In the early ’90s, Francis Ford Coppola predicted the future: “Suddenly, one day some little fat girl in Ohio is gonna be the new Mozart,” he said, “and make a beautiful film with her father’s little camcorder, and for once this whole professionalism about movies will be destroyed, forever, and it will really become an art form.”
He was on the right track, but the revolution of lo-fi camerawork actually came from a couple of bored Danes. Just a few years after Coppola’s proclamation, directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg joined a few of their cohorts in scribbling out 10 rules to inform their work going forward.
The Dogme 95 Manifesto was a call-to-arms for filmmakers eager to escape the confines of commercial production and transform cinema into a fully creative endeavor. That involved a stripping away of artifice on virtually every level of production. Shot with cheap camcorders...
He was on the right track, but the revolution of lo-fi camerawork actually came from a couple of bored Danes. Just a few years after Coppola’s proclamation, directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg joined a few of their cohorts in scribbling out 10 rules to inform their work going forward.
The Dogme 95 Manifesto was a call-to-arms for filmmakers eager to escape the confines of commercial production and transform cinema into a fully creative endeavor. That involved a stripping away of artifice on virtually every level of production. Shot with cheap camcorders...
- 8/19/2022
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Lars Von Trier's controversial movie Antichrist was the big winner at Denmark's most prestigious prize-giving - picking up seven coveted Robert Awards.
The film, starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg, received mixed reviews because of its scenes of graphic violence, but the shocking content didn't stop the film from winning big at The Roberts in Denmark on Sunday.
The movie was named Best Picture, while Von Trier landed the Best Director prize. Antichrist also triumphed in categories for script, cinematography, editing, sound design and special effects.
Lars Mikkelsen was honoured for his role in thriller Headhunter and his co-star Henning Moritzen was named Best Supporting Actor.
Animated sensation Up was named best U.S. film, while Slumdog Millionaire won for Best non-u.S. foreign film, according to Variety.com.
The film, starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg, received mixed reviews because of its scenes of graphic violence, but the shocking content didn't stop the film from winning big at The Roberts in Denmark on Sunday.
The movie was named Best Picture, while Von Trier landed the Best Director prize. Antichrist also triumphed in categories for script, cinematography, editing, sound design and special effects.
Lars Mikkelsen was honoured for his role in thriller Headhunter and his co-star Henning Moritzen was named Best Supporting Actor.
Animated sensation Up was named best U.S. film, while Slumdog Millionaire won for Best non-u.S. foreign film, according to Variety.com.
- 2/8/2010
- WENN
Not sure what to watch? We can help with our comprehensive guide to the best films on TV this Christmas and new year
Choose a date
Saturday 19 December | Sunday 20 December | Monday 21 December | Tuesday 22 December | Wednesday 23 December |Christmas Eve | Christmas Day | Boxing Day | Sunday 27 December | Monday 28 December | Tuesday 29 December | Wednesday 30 December | New Year's Eve | New Year's Day
Saturday 19 December
Yes Man (Peyton Reed, 2008)
10am, 8pm, Sky Movies Premiere
Remember Jim Carrey in Liar, Liar, where he forces himself to tell the truth for 24 hours? Well, here Jim Carrey forces himself to answer yes to any request, for a year. Which is upping the ante somewhat, but doesn't make it a better film. This is a return to the manic, gurning, not-very-funny Carrey, as if The Truman Show, Eternal Sunshine etc hadn't happened. Just say no.
The Golden Compass (Chris Weitz, 2007)
11.40am, 8pm, Sky Movies Family
What with Harry Potter, Narnia, Lemony Snicket and all,...
Choose a date
Saturday 19 December | Sunday 20 December | Monday 21 December | Tuesday 22 December | Wednesday 23 December |Christmas Eve | Christmas Day | Boxing Day | Sunday 27 December | Monday 28 December | Tuesday 29 December | Wednesday 30 December | New Year's Eve | New Year's Day
Saturday 19 December
Yes Man (Peyton Reed, 2008)
10am, 8pm, Sky Movies Premiere
Remember Jim Carrey in Liar, Liar, where he forces himself to tell the truth for 24 hours? Well, here Jim Carrey forces himself to answer yes to any request, for a year. Which is upping the ante somewhat, but doesn't make it a better film. This is a return to the manic, gurning, not-very-funny Carrey, as if The Truman Show, Eternal Sunshine etc hadn't happened. Just say no.
The Golden Compass (Chris Weitz, 2007)
11.40am, 8pm, Sky Movies Family
What with Harry Potter, Narnia, Lemony Snicket and all,...
- 12/18/2009
- by Paul Howlett
- The Guardian - Film News
There's a lot to celebrate in Danish filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg's intense competition entry about a large family gathering that starts badly and gets much worse.
Filmed in a herky-jerky style that never grows tiresome and deftly mixing off-color humor with arch drama, "The Celebration" (Festen) rarely slows down to let the strong material sink in, but it's virtuoso filmmaking that should garner fans in subsequent festival exposure, with a U.S. art house release an outside possibility.
In a rural hotel in Denmark, an elaborate party and dinner unfolds in honor of Helge (Henning Moritzen), the family patriarch celebrating his 60th birthday with friends and family. Everyone seems to have gotten past the tragic death of one of his two daughters, Linda, whose twin Christian (Ulrich Thomsen) arrives with a shocking agenda as the attention-getting oldest sibling.
