative, filming, and acting combine to make a powerful case for Colvin’s reporting and is a tribute to reporters everywhere.

(Director: Matthew Heinerman, USA)

**               ***               **               **

Even though this next group of films received less than five stars from your rating duo (all these were four stars or four and a half stars), they are each in their own way compelling films that make it worth while seeking them out.

Roma ****1/2

Roma is a terrific black and white film that provides an intimate view of an upper middle class family (in personal crisis) in the Roma neighborhood of Mexico City in the 1970’s. Core to the family’s story is the relationship with their two household servants, especially that of Cleo (played by Yalitza Aparcio), the nanny to the four children. Filled with luminous film-making and painstaking details, this film explores the ins and outs of family life in multiple dimensions.

(Director: Alfonso Cuarno, Mexico – Numerous awards, including Winner, Best Film, 2018, Venice Film Festival)

And Breathe Normally ****

This film is the second one we saw with an immigration theme: a woman from Guinea-Bissau tries to enter Iceland on a false passport and is detained. She is put into a holding center for months while her application for asylum is being considered. In a parallel story a young single mother is struggling with her own life in Iceland, living out of her car with her child. She eventually takes a training position as a Passport Officer. In the course of doing her job, she is, in part, responsible for the detention of the African woman. These two women — both living on the margins — form a kind of inter-dependency that is touching and gives meaning to both of them. Eventually, the Passport Officer insures that the immigrant gets on her way to her final destination.

While this film has a slow start, midway it catches on. It presents yet another interesting look at today’s immigration crises through excellent acting, a strong narrative, and subtle filming. If the topic interests you, see if you can find the film.

(Director: Isold Uggadottir. Iceland – Winner Best Directing – World Cinema – Dramatic at 2018 Sundance)

Yomeddine ****

This movie is a perfect example of a small and meaningful foreign film. Indeed, it felt rather like the foreign produced films that we saw 20 years ago. It is the story of a middle age man (Beshay, played by first time actor Rady Gamal) who has been cured of (but deformed by) leprosy and who sets out on a journey to find “his”  people. He travels the length of Egypt in this quest and is joined by a young boy. It’s a road film, following the adventures and misadventures of Beshay and his young friend and their perseverance to the end.

It’s a sensitively portrayed film with a rich rewarding end.

(Director: A.B Shawky – Numerous awards including at Cannes and Philadelphia)

Sofia ****

Another small but powerful foreign film, this one is about a young Moroccan woman, Sofia (played by Maha Alemi) who to her surprise gives birth to a child in a society where having an out of wedlock child is severely punishable and results in great disgrace to her upper middle class family.

The film is intended to be a commentary on the old fashioned mores of the country, but it is more. The not so naïve Sofia plots her way out of the situation with unflinching dishonesty and betrayal of her family’s values, even as she tries to protect them.

There are number of very interesting characters in this film, not the least of which are the boy accused of being the father of the child, his family members, Sophia’s cousin who helps her through the birth, and her own parents. This film is a very thoughtful presentation of a society mired in outdated mores.

(Director: Meryem Benim’Barek – Best Screen Play, 2018 at Cannes)

**               ***               **               **

The films we saw that just didn’t work for us included Overlord (a horror film that appeared to be a heart pounding thriller about the Allies invading France on D Day); Transit, a modern day immigration story which hearkened back to the days of French Jews fleeing the Nazis; and Shoplifters, a quirky Japanese film about grifters who made up a most unusual modern family.

There were several others films that we missed that we look forward to seeing in the theaters, including Widows, If Beal Street Could Talk, Cold War, Birds of Passage, and The Favorite.

Finally, we just received an email from our Philadelphia friends with recommendations for films that they saw, and particularly recommend, over the second week of the festival.

The Favorite
Amin
Treat Me Like Fire
All Square
Shirkers
Butterflies
Birds of Passage
Egg
The Biggest Little Farm

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Summer Movies

04 Tuesday Sep 2018

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 1 Comment

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"BlacKkKlansman", "Blindspotting", "Dark Money", "La Douleur", "Memoir of War", "The War: A Memoir", Daveed Digg, DC Cineman Club, Films Summer Films, Kimberly Reed, Marguerite Duras, Melanie Thierry, Miami Film Festival, Movies, Philadelphia Film Festival, Rafael Casals, Spike Lee, Summer Movies

Reviews by Ellen Miller.

