This review originally ran September 2, 2022, in conjunction with the miniseries’ premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
Lars von Trier’s “The Kingdom Exodus” warrants comparison with David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks: The Return” for multiple parallels between the two: Both are peak prestige TV with indelible auteurist hallmarks, returning for their third seasons after a quarter-century hiatus. Both invoke the supernatural, concoct elaborate lore and boast captivated cult-like followings.
Though the Danish “Kingdom” is of course much lesser known, its first two seasons did make enough of a cultural impact through international theatrical runs to spawn a Stephen King–created American remake, “Kingdom Hospital.”
“Kingdom Exodus,” making its world premiere at the 2022 Venice Film Festival, gets much more meta. In the cold open, Karen (Bodil Jørgensen) watches von Trier’s signoff from the previous season’s finale on TV. Frustrated by the series’ loose ends, she heads to bed and...
Lars von Trier’s “The Kingdom Exodus” warrants comparison with David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks: The Return” for multiple parallels between the two: Both are peak prestige TV with indelible auteurist hallmarks, returning for their third seasons after a quarter-century hiatus. Both invoke the supernatural, concoct elaborate lore and boast captivated cult-like followings.
Though the Danish “Kingdom” is of course much lesser known, its first two seasons did make enough of a cultural impact through international theatrical runs to spawn a Stephen King–created American remake, “Kingdom Hospital.”
“Kingdom Exodus,” making its world premiere at the 2022 Venice Film Festival, gets much more meta. In the cold open, Karen (Bodil Jørgensen) watches von Trier’s signoff from the previous season’s finale on TV. Frustrated by the series’ loose ends, she heads to bed and...
- 11/26/2022
- by Martin Tsai
- The Wrap
“The Kingdom Exodus” begins with a joke, and for the next five hours, it never gets serious, not even for a second. That’s not what you might expect for the long-delayed finale to Lars von Trier’s made-for-tv horror series, though it sure makes this over-the-top return to the haunted Rigshospitalet — that big, brutalist medical center in the heart of Copenhagen — a lot more fun.
For all of two minutes, von Trier tricks us into thinking that maybe this third season is going to look like a polished, peak-tv miniseries of the sort you might find on HBO or Netflix. We open on a closeup of a woman’s eye, ideally lit and steadily framed, reflecting a TV screen on which a tuxedoed von Trier appears, a quarter-century younger, over the credits of Season 2’s final episode.
“How can they peddle such half-baked hooey? That’s no ending,” grouses...
For all of two minutes, von Trier tricks us into thinking that maybe this third season is going to look like a polished, peak-tv miniseries of the sort you might find on HBO or Netflix. We open on a closeup of a woman’s eye, ideally lit and steadily framed, reflecting a TV screen on which a tuxedoed von Trier appears, a quarter-century younger, over the credits of Season 2’s final episode.
“How can they peddle such half-baked hooey? That’s no ending,” grouses...
- 9/1/2022
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
International sales and aggregation outfit LevelK has picked up darkly funny feature “The Cake Dynasty,” toplining Anders Thomas Jensen regular Nicolas Bro. The feature is adapted from the eponymous stage play by debut director Christian Lollike.
One of Denmark’s most lauded contemporary playwrights and stage directors, Lollike is well-known for his topical and often politically-charged works staged in Europe, Australia and the U.S.
Co-written by Lollike and Sigrid Johannesen, “The Cake Dynasty” turns on debt-ridden cake factory owner Niels Agger whose numerous suicide attempts have failed miserably. His wife Else tries to save the factory by asking her daughter and son-in-law for help. The young business school graduates suggest a comprehensive modernisation of the factory, focusing on trendsetting healthy food. Stressed about these new ideas, Niels instead falls in love with the factory’s new cleaning lady, Zeinab, originally from Iraq.
Cast against Nicolas Bro as the crisis-stricken...
One of Denmark’s most lauded contemporary playwrights and stage directors, Lollike is well-known for his topical and often politically-charged works staged in Europe, Australia and the U.S.
Co-written by Lollike and Sigrid Johannesen, “The Cake Dynasty” turns on debt-ridden cake factory owner Niels Agger whose numerous suicide attempts have failed miserably. His wife Else tries to save the factory by asking her daughter and son-in-law for help. The young business school graduates suggest a comprehensive modernisation of the factory, focusing on trendsetting healthy food. Stressed about these new ideas, Niels instead falls in love with the factory’s new cleaning lady, Zeinab, originally from Iraq.
Cast against Nicolas Bro as the crisis-stricken...
- 8/25/2021
- by Annika Pham
- Variety Film + TV
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has announced the 395 artists and executives that have been invited to join this year — about half the number of last year’s class. The 2021 class is comprised of 46% women, 39% underrepresented ethnic/racial communities and 53% international from 49 countries outside the United States. Of the 395 invitees, 89 are former Oscar nominees, including 25 winners.
Eight individuals have been invited to join by multiple branches and must select one branch upon acceptance. They include Leslie Odom Jr, Kaouther Ben Hania, Craig Brewer, Lee Isaac Chung, Emerald Fennell, Shaka King, Alexander Nanau, Florian Zeller.
Other big names among the newly invited include Walt Disney CEO Bob Chapek, “Promising Young Woman” original screenplay winner Emerald Fennell and “Minari” stars Steven Yeun, Ye-ri Han and recently crowned supporting actress Yuh-Jung Youn.
In the directing category, new invitees include Janicza Bravo, Nia DaCosta, Cathy Yan, Darius Marder, Michael Almereyda, Lizzie Borden,...
Eight individuals have been invited to join by multiple branches and must select one branch upon acceptance. They include Leslie Odom Jr, Kaouther Ben Hania, Craig Brewer, Lee Isaac Chung, Emerald Fennell, Shaka King, Alexander Nanau, Florian Zeller.
Other big names among the newly invited include Walt Disney CEO Bob Chapek, “Promising Young Woman” original screenplay winner Emerald Fennell and “Minari” stars Steven Yeun, Ye-ri Han and recently crowned supporting actress Yuh-Jung Youn.
In the directing category, new invitees include Janicza Bravo, Nia DaCosta, Cathy Yan, Darius Marder, Michael Almereyda, Lizzie Borden,...
- 7/1/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has extended invitations for 395 artists and executives working in film to join the ranks of a growing membership of more than 9,000 film industry figures. Per AMPAS, “membership selection decisions are based on professional qualifications, with representation, inclusion and equity remaining a priority of Academy Aperture 2025.”
Statistically, the 2021 class is comprised of 46 percent women, 39 percent underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 53 international members from 49 countries outside of the United States. Among the new class are 89 Oscar nominees and 25 winners, including “Minari” Best Supporting Actress winner Yuh-jung Youn, Best Actor nominee Steven Yeun, multi-nominated director/writer Lee Isaac Chung, and co-star Ye-ri Han, plus “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” Best Actress nominee Andra Day, “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” Supporting Actress nominee Maria Bakalova, “Pieces of a Woman” Best Actress nominee Vanessa Kirby, and Supporting Actor nominees Leslie Odom Jr. (“One Night in Miami”) and Paul Raci...
Statistically, the 2021 class is comprised of 46 percent women, 39 percent underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 53 international members from 49 countries outside of the United States. Among the new class are 89 Oscar nominees and 25 winners, including “Minari” Best Supporting Actress winner Yuh-jung Youn, Best Actor nominee Steven Yeun, multi-nominated director/writer Lee Isaac Chung, and co-star Ye-ri Han, plus “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” Best Actress nominee Andra Day, “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” Supporting Actress nominee Maria Bakalova, “Pieces of a Woman” Best Actress nominee Vanessa Kirby, and Supporting Actor nominees Leslie Odom Jr. (“One Night in Miami”) and Paul Raci...
