Best thing about "It"?
It's not a rip-off.
"Michael Jackson's This Is It" offers a good, heaping helping of what anyone who goes to the movie is going for: the late superstar's fantastic dancing and spine-tingling vocals, both incredibly strong for a 50-year-old whom many of us were convinced had weirded himself out of his youthful vigor.
It's also a finely crafted concert film, made up though it is from hi-def rehearsal video for the blowout show Jackson died before ever actually staging. "It" even boasts some very nice movies-within-the-movie, productions Jackson commissioned to accompany the live performances. They're quality stuff - MJ inserted into classic black & white film noir footage for a "Smooth Criminal" fantasy, a whole new "Thriller" monster mash, sappy rainforest-and-butterflies "Earth Song" business that grows nicely apocalyptic - and they add welcome variety and pizzazz to what could have become a string of song-and-dance practices that, despite their uniform quality, could have become monotonous.
"It" didn't need to have any of these good things, of course. Pre-sold to a grieving mass market, it could have been two hours of Michael standing still while roadies moved amps behind him and still have made a fortune.
So let's give props to Kenny Ortega, who was directing the mega-concert, for putting a lot of concentration and effort into turning what was left behind into something approximating what that show would have been. "It" effectively builds in intensity and accomplishment from early songs to Jackson's best performance on the penultimate "Billie Jean" - his every step an emotional IED, all muscles working and flowing in electric harmony. Ortega also does a masterful job of intercutting several different rehearsals of the same songs without losing a beat; you wouldn't know they were separate takes if Michael's pants weren't constantly hopping from vivid orange to sparkly gold and back.
All the cinematic craft in the world wouldn't carry the show, however, if the main subject wasn't up to the job. As mentioned earlier, Jackson certainly is impressive at all he used to do best, even if the younger backup dancers sometimes, inevitably, appear more energetic and athletic. What turned out to be just as crucial a factor for this movie he never intended to make, though, was how watchable Jackson is when he's not singing and dancing.
And he mostly succeeds in that department, too. MJ does look pretty thin, but not unhealthy, thank God. There was only one sequence, shot in blue light, where that overworked face of his creeped me out. And while we hardly get a rounded or deep view of either the very complicated man or the painstaking artist (don't believe the hype that this is a thorough examination of the creative process), he does come across as likable, accessible and dedicated both to his craft and the simplistic but heartfelt messages he wanted to impart.
So, good show, Michael, may you rest in peace.
But Ortega and company could have made a better, more complete movie by acknowledging the profound troubles that dogged Jackson's life (and couldn't have helped but fuel his art). But, um, have we acknowledged that "It" is the state-of-the-industry definition of a commercial project, and therefore could not have been expected to make a single honest move that would potentially bum a paying customer out?
Perhaps we should all just be grateful that "It's" a good movie with, often, great music and choreography. It'd be safe to bet that that's what Michael would have wanted.
But I liked what I felt from the main film's last musical sequence (like a good hagiography should, "It" has maybe four extra endings after the closing credits roll, in case pretty much every dancer, musician and key grip in the movie telling us how wonderful Michael was didn't make the point). It's an incomplete "Man in the Mirror," a song that never seemed as profound to me as it did to the singer. But the fact that we don't hear the whole thing and Jackson sounds a bit unsure made me wonder how much he ever took his own call for self-examination to heart.
It's not the most sentimental or melancholy way to remember Michael Jackson. But it seems kind of necessary to keep in mind.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 1:17 AM | Comments (0)

French director Claire Denis ("Beau Travail," "Friday Night") keeps distilling her insights into intimate relationships to finer and finer purity.
This one, about a Paris commuter train engineer and his college student daughter, is a collection of behavioral moments that seem deceptively banal initially, but lay the groundwork for rich character relationships and deep but never overemphasized emotional epiphanies. A marvelous exrtended family - of Lionel's (Alex Descas) co-workers, lovestruck neighbors (Nicole Dogue, Grégoire Colin), the mixed-race daughter Josephine's (Mati Diop) German aunt (Fassbinder stalwart - and ex-missus - Ingrid Caven), even a very tubby cat - brings out all kinds of conflicts to the supportive nuclear pair, and both forces them to reaffirm some bonds and locate those that they need to sever.
Working in a more straigthtforward visual style than usual with her poetic cinematographer Agnes Godard, Denis here does no less than update and Westernize (not to mention Africanize) Yasujiro Ozu's 1949 masterpiece "Late Spring." While "Rum" certainly has its own story and sensibility, it's almost breathtaking to watch the correlatives to "Spring" pile up, from the father-daughter road trip to the replacement of Ozu's lapping waves motif with oncoming train tracks to the father's final, solitary return home. Denis makes these moments and many others all her own, and with a filmmaker this formidable that's high homage indeed.
But that just shows how smart Denis is. Her artistic brilliance, which is something else again, comes across in a heart-stoppingly loaded sequence in a small bistro on a rainy night, in which all the main characters dance to The Commodores' "Nightshift" and reveal their preferences and hesitations through psychologically choreographed moves. It may be the best movie scene of the year - and though in its revalingly complete simplicity probably owes something to Ozu, great as the Japanese master, he never pulled off anything like this.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 2:20 PM | Comments (0)

It is like most immigrant sitcoms, but then it isn't.
Cherien Dabis' feature debut is often persuasive about the wacky and sometimes soul-withering culture shock a Palestinian single mom and her adolescent son experience upon moving to a small town near Chicago. That's clearly because Dabis drew on her own background as the child of Arab expatriates in Ohio.
Sure, there's prejudice and fear, but Muna (Nisreen Faour) is indomitably optimistic about everything from assuming her equal status with all - something she definitely didn't enjoy back in the occupied West Bank - to the effectiveness of her marvelous American weight-loss treatment. The character could have used another shade or two of depression, but Faour keeps her realistic enough, and she earns our respect rather than just our sympathy.
"Amreeka" derives even more strength from the characters around Muna; her increasingly trouble-prone boy Fadi (Melkar Muallem) and the in-laws who take the new arrivals in. Few films have woven the problems faced by a suspected ethnic minority as seamlessly as this does with universal conflicts both generational and conjugal.
Though it hardly operates on the shocking, hilarious and insightfully multifaceted scale of last year's brilliant "Towelhead," "Amreeka" is at least as smart as it is sweet, and tough and dirty when it needs to be. You may even come to love it, and won't have to feel like a sap for doing so.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 2:51 PM | Comments (0)

I saw Bobcat Goldthwait's super cynical squirmedy before Michael Jackson passed away. But even then it struck me as a great satire of the emotional and electornic overkill that attends a premature death in today's melodrama-craving culture.
Now, the movie not only seems downright prescient, but essential viewing for anyone who's heard an argument about whether Jackson's art or his scandals should be the focus of his afterlife. That would be just about anybody with access to a screen by now, and the repetitious contemplation (if you can call it that) had the usual, cheapening cultural effect.
Only, you know, bigger than ever.
Anyway, the desire for recognition at any cost fuels this imaginatively icky movie. Robin Williams does one of his superb, restrained jobs as Lance, a perpetually aspiring writer with a proverbial those-who-can't-do teaching job. His repulsive and all but friendless son Kyle (Daryl Sabara, no longer the cute boy from the "Spy Kids" movies) is one of the prime problem children at Lance's school, and he's no better at home. Abusive, defensive, obsessed with porn and - worst of all for his educated single father - stupid, Kyle's a walking parent's nightmare.
Until he dies in the most mortifying way imaginable. When Lance finds the body, he uses what literary talent he has to salvage the boy's nonexistent dignity in death.
This has the (presumably) unintended effect of turning the brat into a posthumous inspiration, the secretly sensitive poet most teenagers mistakenly believe they have deep within them. Soon, all the classmates who rightly hated Kyle can't stop sentimentally remembering their best friend.
The spillover effect on Lance is mighty pleasing - sex, sympathy and increasing media attention come ever more easily his way, encouraging him to keep "discovering" more of Kyle's moving writings, which of course secretly satisfies Lance's own yen for creative success.
With his third film, former shock comedian Goldthwait explores the tricky intersection where honesty, embarrassment and yearning collide more thoughtfully and compellingly than he's ever done. And with better laughs.
Not that that makes "World's Greatest Dad" any more comfortable to watch than his "Sleeping Dogs Lie" or "Shakes the Clown." But you really wouldn't want it to feel any other way. We've already gotten our jollies overrating the King of Pop's output and wallowing once again in his pathologies; we sure could use something that jars us into thinking about why we got so involved in all of that.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 4:28 PM | Comments (0)

Three of the world's finest working auteurs reinvigorate much-abused
subgenres this week.
Park Chan-wook's "Thirst" may not be the first Korean vampire movie.
But I'll wager it's the first Korean Catholic vampire romance. Though
it borrows a number of plot points from Emile Zola's "Therese
Raquin," this bloody, lusty, morally contorted and madly funny
horror film brings fearsome life back to the legendary
characteristics that the teeny wooziness of "Twilight" and hipster
romanticism of "True Blood" have rendered all but toothless.
Here, hunger for blood and the flesh are all but interchangeable, as
an infected priest not only tries to seek the fluid he needs in the
most humane manner possible (he sucks the i.v. drips of terminal and
suicidal patients at the hospital where he's assigned to dispense
solace), but can't keep his horny hands off of the beaten-down wife
of a sickly childhood friend.
Song Kang-ho as the priest and Kim Ok-vin as the woman in question make for
the most combustible screen couple of the year, as his not-misplaced
guilt and her gleeful new sense of carnal empowerment lead to
superhot sex and outlandish, violent cruelty. Park, who has
mastered that peculiarly Korean style of retributive cinema with the
likes of "Oldboy" and "Lady Vengeance," finds more perverted innocence and
tragic complexity in the revenge theme than ever before, and uses the new
supernatural elements to intensify behavior and illuminate all kinds of psychological nuances. It's refreshing to see this stuff used this way, rather than for the usual task of enabling characters (and viewers) to wallow in fantasy.
To complete the package, "Thirst" is Park's best-looking film yet. The imagery is indelible (blood flowing out the Priest's flute as a precursor to his new afterlife), the compositional ideas inspired (of course people who have sudden, skin-frying health issues with sunlight would paint a shuttered room as bright white as they could).
This is truly what happens when genius goes gore.
"Thirst" has its noirish aspects as well (who knew James M. Cain
purloined so much from the 19th Century naturalist Zola?). Park
applies them with as much gruesome gusto as he does the vampire lore,
and it makes the movie even more of an extended scream.