We haven’t written about movies this summer in part because we’ve been otherwise occupied with travel and other pleasures. We have seen only a few, and only a few of those are worth reviewing because summer movies generally suck. That said, there are four worth talking about, three of which are in DC area theaters now.

Blindspotting

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Seven More Films to Consider

02 Wednesday May 2018

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

"Bolshoi", "Borg vs McEnroe", "Lean on Pete", "Maze", "Playing God", "The Rider", 9/11, BP Oil Spill, Central States Pension plan, DC Cinema Club, DC Film Fest, Jewish Film Festival, Kenneth R. Feinberg, Miami Film Festival, No Date No Signature", Philadelphia Film Festival

from Ellen Miller:

Richard and I find that we are spending less time seeing “mainstream”(i.e., big production films from major studios) and more time focusing on independent films. While we appreciate some of those big films, with big stars and huge production values, there seems to be increasingly fewer of those types of films that we want to see. And besides, the independent film scene just seems to get richer and richer. There is more diversity in stories being told, new directors, young actors, and inventive production.

It is also possible that our increasing focus on independent films has to do with new viewing opportunities: low key film festivals in Philadelphia and Miami, the DC Film Fest, the Jewish Film Festival, and the DC Cinema Club. (This ‘club’ now operates in eight cities around the country – Atlanta, Boca Raton, Boston, Greater New Haven, Milwaukee, San Francisco, St. Louis, and Washington, DC). The curators of the films shown in these venues know more than we will ever know about what makes a movie worth seeing. The twice monthly 10:30 AM (surprise) screenings on Sunday mornings make it novel too.

In the last month or so we’ve seen a number of diverse presentations, at least one of which is now out in the theaters. In no particular order, here are my thoughts on these films.

Borg vs. McEnroe:

Ellen ***** Richard *****

You don’t have to be a sports fan, or a tennis fan, to enjoy this movie (but if you are either, it’s a must-see).

As you probably guessed, this film is about one of the all-time great rivalries in tennis – Bjorn Borg (the Swedish master of concentration and cool) versus John McEnroe (the unruly American).

The time is the summer of 1980 when these two tennis greats faced each other for the Wimbledon championship. And even though you (may) know the outcome of this particular match, this is a taut film, well (re)enacted, and well produced. It also offers in-depth psychological profiles of both players, focusing on what made them the competitors they were. The stories of their lives, their training, their discipline (or lack there of) is legendary.

Perhaps because it is a Swedish film, the emphasis is more on Borg than McEnroe. But you will come away from the film knowing them both, understanding their rivalry, and what drove each of them to the heights they attained. And you’ll probably be cheering the director of the film too.

The Rider:

Ellen **** Richard ****

This film takes place on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation (the Oglala Lakota Native American reservation) in South Dakota where a young cowboy is a rising star on the rodeo circuit, until he is seriously injured.

After this accident, he struggles with who he is and how he relates to the world and to his friends without being able to participate in his life’s calling or his opportunity for gainful remuneration. He is despondent as a new reality unfolds around him — the only work he can find to do is to train others’ horses. His father struggles to keep their life together. A younger sister who is disabled becomes his most faithful companion.

Impressively, all of the actors are nonprofessional — Lakota Native Americans — whose own lives are not very different from the people they portray in the film. The setting of the film is their home — beautiful and haunting South Dakota and the reservation on which they live. Based on a true story, this is a touching and tender film, panoramic, slow-paced, and straightforward.

The director of this film is a Chinese filmmaker Chloe Zhao who is currently based in the US. She has received much attention for her earlier films.

Lean On Pete:

Ellen **** Richard ****

This is a bittersweet coming of age story of a boy and his horse (and his father) that offers a glimpse into the kind of lives we rarely see or know.The acting is superb, the production well done, and it tells a story of poverty, perseverance, and persistence.