- 7/1/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Melancholia premiered in Cannes ten years ago this month and was immediately overshadowed by the infamous press conference in which its provocative Danish director, Lars Von Trier, said “I am a Nazi.” Yet, as the film rolled out across the world, its visceral and moving portrayal of depression found its way into audiences’ hearts. It stands the test of time as a rare example of a beautiful film about mental illness. The equivocation of a realistic depiction of depression in Part One as it engulfs Justine (Kirsten Dunst) on her wedding day with the science-fiction concept of the world ending […]
The post Wagner Moments: Dp Manuel Alberto Claro on Melancholia at Ten Years, Lars Von Trier and Depression first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Wagner Moments: Dp Manuel Alberto Claro on Melancholia at Ten Years, Lars Von Trier and Depression first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 5/20/2021
- by Sophie Monks Kaufman
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Melancholia premiered in Cannes ten years ago this month and was immediately overshadowed by the infamous press conference in which its provocative Danish director, Lars Von Trier, said “I am a Nazi.” Yet, as the film rolled out across the world, its visceral and moving portrayal of depression found its way into audiences’ hearts. It stands the test of time as a rare example of a beautiful film about mental illness. The equivocation of a realistic depiction of depression in Part One as it engulfs Justine (Kirsten Dunst) on her wedding day with the science-fiction concept of the world ending […]
The post Wagner Moments: Dp Manuel Alberto Claro on Melancholia at Ten Years, Lars Von Trier and Depression first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Wagner Moments: Dp Manuel Alberto Claro on Melancholia at Ten Years, Lars Von Trier and Depression first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 5/20/2021
- by Sophie Monks Kaufman
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Andrea Bræin Hovig as Anja with Ada (Dina Enoksen Elvehaug), her father (Einar Økland), Henrik (Eirik Hallert), Julie (Elli Rhiannon Müller Osbourne), Isak (Daniel Storm Forthun Sandbye), Tomas (Stellan Skarsgård), Erlend (Alfred Vatne), and Simon (Steinar Klouman Hallert) in Maria Sødahl’s Hope (Håp)
The performances in Maria Sødahl’s stunning piece of auto-fiction are superb. Hope (Håp), which is Oscar-shortlisted, couples Andrea Bræin Hovig as Anja and Stellan Skarsgård as Tomas. When the worst is confirmed, namely that the lung cancer Anja overcame the previous year may have spread to the brain, nothing in their world stays the same.
Andrea Bræin Hovig in her writing and sewing studio in Oslo
Tomas, whose mind, we learn, had been mainly occupied with his work producing in the theatre, will have to make a choice to either fully support Anja or withdraw into the escape of the regions he seems to be so familiar with.
The performances in Maria Sødahl’s stunning piece of auto-fiction are superb. Hope (Håp), which is Oscar-shortlisted, couples Andrea Bræin Hovig as Anja and Stellan Skarsgård as Tomas. When the worst is confirmed, namely that the lung cancer Anja overcame the previous year may have spread to the brain, nothing in their world stays the same.
Andrea Bræin Hovig in her writing and sewing studio in Oslo
Tomas, whose mind, we learn, had been mainly occupied with his work producing in the theatre, will have to make a choice to either fully support Anja or withdraw into the escape of the regions he seems to be so familiar with.
- 3/8/2021
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Stellan Skarsgård on Maria Sødahl’s Oscar shortlisted Hope (Håp): “Many directors just put the camera on the person talking but she records the reactions from every character in the film.”
Stellan Skarsgård starred in Hans Petter Moland’s Out Stealing Horses, In Order Of Disappearance, A Somewhat Gentle Man, Zero Kelvin, and Aberdeen. When he was approached to portray Tomas, a rendition of Moland, in Maria Sødahl’s stunning piece of auto-fiction, Hope (Håp), Stellan told me: “When I first considered I’m actually going to play one of my best friends, I was thinking, but I cannot imitate him … But then of course I just cut loose and did the material from the script."
Tomas (Stellan Skarsgård) with Anja (Andrea Bræin Hovig) in Hope (Håp) Photo: Manuel Alberto Claro
In Hope, Anja (Andrea Bræin Hovig) returning home to Oslo from directing a successful stage production abroad, is greeted by her youngest child,...
Stellan Skarsgård starred in Hans Petter Moland’s Out Stealing Horses, In Order Of Disappearance, A Somewhat Gentle Man, Zero Kelvin, and Aberdeen. When he was approached to portray Tomas, a rendition of Moland, in Maria Sødahl’s stunning piece of auto-fiction, Hope (Håp), Stellan told me: “When I first considered I’m actually going to play one of my best friends, I was thinking, but I cannot imitate him … But then of course I just cut loose and did the material from the script."
Tomas (Stellan Skarsgård) with Anja (Andrea Bræin Hovig) in Hope (Håp) Photo: Manuel Alberto Claro
In Hope, Anja (Andrea Bræin Hovig) returning home to Oslo from directing a successful stage production abroad, is greeted by her youngest child,...
- 3/7/2021
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The performances in Maria Sødahl’s stunning piece of auto-fiction are superb. Oscar-shortlisted Hope (Håp) hopes to become the sixth film from Norway (joining Arne Skouen’s Nine Lives; Nils Gaup’s Pathfinder; Berit Nesheim’s The Other Side of Sunday; Petter Næss’s Elling; Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg’s Kon-Tiki) to be nominated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in what is now called Best International Feature Film. Nicole Kidman recently bought the rights for Hope to star in a series adaptation of the director’s story.
Anja (Andrea Bræin Hovig) returning home to Oslo from directing a successful stage production abroad, is greeted by her youngest child, 10-year-old Isak (Daniel Storm Forthun Sandbye), on the staircase of their building. He is wearing a pig...
Anja (Andrea Bræin Hovig) returning home to Oslo from directing a successful stage production abroad, is greeted by her youngest child, 10-year-old Isak (Daniel Storm Forthun Sandbye), on the staircase of their building. He is wearing a pig...
- 3/1/2021
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Norwegian director Maria Sodhal made her first feature, Limbo, a decade ago and her second makes the reason for the long time gap dramatically clear: She developed lung cancer, which then metastasized and spread to her brain, a virtual death sentence. But she fought back and lived to make a film about it, the closely observed Hope, which is all she had going for her as she faced almost certain oblivion. It’s grim stuff, to be sure, but the innumerable intimate details and shifting moods keep Norway’s International Feature Oscar shortlist title percolating with the things of life.
“This is my story as I remember it,” states Anja (Andrea Braein Hovig), 43, a choreographer who a year earlier had undergone a lung cancer operation. The later diagnosis comes the day before Christmas, when Anja’s large family is to gather together, led by her longtime companion Tomas (Stellan Skarsgard...
“This is my story as I remember it,” states Anja (Andrea Braein Hovig), 43, a choreographer who a year earlier had undergone a lung cancer operation. The later diagnosis comes the day before Christmas, when Anja’s large family is to gather together, led by her longtime companion Tomas (Stellan Skarsgard...
- 2/26/2021
- by Todd McCarthy
- Deadline Film + TV
Believe the accolades: Maria Sødahl’s perceptive, heartfelt “Hope” richly deserves all the attention it’s gotten at festivals and award ceremonies since premiering in Toronto in 2019. Naturally, any movie with such a title dealing with a terminal cancer diagnosis will have some kind of sting, but “Limbo” director Sødahl, who mined her own brush with cancer when writing the film, teases out the unexpected byways where hope is not just crushed but nurtured. , not just for the multi-layered screenplay but the impeccable performances by Andrea Bræin Hovig and Stellan Skarsgård. As Norway’s Oscar submission, “Hope” prompts high expectations.
Boosting attention will be the announcement that Nicole Kidman is executive producing a television series with her Blossom Films company based on the feature (rights had been purchased by Amazon Studios), with the star in the lead role. Given the plot’s extended family dynamics, there’s certainly material enough...
Boosting attention will be the announcement that Nicole Kidman is executive producing a television series with her Blossom Films company based on the feature (rights had been purchased by Amazon Studios), with the star in the lead role. Given the plot’s extended family dynamics, there’s certainly material enough...
