2009 |
2008
1-20 of 56 articles from 2009 « Prev | Next »
Ten (and more) Great Films of 2009 from Around the World
7 hours ago
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It seems that the Cannes film festival got things right this year, even if audiences seemed to not quite get the quality of the competition. After consideration of a wealth of films from around the world, big and small, I find my end of year top-10 list peppered with films of heady considerations tackled with both visual bombast and narrative elegance. While 2007 will likely be remembered as the strongest year of the aughts for cinema, 2009 is one of sheer variety. There be lots of surprises and pleasures of both the cerebral and visceral kind.
10) The Limits of Control - Jim Jarmusch's deliberate ode to architecture, form and patient viewing is bumped into masterpiece territory by the wonderful cinematography of Christopher Doyle and the handsome (dude can Wear a suit) figure of Isaach De Bankolé.
9) Mr. Nobody - Has quantum physics and romantic love ever been successfully combined in a large-scale science fiction epic?
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The Notable Films of 2010: Part Seven
21 hours ago
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Mother and Child
Opens: 2010
Cast: Naomi Watts, Annette Bening, Samuel L. Jackson, Kerry Washington
Director: Rodrigo Garcia
Summary: A tale of a mother and daughter, separated at birth, who struggle with the damage done by the most important person missing in their lives while a young African-Americn woman deals with an unwanted pregnancy and the adoption process.
Analysis: Scoring rave reviews in Toronto, the $7 million latest effort of Rodrigo Garcia ("Nine Lives," "Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her") once again shows off his skill at weaving multiple narratives together in clever and unexpected ways. At its heart it's an emotional family drama, but Garcia excels with his female characters which makes the involvement of Naomi Watts, Kerry Washington and especially Annette Benning thrilling.
The few criticisms levelled at the film were toward some pacing and credibility issues in the last act, but otherwise praised it for not
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- Garth Franklin
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The Notable Films of 2010: Part Four
19 December 2009 11:50 PM, PST
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Georgia
Opens: 2010
Cast: Val Kilmer, Andy Garcia, Rupert Friend, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Johnathon Schaech
Director: Renny Harlin
Summary: An American journalist, his cameraman, and a Georgian native get caught in the crossfire of the five-day Russia-Georgia conflict in August 2008, and then have to deal with their obligation to be impartial.
Analysis: A timely parable on war, or Hollywood propaganda filmmaking at its worst? Wherever it goes, especially in Europe and the former Soviet states, "Georgia" will cause a lot of talk and controversy as the incidents depicted are still so fresh in many's minds. Like all topics of the sort, it'll also have its strong supporters and detractors having opinions on the film long before a frame of footage is screened anywhere.
Shot on-location in Tbilisi, the project also marks a potential return to form for Finnish director Renny Harlin. Given the right material the skilled action director delivered three
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- Garth Franklin
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The Notable Films of 2010: Part Three
17 December 2009 11:42 PM, PST
| Dark Horizons
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Dinner for Schmucks
Opens: July 23rd 2010
Cast: Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Zach Galifianakis, Bruce Greenwood, David Walliams
Director: Jay Roach
Summary: A renowned publisher encourages his friends to invite the most pathetic guests possible for their weekly dinner party. Just as they find the most pathetic man yet, the host is injured and ends up trapped with the man all night long.
Analysis: A remake of director Francis Veber's 1998 César award-winning "Le Diner des cons", 'Schmucks' is one of the highest profile comedies of next year with one of the strongest casts for the genre in recent memory. It also marks the return of "Austin Powers" and "Meet the Parents" helmer Jay Roach who has produced several films in recent years but hasn't directed since 2004's "Meet the Fockers".
The question now lies not in the performers or director but the material itself and whether a Gallic comedy can
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- Garth Franklin
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The Notable Films of 2010: Part Two
16 December 2009 3:18 AM, PST
| Dark Horizons
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Case 39
Opens: January 1st 2010
Cast: Renée Zellweger, Jodelle Ferland, Ian McShane, Bradley Cooper, Kerry O'Malley
Director: Christian Alvart
Summary: A family services social worker thinks she has seen it all until she meets her newest, most mysterious case - a troubled 10-year old girl whose parents try to kill her. The social worker decides to take her in herself until the right foster family comes along.
Analysis: Despite the presence of promising German director Christian Alvart ("Pandorum"), 'Case' has sat on a shelf since late 2006 and is finally being quietly shuffled out this year for one very good reason - it stinks. Having opened in Australia a few months back, reviewers utterly savaged the film as both incredibly dumb and utterly ludicrous. Lead star Renee Zellweger also scored personal criticism to a level rarely seen in film reviews outside of comments about Nicole Kidman's 'more alien than the
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- Garth Franklin
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The Notable Films of 2010: Part One
15 December 2009 7:47 AM, PST
| Dark Horizons
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After such success with this last year, today comes the first in a multi-chapter look at the various cinematic releases hitting the U.S. in 2010.