But for a really radical take on those old hardboiled crime/femme
fatale shenanigans, "Lorna's Silence" is the place to go. This much
of a thriller isn't what you'd expect from Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne,
whose stripped-down, socially attuned minimalism makes Zola's novels
seem as Baroque as Bram Stoker's.
Indeed, some critics have complained that the Belgian brother act that has brought us such masterpieces of working class despair as "L'Enfant" and "Rosetta"
have no business messing with anything that involves . . . this . . .
much . . . plot.
Bosh. "Lorna's Silence" may be a thriller, but it's as
soul-dissecting as any of the Dardennes' other inquiries
into the decency-devastating desire for a good life.
The title character (Arta Dobroshi) is an undocumented Albanian trying to marry her way into Belgian citizenship. She's at the center of a complicated scheme in which her junkie husband Claudy (the directors' favorite screw-up, Jeremie Renier) will be purposely overdosed by her underworld handlers, freeing her to wed and make a Russian mobster EU legal in return.
Even though Lorna's relationship to Claudy is barely that of a disgusted and needy sibling, she gradually develops sympathy for the loser and a dangerous conscience for herself.
As its title suggests, "Lorna's Silence" adds a touch of Bergman to
the Dardennes' usual fealty to their great idol, Robert Bresson. It's
the study of an illegal waif's spiritual awakening in a world
far from God, and as profound a religious film as "Thirst" is in its
weird, demented way.
As much as Park finds great personal depth in erotic horror, the
Dardennes see in their most unlikely of black widows an emerging
humanist. By submitting genre expectations to their established styles and obsessions, the directors have created two of the year's most distinctive and thoughtful movies.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 1:10 PM | Comments (0)

Words are figuratively and almost literally used as bludgeons
throughout "In the Loop." Densely packed with dialogue, ideas and
some of the darkest humor to grace a movie screen since "Dr.
Strangelove," this scathing British satire of Machiavellian politics
and the muddleheaded media that enables seems both absurd and frighteningly revelatory in equal, intense measure.
When a minor U.K. ministry functionary (Tom Hollander from the "Pirates of
the Caribbean" films) characteristically misspeaks on camera, peacenicks and warmongers from Whitehall to Washington try to manipulate him into
supporting their position re: the proposed invasion of a never-named
Middle Eastern country. Idealists, careerists and political
opportunists of all stripes repeatedly put their petty personal
concerns ahead of the potentially calamitous international crisis
they're all trying to game in some way or another, some bumblingly and other with appalling cunning.
Most outrageous among the latter is a Scottish government spinmeister
named Malcom Tucker (Peter Capaldi). A verbal bully whose vocabulary would leave Snoop Dogg blushing and speechless, the only thing fouler than
Malcolm's demeanor is his agenda. Even worse, when he has to go put out fires in the States, his lieutenant in London turns out to be an exact spiritual (and
burr-accented!) clone.
Capaldi created Tucker for writer-director Armando Iannucci's BBC
series "The Thick of It." While he stands out as "In the Loop's"
most memorable presence, everyone in the ensemble _ James Gandolfini,
Mimi Kennedy, David Rasche, Anna Chlumsky, Steve Coogan and a good
dozen more - does some of the most demanding work of their career.
Don't expect to get everything that's going on the first time you see
"In the Loop." But don't be surprised if you come out of it
understanding far better how we managed to get enmeshed in our
current thicket of wars.
You'll also probably laugh yourself to tears if you catch even half the dialogue. And if you catch what's really being said about how thousands get killed for no discernably decent reason, tears of dismayed recognition may flow as well.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 10:34 AM | Comments (0)

One of the best movie actors of all time, James Mason brought intelligent sophistication to the most extreme emotional states. Whether playing a self-denying, suburban drug addict (Nicholas Ray's astoundingly unhinged "Bigger Than Life") an Irish rebel coming undone by his own criminal missteps in the enclosing Belfast night (Carol Reed's "Odd Man Out") or a European intellectual pursuing his pedophilic urges through low-rent America (Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita"), Mason reliably applied British class and craftsmanship to the most extreme psychological explorations, and never shied away from daunting behavioral discoveries.

The L.A. County Museum's Mason retrospective, starting Friday, is an exceptionally well-chosen sampling of the actor's best work. Check out their series catalogue below; for more information, got to lacma.org/film.

BIGGER THAN LIFE: James Mason on Film
July 17-August 1

James Mason was born in Yorkshire on May 15, 1909. Abandoning architecture for acting, Mason got his break in 1933 when Alexander Korda invited him to join the Old Vic. His prominence as a stage actor led to a string of low-budget British movies culminating in 1946 with his acclaimed performance as a wounded Irish revolutionary in Carol Reed's Odd Man Out. Arriving in Hollywood a year later, he rapidly became one of the cinema's most unlikely and distinctive leading men. Blessed with dark good looks and a mellifluous voice, Mason possessed an uncanny ability to suggest rampant emotion beneath a demeanor of absolute calm, and he projected an other-worldliness and melancholy that allowed him to play both romantic leads and charismatic villains. With age, Mason remained in demand as a prestigious supporting actor in a wide range of roles. Though known as a man who preferred his privacy to the public life of an international star, Mason was nonetheless an indefatigable worker: the last of his astonishing 151 films and television credits came in 1985, a year after he died of a heart attack at his home in Switzerland.

This centenary tribute comprised of ten films contains many of James Mason's most memorable performances: the mysterious, haunted sailor in the ravishing Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (screened in a new restored color print); the alcoholic, suicidal actor Norman Maine in A Star is Born (for which he received one of three Oscar nominations), the loving family man Ed Avery who is transformed into a psychotic bully by the new "miracle drug" cortisone in Bigger Than Life; the tragic, despotic visionary Captain Nemo in Disney's spectacular adaptation of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea; and, in a tailor-made role turned down by most Hollywood actors, Humbert Humbert, the erudite pedophile and sardonic narrator of Nabokov's and Kubrick's Lolita.

Bigger Than Life

July 17 | 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm | New 35mm print

Mason produced and hired Nicholas Ray to direct this striking film based on a New Yorker article about the hallucinatory side-effects of the new miracle drug cortisone. As Ed Avery, upstanding teacher, husband and father turned suburban Jekyll and Hyde, Mason gives one of his best performances, and Ray, using dramatic Rebel Without a Cause-style compositions and lighting, portrays his bedeviled hero with both horror and pathos. Released to indifferent not to say hostile reviews, the film is now acclaimed for its gothic depiction of repression and conformity in mid-century America. "Under Ray's masterful direction, James Mason is given three or four of the most beautiful close-ups I have had the chance to see since the advent of CinemaScope... An exceptional story, an excellent portrait of marriage. A film of implacable logic and sanity, Bigger than Life uses both those very qualities as targets, and scores a bull's-eye in every frame."--François Truffaut.

1956/color/95 min./Scope | Scr: Cyril Hume, Richard Maibaum; dir: Nicholas Ray; w/ James Mason, Barbara Rush, Walter Matthau.

Disney Family Matinee

20,000 Leagues under the Sea

July 18 | 4 pm | All tickets $5

Jules Verne's sci-fi fantasy is a story that reverberates for boys of all ages. It is the mid-1800s and a monstrous creature has been sinking ships off San Francisco; an expedition is dispatched to solve the mystery, but the sailors aboard soon discover that the monster is "the Nautilus," a futuristic submarine with a lush Victorian interior, owned by the brooding Captain Nemo, a brilliant messianic scientist who despises humanity and has built his own world under the sea. With its lavish production design and exciting underwater scenes--culminating in a giant squid attack--Disney's classic adaptation still moves the heart and stirs the imagination even after so many years.

1954/color/127 min./Scope | Scr: Earl Felton; dir: Richard Fleischer; w/ Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas, Peter Lorre.

Pandora and the Flying Dutchman
July 18 | 7:30 pm | New restored 35mm print

This sumptuous color film (shot by Jack Cardiff, the acclaimed cinematographer of The Red Shoes) is a heady mix of romance, fantasy, and poetic fatalism set in quaint Esperanza on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. As the seventeenth-century mariner doomed to sail the seas in search of a woman who will die for him, Mason is a magnificently eerie and brooding presence. Pandora, a willful chanteuse driven by strange passions (Gardner, at the height of her beauty), is his destiny.

1949/color/123 min. | Scr/dir: Albert Lewin; w/ James Mason, Ava Gardner. | Restored by George Eastman House in cooperation with Douris UK Limited. Restoration funded by The Film Foundation and the Franco-American Cultural Fund, a partnership of the Directors Guild of America, Societe des Auteurs, Compositeurs et Editeurs de Musique, the Motion Picture Association of America, and the Writers Guild of America, West.

Age of Consent
July 18 | 9:45 pm | Restored 35mm print courtesy Sony Archive

Powell and Mason, who was himself an accomplished painter and caricaturist, joined forces on this story of an aging painter who retreats to an island off Australia to replenish his creative juices. His muse and lover appears in the form of a young, voluptuous, and frequently nude Helen Mirren in her first major film. "A lovely erotic and idyllic comedy."--Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader.

1969/color/98 min. | Scr: Peter Yeldham; dir: Michael Powell; w/ James Mason, Helen Mirren.

The Reckless Moment
July 24 | 7:30 pm

A blend of character study and noir thriller, Ophüls' last American film centers on a respectable wife and mother (Bennett) whose middle-class life is shattered when she recklessly disposes of the body of her daughter's lowlife boyfriend, who has been accidentally killed in her garage. As she valiantly copes with an intrusive family and an inconvenient blackmailer (Mason at his most tortured and tender), Ophüls' circling camera further entraps his stoic heroine until she breaks down in a wrenching finale. Mason held Ophuls in high regard as he demonstrated by penning these affectionate lines: "A shot that does not call for tracks is agony for dear old Max. When separated from his dolly, he's wrapped in deepest melancholy."

1949/b&w/82 min. | Scr: Robert W. Soderberg, Henry Garson; dir: Max Ophuls; w/ Joan Bennett, James Mason.

Odd Man Out

July 24 | 9 pm
Mason achieved international leading-man status in this harrowing story of an Irish rebel who stumbles through the streets of Belfast until midnight, the object of a citywide manhunt. In the words of critic Pauline Kael: "The tormented, delirious Johnny, bleeding to death, seeks but does not find refuge on his way to the grave... those he encounters see him as a man beyond help; his final denunciation of a world without charity is one of the most memorable scenes on film. Carol Reed has always been at his best when dealing with outsiders--in Odd Man Out, he gives you an experience you can't shrug off."

1946/b&w/116 min. | Scr: F.L. Green, R.C. Sherriff; dir: Carol Reed; w/ James Mason, Robert Newton, Cyril Cusack.