- 1/29/2021
- by Jay Weissberg
- Variety Film + TV
Picture Tree International has acquired international rights to Danish director Lisa Jespersen’s feature debut, the comedy drama “Persona Non Grata” (Hvor Kragerne Vender), and will introduce the film to buyers at the upcoming Nordic Film Market, after its launch in Nordic Competition during the online edition of Goteborg Film Festival this week. Variety has been given exclusive access to the trailer.
The film follows Laura who has distanced herself from her family in the countryside, and moved to Copenhagen to live the bohemian lifestyle as a writer. When she is forced to return home to attend her brother’s wedding, she discovers that he’s about to marry her worst childhood enemy Catrine. Laura realizes that Catrine has taken over her place in the family and is now ready to do anything to get it back.
Jespersen studied film directing at the National Film School of Denmark, and has...
The film follows Laura who has distanced herself from her family in the countryside, and moved to Copenhagen to live the bohemian lifestyle as a writer. When she is forced to return home to attend her brother’s wedding, she discovers that he’s about to marry her worst childhood enemy Catrine. Laura realizes that Catrine has taken over her place in the family and is now ready to do anything to get it back.
Jespersen studied film directing at the National Film School of Denmark, and has...
- 1/29/2021
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Since “Sons of Denmark’s” world bow at Rotterdam in 2019, Danish writer/director Ulaa Salim and producer Daniel Mühlendorph have enjoyed invites to 50 world festivals, and won nine awards – including best director at Seattle – and distribution in eight territories, negotiated by New Europe Film Sales. Those take in China (Huanxi Films), the U.K./Ireland (Eureka), Benelux (Windmill), Germany (Koch Media), Filmin (Spain), Programestore (France), Windmill (Benelux), Ale Kino (Poland) and Arthouse Traffic (Ukraine).
The partners in the fledging Danish outfit Hyæne Film are at Göteborg’s Nordic Film Market with two titles from recent Danish Film School graduates: Lisa Jespersen’s “Persona non Grata” (“Hvor kragerne vender”) pitched at the work in progress session, and Christian Bengtson’s “Chrysanthemum,” showcased within the Discovery section.
For her debut feature, Jespersen has attracted heavyweight DoP and Lars von Trier’s regular cinematographer Manuel Alberto Claro (“Melancholia”), and an ensemble cast of...
The partners in the fledging Danish outfit Hyæne Film are at Göteborg’s Nordic Film Market with two titles from recent Danish Film School graduates: Lisa Jespersen’s “Persona non Grata” (“Hvor kragerne vender”) pitched at the work in progress session, and Christian Bengtson’s “Chrysanthemum,” showcased within the Discovery section.
For her debut feature, Jespersen has attracted heavyweight DoP and Lars von Trier’s regular cinematographer Manuel Alberto Claro (“Melancholia”), and an ensemble cast of...
- 1/30/2020
- by Annika Pham
- Variety Film + TV
Camerimage, the weeklong celebration of cinematography in Bydgoszcz, Poland, comes to a close today by handing out its prestigious Frog prizes. The big winner was South Korean drama “The Fortress,” which won the top prize, the Golden Frog, in the Main Competition. The film directed by Dong-Hyuk Hwang and lensed by Ji Yong Kim was a massive hit in its home country in late 2017 and has since been released in 28 countries, including the U.S., reaching 3.8 million viewers worldwide.
The competition jury gave the Silver Frog to cinematographer Łukasz Żal for “Cold War” and the Bronze Frog to director-cinematographer Alfonso Cuarón for “Roma.” With over 900 cinematographers from around the world in attendance, many voting members of the Asc, Camerimage is an important bellwether for the Oscar race for Best Cinematography. The silver and bronze prizes should be a big boost for the two black-and-white films angling for Oscar nominations.
Five years ago,...
The competition jury gave the Silver Frog to cinematographer Łukasz Żal for “Cold War” and the Bronze Frog to director-cinematographer Alfonso Cuarón for “Roma.” With over 900 cinematographers from around the world in attendance, many voting members of the Asc, Camerimage is an important bellwether for the Oscar race for Best Cinematography. The silver and bronze prizes should be a big boost for the two black-and-white films angling for Oscar nominations.
Five years ago,...
- 11/17/2018
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
For anyone keeping tabs on the international film scene, two of the biggest announcements of the 71st Cannes Film Festival came a week after this year’s official lineup of films competing for the coveted Palme d’Or was unveiled. The first: Terry Gilliam’s The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, after decades of disastrous production issues and legal battles that seemingly threatened to put Mr. Gilliam in an early grave, would close the festival. The other: Lars von Trier, the notorious enfant terrible of Danish cinema and a general staple of the Cannes scene, would walk the Croisette seven years after his unprecedented ban – as a fast reminder, when he premiered Melancholia in 2011, amidst the horrified looks adorning the faces of Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg, Mr. von Trier suggested he “understood” Adolf Hitler and sympathized with the Nazi ideology because of his German ancestry, leading to his immediately...
- 5/20/2018
- by William Coffey
- Age of the Nerd
Review by Matthew Turner
Stars: Ruth Ramos, Simone Bucio, Jesús Meza, Eden Villavicencio, Andrea Peláez, Oscar Escalante, Bernarda Trueba | Written by Amat Escalante, Gibrán Portela | Directed by Amat Escalante
The fourth film from Mexican writer-director Amat Escalante (Heli) mixes social realism and weird sci-fi eroticism to mesmerising effect.
Co-written by Escalante and Gibrán Portela, The Untamed begins with a shot of a meteorite, drifting through space, before abruptly cutting to a young, naked woman (Simone Bucio as Veronica) being pleasured by a tentacled creature in a shed, somewhere in the Mexican countryside. As if that wasn’t already strange enough, she’s also being observed by an older couple (Oscar Escalante and Bernarda Trueba), who appear to be the creature’s guardians.
When Veronica sustains a nasty injury during her encounter, she attends the local hospital, where she befriends first charming, openly gay nurse Fabian (Eden Villavicencio), and later his...
Stars: Ruth Ramos, Simone Bucio, Jesús Meza, Eden Villavicencio, Andrea Peláez, Oscar Escalante, Bernarda Trueba | Written by Amat Escalante, Gibrán Portela | Directed by Amat Escalante
The fourth film from Mexican writer-director Amat Escalante (Heli) mixes social realism and weird sci-fi eroticism to mesmerising effect.
Co-written by Escalante and Gibrán Portela, The Untamed begins with a shot of a meteorite, drifting through space, before abruptly cutting to a young, naked woman (Simone Bucio as Veronica) being pleasured by a tentacled creature in a shed, somewhere in the Mexican countryside. As if that wasn’t already strange enough, she’s also being observed by an older couple (Oscar Escalante and Bernarda Trueba), who appear to be the creature’s guardians.
When Veronica sustains a nasty injury during her encounter, she attends the local hospital, where she befriends first charming, openly gay nurse Fabian (Eden Villavicencio), and later his...
- 8/18/2017
- by Guest
- Nerdly
There are no talking foxes in Amat Escalante’s latest whatist, but chaos still reigns.
And though “La región salvaje” translates literally as “The Wilds,” one struggles to imagine a more fitting title for this surreal erotic thriller than “The Untamed.” The Mexican auteur, who last divided audiences with the punishing “Heli” (for which he won Best Director at Cannes), takes a cue from Andrzej Żuławski’s “Possession” in his tentacled pulse-pounder about the pain and pleasure of love in all its forms. This is the kind of experience that might tell you more about yourself as both a viewer and a person than you’re comfortable knowing; it’s also the most alluringly strange movie of the year so far.
It’s frequently beautiful, too, with cinematographer Manuel Alberto Claro (who also lensed “Nymphomaniac”) capturing the strange goings on and foggy environs in all their alien glory. “The Untamed...
And though “La región salvaje” translates literally as “The Wilds,” one struggles to imagine a more fitting title for this surreal erotic thriller than “The Untamed.” The Mexican auteur, who last divided audiences with the punishing “Heli” (for which he won Best Director at Cannes), takes a cue from Andrzej Żuławski’s “Possession” in his tentacled pulse-pounder about the pain and pleasure of love in all its forms. This is the kind of experience that might tell you more about yourself as both a viewer and a person than you’re comfortable knowing; it’s also the most alluringly strange movie of the year so far.