Each 'Volume' contains brief descriptions and editorial opinion/analysis of around 25-30 films, and at present it's looking to run around nine volumes in length.
Expect the remaining ones to go up between now and the first official weekend of releases on January 8th.
13
Opens: 2010
Cast: Jason Statham, Alexander Skarsgard, Mickey Rourke, Ray Winstone, 50 Cent
Director: Géla Babluani
Summary: A remake of 2005 French thriller "13 (Tzameti)". A naive young man assumes a dead man's identity and finds himself embroiled in an underground world of power, violence, and chance where men gamble behind closed doors on the lives of other men.
Analysis: Remakes are very common, the same director remaking his own film in English is rarer but still not unheard of ("Funny Games," "Bangkok Dangerous," "The
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- Garth Franklin
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Hawkins and H.Macy Raise Juno Temple to be a 'Dirty Girl'
30 November 2009 1:32 AM, PST
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According to the trades, Temple, Sally Hawkins and William H. Macy will join Abe Sylvia on his feature length directorial debut titled Dirty Girl - I may one day eat my words on this one, but I think Juno Temple will pan out to be a better Brit find than Carey Mulligan - she was a bright spot in the ordinary Mr. Nobody and I'm looking forward in American lingo garb in Gregg Araki's Kaboom and Noah Baumbach's Greenbern). According to the trades, Temple, Sally Hawkins and William H. Macy will join Abe Sylvia on his feature length directorial debut titled Dirty Girl. According to Screen Daily, the supporting cast is comprised of newcomer Jeremy Dozier and the already cast Lisa Kudrow. The film is being produced by Paris Film's Rob Paris, Charles Pugliese, Jana Edelbaum and Rachel Cohen while Killer Films' Vachon,
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- Ioncinema.com Staff
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Tiff 2009 Day 1: Getting a Free Ride
30 November 2009 1:32 AM, PST
| ioncinema
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If you had middle class parents like my own, you've probably been told there is no such a thing as free ride - but Tiff organizers have definitely gone Park City this year, handing out free transit passes along with accreditation. Damn cool. - If you had middle class parents like my own, you've probably been told there is no such a thing as free ride - but Tiff organizers have definitely gone Park City this year, handing out free transit passes along with accreditation. Damn cool.
It's Day 1 and I'm already making some alterations to the schedule, but for the most part, this is going to be the daily grind. Look for reviews and photo coverage of the public screenings for the titles below. I'll also try and get more of these vids in. Thursday: Hotel Atlantico, Women Without Men, The Men Who Stare At Goats Friday: Petropolis,
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- Ioncinema.com Staff
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Stockholm Film Festival Awards 2009
28 November 2009 10:39 PM, PST
| Alt Film Guide
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2009 Stockholm Film Festival Awards
2009 Stockholm Film Festival: Nov. 18-29, 2009
2009 Stockholm Film Festival Award winners
Dogtooth by Giorgos Lanthimos
Bronze Horse Awards
Best Film: Dogtooth by Giorgos Lanthimos
Best First Feature: Sin Nombre by Cory Juji Fukanaga
Best Actress Mo’Nique for Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
Best Actor Edgar Flores in Sin Nombre
Best Screenplay Eran Creevy for Shifty
Best Cinematography Christophe Beaucarne for Mr. Nobody
Best Music Krister Linder for Metropia
Best Short Film: Logorama by François Alaux, Hervé de Crécy, Ludovic Houplain
Stockholm Lifetime Achievement Award 2009 Susan Sarandon
Stockholm Visionary Award Luc Besson
L’Oréal Paris Rising Star 2009 Anastasios Soulis
Fipresci Jury Prize: Sin Nombre by Cary Joji Fukanaga
Honorary Mention: Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire [...]
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- Massimo David
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Check This Out: French Poster for Jaco van Dormael's Mr. Nobody
22 November 2009 8:00 AM, PST
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Now this is a film I really can't wait to see again. Mr. Nobody is a French sci-fi drama starring Jared Leto, Rhys Ifans, Sarah Polley, and Diane Kruger. This new French poster comes from our friends at IMPAwards. I'm featuring it not necessarily because I like the design, but rather because it's a film I'm happy to put in the spotlight. I finally got to see it at the Toronto Film Festival a couple months ago and quite enjoyed it. It's got some flaws and problems, but overall it's a fascinating film about love and how one decision can change so much of your life forever. It's a very interesting concept to see on film. Anyway, take a look at it below.
We also featured an early trailer for Mr. Nobody back in May that I suggest everyone also watch right here!