A Star is Born

July 25 | 7:30 pm | Restored 35mm print

The part of Norman Maine, an alcoholic actor whose Hollywood star is falling as fast as his young wife's is rising, provided Mason with one of his signature roles, an Oscar nomination, and trivia fame thanks to the last line of the picture when Vickie Lester declares: "This is Mrs. Norman Maine." This sweeping musical comedy/drama, Cukor's first in color and CinemaScope, is ravishing to look at, fascinating to listen to, and heartbreaking to experience. At the film's core is Judy Garland who, despite problems that slowed down production--the shoot lasted ten months!--was at the height of her powers as an actress and singer. As for Mason, "I was having a wonderful time. Judy was a witty, lively, talented, touching, adorable woman. She had a quality which can only be compared to Charlie Chaplin's: always optimistic, always gay, always inventive."

1954/color/176 min./Scope | Scr: Moss Hart; dir: George Cukor; w/ Judy Garland, James Mason, Jack Carson.

5 Fingers

July 31 | 7:30 pm

Based loosely on a true story, this elegant espionage film set in Ankara in 1944 stars Mason as an Albanian-born valet working at the British embassy who teams up with an unscrupulous countess (Darrieux) to sell secret Allied documents to the Germans. An excellent screenplay made even better by the witty embellishments of Mankiewicz, "The tale becomes an irresistibly cynical comedy of manners in which the crafty gentleman's gentleman (a marvelous performance from Mason), scheming to promote himself as a member of the leisure classes, falls victim to his own pretensions. An irresistible treat."-- Time Out.

1952/b&w/108 min. | Scr: Michael Wilson; dir: Joseph Mankiewicz; w/ James Mason, Danielle Darrieux, Michael Rennie.

The Deadly Affair
July 31 | 9:30 pm

This sophisticated, adult spy thriller, based on a novel by John le Carré, stars Mason as a burnt-out security inspector in the Foreign Office who finds himself threatened by an espionage ring while investigating a colleague's suicide. On display are the genre's standard ingredients--intrigue, betrayal, and violent death--but Lumet's primary focus is on a fascinating group of characters brought vividly to life by a stellar international cast including Signoret, who gives gut-wrenching performance as a Holocaust survivor. Master cinematographer Freddie Young, of Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago fame, pre-exposed the film to give the images a psychological realism unique to the mid-sixties Cold War era. "Thematically it was a film about life's disappointments. I wanted to get that dreary, lifeless feeling London has in winter. I wanted to desaturate the colors."--Sidney Lumet.

1966/color/107 min. | Scr: Paul Dehn; dir: Sidney Lumet; w/ James Mason, Harriet Andersson, Simone Signoret, Maximilian Schell.

Lolita
August 1 | 7:30 pm

If ever an actor was born to play a fictional character it was James Mason as Humbert Humbert, the pedophile narrator of Nabokov's controversial best-selling novel. Hiding his dark and twisted desires behind the façade of a suave European academic, Humbert insinuates himself into the life of fourteen-year-old Lolita by marrying her sexually frustrated mother, a strident and suspicious presence conveniently silenced by a speeding car. Disguised as father and daughter, Humbert and his self-centered nymphet embark on a cross-country car trip closely shadowed by the chameleon-like Clare Quilty, Lolita's "true love." A visually striking adaptation of a novel that many felt could not be filmed, Kubrick's Lolita is a black comedy set in a vulgar America of shabby motels and fast-food stands, and a postmodern version of Pandora's Box in which the predator is destroyed by his own obsession. "A simple, lucid film, precisely written, which reveals America and American sex better than Melville."--Jean-Luc Godard.

1962/b&w/152 min. | Scr: Vladimir Nabokov, Kubrick; dir: Stanley Kubrick; w/ James Mason, Shelley Winters, Sue Lyon, Peter Sellers.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 11:51 AM | Comments (0)

Below is the official list of award-winners from this year's just-completed edition of the Los Angeles Film Festival.
Can't comment on their worthiness; I didn't see any of 'em.
But I did find merit, if not greatness, in the half-dozen or so movies that I got to.
The scabrous British satire "In the Loop" was probably the best, a foul-mouthed, media-spinning marvel that, I'll wager, reveals more about how we really got into the Iraq War than any official, non-fictional account ever will. Smart, merciless and very densely packed.
Right after that I saw "Bronson," and boy, did that evening leave me thinking that British people must be the nastiest folks on Earth. This one is a very impressionistic, often Kubrickian (Larry Smith, an old collaborator of Stanley's, did the cinematography) take on a real-life English criminal who's made something of a celebrity out of himself with his sociopathic violence and jailhouse performance/installation art. Not quite up to the standards of the recent, truly brilliant "Hunger," but Tom Hardy's acting is as full-bodied - in every sense of the term - as anything to hit our screens this year.
"I Sell the Dead" is a shaggy Irish horror comedy in which a pair of 19th Century graverobbers (Dominic Monaghan and a perfectly cast Larry Fessenden) get themselves into increasingly absurd supernatural predicaments. Director Glenn McQuaid makes the most of a minuscule budget in this rollicking tribute to the Hammer films of the 1960s.
"Amreeka" is a better-observed-than-average immigrant warmedy, which writer-director Cherien Dabis based on her own Palestinian mother's experiences in the wilds of suburban Ohio (though the film is set in Illinois).
And across the state border, there are "The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia." It's a documentary about the semi-legendary, hell-raisin'est clan of pot-smoking, pharmaceutical-snortin' and occasionally tap dancing outlaws in the state. Johnny Knoxville and Hank Williams III had something to do with it, but the movie didn't turn out to be quite as crazy as you'd expect from all that. Nevertheless, a nice record of some proud screw-ups that neither romanticizes nor judges them too harshly.
Oh, and I saw "Public Enemies." In the context of a mostly indie film festival, Michael Mann's gloss on John Dillinger's eventful last year made its Hollywood slickness seem even less authentic than it might have otherwise. The film really could have used a couple members of the White family.

So, that was my festival. Now, without further ado, the official announcement:

FILM INDEPENDENT ANNOUNCES AWARD WINNERS

OF 2009 LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL

Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, announced its 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival award winners at a special event, presented by Target. The Los Angeles Film Festival ran from Thursday, June 18 to Sunday, June 28.

"One of our goals at Film Independent is to help filmmakers build an audience for their work, and the Los Angeles Film Festival does just that," said Film Independent Executive Director Dawn Hudson. "We hope recognition at the Festival will allow these filmmakers to continue to find broad audiences for their terrific films."

The two top juried awards of the Los Angeles Film Festival are the Target Filmmaker Award and Target Documentary Award, each carrying an unrestricted $50,000 cash prize for the winning film's director. The awards were established by the Festival and Target to encourage independent filmmakers to pursue their artistic ambitions.

The Target Filmmaker Award recognizes the finest narrative film in competition at the Festival and went to Sam Fleischner and Ben Chace for Wah Do Dem (What They Do). The Target Documentary Award recognizes the finest documentary film in competition at the Festival and went to Juan Carlos Rulfo and Carlos Hagerman for Those Who Remain (Los Que se Quedan).

New this year, the Festival and Target established the Target Dream in Color Award to recognize a short film in the Festival's Future Filmmaker Showcase for high school students that inspires audiences to dream without boundaries and share culture in a unique and positive way. The prize includes a Target Gift card for the winning director and a desktop editing system for the winner's school media arts program. The Target Dream in Color Award was presented by Elizabeth Pena and given to Sam Rubin for Lipstick.

The Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature went to The Stoning of Soraya M., directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh and the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature went to Soul Power, directed by Jeffrey Levy-Hinte. Eva Norvind's Born Without (Nacido Sin) won the Audience Award for Best International Feature.

The award for Outstanding Performance in the Narrative Competition went to Shayne Topp for his performance in Suzi Yoonessi's Dear Lemon Lima,. Given to an actor or actors from an official selection in the Narrative Competition, this is the sixth year the award has been given at the Festival.

The award for Best Narrative Short Film went to Antonio Mendez Esparza's Time and Again. The award for Best Documentary Short Film went to Anna Gaskell's Replayground. Jérémy Clapin's Skhizein won the award for Best Animated Short Film.

The Audience Award for Best Short Film went to Instead of Abracadabra, directed by Patrick Eklund. Grapevine Fires, directed by Walter Robot won the Audience Award for Best Music Video for Death Cab for Cutie.

Awards were given out in the following categories:

Target Filmmaker Award (for Best Narrative Feature)

Winner: Wah Do Dem (What They Do) written and directed by Sam Fleischner & Ben Chace

Producers: Sam Fleischner, Katina Hubbard, Ben Chace, Martha Lapham, Henry Kasdon

Cast: Sean Bones, Norah Jones, Kevin Bewersdorf, Carl Bradshaw

Film Description: Max's dream Caribbean cruise becomes a solitary odyssey after his girlfriend dumps him days before their departure. Now, he'll have to go with the Jamaican flow in this disarming and incisive debut feature.

The Target Filmmaker Award carries an unrestricted cash prize of $50,000 funded by Target, offering the financial means to help filmmakers transfer their vision to the screen. The award recognizes the finest narrative film in competition, and is given to the director. A special jury selects the winner, and all narrative feature-length films screening in the Narrative Competition section were eligible.

In bestowing Sam Fleischner and Ben Chace with the Target Filmmaker Award, the Jury stated:

"A film that could feel anecdotal but through its musical shifts and tone, and its vision of the world as a newly optimistic place, Wah Do Dem (What They Do) creates a strong and profound emotional narrative."

****

Target Documentary Award (for Best Documentary Feature)

Winner: Those Who Remain (Los Que se Quedan) directed by Juan Carlos Rulfo and Carlos Hagerman

Producers: Juan Carlos Rulfo, Carlos Hagerman, Martha Sosa Elizondo, Nicolas Vale

Film Description: (Mexico) This intimate and discerning depiction of the impact of migration on families left behind by loved ones who travel north emerges as a nuanced portrait of "the other side" of the immigration story.

The Target Documentary Award carries an unrestricted cash prize of $50,000 funded by Target, offering the financial means to help filmmakers transfer their vision to the screen. The award recognizes the finest documentary film in competition, and is given to the director. A special jury selects the winner, and all documentary feature-length films screening in the Documentary Competition section were eligible.

In bestowing Juan Carlos Rulfo and Carlos Hagerman with the Target Documentary Award, the Jury stated:

"With its generosity of spirit and lyrical grace that illuminates a human landscape with fresh eyes, Those Who Remain reminds us that documentaries can be both journalism and poetry."

****

Target Dream in Color Award (for Best Short in the Future Filmmaker Showcase)

Winner: Lipstick directed by Sam Rubin

Producer: The Film Workshop of SF Art & Film

Cast: Sam Rubin

Film Description: A boy locks himself in a bathroom. His mother wants to know if he is OK.

The Target Dream in Color Award was given to Sam Rubin for Lipstick and recognizes a film that inspires audiences to dream without boundaries and share culture in a unique and positive way. This award is the first time a cash grant was given to a participant in the Los Angeles Film Festival's Future Filmmaker Showcase, a short film program targeted to young and talented emerging filmmakers in high school.

