NYFF WRAP UP and GRADES

After three weeks, the 47th New York Film Festival has come to an end.  I’ve seen so many amazing and inspiring films from all corners of the world; it’s been truly incredible.  Some have said it was a depressing year for the festival, but even though a lot of the films examined the darker side of life, I found most of them ultimately opened a doorway to places and worlds and people that we need more contact with.  In response to some of the criticism about the programs levity, the NYFF programmers responded with the sentiments below, which I think are pretty right on: Read the rest of this entry >>

NYFF MAIN SLATE

White Material - Claire Denis, 2009, France, 100m

Screens: 10/9/09 9:15pm and 10/10/09 6:00pm

An intense and harsh look at lives coming into conflict with an unnamed African Civil War, Claire Denis has created a emotional, visceral film in White Material.  In the film Isabelle Huppert plays a coffee planter who finds herself having to decide to take the safe route and leave or stay and try to finish out that season’s crop with her son and his father. Read the rest of this entry >>

NYFF CLOSING NIGHT

Broken Embraces / Los abrazos rotos - Pedro Almodóvar, 2009, Spain, 128m

Screens: 10/11/09 5:00pm and 8:00pm

A tender and tragic romance, Pedro Almodovar’s Broken Embraces looks at the dreams we have and the cost of actually living out those dreams. The story follows a blind screenwriter as he remembers a moment in his past life (when he wasn’t blind) and how he comes to terms with it in the present  In the story of his past life he was a screenwriter/director and when he meets a would-be actress named Lena (Penelope Cruz)who is a rich man’s mistress.  She quickly becomes his muse, his inspiration and with that their lives get turned upside down.  Read the rest of this entry >>

NYFF MAIN SLATE

The White Ribbon / Das weiße band - Michael Haneke, 2009, Germany/Austria/France/Italy, 144m

Screens: 10/08/09 9:00pm

I’m not sure if it deserved the Palme D’or it got at Cannes this year but I must admit that I really loved the viewing experience I had watching Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon. The movie is a stark black and white exploration of the evils that are hidden in society and in homes and in people’s hearts.  It has a wonderful sprawling cast of characters that are all tied together, making the film quite reminiscent of a 19th century novel.

The characters all live in a German town in the years right before the start of World War II and the story starts when one accident sets of a series of bad events that turn out not to be accidents at all.  We learn about the incidents through the voiceover of the town’s school teacher as he reflects back upon what happened in the town during that time. Read the rest of this entry >>

NYFF UPDATE

NYFF screening of Precious. Photo Credit: The Film Society of Lincoln Center/Godlis

Well folks, there is less than a week left of this year’s New York Film Festival. And while I’m a little sad about it, I will be glad to get back to my regular routine - seeing 2+ movies a day is more difficult than it sounds!

Luckily the press screenings go out with a bang! This morning I’ll be seeing Michael Haneke’s Palme D’or winning The White Ribbon and this afternoon I am super excited to see Pedro Almodovar’s Broken Embraces. And to make things even better, both directors (and Penelope Cruz!) will be in attendance today!  Tomorrow I’ll be seeing the amazing Claire Denis‘ White Material and she’ll be there as well. Read the rest of this entry >>

NYFF MAIN SLATE

Min Yè… (Tell Me Who You Are) - Souleymane Cissé, 2009, Mali/France, 135m

Screens: 10/5/09 9:00pm and 10/6/09 6:00pm

An important film about the role of women in Malian society, Min Ye is big, bold and something special, just like the main character of the film.  The film, directed by Malian auteur Souleymane Cissé (Yeelen, Waati), looks at the polygamous nature of society in Mali, where a man is allowed to have up to 4 wives and it is illegal for women to have more than one partner.

The main character here is Mimi, a bureaucrat and strong woman in her fifties that has had enough of sharing her husband and being unhappy.  When she starts having an affair with another man (who also has more than one wife) she brings disarray to everyone’s life around her, refusing to do what society tells her she should.  She appears to consistently make bad decisions but what becomes clear is that she actually doesn’t have any choice when it comes to her life and being happy.  She can either do what society tells her or be punished and even for a person who might be a little irrational, that isn’t right. Read the rest of this entry >>

NYFF CENTERPIECE

Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire - Lee Daniels, 2009, USA, 109m

Screens: 10/3/09 7:00pm and 10/3/09 10:00pm

I think it is important to start this piece by noting that as a film (and only a film) I have a lot of problems with Lee Daniels’ Precious.  It’s too flashy, too proud of itself, somewhat muddled and maybe even a tad manipulative.  But as a film that will be seen by kids who have similar lives to that of the main character Clarice “Precious” Johnson, I think it is important and actually almost perfect. Read the rest of this entry >>

NYFF MAIN SLATE

Life During Wartime - Todd Solondz, 2009, USA, 96m

Screens: 10/10/09 9:00pm and 10/11/09 11:00am

I’ve truly liked most of the films I’ve seen this year’s New York Film Festival line-up but I can’t say I would ever recommend Todd Solondz’s cruel follow-up to his 1998 film Happiness.  Life During Wartime deals with the same characters from Happiness but they are played by different actors and are somewhere in the future of where Happiness exists.

I could go into the plot, but I’ll leave it simple and say that Life During Wartime deals with a group of people and their cruel personal interactions. Those interactions are somewhat related to forgiveness and much more related to making fun of the characters in Happiness. Read the rest of this entry >>

NYFF TAKEPART ROUND-UP

André Dussollier, Alain Resnais, Mathieu Amalric Photo by Godlis

The NY Film Festival kicked off this past Friday night with Alain Resnais’s wonderful Wild Grass.  As the actual festival starts, I’m about halfway through the festival’s press screening schedule.  With all of that I thought it would be a good time to do a little round-up of our coverage thus far and highlight the films that I think are especially worth seeing.

Below is a list of the films I’ve seen thus far in order of preference. Keep in mind that for the most part I’ve really liked everything I’ve seen, so a lower rank doesn’t necessarily mean the film is bad!  If I’ve written about it will link to the piece and feature a quote, and if the film is particularly social issue oriented there will be a * to let you know!

1. TO DIE LIKE A MAN*

“To Die Like a Man is deeply moving and deeply sad and in the end it isn’t queer so much as human.”

______

2. WILD GRASS

“I’m not quite sure what I could say about Alain Resnais’s marvelous Wild Grass that would really help you understand the film.”

______

3. POLICE, ADJECTIVE*

“But more than that, the film seems to really illustrate the things that define a system and how those “definitions” work against the less unfortunate (or educated).  The last shot of the film (not to give anything away) is a reminder of the depressing reality of how those with money and power and influence tend to always win.”

Read the rest of this entry >>

NYFF MAIN SLATE

Police, Adjective / Politist, adj. - Corneliu Porumboiu, 2009, Romania, 115m

Screens: 9/28/09 9:15pm and 9/29/09 6:00pm

A film that starts out slow but truly rewards you by the end, Corneliu Porumboiu’s Police, Adjective is a viewing experience I would love to have again and again and again.  Not only is it an extremely simple and smart film, it is also a social action film of sorts.

The story takes place in Romania and concerns a young police officer who’s been assigned to follow (and eventually bust) a high school student suspected of selling drugs.  The young cop, named Cristi, does his job well, but almost too well as he begins to realize that the kid in question might not be guilty and that even if he is, the law will change soon and it isn’t worth ruining his life and convicting him now. Read the rest of this entry >>