The film is based on Willy Vlautin’s 2010 novel of the same title. Charley, a 15-year old, is being taken care of by his single father, but essentially he is left to fend for himself. He meets a horse trainer who begrudgingly hires him for odd jobs. Charley enjoys the work and “befriends” a quarter horse named Lean on Pete. The horse fast becomes the best friend of this lonely teen.

Things happen (no spoilers here), and the film becomes a saga of a boy and his horse, traveling alone together.

While a bit sentimental for my own taste, it is a fine film, exquisitely acted (the lead is played by the teen actor Charlie Pummer) and most definitely worth seeing.

Bolshoi:

Ellen ***** Richard *****

We saw four films in three days during the recent DC Film Festival. We  were going to skip this venue this year, but one of our film buddies emailed to say that we simply had to see this movie. So we fit it in last week — along with a few others — and were very glad we did.

This is a superb Russian-directed film about what it takes to become a ballerina, made only as the Russians could. It’s a precise, caring, heart-rending story. It has a grand scope and a big story to tell. It centers on two young girls who compete from their earliest pre-teen years in the ballet academy to become the prima ballerina of the world’s most famous ballet – the Bolshoi. Their backgrounds are very different and that’s key to the story.

No real surprises here, except in the impact of this narrative. While it is a coming of age story, there is so much depth to the characters (superbly acted by the two stars), that the film offers real insight, revealing what it takes to make two ballerinas who are the very “stuff’’ of legends.

This is a film of pure enjoyment. Really a must see.

Playing God:

Ellen ***** Richard ****

Also seen at the DC Film Festival (90 films from 60 d ifferent countries), where it was a perfect choice for the audience, this is a documentary about Kenneth R. Feinberg, the man brought in by the federal government and private companies to handle “disaster” relief funds in the wake of 9/11, the BP oil spill, Agent Orange, the Central States Pension plan battle, and other similar circumstances.

While an homage to the extraordinary work of Feinberg, and largely consisting of a series of interviews with him, it teaches you things you didn’t know about how these enormous funds are handled, who benefits and who loses, and how “justice” is often done only in the eyes of the beholder. It also contains very interesting interviews with a number of the victims of these tragedies that add real life complexity to the film.  These interviews raise questions about the fairness of the process itself (including an examination of current law), and to some extent, it makes you wonder how even handedly Feinberg has been in dispensing funds, particularly in the case of the BP oil spill. (He was hired by the company in that case to adjudicate distribution of the money the company provided to those who were injured.)

Both Feinberg and the film’s director were in the audience the night we saw it and responded to questions from the audience.

I’d highly recommend the film if it comes to a theater, or festival, near you. It both teaches and makes you think..

No Date, No Signature:

Ellen ***** Richard *****

What’s up with Iranian films these days? They are definitely coming of age! {See this NY Times commentary.) This film is a contemporary one — a story of a doctor who sideswipes a motorcycle late at night. He stops to investigate and examines the entire family that was riding on it (mother, father, a small girl, and a boy of eight) to make sure that no one was hurt. He offers them financial restitution to repair the modest damage to the bike. He is a responsible man and believes that he has taken the right steps following the incident.

Days later the eight-year old boy dies in the hospital where the doctor works. The mystery begins: did he die of accident-related trauma or did something else cause his death?  If the latter, who was responsible? If the former, then clearly the doctor was responsible, and the doctor becomes tortured by this possibility. As the mystery and investigation unfolds, this becomes a film about who takes responsibility for what, the moral and ethical choices that are faced every day, who tells the truth and why.

The acting in this film is brilliant, particularly the portrayal of the lead doctor by Navid Mohammadzaden, a multiple award winner.)

Maze:

Ellen **** Richard ***

We ended our DC Flim Festival viewing with this political thriller from Ireland. This is a prison break film, and it takes place entirely within the walls of what has been generally regarded as the world’s most secure prison. The time period is of the “troubles” –the nearly three-decade conflict in Northern Ireland.

Based on a true story, the film charts how one inmate, an IRA compatriot, orchestrated the world’s largest prison break since World War II. The character development of all the major actors was terrific, and the film offers a unique insight into the human character.

Prepare yourself to be challenged by the accents, but that’s less off-putting than it may seem as the films grainy visuals and strong acting counterbalance the spoken words.