In bestowing Sam Rubin with the Target Dream in Color Award, the Jury stated:

"We congratulate all the filmmakers on their extraordinary work. While we were impressed with the scope and diversity of all the high school shorts, we select Lipstick, a simple and powerful film, which can inspire other future filmmakers to make movies with very little. Using just two props, one location, and two actors, the filmmaker creates a compelling story about a character dealing with personal yet universal issues of identity and communication. It is a visual film with a strong point of view. In Lipstick, we see both a present and future filmmaker."

****

Outstanding Performance in the Narrative Competition

Winner: Shayne Topp in Suzi Yoonessi's Dear Lemon Lima,

Film Description: "As sweet and colorful as a snow cone, this delightful happy-sad confection follows an awkward Alaskan teen as she discovers her Yup'ik heritage while rallying her fellow misfits to compete in her school's Snow-storm Survivor competition."

In bestowing Shayne Topp with Outstanding Performance recognition, the Jury stated:

"For his sophisticated and nuanced comic performance in a role that is often played in less subtle ways by more experienced actors, the award goes to Shayne Topp from Dear Lemon Lima,."

****

Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature

Winner: The Stoning of Soraya M. written by Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh and Cyrus Nowrasteh and directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh

Producers: Stephen McEveety, John Shepherd

Cast: Shohreh Aghdashloo, Mozhan Marnò, Jim Caviezel

Film Description: Based on Freidoune Sahebjam's international bestseller, this visceral drama, which tells the true story of a tragic incident of oppression, conspiracy and betrayal, gathers tension and outrage as it builds to its inevitable conclusion.

This award is given to the narrative feature audiences liked most as voted by a tabulated rating system. Select narrative feature-length films screening in the following sections were eligible for the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: Narrative Competition, International Showcase, International Spotlight, Summer Showcase, Outdoor Screenings at the Ford Amphitheatre, Dark Wave, Guilty Pleasures, and Special Screenings.

****

Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature

Winner: Soul Power directed by Jeffrey Levy-Hinte

Producers: Leon Gast, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, David Sonenberg

Featuring: James Brown, Bill Withers, B.B. King, The Spinners, Celia Cruz and the Fania All-Stars, Muhammad Ali, Don King, Stewart Levine

Film Description: This blazing concert film documents "Zaire '74," the sister event to the famed Ali/Foreman "Rumbling in the Jungle," featuring previously unseen performances by James Brown, B.B. King, Bill Withers, Celia Cruz and others.

This award is given to the documentary feature audiences liked most as voted on by a tabulated rating system. Select documentary feature-length films screening in the following sections were eligible for the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature: Documentary Competition, International Showcase, International Spotlight, Summer Showcase, Outdoor Screenings at the Ford Amphitheatre, and Special Screenings.

****

Audience Award for Best International Feature

Winner: Born Without (Nacido Sin) written & directed by Eva Norvind

Producers: Eva Norvind, Nailea Norvind, Donald K. Ranvaud

Featuring: José Flores, Graciela Flores, Alejandro Jodorowsky

Film Description: (Mexico) A remarkably frank portrait of the lives and loves of José Flores - a street musician, actor, father of six, and Romeo who was born without arms and stands only three feet tall.

This award is given to the international feature audiences liked most as voted on by a tabulated rating system. Select international feature-length films, both narrative and documentary, in the Narrative Competition, Documentary Competition, International Showcase, International Spotlight, Summer Showcase, Outdoor Screenings at the Ford Amphitheatre, Dark Wave, and Special Screenings were eligible for the Audience Award for Best International Feature.

****

Best Narrative Short Film

Winner: Time and Again written & directed by Antonio Mendez Esparza

Producers: Florin Serban, Diana Wade

Cast: Pedro Santos, Erica Heras

Description: Pedro's dreams about his future are challenged by an unforeseen turn of events.

In bestowing Antonio Mendez Esparza with Best Narrative Short Film, the Jury stated:

"For its raw and atmospheric visual palette, bold use of real and rarely seen locations, and cast which brought a refreshing realism, the award goes to Time and Again, an ambitious portrait of an immigrant's struggle to find love in a new land."

****

Best Documentary Short Film

Winner: Replayground by Anna Gaskell

Producers: Anna Gaskell

Featuring: Brookti Berne, Harris Rosenberg, James Gray

Description: Roles are reversed in this hilarious reenactment of a children's quarrel.

In bestowing Anna Gaskell with Best Documentary Short Film, the Jury stated:

"The award goes to Replayground. The concept was so fresh and unexpected in its use of children's visions of their playground actions as content for a play that they would then be entrusted to cast and direct. A case of a brilliant premise carrying a film."

****

Best Animated Short Film

Winner: Skhizein by Jérémy Clapin

Producers: Wendy Griffiths, Stéphane Piera

Cast: Julien Boisseller, Theo Grimmelsen, Mado Debrus

Description: (France) After a 150-ton meteorite strikes, Henry's physical existence is forever altered.

In bestowing Jérémy Clapin with Best Animated Short Film, the Jury stated:

"The award goes to Skhizein, for its use of animation to tell a story no other medium could, that of a character who finds himself literally beside himself, creating an elegant interlocking of story animation and character."

****

Audience Award for Best Short Film

Winner: Instead of Abracadabra by Patrik Eklund

Producer: Mathias Fjellström

Cast: Simon J. Berger, Jacob Nordenson, Anki Larsson, Saga Gärde

Description: Tomas attempts to impress his family and the beautiful Monica with his dazzling feats of magic.

Awarded to the short film audiences liked most as voted on by a tabulated rating system. Short films screening in the Shorts Programs or before Narrative Competition, Documentary Competition, or International Showcase feature-length screenings were eligible for the Audience Award for Best Short Film.

****

Audience Award for Best Music Video

Winner: Grapevine Fires by Walter Robot

Music: Death Cab For Cutie

Description: When a wildfire rages through a small suburb, a boy must save his older brother, and in the process finds what is really important in life.

This award is given to the music video audiences liked most as voted on by a tabulated rating system.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 10:21 AM | Comments (0)

Environmental calamity documentaries have pretty much settled into a post-"Inconvenient Truth" pattern: some horrible human abuse of nature is going to wreck the planet if we don't change our ways soon; visual evidence and talking heads reinforce the premise; then a laundry list of what people can do to stave off disaster gets optimistically - and not a little hectoringly - proposed in the last 10 minutes.
"End of the Line" doesn't deviate from this formula. But maybe because its subject, the industrialized overfishing of our oceans that could lead to the end of seafood as we know it just a few decades from now, lends itself to marvelous underwater photography and fascinating sociological complexity. Whether it's making fun of a pretentious London sushi restaurateur, pointing out the starvation potentiel for traditional African and Asian fishing communities or plunging us in among thinning but still beautiful schools of tuna and cod, Rupert Murray's film is as engaging as it is alarming.
And unlike most docs of this ilk (and our future fish-eating options), it always seems fresh.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 1:43 PM | Comments (0)

The multiple Cesar Award-winner "Seraphine" doesn't go too far outside of the French tortured artist bio tradition. It differs from a lot of them, though, in that the film looks like it could have been painted by a master. Cinematographer Laurent Brunet and astounding lead actress Yolande Moreau make the movie an exceptional experience, whatever else may be conventional about it.
Moreau's lumpen intensity as the naive, somewhat nutty nature interpreter Seraphine Louis is a primal force in itself. Clomping around in noisy shoes, muttering in religious delirium and literally hugging trees, Moreau's Seraphine is unmistakably as addled as all of her neighbors and dismissive employers in the town of Senlis assume. But her single-minded urge to paint, often with colors she makes herself from crushed flowers, chicken blood and church candle wax, is a shrewd and disciplined endeavor. Moreau magnificently avoids presenting the frumpy, middle aged oddball as some kind of savant; she carefully reveals facets of Seraphine's personality and intellect even as she chart's the troubled woman's mental deterioration.
The film takes place in two basic acts. One in 1914 as the visiting German art collector Wilhelm Uhde (Ulrich Tukur) discovers his cleaning lady's extraordinary gift, gives her hope of fame and fortune, and then disappears as World War I brings an occupying army in from his Fatherland. The second half commences in the 1930s, when Uhde hooks back up with Seraphine, is even more impressed by her increasingly vivid flora canvases, lays more money on her than she's ever seen and . . . gets whacked by The Great Depression before he can mount her first major Paris exhibition, sending the fragile artist into a deeper emotional tailspin than ever before.
In Martin Provost's film, Uhde seems like a better-intentioned guy than the historical record of his actions may imply. And Provost's script apparently suggests too strongly that the artist was a raw, intuitive talent, when the many amazing paintings seen in the film unmistakably scream some degree of formal training. Clueless bourgeoisie, French snob and mad artist cliches pop up here and there, but the film's central virtues - especially Brunet's dark country nights and barely candlelit interiors - make a bracing, absorbing sit out of "Seraphine." And Moreau's the best actress I've seen in a movie all year.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 12:47 PM | Comments (0)

Olivier Assayas' "Summer Hours" asks big questions about the future of France's great culture in an increasingly internationalized world. It could've been quite pretentious, like some of Assayas' more trippy, stylized efforts ("Demonlover, "Boarding Gate") turned out to be. But the director quite winningly grounds his issues in a simple, straightforward family drama that rings true at every turn. This is essay cinema made all the more thoughtful by its commitment to observed humanity.
Three adult siblings - academic economist Frederic (Charles Berling), designer Adrienne (Juliette Binoche) and athletic shoe company executive Jeremie (Jeremie Renier) - must decide what to do with the family's country home and its small but significant collection of art treasures after the passing of their mother (elegant Edith Scob, the muse of Georges Franju's incomparable series of 1960s psycho thrillers).
Frederic wants to keep the place, which previously belonged to Mom's uncle (and, probably, lover), a noteworthy artist, and the collection iintact for his own and Jeremie's children.
But as his tween daughter says when shown the family's two Corots, "They're nice, but not what I like."
"It's another era," adds Frederic's son, summing up the film's thesis in an offhand nutshell.
Adrienne lives and works in New York and is engaged to an American. Jeremie has just been promoted to a position in Beijing, where high, post- Olympics living costs will keep his growing family in Asia more than ever, even for vacations. Being the only one still in France, Frederic accedes to the others' desires to sell off the estate and its contents. What follows is an emotionally wrought but very civilized examination of just what beautiful objects are worth monetarily, culturally and sentimentally.
Subtly but relentlessly, Assayas' ponders whether France's patrimony is being undermined by globalization and its attendant financial pressures - or just evolving its own distinctive way of coping and enduring. Evidence that the nation's rigorous intellectual heritage is in jeopardy appears everywhere; its representative Frederic seems particularly ill-suited for trying to defend a difficult book he's written on a talk show that, like they are on U.S. TV, is really only about shouty reductionism.
Then again, the kids appear just as devoted, in their own way, to culture and nature as their ancestors. And it was Frederic's own mother who advised him to offload the family treasures once she was no longer around to preserve her beloved uncle's legacy.
Quite marvelously, "Summer Hours'" acknowledges that changing times can often coarsen life, but must be dealt with to preserve whatever can be salvaged, and to create the next generation of thought, expression and memories.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 10:33 AM | Comments (0)

If you think your kid can embarrass Ben Stiller, you might want to check out one of these upcoming casting calls:

** MEDIA ALERT**

OPEN CASTING CALL FOR YOUNG BOYS & GIRLS FOR UPCOMING
UNIVERSAL PICTURES FEATURE FILM

WHAT: Seeking 6-8 year-old boys and girls with a Caucasian look for feature film roles.