It’s frequently beautiful, too, with cinematographer Manuel Alberto Claro (who also lensed “Nymphomaniac”) capturing the strange goings on and foggy environs in all their alien glory. “The Untamed...
- 7/20/2017
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
A Change in Oscar Rules Makes One Category More Exclusive, Another More Inclusive, But with an AsteriskWhen the Academy closes a door it opens a window, but only halfway.
This week The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences — the Oscar people — made a couple of significant changes to the nomination guidelines for two major categories, Best Documentary Film and Best Animated Film. In the case of the former, the changes make the category more exclusive, and in the case of the latter, they opened the category to a wider range of voters. Allow me to explain, via Deadline, who broke the news.
The changes in the doc category came about owing to the most recent winner, O.J.: Made in America, which caused some controversy when it was nominated seeing as it’s a 7 ½-hour multi-part, limited-run series that premiered at Sundance but then was released on television, specifically Espn, who...
This week The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences — the Oscar people — made a couple of significant changes to the nomination guidelines for two major categories, Best Documentary Film and Best Animated Film. In the case of the former, the changes make the category more exclusive, and in the case of the latter, they opened the category to a wider range of voters. Allow me to explain, via Deadline, who broke the news.
The changes in the doc category came about owing to the most recent winner, O.J.: Made in America, which caused some controversy when it was nominated seeing as it’s a 7 ½-hour multi-part, limited-run series that premiered at Sundance but then was released on television, specifically Espn, who...
- 4/10/2017
- by H. Perry Horton
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Festival moves to new autumn dates; audience award goes to Heartstone, and Girls Lost wins best children’s film.
Cph Pix’s New Talent Grand Pix has been awarded to Bulgarian filmmaker Ralitza Petrova for her film Godless.
The film, which is co-produced by new Danish production company Snowglobe, previously won the Golden Leopard in Locarno. It tells the story of a young physiotherapist struggling to survive in an economically depressed mountain town in post-Communist Bulgaria, who forms an unlikely bond with one of her elderly patients.
The New Talent Grand Pix – awarded for a debut feature — comes with $11,000 (€10,000); the jury was comprised of director Philippe Grandrieux (France), producer Erika Wasserman (Sweden) and DoP Manuel Alberto Claro (Denmark) [pictured with director Petrova].
In a statement, the jury said, “We were looking for a film-maker and talent who is not afraid to grab the world with the possibilities of cinema itself and use all its means to invite us inside this process...
Cph Pix’s New Talent Grand Pix has been awarded to Bulgarian filmmaker Ralitza Petrova for her film Godless.
The film, which is co-produced by new Danish production company Snowglobe, previously won the Golden Leopard in Locarno. It tells the story of a young physiotherapist struggling to survive in an economically depressed mountain town in post-Communist Bulgaria, who forms an unlikely bond with one of her elderly patients.
The New Talent Grand Pix – awarded for a debut feature — comes with $11,000 (€10,000); the jury was comprised of director Philippe Grandrieux (France), producer Erika Wasserman (Sweden) and DoP Manuel Alberto Claro (Denmark) [pictured with director Petrova].
In a statement, the jury said, “We were looking for a film-maker and talent who is not afraid to grab the world with the possibilities of cinema itself and use all its means to invite us inside this process...
- 11/7/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
There’s something dark and wonderful lurking in The Untamed, the brilliant, frightening, hyper-real erotic mystery from the mind of Mexican auteur Amat Escalante, whose Heli ruffled more than a few feathers in Cannes a few years back. Is the 37-year-old merely a provocateur? On the evidence of his latest film, he is clearly not. The plotline of a strange extraterrestrial being that lurks in the woods granting ultimate pleasure sounds like a schlocky drive-in science fiction flick, but the director heightens things immeasurably by expertly cultivating the visceral, aesthetic nowhere of a drug trip, as if the characters involved (and perhaps the viewer) are participating in some sort of communal high.
Escalante opens on disjointed imagery: a comet; a woman masturbating (or not?), then she’s running through the mist, wounded, towards her dirt bike. Then, just as quick as it started, the dream — or whatever it is — stops.
Escalante opens on disjointed imagery: a comet; a woman masturbating (or not?), then she’s running through the mist, wounded, towards her dirt bike. Then, just as quick as it started, the dream — or whatever it is — stops.
- 9/5/2016
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: Mikkel Jersin, Katrin Pors, and Eva Jakobsen are working on films with Amat Escalante, Carlos Reygadas and Ciro Guerra.
Danish producers Mikkel Jersin (Sparrows), Katrin Pors (The Untamed) and Eva Jakobsen (Antboy) have joined forces to launch Snowglobe, a new production outfit that will back director-driven films.
Snowglobe, which will have a focus on international co-productions, is currently working with established auteurs such as Colombia’s Embrace Of The Serpent director Ciro Guerra and Mexican directors Amat Escalante and Carlos Reygadas.
The company is producing, alongside Guerra’s usual producer Cristina Gallego, his next film Birds Of Passage, which will start shooting in January 2017.
Pors says: “It is the story of an indigenous family from La Guajira Desert who get involved in a war to control a business that ends up destroying their lives and their culture. It’s the story of the origins of drug trafficking in the 1970s in Colombia.”
The company...
Danish producers Mikkel Jersin (Sparrows), Katrin Pors (The Untamed) and Eva Jakobsen (Antboy) have joined forces to launch Snowglobe, a new production outfit that will back director-driven films.
Snowglobe, which will have a focus on international co-productions, is currently working with established auteurs such as Colombia’s Embrace Of The Serpent director Ciro Guerra and Mexican directors Amat Escalante and Carlos Reygadas.
The company is producing, alongside Guerra’s usual producer Cristina Gallego, his next film Birds Of Passage, which will start shooting in January 2017.
Pors says: “It is the story of an indigenous family from La Guajira Desert who get involved in a war to control a business that ends up destroying their lives and their culture. It’s the story of the origins of drug trafficking in the 1970s in Colombia.”
The company...
- 5/4/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Mikkel Jersin, Katrin Pors, and Eva Jakobsen are working on films with Amat Escalante, Carlos Reygadas and Ciro Guerra.
Danish producers Mikkel Jersin (Sparrows), Katrin Pors (The Untamed) and Eva Jakobsen (Antboy) have joined forces to launch Snowglobe, a new production outfit that will back director-driven films.
Snowglobe, which will have a focus on international co-productions, is currently working with established auteurs such as Colombia’s Embrace Of The Serpent director Ciro Guerra and Mexican directors Amat Escalante and Carlos Reygadas.
The company is producing, alongside Guerra’s usual producer Cristina Gallego, his next film Birds Of Passage, which will start shooting in January 2017.
Pors says: “It is the story of an indigenous family from La Guajira Desert who get involved in a war to control a business that ends up destroying their lives and their culture. It’s the story of the origins of drug trafficking in the 1970s in Colombia.”
The company...
Danish producers Mikkel Jersin (Sparrows), Katrin Pors (The Untamed) and Eva Jakobsen (Antboy) have joined forces to launch Snowglobe, a new production outfit that will back director-driven films.
Snowglobe, which will have a focus on international co-productions, is currently working with established auteurs such as Colombia’s Embrace Of The Serpent director Ciro Guerra and Mexican directors Amat Escalante and Carlos Reygadas.
The company is producing, alongside Guerra’s usual producer Cristina Gallego, his next film Birds Of Passage, which will start shooting in January 2017.
Pors says: “It is the story of an indigenous family from La Guajira Desert who get involved in a war to control a business that ends up destroying their lives and their culture. It’s the story of the origins of drug trafficking in the 1970s in Colombia.”
The company...
- 5/4/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
The Copenhagen Film Fund is in talks for another project with Working Title, after they recently collaborated on The Danish Girl by Tom Hooper.