At the outset, tension revolves around youngest son Michael Thomas Bo Larsen), a flamboyant jerk who fights continually with his beleaguered wife (Helle Dolleris) and fiendishly needles sluttish sister Helene (Paprika Steen). Known for his drunken meltdowns, Michael boisterously tries to derail Christian when the latter drops a bomb on the black-tie gathering.
With a few drinks in him and in a deadpan delivery, Christian reveals that both he and his dead twin Linda were sexually abused as children by Helge. Known for his jokes, the father squirms uncomfortably and Christian's initial frontal assault is quickly dismissed by Michael and Helene. But Christian's longtime friend, the hotel chef (Bjarne Henriksen), encourages him to go all the way and arranges for the guests' car keys to be hidden, preventing anyone from leaving even if things get unbearably ugly.
They do. Christian accuses Helge of murdering Linda and is hustled out of the hotel by Michael. He returns to damn his mother (Birthe Neumann) for not stopping her husband. Eventually Linda's farewell letter is read by Helene and there's no longer any doubt. Passing out from the enormous amount of wine he's imbibed, Christian has a mystical experience and encounters Linda's ghost, which haunts the hotel.
The film is crowded with ancillary characters and relationships, including Helene's black English-speaking boyfriend (Gbatokai Dakinah) and Christian and Michael's former lovers now working as maids in the hotel. Seemingly headed toward a grim resolution, the film manages an upbeat finale that leaves one curiously unsatisfied, but still bowled over by the daring and well-paced ensemble project with all-around engaging performances.
Festen
(The Celebration)
Nimbus Film APS
CREDITS:
Director--Thomas Vinterberg
Screenwriters--Thomas Vinterberg, Morgens Rukov
Producer--Birgitte Hald
Director of photography--Anthony Dod Mantle
Second camera--Peter Hjorth
Editor--Valdis Oskarsdottir
Sound designer--Morten Holm
CAST:
Christian--Ulrich Thomsen
Helge--Henning Moritzen
Michael--Thomas Bo Larsen
Helene--Paprika Steen
Elsa--Birthe Neumann
Mette--Helle Dolleris
Kim--Bjarne Henriksen
Gbatokai--Gbatokai Dakinah
Color/stereo
Running time -- 105 minutes...
Filmed in a herky-jerky style that never grows tiresome and deftly mixing off-color humor with arch drama, "The Celebration" (Festen) rarely slows down to let the strong material sink in, but it's virtuoso filmmaking that should garner fans in subsequent festival exposure, with a U.S. art house release an outside possibility.
In a rural hotel in Denmark, an elaborate party and dinner unfolds in honor of Helge (Henning Moritzen), the family patriarch celebrating his 60th birthday with friends and family. Everyone seems to have gotten past the tragic death of one of his two daughters, Linda, whose twin Christian (Ulrich Thomsen) arrives with a shocking agenda as the attention-getting oldest sibling.
At the outset, tension revolves around youngest son Michael Thomas Bo Larsen), a flamboyant jerk who fights continually with his beleaguered wife (Helle Dolleris) and fiendishly needles sluttish sister Helene (Paprika Steen). Known for his drunken meltdowns, Michael boisterously tries to derail Christian when the latter drops a bomb on the black-tie gathering.
With a few drinks in him and in a deadpan delivery, Christian reveals that both he and his dead twin Linda were sexually abused as children by Helge. Known for his jokes, the father squirms uncomfortably and Christian's initial frontal assault is quickly dismissed by Michael and Helene. But Christian's longtime friend, the hotel chef (Bjarne Henriksen), encourages him to go all the way and arranges for the guests' car keys to be hidden, preventing anyone from leaving even if things get unbearably ugly.
They do. Christian accuses Helge of murdering Linda and is hustled out of the hotel by Michael. He returns to damn his mother (Birthe Neumann) for not stopping her husband. Eventually Linda's farewell letter is read by Helene and there's no longer any doubt. Passing out from the enormous amount of wine he's imbibed, Christian has a mystical experience and encounters Linda's ghost, which haunts the hotel.
The film is crowded with ancillary characters and relationships, including Helene's black English-speaking boyfriend (Gbatokai Dakinah) and Christian and Michael's former lovers now working as maids in the hotel. Seemingly headed toward a grim resolution, the film manages an upbeat finale that leaves one curiously unsatisfied, but still bowled over by the daring and well-paced ensemble project with all-around engaging performances.
Festen
(The Celebration)
Nimbus Film APS
CREDITS:
Director--Thomas Vinterberg
Screenwriters--Thomas Vinterberg, Morgens Rukov
Producer--Birgitte Hald
Director of photography--Anthony Dod Mantle
Second camera--Peter Hjorth
Editor--Valdis Oskarsdottir
Sound designer--Morten Holm
CAST:
Christian--Ulrich Thomsen
Helge--Henning Moritzen
Michael--Thomas Bo Larsen
Helene--Paprika Steen
Elsa--Birthe Neumann
Mette--Helle Dolleris
Kim--Bjarne Henriksen
Gbatokai--Gbatokai Dakinah
Color/stereo
Running time -- 105 minutes...
- 5/19/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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