WHO: If chosen, they will play the roles of Henry and Ashley, the son and daughter of Greg and Pam Focker. Henry is a little oversensitive and kind. Ashley is a tomboy.
They must be available for work in California from July '09 through Oct '09.
No experience is necessary. Twins & multiples welcome!

WHERE: CHOICE OF 2 LOCATIONS:

Orange County:
Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa
900 Newport Center Dr.
Newport Beach, CA 92660
**Free parking at Fashion Island or $4/hr parking at hotel

North Hollywood:
Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio
6514 Lankershim Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91606
**Free parking at studio or free street parking

DATE: Saturday May 30, 2009

TIME: Orange County location: 11 am - 4 pm
North Hollywood location: 12 pm - 5 pm

If you and your child are unable to attend this open call, please send a recent picture of your child
(and resume, if you have) to the following mailing address:

"Fockers" Casting
606 N. Larchmont Blvd., Suite 202
Los Angeles, CA 90004

or submit your child's photo and resume (if any) to castingfockers@gmail.com

Posted by Bob Strauss at 12:09 PM | Comments (0)

This fall's AFI Film Festival will be free, more or less (see explanation in press release below). Don't know how I feel about that; after all, my press pass that got me into most screenings used to be a valuable commodity, but I guess I can share the access with other film fans in the name of doing something fun without paying for it during the recession.
Gonna be harder to get seats, though, I can tell you right now.

AFI FEST 2009 presented by Audi will be held October 30 - November 7 in Hollywood, California, celebrating its 23rd year as Los Angeles' premier film festival. This year, in recognition of Audi's 100 years of automotive innovation, AFI and Audi will offer complimentary tickets to all screenings, including a limited number of seats at the evening screenings and Galas, including Opening and Closing Night.

The festival will be headquartered at the historic Mann's Chinese Theatre between October 30 and November 5th, and then move to the seaside for screenings in Santa Monica presented in association with the American Film Market (AFM). The Hollywood Roosevelt returns as the festival's host hotel.

"AFI FEST presented by Audi brings the best of global cinema to the world capital of the art form," said Bob Gazzale, AFI President & CEO. "Presenting the screenings compliments of AFI and Audi is our way of reaching out to film lovers in these challenging times and inviting them to see a movie on us."

The festival will be programmed by Rose Kuo, AFI FEST Artistic Director, in partnership with longtime film writer Robert Koehler and AFI FEST programmer Lane Kneedler. " It is a thrill to have Robert join the AFI FEST team," said Kuo. "His critical eye has long been respected in the film community, and he has been an unwavering voice on behalf of the array of international filmmakers whom AFI FEST has championed from its very beginning."

AFI FEST 2009 presented by Audi will feature domestic and international works from emerging filmmakers, global showcases of the latest offerings from established artists, and red-carpet gala premieres. In addition to complimentary seating on a "first come" basis, patron passes for guaranteed seats at evening galas and tributes will be available for purchase and will allow priority access to all regular screenings.

AFI FEST presented by Audi is the only film festival in the United States to hold the prestigious FIAPF accreditation (www.FIAPF.org), assuring a high standard of quality and reliability for the international film community. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizes AFI FEST as a qualifying festival for the Short Films category of the annual Academy Awards.

The AFI FEST presented by Audi early film submission deadline is June 19, 2009. The final deadline for shorts (under 30 minutes) is July 17, 2009. The final deadline for features (over 30 minutes) is July 31, 2009. Acceptance decisions will be announced no later than October 1, 2009. Submissions can be made at www.AFI.com/AFIFEST or by calling 1.866.AFI.FEST for more information.

The American Film Market (AFM), to be held November 4 -11, 2009, is the market partner of AFI FEST. Since its formation in 2004, this alliance has grown into the largest gathering of film professionals in North America. The association between the two events connects art and commerce, broadening the opportunities for all participants. A total of 30 films selected for last year's AFI FEST were also represented at AFM 2008.

AFI FEST 2008 presented by Audi enjoyed record attendance, as audiences turned out in force to view films and special events. Programming highlights from AFI FEST 2008 presented by Audi included the World Premiere of DOUBT with Meryl Streep and Amy Adams in attendance; a Tribute to Danny Boyle, which included the U.S. premiere of SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE with the director and cast on the red carpet; the U.S. premiere of THE WRESTLER with Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei and Darren Aronofsky in attendance; red carpet appearances by Benicio Del Toro, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Mark Ruffalo, Joaquin Phoenix, Michelle Williams, Steven Soderbergh, Ed Zwick and Arnaud Desplechin; and access to the AFI Digital Content Lab's 2-day DigiFest conference.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 11:03 AM | Comments (0)

For a band that's been on the losing end for decades, cuddlty Canadian heavy metal outfit Anvil is doing all right for itself this recessionary spring. The documentary about them, "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" is hanging on tenaciously at art theaters (yes, I know, their audience and the hair contingeent usually don't cross, but it really is a sweet, interesting movie), and they've got live and TV performances scheduled in L.A. this week.

The informative press release is below:

95.5 KLOS AND LANDMARK THEATRES PRESENT

"THE ANVIL EXPERIENCE" IN LOS ANGELES ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 13TH

"Anvil! The Story Of Anvil" Screens at the Nuart, Performance by Anvil
to Follow

New York (May 11, 2009) - 95.5 KLOS and Landmark Theatres presents in
Los Angeles "The Anvil Experience," a special screening and concert of
the acclaimed documentary, "Anvil! The Story of Anvil," with a
performance by the band, Anvil. 95.5 KLOS is promoting the event on-air
and giving away 5 pairs of tickets to listeners. The event takes place
on Wednesday, May 13th and starts with the 10:30 p.m. showing of the
film at the Landmark's Nuart Theatre in West Los Angeles. To purchase
tickets for "The Anvil Experience," go to:
http://www.landmarktheatres.com/market/LosAngeles/NuartTheatre.htm.

Since debuting in theaters in April "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" has
already grossed $278,000 in only 25 theaters. Anvil band members Steve
"Lips" Kudlow and Robb Reiner were recently featured in Rolling Stone
and Newsweek, and they will make their appearance as guests on the couch
of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" airing May 14 on ABC at 12:05 a.m. ET/PT.

"Anvil! The Story of Anvil" is the directorial debut of screenwriter
Sacha Gervasi ("The Terminal") and was produced by Rebecca Yeldham ("The
Kite Runner" and "The Motorcycle Diaries"). The film follows Steve
"Lips" Kudlow and Robb Reiner and their band, Anvil, which released one
of the heaviest albums in metal history, 1982's Metal on Metal. The
album influenced an entire musical generation of rock bands, including
Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax, who all went on to sell millions of
records. Anvil, on the other hand, took a different path-straight to
obscurity. The film is both entertaining and touching as it follows
their last-ditch quest for the fame and fortune that has been so elusive
to them. "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" is a timeless tale of survival and
the unadulterated passion it takes to follow your dream, year after
year.

Praised as "The best documentary I've seen in years," by documentarian
Michael Moore, "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" contains appearances by an
array of heavy metal icons, including Metallica's Lars Ulrich, former
member of Guns N' Roses' Slash, Anthrax's Scott Ian, and Slayer's Tom
Araya, among others.

Celebrities unconnected to the film have rallied around it, urging their
fans to see "Anvil" in theaters. Among them are: Ryan Gosling, Dustin
Hoffman, Benji and Joel Madden of Good Charlotte, Maroon 5, John Mayer,
Mandy Moore, Keanu Reeves, Morgan Spurlock and Rob Thomas.

"Anvil! The Story of Anvil" is distributed by VH1 in association with
Abramorama. This fall, VH1 will release the film on television and DVD
under its Emmy Award-winning "VH1 Rock Docs" franchise.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 10:48 AM | Comments (0)

It's Star Trek, of course, but everyone already knows that that's a mostly rockin' reboot of the venerable sci fi series, whose main debit is too many convenient plot turns.
The same complaint can be made about Revanche, the Oscar-nominated Austrian thriller that opened at the Nuart this weekend. Except that its writer-director, Gotz Spielmann, uses coincidence as a kind of fateful key to exploring moral and emotional subtleties, not just to goose the action along.
Smalltime loser Alex (Johannes Krisch), in love with a Ukrainian prostitute (Irina Potapenko), cooks up a "foolproof" bank heist to get them out of their dead-end Vienna lives and, hopefully, to Ibiza. It almost goes off without a hitch - except there's one big one.
This forces Alex to lay low at his cranky grandfather's farm, which just happens to be situated next to the property owned by the village cop, Robert (Andreas Lust), who tried to stop the bank job. Eaten up with remorse about how it all played out, Robert grows distant from his friendly, church-going, desperate-to-have-a-baby wife Susanne (Ursula Strauss). She's already in the habit of stopping by the farm to look in on the old man, and can't help but notice Alex obsessively -and impressively - chopping firewood to work off his angst.
However contrived things get, Spielmann and his superb ensemble keep the resulting behavior and its implications so fresh and fascinating that this sex-charged suspenser quite convincingly evolves into an almost spiritual story. Guilt, deception and vengeance fuel much of the action, but growth, connection and taking very personal kinds of responsibility become possibilities that may just save all of these flawed and floundering characters from self-willed destruction.Gritty yet pristinely shot, unblinking toward life's ugliness yet meditative as to its possibilities, Revanche is hardly the kind of expertly tuned thrill ride Star Trek so satisfyingly is.
It runs at a to a much slower, contemplative rhythm. But it's better engineered for the kind of thing it is, and even more exciting in its insight into the soul.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 2:02 PM | Comments (0)

Here's a press release with some key results from the big Profiles in History auction I covered in the Daily News earlier this month:

PROFILES IN HISTORY SPRING AUCTION OF HOLLYWOOD MEMORABILILA BRINGS IN OVER 4 MILLION DOLLARS

Harrison Ford's Blaster From Blade Runner, An Original 1931 Frankenstein Movie Poster, The Creature From The Black Lagoon Mask, Arnold Schwarzenegger's Mr. Freeze Costume Highlight Huge Sale

Forrest J Ackerman's estate Collection, An Archive of B/W and Color Negatives From the M-G-M, Fox, and Warner Bros. Vaults and a Screen Used Hunter-Killer From Terminator Also Big Hits With Collectors

Calabasas, CA-- The Harrison Ford "Rick Deckard" hero blaster from Blade Runner ($270,000), an original Frankenstein one-sheet movie poster ($216,000), an archive of B/W and color negatives from the M-G-M, Fox, and Warner Bros. vaults ($210,000) the original Creature from the Black Lagoon hero "Gill Man" mask from Revenge of the Creature ($84,000) and Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Mr. Freeze" costume from Batman & Robin ($72,000) were the top items in the recently completed Profiles in History Spring Auction of Hollywood memorabilia. A total of

$4.2 Million worth of props, costumes, movie posters, photos and more were picked up by collectors around the world.