“It was a working and learning experience,” says Copenhagen Film Fund CEO Thomas Gammeltoft of The Danish Girl with Working TItle and Universal. “We want to collaborate in a way that the money ends up on screen. We are learning how we can make this perfect experience for all of us.”
The Danish Girl, set for release in November, stars Eddie Redmayne in his first role after his Oscar win, playing pioneering transgender artist Einar Wegener.
The Fund is currently doing a “benchmark analysis” of costs and plans for productions across the Ireland, UK, Denmark, Germany and the Czech Republic and will publish the results of the study in August.
From 2016 to 2018, the Fund’s coffers could double from Euros 5m every two years to Euros 5m every year. The Fund covers...
“It was a working and learning experience,” says Copenhagen Film Fund CEO Thomas Gammeltoft of The Danish Girl with Working TItle and Universal. “We want to collaborate in a way that the money ends up on screen. We are learning how we can make this perfect experience for all of us.”
The Danish Girl, set for release in November, stars Eddie Redmayne in his first role after his Oscar win, playing pioneering transgender artist Einar Wegener.
The Fund is currently doing a “benchmark analysis” of costs and plans for productions across the Ireland, UK, Denmark, Germany and the Czech Republic and will publish the results of the study in August.
From 2016 to 2018, the Fund’s coffers could double from Euros 5m every two years to Euros 5m every year. The Fund covers...
- 5/20/2015
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Controversial director makes rare appearance and speeches at Danish film awards.
Lars von Trier has once more broken his “vow of silence” to accept an armful of prizes at Denmark’s Robert awards.
The controversial Danish filmmaker’s Nymphomaniac: Director’s Cut scooped eight trophies including best feature and best director at the Danish Film Academy’s awards last night (Feb 1) – and von Trier was in attendance at the ceremony for the first time.
Accepting the Robert for best feature, von Trier said: “From Peter Aalbæk Jensen (his producing partner at Zentropa Entertainments), I know that some of the Robert awards are won by five votes, so I would like to thank those five persons in the auditorium. Thank you very much.”
The director of Antichrist and Dancer in the Dark has rarely spoken in public after being expelled from the Cannes Film Festival in 2011, where he brought Melancholia, after publicly joking that he was a Nazi...
Lars von Trier has once more broken his “vow of silence” to accept an armful of prizes at Denmark’s Robert awards.
The controversial Danish filmmaker’s Nymphomaniac: Director’s Cut scooped eight trophies including best feature and best director at the Danish Film Academy’s awards last night (Feb 1) – and von Trier was in attendance at the ceremony for the first time.
Accepting the Robert for best feature, von Trier said: “From Peter Aalbæk Jensen (his producing partner at Zentropa Entertainments), I know that some of the Robert awards are won by five votes, so I would like to thank those five persons in the auditorium. Thank you very much.”
The director of Antichrist and Dancer in the Dark has rarely spoken in public after being expelled from the Cannes Film Festival in 2011, where he brought Melancholia, after publicly joking that he was a Nazi...
- 2/2/2015
- by jornrossing@aol.com (Jorn Rossing Jensen) michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Prior to Chris Rock’s new film Top Five, my favorite of his scattered (sometimes sadly corny and embarrassing) big screen efforts has been the writer-director’s illuminating documentary Good Hair where he played himself: genial, witty, and inquisitive. Most of his movies underestimate Rock’s range of influences: his stage persona the dominant perception in everyone’s mind. But unless you’re Rodney Dangerfield, seldom does a stage act translate well in features. The wacky inspirations of Louis Ck and Rock’s Pootie Tang were tamed by studio fools; CB4 is just a series of bits. When he does settle his rhythms for a good indie role (2 Days in New York, Nurse Betty), Rock is affable but lacks the confidence shown in concert or a club. Finally perfecting the formula, Top Five is Rock’s triple-hat artist’s statement on fame, culture, relationships, New York City, stand-up, hip hop,...
- 12/14/2014
- by Gregory Fichter
- CinemaNerdz
It feels that Chris Rock has waited his entire career to make a film as pointed and explosively funny as Top Five, his third and best directorial effort to date. He takes a couple of cues from Woody Allen’s Annie Hall and Stardust Memories and some of the daring, more experimental techniques of Louis C.K.’s FX series, without losing much of the vicious wit that defines his stand-up routines. Not all of it works, but Rock is willing to take risks and put his insecurities about fame, fortune and being funny out there for audience consumption in a way that is as wild and accomplished as anything he has ever done.
Rock plays Andre Allen – his friends call him Dre – a comic and film star having one of the strangest Fridays of his life. He has a new film opening in which he portrays a Haitian revolutionary. However,...
Rock plays Andre Allen – his friends call him Dre – a comic and film star having one of the strangest Fridays of his life. He has a new film opening in which he portrays a Haitian revolutionary. However,...
- 12/10/2014
- by Jordan Adler
- We Got This Covered
I believe that we are very quietly going through a golden age of cinematography. Simple as that. I spend more time talking to DPs than just about anything else in my business, though, mostly because they have the best stories and engage, for me, in the most fulfilling ways. So maybe I have a touch of bias. But when I look out across the industry, I'm gobsmacked by the talent on display, worthy heirs to a kingdom collectively forged by the titans: Shamroy, Surtees, Hall, Milner, Toland, Stradling, Storaro, Willis, Ruttenberg, etc. So it occurred to me: Why not showcase the most exciting names out there today? Subjective, of course, and I kept the list pretty big to be fairly inclusive. But I had no trouble filling it out, either. There are so many cinematographers out there who seem to represent the promise of exciting, bold and innovative cinema in the years to come.
- 12/9/2014
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Hitfix
I honestly didn't know Chris Rock had this in him. As a stand-up, Rock is one of the greats. The way he evolved was incredibly impressive, and by the time he released "Bring The Pain," he was in complete command of his craft. He knew how to ride an audience to victory. On film, though, I don't think Rock has ever even approached mastering things the way he has with live performance. He's done stuff I've enjoyed, and one of the things that made his early work noteworthy was just how extreme he was. His scene in "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" was one of that film's biggest laughs for me. For literally years afterwards, the thought of "One rib!" would kill me all over again. He got to play with Eddie Murphy in "Boomerang," and I remember being excited to see the two of them in a scene, knowing...
- 12/4/2014
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
Birdman, Fury and Leviathan among main competition titles; Roland Joffé to preside over main jury.
Alejandro G Ińárritu, Yimou Zhang, Mike Leigh and Jean-Marc Vallée are among the directors with films screening in competition at the 22nd Camerimage (Nov 15-22), the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography.
The main competition at the festival, held in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz, comprises:
Alejandro G Ińárritu’s Birdman (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance); USA, 2014; Cinematographer: Emmanuel Lubezki
Yimou Zhang’s Coming Home (Gui lai); China, 2014; Cinematographer: Zhao Xiaoding
Richard Raymond’s Desert Dancer; UK, 2014; Cinematographer: Carlos Catalán Alucha
Lech J. Majewski’s Field of Dogs - Onirica (Onirica - Psie pole); Poland, 2014; Cinematographers: Paweł Tybora and Lech J. Majewski
Krzysztof Zanussi’s Foreign Body (Obce cialo); Poland, Italy, Russia, 2014; Cinematographer: Piotr Niemyjski
David Ayer’s Fury; USA, 2014; Cinematographer: Roman Vasyanov
Tate Taylor’s Get on Up; USA, 2014; Cinematographer: Stephen Goldblatt
Łukasz Palkowski’s Gods (Bogowie); Poland, 2014; Cinematographer:...
Alejandro G Ińárritu, Yimou Zhang, Mike Leigh and Jean-Marc Vallée are among the directors with films screening in competition at the 22nd Camerimage (Nov 15-22), the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography.