Nemo Nobody (Jared Leto) leads an ordinary
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- Alex Billington
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Jim Sturgess & Kirsten Dunst Cast in Sci-Fi Film Upside Down
16 October 2009 6:00 PM, PDT
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I love the sci-fi genre and usually seek out great sci-fi indies, including little seen films like Mr. Nobody. Upside Down is a new project from Argentinian filmmaker Juan Diego Solanas that is being described as "an alternate reality and groundbreaking" sci-fi film. According to Production Weekly, Solanas has cast Jim Sturgess and Kirsten Dunst, two great actors, to star in this project. The very, very basic plot is that "a man searches an alternate universe for a long-lost love from his youth." However, the concept is much more twisted and incredible beyond that, as you might expect for a sci-fi film with a title like Upside Down.
Here's the best description of the concept from the European Film Market brochure (via SlashFilm):
Look up towards the sky and rub your eyes because you won't believe what you see: cities, forests, and oceans with their own inverted gravity, only
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- Alex Billington
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Duncan Jones’ Moon Lands at Sitges and Nabs 3 Awards Before Heading Back to the Stars. Plus Other Winners
12 October 2009 2:49 PM, PDT
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Did you happen to see Duncan Jones’ quiet little sci-fi picture “Moon” when it played in limited release over the summer? Did you love it? Did you hope it won some awards when you walked out (little gold men even)? Well, it still might. However, it did receive handsome kudos from the Sitges Film Festival taking home the prizes for film, best actor for Sam Rockwell, and the screenplay award for Nathan Parker. More of the “Moon” accomplishments after the jump, one of which is the conclusive evidence that there is no cheese on its surface.
Duncan Jones’ film tells the story of Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell), and American astronaut that is nearing the end of his contracted three-year stint on the moon as a miner of a gas called Helium-3, which has become Earth’s primary source of energy. Bell maintains and operates each facility and machinery on the moon,
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- Adam Charles
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Zombieland and Martyrs among Sitges award winners
12 October 2009 11:28 AM, PDT
| Fangoria
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The 42nd Sitges Film Festival, Europe’s largest genre-movie event, came to a close yesterday with the announcement of the winners of its assorted awards. Among the victors were Ruben Fleischer’s current box-office hit Zombieland, which took the Audience Award, and Pascal Laugier’s controversial Martyrs, honored with the Méliès d’Or for Best European Motion Picture.
The big winner was Duncan Jones’ science-fiction drama Moon, cited for Best Motion Picture, Best Actor (Sam Rockwell), Best Script (Nathan Parker, from Jones’ story) and Best Production Design (Tony Noble). Cinematic provocateur Gaspar Noé’s Enter The Void nabbed the Special Jury Award and Best Cinematography (Benoit Debie); Best Director went to Brillante Mendoza for Kinatay, which also got Best Original Soundtrack (Terresa Barrozo); Best Actress was shared by Hierro’s Elena Anaya and Thirst’s Kim Ok-vin; Splice’s C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures, Mac Guff and Buf won Best Special FX
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- no-reply@fangoria.com (Michael Gingold)
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New Splice Clip from Producer Guillermo Del Toro
7 October 2009 12:00 AM, PDT
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Check out a brand new clip from the upcoming film “Splice” from producer Guillermo Del Toro (The Hobbit, Hellboy) by director Vincenzo Natali (High Rise, Cypher) and starring Adrien Brody (Fantastic Mr. Fox) and Sarah Polley (Mr. Nobody).
Synopsis: Clive and Elsa are young, brilliant and ambitious. The new animal species they engineered have made them rebel superstars of the scientific world. In secret, they introduce human DNA into the experiment. The result is something that is greater than the sum of its parts: a female animal-human hybrid that may be a step up on the evolutionary ladder. They think they may have created the perfect organisim, until she makes a [...]
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- Brian Corder
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Sitges '09: My Sitges Story - Part 3
6 October 2009 12:33 PM, PDT
| Fangoria
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Monday, October 5
I begin my first full week at the Sitges film festival (see last entry here) with a leisurely stroll into town. Several vendors hawking horror T-shirts and posters have set up shop outside the fest’s Brigadoon theater (where non-competition and video screenings are free for the locals), serving as a sort of mini-convention.
Two movies are on the agenda today. First up at the plush Auditori Melia is the Belgian/Canadian/French/German co-production Mr. Nobody, an excellent fantasy/quasi-sci-fi film that pretty much defies easy classification and synopsis. Urban Legend’s Jared Leto (never better) stars as a 117-year-old man (in totally convincing old age makeup), who, we are told, is the last mortal man alive on the Earth of 2092, where people now live forever. Gradually, the complexities of his back story are revealed as we experience multiple storylines of at least three different histories the character may have lived.