Other highlights included a screen used hero aerial Hunter / Killer from The Terminator ($66,000), Derek Meers' Jason Voorhees" costume from Friday the 13th ($54,000), Two velociraptors feeding on a triceratops display from Jurassic Park ($51,000) and Ray Park "Darth Maul" fighting lightsaber from Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace ($48,000). Bidders also competed vigorously for items from the Forrest J Ackerman Estate Collection, as Forry's Metropolis "Maria" robot sold for $48,000, as did the Bela Lugosi "Dracula" ring. Lugosi's "Vampire" cape worn in The Raven, The Return of the Vampire, The Whispering Shadow and his final performance in Plan 9 from Outer Space sold for $39,000.

More highlights included:

Original screen-used Elven bed with five Elves and decorated illuminating Christmas tree from A Nightmare Before Christmas ($48,000)
Complete hero Maurice Evans "Dr. Zaius" costume from The Planet of the Apes and Beneath the Planet of the Apes ($48,000)
Screen-used "Teddy" puppet and lighting dummy from A.I.: Artificial Intelligence ($48,000)
Harrison Ford "Rick Deckard" "Voight Kampff" costume from Blade Runner ($48,000)
Charlton Heston "Colonel George Taylor" costume and display from Planet of the Apes ($48,000)
Matthew Broderick "Ferris Bueller" leather jacket from Ferris Bueller's Day Off ($42,000)
Jim Carrey signature "Riddler" rhinestone unitard and glitter-covered creepers from Batman Forever ($36,000)
Tom Hanks "Capt. John H. Miller" and Matt Damon "Pvt. James Francis Ryan" hero costumes from Saving Private Ryan ($36,000)
Screen-used Christmas Town building from The Nightmare Before Christmas ($30,000)

Posted by Bob Strauss at 1:58 PM | Comments (0)

Fascinated by the inner workings of Italian politics?
Me neither, and I can't say that Paolo Sorrentino's "Il Divo" got me much more interested in the mobbed-up Machiavellians who bounced in and out of power in Rome during the latter third of the last century.
But Sorrentino's super-stylish approach to filming intricate, conspiratorial machinations that many Italians, let alone anyone else, may have trouble sorting out, makes watching the film a joy. Kind of the opposite effect seen in Jim Jarmusch's lovely but litsless "Limits of Control," "Il Divo's" gorgeous backgrounds and widescreen compositions, enhanced by the most elegant moving camerawork registered in years, make all the Byzantine goings-on easy to swallow, if not follow.
Focusing on one of the later governments and subsequent scandal trial of Christian Democrat poobah Giulio Andreotti, "Il Divo" certainly doesn't lack for incident (another welcome difference from the weekend's Jarmusch release). It probably all adds up whether you can keep it straight or not, but regardless, Toni Servillo's cagey, sepulchral central performance anchors the whole thing. Calm, bemused but clearly wise to every major and microscopic shift in the political bioverse, Servillo's Andreotti stalks the corridors of power (often with a phalanx of armed guards) methodically and, with his hunched back and impassive undertaker's face, in an effectively impotent disguise. He's like the Nosferatu of crooked politicians, a Gothic embodiment of corruption as ancient as it is ripped from the headlines.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 2:37 PM | Comments (0)

I've never been a big fan of Jim Jarmusch's studied hipsterism; it's often, in its way, as precious as the conventions of modern romantic comedies, and just as artificial.
There are certainly solid aesthetic reasons to respect his work, thoough, and they're evident throughout his latest movie, "The Limits of Control." But this time, I think even many of his dedicated fans will find that sparse compensation for the repetitious posing that guts the piece. Jarmusch evidently wanted to deconstruct tired film noir cliches by reducing them to their essences and presenting them on often brightly lit, colorful Spanish locations instead of in the standard shadows. But he also steadfastly refused to come up with anything interesting or engaging enough to replace them.
So we get to watch stone-faced hitman Isaach De Bankole endlessly order double espressos (in two cups; one is somehow intolerable), constantly mess with different colored matchboxes and chew up the cryptic messages they contain, and listen to a parade of mannered informants natter philosophically while not revealing much about his latest assignment,
For action, he does some kind of Tai Chi-ish excercise and will occasionally change into a differently colored sharp suit (which he sleeps in as well). When he comes back to his room one night to find a naked Spanish hottie (Pa De La Huerta) waiting for him with a gun, all he wants to do is disarm her. She sticks around for awhile anyway, though she's never able to get a rise out of him. I must admit I nodded off for a moment in the middle of the movie, after which this girl was no longer to be seen except, stereotypically, as a corpse near the end. Jarmusch doesn't explain why or how, like he refuses to do regarding anything in the movie.
My theory? She just got bored, like the audience, and split, but was unlucky enough to have signed a contract requiring her to finish the film, or else.
Beautifully photographed by the great Christopher Doyle ("In the Mood for Love," "Paranoid Park"), "Limits of Control" is certainly a disciplined film; But there's a point when discipline becomes slow torture, and Jarmusch takes us past it very early on. He wants viewers to question why they keep wanting the same old hardboiled stuff from these kinds of movies. Punishing them for their preferences probably won't change any minds, though.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 1:49 PM | Comments (0)

Here's the press release with just part of the massive programming info. Scroll down to the end to learn where to find out more:

Visual Communications (VC), the
nation's premier Asian Pacific American media arts center, announced
its program of 181 outstanding films for the upcoming 25th
Anniversary Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF)
beginning April 30 - May 7, 2009 at the Director's Guild of America
(DGA), Laemmle's Sunset 5 Theatres, Downtown Independent Theatre,
The National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, and the
Aratani/Japan America Theatre.

As Southern California's largest and most prestigious film festival
of its kind, the LAAPFF launches the celebration of Asian Pacific
Heritage Month through this year's slate of over 181 films and
videos from both Asian Pacific American and Asian international
directors from 26 countries. Celebrating 25 years, the Fest has
presented over 3000 films and videos by Asian American and Asian
international artists since 1983. This year, 35 feature films and
146 shorts and videos will be showcased throughout the 8-day fest.

Sundance hit film CHILDREN OF INVENTION from director Tze Chun will
open the festival on Thursday, April 30, 2009 at the DGA at 7PM with
director/screenwriter Chun, actors Michael Chen, Crystal Chiu and
Cindy Cheung scheduled to attend the Los Angeles premiere.

CHILDREN OF INVENTION, which premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film
Festival to sold out audiences and critics notices, is the story of
two young children: Raymond Cheng (Michael Chen) and Tina Cheng
(Crystal Chiu), living illegally in a model apartment outside Boston,
are left to fend for themselves when their hardworking mother, Elaine
(Cindy Cheung), disappears. This latest predicament seems all too
familiar to precocious Raymond who dreams of taking care of his
mother and sister with the fortunes garnered from his inventions.
Little Tina, however, remains oblivious to their troubles.
Meanwhile, lured by promises of easy cash, Elaine finds herself drawn
into another pyramid scheme, one that will jeopardize the welfare of
the two things that matter the most - her children.

"We are excited to present the Los Angeles premiere screening of
CHILDREN OF INVENTION as our Opening Night film," states Abraham
Ferrer, Exhibitions Director at VC and Film Festival Co-Director.
"We have been following director Chun's career since his short,
WINDBREAKER, was presented at the 2007 Festival. We are honored to
have him return and present his latest effort as his Los Angeles
premiere."

Toronto International Film Festival favorite TREELESS MOUNTAIN, from
Los Angeles raised filmmaker So Yong Kim, is slated as the LAAPFF
Centerpiece film on Saturday, May 2, 2009 at the DGA at 7PM with
director/screenwriter Kim in attendance.

TREELESS MOUNTAIN is So Yong Kim's second feature film and has been
an audience and critics favorite on the festival circuit for her
touching story about seven-year old Jin and her younger sister Bin
who are left with relatives, while their mother goes looking for
their father promising that she will be back when their little piggy
bank is full of coins. The sisters are forced to acclimate
themselves to new surroundings with new guardians as they wait with
heartfelt anticipation for their mother. Variety reviewer Robert
Koehler praised TREELESS MOUNTAIN and filmmaker Kim: "...drawing out
beautifully natural performances from her child actors, Kim once
again has a distinct way of letting her camera observe her characters
with kind thoughtfulness, allowing for a quiet mood to wash over the
scenes."

"So Yong Kim is one of our newer Asian American story tellers who
always delivers her best," says David Magdael, Festival Co-
Director. "We have been watching her since her first feature IN
BETWEEN DAYS premiered at Sundance in 2006. Having her with us as
our Centerpiece film is perfect as we celebrate 25 years. Looking
forward to the next 25 years, So Yong Kim will definitely be among
our most important filmmakers."

Closing out the 8-day fest will be the 2008 Academy Award® winning
Best Foreign Language Film DEPARTURES from director Yojiro Takita
presented on Thursday, May 7 at 7PM at the Aratani Japan America
Theatre in Little Tokyo in Downtown Los Angeles.

DEPARTURES, written by Kundo Koyama and directed by Yojiro Takita,
follows Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki), a devoted cellist in an
orchestra that has just been dissolved and who is suddenly left
without a job. Daigo decides to move back to his old hometown with
his wife to look for work and start over. He answers a classified ad
entitled "Departures" thinking it is an advertisement for a travel
agency only to discover that the job is actually for a "Nokanshi" or
"encoffineer," a funeral professional who prepares deceased bodies
for burial and entry into the next life. While his wife and others
despise the job, Daigo takes a certain pride in his work and begins
to perfect the art of "Nokanshi" acting as a gentle gatekeeper
between life and death, between the departed and the family of the
departed.. A story of love, of discovery, of revelation and of the
transcending human spirit, DEPARTURES is a delightful journey into
the heartland of Japan and is an astonishingly beautiful look at a
sacred part of Japan's cultural heritage.