The main competition at the festival, held in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz, comprises:
Alejandro G Ińárritu’s Birdman (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance); USA, 2014; Cinematographer: Emmanuel Lubezki
Yimou Zhang’s Coming Home (Gui lai); China, 2014; Cinematographer: Zhao Xiaoding
Richard Raymond’s Desert Dancer; UK, 2014; Cinematographer: Carlos Catalán Alucha
Lech J. Majewski’s Field of Dogs - Onirica (Onirica - Psie pole); Poland, 2014; Cinematographers: Paweł Tybora and Lech J. Majewski
Krzysztof Zanussi’s Foreign Body (Obce cialo); Poland, Italy, Russia, 2014; Cinematographer: Piotr Niemyjski
David Ayer’s Fury; USA, 2014; Cinematographer: Roman Vasyanov
Tate Taylor’s Get on Up; USA, 2014; Cinematographer: Stephen Goldblatt
Łukasz Palkowski’s Gods (Bogowie); Poland, 2014; Cinematographer:...
- 10/31/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Polish film festival sets competition juries; Roland Joffe to preside over main competition.
Camerimage (Nov 15-22), the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography, has set an impressive roster of jurors for its various competition categories.
The Killing Fields director Roland Joffe will preside over the main competition jury, which incldues cinematographers Christian Berger and Manuel Alberto Claro.
Caleb Deschanel has been appointed president of the Polish Films Competition.
The full list of jurors is below.
Main Competition
Roland Joffé – Jury President (director, producer; The Killing Fields, The Mission, Vatel)
Christian Berger (cinematographer; The Piano Teacher, Hidden, The White Ribbon)
Ryszard Bugajski (director, screenwriter; Interrogation, General Nil, The Closed Circuit)
Ryszard Horowitz (photographer)
David Gropman (cinematographer; The Cider House Rules, Chocolat, Life of Pi)
Arthur Reinhart (cinematographer, producer; Crows, Tristan + Isolde, Venice)
Oliver Stapleton (cinematographer; The Cider House Rules, Pay It Forward, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark)
Manuel Alberto Claro (cinematographer; Reconstruction, Melancholia, Nymphomaniac...
Camerimage (Nov 15-22), the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography, has set an impressive roster of jurors for its various competition categories.
The Killing Fields director Roland Joffe will preside over the main competition jury, which incldues cinematographers Christian Berger and Manuel Alberto Claro.
Caleb Deschanel has been appointed president of the Polish Films Competition.
The full list of jurors is below.
Main Competition
Roland Joffé – Jury President (director, producer; The Killing Fields, The Mission, Vatel)
Christian Berger (cinematographer; The Piano Teacher, Hidden, The White Ribbon)
Ryszard Bugajski (director, screenwriter; Interrogation, General Nil, The Closed Circuit)
Ryszard Horowitz (photographer)
David Gropman (cinematographer; The Cider House Rules, Chocolat, Life of Pi)
Arthur Reinhart (cinematographer, producer; Crows, Tristan + Isolde, Venice)
Oliver Stapleton (cinematographer; The Cider House Rules, Pay It Forward, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark)
Manuel Alberto Claro (cinematographer; Reconstruction, Melancholia, Nymphomaniac...
- 10/31/2014
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Top Five
Written and Directed by Chris Rock
USA, 2014
Chris Rock has always been one of the most invigorating presences in the comedy scene. His comedy is confrontational, biting and hilarious. Up until this point, his foray into filmmaking has rarely matched his unique and vibrant talents and while there are certainly exceptions, on screen Chris Rock has often been reduced to a much tamer and often much less funny version of himself. With Top Five, however, the gears seems to shift. Chris Rock not only shows off why he is one of the funniest people alive, but blends his humour to a surprisingly daring narrative about the value of laughter and the struggle of being an artist. The film also works as a wonderful metatextual narrative on the state of the current Hollywood system, as well as a touching romance.
Top Five opens up as a fairly straightforward Hollywood comedy.
Written and Directed by Chris Rock
USA, 2014
Chris Rock has always been one of the most invigorating presences in the comedy scene. His comedy is confrontational, biting and hilarious. Up until this point, his foray into filmmaking has rarely matched his unique and vibrant talents and while there are certainly exceptions, on screen Chris Rock has often been reduced to a much tamer and often much less funny version of himself. With Top Five, however, the gears seems to shift. Chris Rock not only shows off why he is one of the funniest people alive, but blends his humour to a surprisingly daring narrative about the value of laughter and the struggle of being an artist. The film also works as a wonderful metatextual narrative on the state of the current Hollywood system, as well as a touching romance.
Top Five opens up as a fairly straightforward Hollywood comedy.
- 9/10/2014
- by Justine Smith
- SoundOnSight
The top stories of the week from Toh!Box Office:Arthouse Audit: "Cesar Chavez," "The Raid 2," "Finding Vivian Maier" & "Mistaken for Strangers" Find Initial Success"Frozen" and "Lego Movie" Pass Box Office MilestonesFeatures:Career Watch: Will "Noah" Prove a Blessing for Russell Crowe?Toh! Picks Robert Altman's Top 15 FilmsWhy Ten Years Later, Jonathan Glazer's "Birth" Is Still a MasterpieceFestivals:Seven Films to See at the San Francisco International Film Fest; Noah Cowan Hosts First Sfiff Press ConferenceInterviews:Cinematographer Manuel Claro Talks the Bearable Lightness of "Nymphomaniac"Composer Mica Levi on Why Going "Under the Skin" Was "Really Mental"How Does Hans Zimmer Do It? Hack or Genius? "I am still an architect"Jonathan Glazer Explains Why "Under the Skin" Took a Decade to Make: "I'm stubborn"The Russo Brothers Talk "The Winter Soldier" as Conspiracy ThrillerNews:What Are Grace Kelly's Best Films? We Give the Top Three to HitchcockReviews:As "Nymphomaniac"...
- 4/4/2014
- by TOH!
- Thompson on Hollywood
Cinematographer Manuel Claro calls "Nymphomaniac" the ultimate Lars von Trier movie ("Volume II" opens Friday), containing "a fuck you to film school energy that's all over the place," in which the director's pessimism and optimism battle one another. However, after the in-your-face look of "Melancholia," the opus about sex addiction starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and Stellan Skarsgard was much simpler to light, despite the greater length and traipsing 55 days through Germany and Belgium. "Originally, his vision was to do something much more punky and crazy and we tried to do that but it started to feel forced. So it became a balance between an open experience but still wanting to tell a good story," Claro suggests. "The approach was about addiction and I think Lars can relate to this because he suffers a lot from different anxieties. When your body puts you in a condition where it takes control of you,...
- 4/3/2014
- by Bill Desowitz
- Thompson on Hollywood
The Girl Can’t Help It: Von Trier’s Indelible First Chapter a Sobering, Ruminative Examination of the Last Cinematic Frontier
In today’s modern world, where cinematic censorship is still alive and well within the euphemism of the rating system, provocateur Lars Von Trier’s latest bag of infamy, Nymphomaniac Vol. 1, is a surprisingly powerful onslaught of culturally ingrained attitudes towards sexuality and acceptable representations of it. That is to say, it’s not the exploitational grandstanding that one would expect if you have memories of Antichrist (2009) in the back of your mind. The first chapter in the last entry of his Depression Quadrilogy, it’s a well-written, intelligent examination of erotic pleasure, comprised of several moments of explicit sexual imagery, as well as, of course, unvarnished discussions of sex.
Lying unconscious and bruised in a wet alley, Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg) is discovered by Seligman (Stellan Skarsgard), who offers to call an ambulance.
In today’s modern world, where cinematic censorship is still alive and well within the euphemism of the rating system, provocateur Lars Von Trier’s latest bag of infamy, Nymphomaniac Vol. 1, is a surprisingly powerful onslaught of culturally ingrained attitudes towards sexuality and acceptable representations of it. That is to say, it’s not the exploitational grandstanding that one would expect if you have memories of Antichrist (2009) in the back of your mind. The first chapter in the last entry of his Depression Quadrilogy, it’s a well-written, intelligent examination of erotic pleasure, comprised of several moments of explicit sexual imagery, as well as, of course, unvarnished discussions of sex.
Lying unconscious and bruised in a wet alley, Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg) is discovered by Seligman (Stellan Skarsgard), who offers to call an ambulance.