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- no-reply@fangoria.com (Tony Timpone)
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The blogs of my blog
5 October 2009 4:10 AM, PDT
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One of my favorite pastimes, especially when I should be doing something else, is moseying around the blogs of my readers. You may have noticed that when the name of a poster is displayed in blue, that means it's a link -- usually to the author's blog, although you might be surprised. Assembled here is a distinctive readership of interesting people, not least because I am vigilant about never posting idiotic or perfunctory comments. A certain civil tone is (usually) maintained, avoiding the plague of flame wars.
More than a year ago, when the blog was somewhat new to me, I wrote: "Your comments have provided me with the best idea of my readers that I have ever had, and you are the readers I have dreamed of. I was writing to you before I was sure you were there. You are thoughtful, engaged, fair, and often the authors of eloquent prose.
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- Roger Ebert
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Fangoria to be celebrated at Spain’s Sitges film fest
24 September 2009 9:52 PM, PDT
| Fangoria
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The 30th anniversary of Fangoria magazine will be honored at a special panel to be held at the 42nd edition of Spain’s prestigious Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia, to be held October 1-12. Longtime Fango editor Tony Timpone will be attending, joined by British correspondents Alan Jones, Calum Waddell and Axelle Carolyn, as well as Italian correspondent Roberto D’Onofrio. The Fango salute will take place on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 5 p.m. in the Tramuntana Room at the Meliá Hotel.
“For the last 30 years, Fangoria has been the cornerstone of the Sitges program’s diet,” says festival director Angel Sala, “the number-one source of information to feed the bowels of the beast. Fango has been the written witness of the horror scene around the world for over three decades. Sitges can only bow and pay due respect with a celebration for the fans.”
“The panel will be
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- no-reply@fangoria.com (Fangoria.com)
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Tiff: The Finale
19 September 2009 8:57 PM, PDT
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Lev Lewis signing off from the Toronto International Film Festival
For ten days a year my little big city is overtaken by the masses of the film industry. Celebrities of all kinds are spotted walking casually through Yonge St.; semi-recognizable journalists with their green laniards hurry from screening to screening. A little piece of Hollywood just one streetcar ride away from me. So, it's odd to see how a city can overnight seem the centre of the world and then, just like that, retreat back to its former, seemingly dull self.
Not that I'm complaining. As exciting as the last ten days have been, a respite from line-ups and writing and, yes, even films, will be most welcome. 18 films in ten days isn't an exorbitant amount but it's more than enough for me. I'll leave you with a write-up on the best films I saw at the festival.
Now for the movies!
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- Lev Lewis
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Sitges 2009 Complete Lineup
19 September 2009 12:48 AM, PDT
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The Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia announces its complete program. There are still a few surprises to be confirmed, like the closing gala, but they have already put together the final list of films that will be screened at Sitges 09. Below you’ll find the titles of each film and their sections as well as links for the films that we have already reviewed here on Sound On Sight.
Opening Film
[Rec]2. Paco Plaza and Jaume Balagueró. 2009.
Official FANTÀSTIC In Competition Section
Accident. Soi Cheang. 2009.
Accidents Happen. Andrew Lancaster. 2009.
The Children. Tom Shankland. 2008. [1]
Cold Souls. Sophie Bartes. 2009.
The Countess. Julie Delpy. 2009.
Les Derniers Jours Du Monde. Jean-Marie and Arnaud Larrieu. 2009.
Dogtooth (Kynodontas). Yorgos Lanthimos. 2009.
Dorian Gray. Oliver Parker. 2009.
Enter The Void. Gaspar Noé. 2009.
Grace. Paul Solet. 2009. [2]
Heartless. Philip Ridley. 2009.
Hierro. Gabe Ibáñez. 2009.
La Horde. Yannick Dahan and Benjamin Rocher. 2009.
Ingrid. Eduard Cortés. 2009.
Kinatay. Brillante Mendoza. 2009.
Metropia. Tarik Saleh. 2009.
Moon.
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- Ricky
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Blogging Live from Toronto '09: Part 2 - Making Decisions
16 September 2009 1:51 AM, PDT
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My apologies for the lack of coverage from the Toronto Film Festival in the past few days, as it has been pretty damn crazy up here. I always talk about my whereabouts and thoughts on films I've seen on Twitter, so head over there if you want to stay on top of everything from Tiff. One film I saw a few days ago was Mr. Nobody, a sci-fi drama starring Jared Leto. The film was about making decisions and it explained that in life, you have to make so many big decisions that you can't change, that sometimes it's best to not make a decision (it explores that idea in a fascinating way). And decisions are the biggest issue for me up here.
By decisions, what I mean is: deciding which film to see instead of another or even deciding whether to see it at all, deciding whether to stay
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- Alex Billington
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