"Filmmaker Takita has a style that is uniquely mesmerizing and
DEPARTURES is one of those films that promises to take audiences on
an unforgettable journey," states Shinae Yoon, VC Executive
Director. "Presenting Japan's first Best Foreign Language Oscar®
winning film is a perfect conclusion to the Silver Anniversary
Festival Week Activities .

Celebrating the 25th Anniversary, the Festival will present the 1988
Oscar® nominated documentary WHO KILLED VINCENT CHIN? from directors
Christine Choy and Renee Tajima Pena in a special screening slot on
Saturday, May 2 at 4PM in DGA 2. Filmmaker Pena will be on hand for
Q&A following the special screening. The film kicks off a special
retrospective series of Asian American films that VC will be
presenting over the next 12 months.

Other Highlights of the 25TH ANNIVERSARY LAAPFF include:

Filmmaker Seminars (open to public and filmmakers)

THE THREE WATCHMEN - One of the most highly anticipated films of
the year - WATCHMEN - was the closet thing to an Asian Amerian film
without an Asian American cast. Join the film's writer Alex Tse
(SUCKA FREE CITY), cinematographer Larry Fong (300) and editor
William Hoy (I-ROBOT) as they discuss the creation of the blockbuster
from the initial concept and design to the making of and final edit.
THE NEW HOTNESS - APA SEXUALTY IN MEDIA - Aside from Russell
Wong's watermelon scene in JOY LUCK CLUB, Asian American men rarely
get a chance to flaunt their sensuality on screen. Join this candid
conversation with some of today's hot talent who are now doing more
than just being the take-out delivery boy. At press time Leonardo
Nam and James Kyson Lee have been confirmed with more to follow.
DIRECTIONS IN TV - Indie filmmakers are beginning to straddle both
the feature film world and the television director sphere with great
success. For our Asian American filmmakers, the options seem to be
opening up. Special guest directors will explore these possibilities
and share personal insights into the unique environment of TV
directing. Sponsored by the Director's Guild of America.
WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH ASIAN AMERICAN FILM? - In the spirit of the
25th anniversary, join the discussion as we acknowledge, celebrate
and criticize the past, present and future of Asian American film
with two generations of media makers: the legendary Spencer Nakasako
(A.K.A. DON BONUS) and up and coming new school filmmaker Tadashi
Nakamura (A SONG FOR OURSELVES).
HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY - SUCKA FREE - So you want to be a
screenwriter? This is one of the Fest's most popular panels for new
and veteran filmmakers lead by Kris Young, Weiko Lin and special
guest Alex Tse. This panel is always an exciting 90 minutes where
these pros discuss the story writing process from idea to finished
script to the studio and beyond. Sponsored by Writer's Guild of
America, West.
ASIAN AMERICAN FEATURE FILMS
NARRATIVES

CHILDREN OF INVENTION - Tse Chun
DIM SUM FUNERAL - Anna Chi
ALL ABOUT DAD - Mark Tran
I AM THAT GIRL - B. Hayward Randall (written by Grace Rowe)
KARMA CALLING - Sarba Das
SHIRO'S HEAD - Don Mun; Kel Muna
TREELESS MOUNTAIN - So Yong Kim
WHITE ON RICE - David Boyle
DOCUMENTARIES

CLOSEST MEXICO TO JAPAN - Shinpei Takeda
MANILATOWN IS IN THE HEART - Curtis Choy
PATSY MINK: AHEAD OF THE MAJORITY - Kimberlee Bassford
THE REAL SHAOLIN - Alexander Lee
SOMEPLACE ELSE - Kai Duc Luong; Avisheh Mohsenin
TIGER SPIRIT - Min Sook Lee
VIETNAM OVERTURES - Stephane Gauger
WHATEVER IT TAKES - Christopher Wong
WHO KILLED VINCENT CHIN - Christine Choy; Renee Tajima Pena
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILMS

100 - Chris Martinez (Philippines)
ALL AROUND US - Hashiguchi Ryosuke (Japan)
BURMA VJ - Anders Ostergaard (Denmark)
THE CONVERT - Yasmin Ahmad (Malaysia)
DAYTIME DRINKING - Noh Young-seok (South Korea)
DEPARTURES - Yojiro Takita (Japan)
THE EMPEROR'S NAKED ARMY MARCHES ON - Hara Kazuo (Japan)
FUJIAN BLUE - Robin Weng (People's Republic of China)
GRANDMOTHER'S FLOWER - Mun Jeong-hyun (South Korea)
JAY - Francis Xavier Passion - (Philippines)
KOLORETTE - Ruelo Lozendo (Philippines)
KANCHIVARAM - Priyadarshan (India)
LALA'S GUN - Ning Jingwu (People's Republic of China)
LEFT HANDED - Laurence Thrush (Japan)
LOVE EXPOSURE - Sion Sono (Japan)
THE RAINBOW TROOPS - Riri Riza (Indonesia)
WINDS OF SEPTEMBER - Tom Shu-Yu Lin (Taiwan)
YAMAGATA SCREAM - Naoto Takenaka (Japan)
NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT - JAPAN
Japanese Cinema is once again becoming one of global cinema's
important story makers. This year, the LAAPFF is proud to present the
following six features hailing from Japan including the first non-
honorary Oscar® win for a Japanese feature film - DEPARTURES,
winner of the 2008 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and
the brand new four hour epic LOVE EXPOSURE.

ALL AROUND US - Hashiguchi Ryosuke
DEPARTURES - Yojiro Takita
THE EMPEROR'S NAKED ARMY MARCHES ON - Hara Kazuo
LEFT HANDED - Laurence Thrush
LOVE EXPOSURE - Sion Sono
YAMAGATA SCREAM - Naoto Takenaka
For ticket and program information, a complete listing of sponsors
and partners, and to purchase tickets, log on to www.vconline.org or
contact Visual Communications at (213) 680-4462 x68.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 5:37 PM | Comments (0)

City of Lights, City of Angels, our annual French film festival, kicks off tonight and opens to the public tomorrow. Tickets are available at www.colcoa.org. For information, call (310) 289-5346.

And now, Madames and Monsieurs, the complete program:

Monday April 20th
OPENING NIGHT GALA
THEATER 1
7:30pm

SOMEONE I LOVED (Je l'aimais)
International Premiere
Presented before its release in France

Film rescheduled on Saturday April 25th

Romance/Drama
Directed by: Zabou Breitman
Written by: Zabou Breitman, Agnès de Sacy
Based on the novel by: Anna Gavalda
With: Daniel Auteuil (Pierre), Marie-Josée Croze (Mathilde), Florence Loiret-Caille (Chloé), Olivia Ross (Christine), Christiane Millet (Suzanne)

Based on the eponymous novel by Anna Gavalda (also the author of Hunting and Gathering, adapted by Claude Berri and shown at COL•COA in 2007), Someone I Loved is the story of Pierre (Daniel Auteuil, Queen Margot, Girl On the Bridge, Caché), a married man who once fell deeply in love with another woman, but chose to stay with his wife. When he finds out that his son has left his wife Chloé (Florence Loiret-Caille, Let It Rain, Seventh Heaven), Pierre chooses to share this secret with her and tells her about his lifelong love for Mathilde (Marie-Josée Croze,The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Munich, The Barbarian Invasions). Reflecting on his choice and its dramatic consequences, he attempts to help his daughter-in-law understand and overcome her pain.

ABOUT ZABOU BREITMAN

Zabou Breitman started acting at age four and has appeared in many films, plays and TV movies, including: La Boum 2, C'est La Vie, Cuisine et Dépendances, My Little Business. In 2001, she made her directorial debut with Beautiful Memories (COL•COA Classics 2009), co-written with her father, and was awarded a César for Best First Film. While writing and directing short films, she returned to acting in more dramatic roles in Michel Deville's Almost Peaceful (COL•COA 2003), and Bruno Podalydès' The Perfume of the Lady in Black (2005). Her critically-acclaimed second feature film, The Man of My Life (2006) was released in the U.S. by Strand Releasing. Someone I loved is her third film and first novel adaptation. She successfully continues her parallel careers, and also acts in The First Day of the Rest of Your life (COL•COA 2009).

Followed by a discussion with Co-Writer/Director Zabou Breitman

Tuesday April 21st

THEATRE 3
2:30pm - 8:00pm
AN EYE TO THE FUTURE (of French cinema)
Special presentation of trailers of upcoming French films
Free admission

THEATRE 2
3:15pm
BABY LOVE (Comme les autres)
Los Angeles Premiere
Comedy/Romance

Written & Directed by: Vincent Garenq
With: Lambert Wilson (Manu), Pascal Elbé (Philippe), Pilar Lopez de Ayala (Fina), Anne Brochet (Cathy), Andrée Damant (Suzanne), Florence Darel (Isa), Marc Duret (Marc)

A seemingly perfect same-sex couple, Emmanuel (Lambert Wilson, Babylon A.D., Dante 01, Private Fears in Public Places, Not on the Lips (COL•COA 2004), The Matrix Revolutions ) and Philippe (Pascal Elbé, Father and Sons (COL•COA 2004), Cortex (COL•COA 2008), A Simple Heart ) are in love and satisfied with their professional life. Unfortunately, they disagree on one crucial issue: parenting. Philippe categorically refuses to have children, while Emmanuel has a visceral, almost irrational desire to have a child. But Emmanuel's attempts to fool the Social Services, or find a friend to carry a baby for him, all fail. When he meets Fina, an illegal Argentinean immigrant who agrees to be a surrogate mother if he marries her to give her legal status, Philippe refuses to accept the idea and moves out.

ABOUT VINCENT GARENQ

A former student at the film school La FEMIS, Vincent Garenq worked as location assistant in the 1990s on various films, including In The Eyes of the World (1991), Celestial Clockwork (1995) or The Proprietor (1996). He made two short films, Une Vie à Deux (1992) and Vita Sexualis (1994) then wrote and directed a series of documentaries for television (Les Petits Animaux Sauvages, Locomotion, Destination: World). From 2001 to 2004, he also directed various episodes of the popular French TV series Sous le Soleil. His documentary Let's Dance: Nougzar in Georgia won 2nd place for the Adult's Jury Award at the Chicago International Children's Film Festival. Baby Love is his first feature film.