- 3/22/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Following our looks at actors, actresses, screenwriters and directors to watch in recent months, when the time came to put together a list of cinematographers (as we did two years ago), we went in with an open mind. But what was interesting is realizing, after the fact, that in an era where 35mm film is allegedly being phased out, that all five have done perhaps their most distinctive work on old-fashioned celluloid, rather than digital.
All have worked in digital of course, at least in the commercial world, and some have done hugely impressive work on new formats. But most of our five are fierce advocates for good 'ol 35mm, and it's another sign that the death knell shouldn't be rung for the old ways just yet. As long as there are talented DoPs like the ones below, and on the following pages, working closely with filmmakers like Paul Thomas Anderson,...
All have worked in digital of course, at least in the commercial world, and some have done hugely impressive work on new formats. But most of our five are fierce advocates for good 'ol 35mm, and it's another sign that the death knell shouldn't be rung for the old ways just yet. As long as there are talented DoPs like the ones below, and on the following pages, working closely with filmmakers like Paul Thomas Anderson,...
- 6/26/2012
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
Chicago – Lars Von Trier’s incredible “Melancholia” gets better both in memory and on repeat viewing, especially with a pristine, jaw-dropping transfer like the one granted it by Magnolia on their recently-released Blu-ray. It may have been left out of all Academy Award categories but this was easily one of the best movies of last year. And the few before that as well. Most people missed it in theaters. Catch up on Blu-ray.
Blu-ray Rating: 5.0/5.0
Split evenly into two halves, the first fifty percent of “Melancholia” takes place at the wedding of Justine (Dunst) and Michael (Alexander Skarsgard). What should be one of the happiest days of Justine’s life is presented not as a total disaster but as the story of someone increasingly aware that one is looming on the horizon. Through dialogue, we learn that Justine has dealt with the darkness of depression in the past and it seems like,...
Blu-ray Rating: 5.0/5.0
Split evenly into two halves, the first fifty percent of “Melancholia” takes place at the wedding of Justine (Dunst) and Michael (Alexander Skarsgard). What should be one of the happiest days of Justine’s life is presented not as a total disaster but as the story of someone increasingly aware that one is looming on the horizon. Through dialogue, we learn that Justine has dealt with the darkness of depression in the past and it seems like,...
- 3/22/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Weddings are about beginnings and endings, as two single lives end and become one married life, promising a hopeful future. The universe beyond our planet is a breathtaking void filled with great unknowns that also can be seen as a hopeful place where anything can happen. In both cases, when the unexpected occurs, all hell breaks loose.
Danish auteur Lars von Trier explores both issues in his film Melancholia, currently out on home video from Magnolia Entertainment. Compared by many in scope and reach with Terence Malick’s tone poem Tree of Life, this is a more personal and accessible story despite it depressing plot lines. The beautifully filmed and visually impressive film is also anchored by an, ahem, stellar cast.
After a prologue tipping you off that Earth is destroyed we then begin the story. Split into two sections, each named after a sister, we open with “Justine” and the wedding.
Danish auteur Lars von Trier explores both issues in his film Melancholia, currently out on home video from Magnolia Entertainment. Compared by many in scope and reach with Terence Malick’s tone poem Tree of Life, this is a more personal and accessible story despite it depressing plot lines. The beautifully filmed and visually impressive film is also anchored by an, ahem, stellar cast.
After a prologue tipping you off that Earth is destroyed we then begin the story. Split into two sections, each named after a sister, we open with “Justine” and the wedding.
- 3/17/2012
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
The Believer's 2012 Film Issue is out and you can sample every essay, interview and list that's in it, though only a handful of texts are online in full. Joshua Jelly-Schapiro, for example, talks with Peter Doig, "a figurative painter whose lush dreamscapes at once evoke his medium's past and suggest the feel of photos and films," who also co-runs the StudioFilmClub in Trinidad: "In an airy old rum factory with a digital projector on one wall, a large screen on another, and a homey bar stocked with coconut water and local Stag beer, he hosts free screenings. Each Thursday night, FilmClub's patrons thrill to independent and art-house films ranging from Killer of Sheep and Klute to — on the night of my first visit a couple years ago — Nagisa Oshima's 1976 classic of sensual obsession, In the Realm of the Senses." You can see more of the flyers Doig's painted for the FilmClub here.
- 3/5/2012
- MUBI
Carey Mulligan, Michael Fassbender in Steve McQueen's Shame Meryl Streep-Anna Paquin tie, Jean Dujardin, The Artist, A Separation: London Film Critics Winners Film of the year * The Artist (Entertainment) Drive (Icon) A Separation (Artificial Eye) Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal) The Tree of Life (Fox) The Attenborough award for British film of the year The Guard (StudioCanal) Kill List (StudioCanal) Shame (Momentum) Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal) * We Need to Talk About Kevin (Artificial Eye) Foreign-language film of the year Mysteries of Lisbon (New Wave) Poetry (Arrow) Le Quattro Volte (New Wave) * A Separation (Artificial Eye) The Skin I Live In (Fox/Pathé) Documentary of the year Cave of Forgotten Dreams (Picturehouse) Dreams of a Life (Dogwoof) Pina (Artificial Eye) Project Nim (Icon) * Senna (Universal) directed by Asif Kapadia Director of the year Asghar Farhadi – A Separation (Artificial Eye) * Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist (Entertainment) Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life...
- 1/19/2012
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
Melancholia and the other winners of the 2011 National Society of Film Critics Awards have been announced. The 46th Annual National Society of Film Critics (Nsfc) Awards are held by “an American film critic organization…The organization is known for their highbrow tastes, and its annual awards are one of the most prestigious film critics awards in the United States…The Nsfc is also the American representative of the International Federation of Film Critics (Fipresci), which comprises the national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world.”
The full listing of 2011 National Society of Film Critics Awards winners is below.
Best Actor
*1. Brad Pitt – 35 (Moneyball, The Tree of Life)
2. Gary Oldman – 22 (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
3. Jean Dujardin – 19 (The Artist)
Best Actress
*1. Kirsten Dunst – 39 (Melancholia)
2. Yun Jung-hee – 25 (Poetry)
3. Meryl Streep – 20 (The Iron Lady)
Best Supporting Actor
*1. Albert Brooks – 38 (Drive)
2. Christopher Plummer – 24 (Beginners)
3. Patton Oswalt – 19 (Young Adult)
Best Supporting...
The full listing of 2011 National Society of Film Critics Awards winners is below.
Best Actor
*1. Brad Pitt – 35 (Moneyball, The Tree of Life)
2. Gary Oldman – 22 (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
3. Jean Dujardin – 19 (The Artist)
Best Actress
*1. Kirsten Dunst – 39 (Melancholia)
2. Yun Jung-hee – 25 (Poetry)
3. Meryl Streep – 20 (The Iron Lady)
Best Supporting Actor
*1. Albert Brooks – 38 (Drive)
2. Christopher Plummer – 24 (Beginners)
3. Patton Oswalt – 19 (Young Adult)
Best Supporting...
- 1/8/2012
- by filmbook
- Film-Book
Lars von Trier’s Melancholia took home its first major U.S. awards yesterday when the National Society of Film Critics voted it the Best Picture of the Year, and star Kirsten Dunst as Best Actress. Brad Pitt won Best Actor for both Moneyball and The Tree of Life; Albert Brooks won Best Supporting Actor for Drive; and Jessica Chastain won Best Supporting Actor for The Tree of Life, Take Shelter, and The Help.
Unlike most other year-end awards, the National Society of Film Critics — which is comprised of 58 film critics from across the country (including EW’s Owen Gleiberman...
Unlike most other year-end awards, the National Society of Film Critics — which is comprised of 58 film critics from across the country (including EW’s Owen Gleiberman...