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Fall Movie ‘Reviews’ – 15 Films

02 Wednesday Nov 2016

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

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"A Man Calleld Ove", "A Separation", "About Elly", "Do Not Resist", "Fire at Sea", "Graduation", "I, "I Am Not Your Negro", "La La Land", "Moonlight", "OJ: Made in America", "Queen of Katwe", "The Oath", "The Past", "The Unknown Girl", "Things to Come", 25th Film Festival, Adrian Titieni, Andre Holland, Asghar Farhadi, Barry Jenkins, Best Documentary - Tribeca Film Festival, Craig Atkinson, Cristian Mungiu, Daniel Blake", Dardenne brothers, Dave Johns, David Oyelowo, Emma Stone, Ezra Edelman, Gianfranco Rosi, Hannes Holm, Haylet Squires, Iceland, Isabelle Huppert, James Baldwin, Janielle Monae, Ken Loach, Lupita Nyong'o, Madine Nalwanga, Mahershala Ali, Malcolm X. Martin Luther King, Medgar Evers, Mia Hansen-Love, Mira Nair, Modern Musical, Naomie Harris, PFF, Philadelphia Film Festival, psychological thriller, Rolf Lassgard, Ryan Gosling, Samuel L. Jackson, Shahab Hosseini, Taraneh Alidoorti, Tarell McCraney, Trevante Rhodes

For this post, you’re gonna need a pencil and piece of paper (or whatever you use these days to jot things down, i.e., movie titles that you want to remember or want to add to your ‘to see list.’)

Of the 15 films mini-reviewed below, almost half of them are now out in the theaters or will be out within the next month or two. Most of these we saw recently at a film festival in Philadelphia.

Continue reading »

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Back to the Movies

06 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

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"Force Majeure", "Rudderless", DC ShortFilm Festival, Philadelphia Film Festival

Baseball has been consuming much of my time recently, but I haven’t totally ignored my interest in the movies. We’ve seen two films this fall in our Cinema Club, one worth putting on your list, the other one, not so much.

Force.MV5BMjQ4NzY0ODg0N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNjY3OTc2MjE@._V1_SX214_AL_Force Majeure ***

A story about a family on a ski vacation in the French Alps. When a ‘controlled” avalanche occurs, there is a serious disruption in the family, which plays out over the balance of this two-hour film.

I’m not sure I can put my finger on what it was about Force Majerue that I found lacking, but this story about a marriage and a family never quite seemed real to me, tho parts of it were both funny and insightful.

Our movie club audience gave it a 70% rating (good or excellent) and 78% would recommend it for others to see. I’m not in that 78%.

Too many better films are either in the theaters or soon will be.

Rudderless.MV5BMjQwNTI2MTA0NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwODc1NzkzMjE@._V1_SX214_AL_Rudderless ****

Here is one that is worthy of your attention.

It’s the story of a father whose life has been suddenly shattered by the death of his son.

Unable to come to terms with what has happened, Sam (wonderfully played by Billy Crudup) checks out of his life as an advertising executive and lives a largely isolated existence until he discovers songs that had been written by his son.

Good acting and good music combine to make Rudderless an engaging film about a subject that most of us, fortunately, don’t have to face.

Rudderless opens nationwide next week.

DC Short Film Festival

I made it to two 90 minute showings of short films, ranging from six minutes to about 20 minutes each. At least a third of the 18 ones I saw were good or excellent (to use the categories from our Cinema Club).

However, I have lost the program booklet where I made a few notes, and as I even have trouble remembering longer films, I cannot remember those titles.

But I will mark my calendar for this DC Film Festival for next year and plan to attend the two final showings of the best of the shorts. I will try not to lose my notes.

Philadelphia Film Festival

With encouragement from a childhood friend who lives in Philadelphia and loves films, Ellen and I will attend the first weekend of the 23rd Philadelphia Film Festival (Oct. 16-26).

Although I did attend the Miami Film Festival last year, I only saw four films there in 26 hours (A Fantasy Partially Fulfilled). Now, my intention is to see three or four a day for three days. Judging from the catalog, there are many good choices.

Any suggestions from those of you who have attended film festivals about the best way to approach a film festival?

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