Two years ago the British documentarist Rex Bloomstein, best-known for his films on human rights and the Holocaust, recorded an extended interview in Rangoon with Maung Thura, the 50-year-old Burmese playwright, film-maker and satirical comedian who styles himself Zarganar and is currently serving a 35-year sentence (reduced from 55 years) for mocking the military junta. In this film Bloomstein is joined by Zarganar's young German admirer, the left-wing stand-up comic Michael Mittermeier, to pay tribute to the courageous artist and visit Burma. They're kept under surveillance by the regime and don't get nearer Zarganar than driving past his remote prison. But the movie is an introduction to a remarkable man who needs the support of the world against his vindictive oppressors. I have to say however that in translation neither Zarganar nor Mittermeier is particularly funny.
DocumentaryPhilip French
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject...
DocumentaryPhilip French
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject...
- 10/30/2010
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
The Kids Are All Right (15)
(Lisa Cholodenko, 2010, Us) Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson. 106 mins
Double lesbian motherhood proves to be no less messed up a family set up than any other here, although it does give two great actresses meaty roles, and open up a fresh set of complications when their teenage children track down their biological father (Ruffalo). Sexual politics play a distant second to character dramedy here, and even if it gets mushy, it's a funny, observant study of real, flawed people.
Burke & Hare (15)
(John Landis, 2010, UK) Simon Pegg, Andy Serkis, Isla Fisher. 91 mins
The well-filmed tale of Irish bodysnatchers in Edinburgh gets a Laurel and Hardyish treatment courtesy of Pegg and Serkis, with a dash of romantic comedy and plenty of celebrity cameos amid the irreverent corpse-mongering.
Involuntary (15)
(Ruben Östlund, 2008, Swe) Villmar Björkman, Linnea Cart-Lamy, Leif Edlund. 102 mins
Overtones of Östlund's compatriot Roy Andersson in this penetrating,...
(Lisa Cholodenko, 2010, Us) Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson. 106 mins
Double lesbian motherhood proves to be no less messed up a family set up than any other here, although it does give two great actresses meaty roles, and open up a fresh set of complications when their teenage children track down their biological father (Ruffalo). Sexual politics play a distant second to character dramedy here, and even if it gets mushy, it's a funny, observant study of real, flawed people.
Burke & Hare (15)
(John Landis, 2010, UK) Simon Pegg, Andy Serkis, Isla Fisher. 91 mins
The well-filmed tale of Irish bodysnatchers in Edinburgh gets a Laurel and Hardyish treatment courtesy of Pegg and Serkis, with a dash of romantic comedy and plenty of celebrity cameos amid the irreverent corpse-mongering.
Involuntary (15)
(Ruben Östlund, 2008, Swe) Villmar Björkman, Linnea Cart-Lamy, Leif Edlund. 102 mins
Overtones of Östlund's compatriot Roy Andersson in this penetrating,...
- 10/29/2010
- by The guide
- The Guardian - Film News
A brave documentary about a jailed Burmese comedian that is unfortunately stymied by the very censorship it is seeking to attack, writes Cath Clarke
The thinness of this documentary about the imprisoned Burmese comedian Zarganar is miserable proof of the ruling junta's iron grip. Zarganar, a hugely popular figure in Burma, was jailed in 2008 for 35 years after speaking out against the government's response to cyclone Nargis. Anti-establishment to his bones, as a young stand-up he was summoned to perform in front of the prime minister – with a warning to steer clear of politics. He walked on stage with sticky tape over his mouth. There is a glimpse of him in footage shot by director Rex Bloomstein before his arrest, and Bloomstein returns to Burma undercover to investigate. But they can't get anywhere near Zarganar, and the friends and colleagues they arrange to interview won't speak – even passers-by flinch from the camera.
The thinness of this documentary about the imprisoned Burmese comedian Zarganar is miserable proof of the ruling junta's iron grip. Zarganar, a hugely popular figure in Burma, was jailed in 2008 for 35 years after speaking out against the government's response to cyclone Nargis. Anti-establishment to his bones, as a young stand-up he was summoned to perform in front of the prime minister – with a warning to steer clear of politics. He walked on stage with sticky tape over his mouth. There is a glimpse of him in footage shot by director Rex Bloomstein before his arrest, and Bloomstein returns to Burma undercover to investigate. But they can't get anywhere near Zarganar, and the friends and colleagues they arrange to interview won't speak – even passers-by flinch from the camera.
- 10/28/2010
- by Cath Clarke
- The Guardian - Film News
By Michael Atkinson
Our official "B-movie" distribution stream -- straight-to-dvd releases -- grows in number and variety every year, as fewer films can be, or at least are, affordably shown theatrically than ever before. And these titles still can't qualify for awards or polls of any kind, or often even reviews, as the number of theatrical screens continues to drop. Does this make any sense? Here're my favorites from this year, the movies that first saw American screens (big or small) on digital video in 2008, be they brand new or decades old.
1. "Sophie's Place"
Lawrence Jordan, U.S., 1986
The renowned yet all-but-forgotten avant-garde filmmaker's grand animated masterpiece, a Victorian-styled dream-collage-painting-fever-feature brimming with hundreds of inexplicable epiphanies and a sense of visual magic that is all but utterly unique to Jordan. This honey was ensconced in Facets' lavish, under-celebrated set "The Lawrence Jordan Album," which in itself is more of an...
Our official "B-movie" distribution stream -- straight-to-dvd releases -- grows in number and variety every year, as fewer films can be, or at least are, affordably shown theatrically than ever before. And these titles still can't qualify for awards or polls of any kind, or often even reviews, as the number of theatrical screens continues to drop. Does this make any sense? Here're my favorites from this year, the movies that first saw American screens (big or small) on digital video in 2008, be they brand new or decades old.
1. "Sophie's Place"
Lawrence Jordan, U.S., 1986
The renowned yet all-but-forgotten avant-garde filmmaker's grand animated masterpiece, a Victorian-styled dream-collage-painting-fever-feature brimming with hundreds of inexplicable epiphanies and a sense of visual magic that is all but utterly unique to Jordan. This honey was ensconced in Facets' lavish, under-celebrated set "The Lawrence Jordan Album," which in itself is more of an...
- 12/17/2008
- by Michael Atkinson
- ifc.com
LONDON -- British indie micro distributor Word of Mouth Films said Wednesday it has struck a pair of U.K. movie distribution deals headlined by Richard Bracewell's The Gigolos, which unspooled at the AFI festival last year. WOMF said it plans to roll out the indie film in September. Set in the London between dusk and dawn, it revolves around two male escorts who specialize in dating older, rich and influential women (HR 11/2/05). The fledgling theatrical distributor said it aims to support first-time feature directors and innovative British films. It also plans to release documentary KZ from director Rex Bloomstein. The film explores the lasting impact of the Holocaust by looking at life today in a former concentration camp in Austria. Bloomstein's documentary premiered at IDFA last year and had its North American premiere in competition at this year's Sundance Film Festival.
- 5/10/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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