- 1/8/2012
- by Adam B. Vary
- EW - Inside Movies
Shahab Hosseini in Asghar Farhadi's A Separation The National Society of Film Critics, among whose members are the majority of the United States' most influential and respected film commentators, has — as usual — taken a (mostly) different route than your average Us-based critics' group. For every The Social Network or The Hurt Locker there's a Mulholland Dr. or a Yi Yi. This year, the Nsfc scribes selected Lars von Trier's Melancholia as 2011's Best Film. The apocalyptic family drama also earned Kirsten Dunst the critics' Best Actress citation. Curiously, von Trier came up in third for Best Director, while his screenplay failed to be included among the Nsfc's top three choices. Manuel Alberto Claro, I should add, was the runner-up in the Best Cinematography category. [Full list of National Film Critics Society 2011 winners.] Last December, Melancholia was the European Film Awards' Best Film. Last spring, Dunst was the Best Actress winner at the Cannes Film Festival. The...
- 1/8/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Kirsten Dunst, Alexander Skarsgård, Kiefer Sutherland, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Melancholia Melancholia, A Separation Screenplay, Jeannie Berlin: National Society of Film Critics' Surprises Best Picture 1. Melancholia – 29 (Lars von Trier) 2. The Tree of Life – 28 (Terrence Malick) 3. A Separation – 20 (Asghar Farhadi) Best Foreign Language Film 1. A Separation – 67 (Asghar Farhadi) 2. Mysteries of Lisbon – 28 (Raoul Ruiz) 3. Le Havre – 22 (Aki Kaurismäki) Best Director 1. Terrence Malick – 31 (The Tree of Life) 2. Martin Scorsese – 29 (Hugo) 3. Lars von Trier – 23 (Melancholia) Best Actor 1. Brad Pitt – 35 (Moneyball, The Tree of Life) 2. Gary Oldman – 22 (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) 3. Jean Dujardin – 19 (The Artist) Best Actress 1. Kirsten Dunst – 39 (Melancholia) 2. Yun Jung-hee – 25 (Poetry) 3. Meryl Streep – 20 (The Iron Lady) Best Supporting Actor 1. Albert Brooks – 38 (Drive) 2. Christopher Plummer – 24 (Beginners) 3. Patton Oswalt – 19 (Young Adult) Best Supporting Actress 1. Jessica Chastain – 30 (The Tree of Life, Take Shelter, The Help) 2. Jeannie Berlin – 19 (Margaret) 3. Shailene Woodley – 17 (The Descendants) Best Nonfiction 1. Cave of Forgotten Dreams – 35 (Werner Herzog) 2. The Interrupters – 26 (Steve James) 3. Into the Abyss...
- 1/7/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
[1] I find it difficult to say whether 2011 was an unusually strong or unusually weak year for films. As in any year, there were pleasant surprises and disappointments alike. If I had to pinpoint the one thing my favorites tend to have in common, though, it's a sense that each of them were made with great love by people who cared desperately about them. I don't think there's anything anyone can say at the start of a top 10 list to totally deflect the disgruntled comments from readers who incensed to see that X made my top 10 when Y didn't, etc., but I'm still going to throw out the usual caveats. There are certainly deserving films that were left off just because I forgot about them, or because I missed the theatrical run, or because I couldn't fully appreciate them due to my own biases, or what have you. I also want...
- 12/29/2011
- by Angie Han
- Slash Film
Brad Pitt in Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life The Tree Of Life, Michael Shannon, The Interrupters: Chicago Film Critics Surprise Winners Best Picture The Artist The Descendants Drive Hugo * The Tree of Life Best Foreign Film In a Better World Incendies * A Separation The Skin I Live In Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives Best Director Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist * Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life Alexander Payne for The Descendants Nicolas Winding Refn for Drive Martin Scorsese for Hugo Best Actor George Clooney for The Descendants Jean Dujardin for The Artist Michael Fassbender for Shame Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy * Michael Shannon for Take Shelter Best Actress Kirsten Dunst for Melancholia Elizabeth Olsen for Martha Marcy May Marlene Anna Paquin for Margaret Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady * Michelle Williams for My Week with Marilyn Best Supporting Actor * Albert Brooks for...
- 12/22/2011
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy From Gary Oldman, Kirsten Dunst to Sareh Bayat, The Artist: London Film Critics' Non-Hollywood Flavor Film of the year The Artist (Entertainment) Drive (Icon) A Separation (Artificial Eye) Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal) The Tree of Life (Fox) The Attenborough award for British film of the year The Guard (StudioCanal) Kill List (StudioCanal) Shame (Momentum) Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal) We Need to Talk About Kevin (Artificial Eye) Foreign-language film of the year Mysteries of Lisbon (New Wave) Poetry (Arrow) Le Quattro Volte (New Wave) A Separation (Artificial Eye) The Skin I Live In (Fox/Pathé) Documentary of the year Cave of Forgotten Dreams (Picturehouse) Dreams of a Life (Dogwoof) Pina (Artificial Eye) Project Nim (Icon) Senna (Universal) Director of the year Asghar Farhadi – A Separation (Artificial Eye) Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist (Entertainment) Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life (Fox) Lynne Ramsay – We Need to Talk About Kevin...
- 12/21/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" is finally getting its awards season due.
Of course, leave it to the London Film Critics' Circle to show some love to the British spy thriller. The film scored six nominations, including Film of the Year and Actor of the Year for Gary Oldman.
"Drive" was also a strong contender, matching "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" with six nominations overall as well as nods for Film of the Year and Actor of the Year for Ryan Gosling, while "A Separation" and "We Need to Talk About Kevin" earned five nominations each.
Founded in 1926, the London Film Critics' Circle has been presenting awards annually since 1980. In addition to recognizing cinematic excellence in general, the London Film Critics' Circle also gives out awards for the best in British film as well; this helps explain the nomination totals of films like "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," which earned British Film of...
Of course, leave it to the London Film Critics' Circle to show some love to the British spy thriller. The film scored six nominations, including Film of the Year and Actor of the Year for Gary Oldman.
"Drive" was also a strong contender, matching "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" with six nominations overall as well as nods for Film of the Year and Actor of the Year for Ryan Gosling, while "A Separation" and "We Need to Talk About Kevin" earned five nominations each.
Founded in 1926, the London Film Critics' Circle has been presenting awards annually since 1980. In addition to recognizing cinematic excellence in general, the London Film Critics' Circle also gives out awards for the best in British film as well; this helps explain the nomination totals of films like "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," which earned British Film of...
- 12/20/2011
- by Scott Harris
- NextMovie
Drive and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy both earned six nominations from the London Film Critics’ Circle, including nods for Film of the Year and Actor of the Year. “I am proud of the breadth, intelligence and style of the choices the London critics have made, honouring the richness of world cinema and the fresh, cool takes on classic movie genres seen in films such as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Drive, and The Artist,” said Circle chair Jason Solomons. “This is surely the classiest set of nominations around this year, with truly superb work reflected in the directing and foreign language categories.
- 12/20/2011
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
Not too long ago we featured the winners from the British Independent Film Awards. Well today the London Critics Circle Film Award nominations were announced and two of our favourite films of the year (Drive and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) lead the pack with six nominations each. It was a great year for British cinema, among other noteworthy mentions are Attack The Block, We Need To Talk About Kevin, Wuthering Heights and Weekend.
Hit the jump for the full list of nominees.
Winners will be announced on January 19th.
Film Of The Year
The Artist (Entertainment)
Drive (Icon)
A Separation (Artificial Eye)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal)
The Tree of Life (Fox)
The Attenborough Award:
British Film Of The Year
The Guard (StudioCanal)
Kill List (StudioCanal)
Shame (Momentum)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal)
We Need to Talk About Kevin (Artificial Eye)
Foreign-language Film Of The Year
Mysteries of Lisbon (New...
Hit the jump for the full list of nominees.
Winners will be announced on January 19th.
Film Of The Year
The Artist (Entertainment)
Drive (Icon)
A Separation (Artificial Eye)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal)
The Tree of Life (Fox)
The Attenborough Award:
British Film Of The Year
The Guard (StudioCanal)
Kill List (StudioCanal)
Shame (Momentum)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal)
We Need to Talk About Kevin (Artificial Eye)
Foreign-language Film Of The Year
Mysteries of Lisbon (New...
- 12/20/2011
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.