THEATRE 2
5:30pm
HAPPY HOUR TALKS
Meet the Delegation: French Filmmakers Talk About American Cinema
Free admission with same-day ticket
Followed by a complimentary wine and cheese reception

THEATRE 1
7:30pm
SECRETS OF STATE (Secret Défense)
North American Premiere
Espionage/Thriller

Directed by Philippe Haïm
Written by: Philippe Haïm, Julien Sibony
With: Gérard Lanvin (Alex), Vahina Giocante (Diane/Lisa), Nicolas Duvauchelle (Pierre), Simon Abkarian (Al Barad), Rachida Brakni (Leïla/Chadia), Mehdi Nebbou (Ahmed), Aurélien Wiik (Jérémy)

Starring Gérard Lanvin (The Taste of Others, Choice of Arms) as Alex, director of the DGSE (the French equivalent of the CIA), Secrets of State is an espionage thriller about the war on terror. The film follows the parallel stories of Diane (Vahina Giocante) and Pierre (Nicolas Duvauchelle), two troubled young people who get involved on each side of the conflict: Diane as a former student turned Arab translator for the DGSE and Pierre as a small time drug dealer who converts to Islamic extremism in prison. Playing Gérard Lanvin's arch-nemesis is Simon Abkarian (Casino Royale, The Truth about Charlie) as the elusive terrorist mastermind Al-Barad.

ABOUT PHILIPPE HAÏM

After a first career as a successful conductor and composer for stage productions and for films such as Bertrand Tavernier's The Bait, Philippe Haïm started writing and directing films in 1994. His first short Descente was shown in more than 30 French and international film festivals and was followed by a first feature film, Barracuda, starring Jean Rochefort and Guillaume Canet (Tell No One, COL•COA 2007). He then wrote the screenplay to the thriller/comedy Like a Fish Out of Water, starring Monica Bellucci and Tchéky Karyo, and directed a second film, The Daltons, a Western comedy adapted from the French comic book Lucky Luke.

Followed by a discussion with Co-Writer/Director Philippe Haïm

THEATRE 2
7:15pm
LA BELLE PERSONNE
Drama/Romance
Los Angeles Premiere

Directed by: Christophe Honoré
Written by: Christophe Honoré, Gilles Taurand
With: Léa Seydoux (Junie), Louis Garrel (Nemours), Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet (Otto), Estéban Carjaval (Mathias), Simon Truxillo (Henri), Agathe Bonitzer (Marie)

An adaptation of La Princesse de Clèves, La Belle Personne is set in a contemporary French high-school. After the death of her mother, Junie arrives at her cousin Mathias' school in the middle of the year. A beautiful girl, she quickly attracts the attention of Mathias' male friends, who compete to win her heart. Although she starts a relationship with shy and reserved Otto (Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet, Strayed, Love Songs, In the Arms of My Enemy), soon a mutual passion develops between Junie and Italian teacher Nemours (Louis Garrel, The Dreamers, Inside Paris, Love Songs), an incorrigible seducer already involved in an affair with a fellow teacher and a student. While Junie resists what she sees as an illusion of love and remains faithful to Otto, Nemours becomes increasingly confused and falls in love with her.

ABOUT CHRISTOPHE HONORÉ

Christophe Honoré first made his mark writing novels and children's books dealing with sensitive topics such as AIDS or homosexual parenting, as in Close to Leo (1995), which he later adapted for television (released on DVD in the U.S. by Picture This! Entertainment). After writing for Les Cahiers du Cinéma under the pen name Roland Cassard, an homage to Jacques Demy, he made his first feature film, Seventeen Times Cécile Cassard (2002), presented at the Cannes Film Festival's Un Certain Regard. In 2004, he boldly adapted Georges Bataille's highly controversial novel My Mother, with Isabelle Huppert and his signature actor Louis Garrel in the title roles. Strongly influenced by New-Wave directors Godard and Truffaut, his following three features Inside Paris, Love Songs and La Belle Personne have confirmed Christophe Honoré as a rising figure in contemporary French cinema.

THEATRE 2
10:00pm
After 10 series
ME TWO (La personne aux deux personnes)
North American Premiere
Comedy

Written & Directed by: Bruno Lavaine, Nicolas Charlet
With: Daniel Auteuil (Jean-Christian), Alain Chabat (Gilles Gabriel), Marina Foïs (Muriel Perrache), François Damiens (the doctor), Denis Maréchal (the nurse), Joey Starr (himself), Fred Tousch (the teacher)

Daniel Auteuil (Queen Margot, Girl On the Bridge, Caché) has Alain Chabat (I Do, The Science of Sleep, the Taste of Others) stuck in his head for better or worse in multiple personality comedy Me Two. When corny pop singer Gilles Gabriel (Auteuil) dies in a car accident that involves the austere accountant Jean-Christian Ranu (Chabat), his spirit invades Ranu and they become two entities forced to share one body. Frustrated by this new existence that shows little prospect for excitement, Gilles is determined to make his long-awaited comeback through Jean-Christian, even though the latter seems light years away from being a pop star. Disconcerted at first to hear Gilles' voice talk through him, Jean-Christian gradually lets Gilles Gabriel take control of his personality.

ABOUT NICOLAS & BRUNO

Nicolas Charlet and Bruno Lavaine, A.K.A Nicolas & Bruno, started their career making music videos, commercials and jingles for television. Known for their skits Amour, gloire et débats d'idées (1997-1998) and most of all their cult classic series Message à caractère informatif (1998-2000) on French television channel Canal +, they also adapted the British TV series The Office (Le Bureau on Canal +), with François Berléand (Comedy of Power, Transporter 2) in the title role. In 2007, they co-wrote the successful 99 Francs (COL•COA 2008) with Jan Kounen, an adaptation of Frédéric Beigbeder's novel. For their first feature film as writer-directors, Nicolas & Bruno have teamed up with two of France's best comedians, Daniel Auteuil and Alain Chabat, whose Chez Wam also produced the film.

Wednesday April 22nd

THEATRE 2
1:30pm
COL•COA CLASSICS
BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES (Se souvenir des belles choses)
Drama/Romance
Directed by: Zabou Breitman

Written by: Zabou Breitman, Jean-Claude Deret
With: Isabelle Carré (Claire Poussin), Bernard Campan (Philippe), Zabou Breitman (Marie Bjorg), Julien Courbey (Stéphane), Maher Kamoun (Zizou), Bernard Le Coq (Christian Licht)

Love is confounded by illness in Beautiful Memories, a tragic love story between Claire (Isabelle Carré), a young woman suffering from memory loss and Philippe (Bernard Campan), a wine expert unable to deal with the recent death of his wife and child in a car accident. They meet in the mental institution where they have been placed and fall madly in love. While Philippe's condition improves with their relationship, Claire's memory loss and onset of Alzheimer's worsens. Although they move in together after their release from the hospital, her illness becomes a critical issue in their relationship. Screened at COL•COA in 2003, Beautiful Memories is the film chosen by the COL•COA audience to be rerun in 2009.

ABOUT ZABOU BREITMAN

Zabou Breitman started acting at age four and has appeared in many films, plays and TV movies, including: La Boum 2, C'est La Vie, Cuisine et Dépendances, My Little Business. In 2001, she made her directorial debut with Beautiful Memories (co-written with her father), and was awarded a César for Best First Film. While writing and directing short films, she returned to acting in more dramatic roles in Michel Deville's Almost Peaceful (COL•COA 2003), and Bruno Podalydès' The Perfume of the Lady in Black (2005). Her critically-acclaimed second feature film, The Man of My Life (2006) was released in the U.S. by Strand Releasing. Someone I Loved (COL•COA 2009) is her third film and first novel adaptation. She successfully continues her parallel careers, and also acts in The First Day of the Rest of Your life (COL•COA 2009).

THEATRE 3
2:00pm - 8:00pm
AN EYE TO THE FUTURE (of French cinema)
Special presentation of trailers of upcoming French films
Free admission

THEATRE 2
4:00pm
HAPPY HOUR TALKS
Foreign Film distribution
Free admission with same-day ticket
Followed by a complimentary wine and cheese reception

THEATRE 2
5:30pm
THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN (La Fille du RER)
West-Coast Premiere
Drama

Directed by: André Téchiné
Written by: André Téchiné, Odile Barski, Jean-Marie Besset
Based on the original work by: Jean-Marie Besset
With: Emilie Dequenne (Jeanne), Catherine Deneuve (Louise), Michel Blanc (Samuel Bleistein), Nicolas Duvauchelle (Franck), Mathieu Demy (Alex), Ronit Elkabetz (Judith)

Set in the low income suburbs of Paris where a series of spontaneous youth riots erupted in 2005, The Girl on the Train stars Catherine Deneuve and Emilie Dequenne (Rosetta, Brotherhood of the Wolf) as Louise and Jeanne, a mother and daughter caught in a lie that spins out of control. Desperate after being rejected by her lover Franck (Nicolas Duvauchelle, Secrets of State (COL•COA 2009) Jeanne mutilates herself and claims to have been assaulted in the train by a group of Black and Arab youths who mistook her for Jewish. Soon, the news is everywhere in the national media and Jeanne is forced to admit that she lied. Based on a true story predating the riots, The Girl on the Train portrays the explosive climate and the racial tensions that gave birth to the uprising.

ABOUT ANDRÉ TÉCHINÉ
Film critic turned filmmaker André Téchiné made his directorial debut with Pauline Is Leaving, presented at the Venice Film Festival in 1969. After Barocco (1976) and The Bronte Sisters (1979), two films with Isabelle Adjani, he co-wrote and directed Hôtel des Amériques (1981). A turning point in his career, it was the first of many films starring icon Catherine Deneuve in Téchiné's career. He quickly became a figure of contemporary French art house cinema after the provocative Rendez-vous (1985), co-written with Olivier Assayas and winner of the Best Director Prize at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival. Establishing his intensely personal style with the widely acclaimed My Favorite Season (1992) and Wild Reeds (1994), André Téchiné has explored sensuality, complex emotions and social issues in films such as Strayed (2003) The Witnesses (2007) or his latest opus The Girl on the Train.

THEATRE 1
6:00pm
HELLO GOODBYE
West Coast Premiere
Comedy

Directed by: Graham Guit
Written by: Graham Guit, Michael Lellouche
Based on a novel by: Moshe Gaash
With: Fanny Ardant (Gisèle), Gérard Depardieu (Alain), Jean Benguigui (Simon), Manu Payet (Shapiro), Lior Ashkenazi (Yossi), Claudine Baschet (grand-mother), Julien Baumgartner (Nicolas), Francoise Christophe (Alain's mother), Muriel Combeau (Mme Saint-Alban), Jean-François Elberg (Mr Sapin), Sasson Gabai (police chief)

The comfortable bourgeois existence of Alain (Gérard Depardieu) and Gisèle (Fanny Ardant) is challenged when their only son announces that he is getting married. Unsettled by this change, they decide to take a break and go on vacation in Israel, to put things in perspective and "explore Alain's Jewish roots." They have such a wonderful time that Gisèle suddenly wants to move there in search of a new life. Alain is reluctant about the idea but Gisèle convinces him and against the advice of their friends and family, they move to Israel. Once they arrive in the country, nothing goes as planned: their apartment is still in construction, Alain can't find a job and Gisèle falls for a handsome rabbi. Forced to question their identity, they reinvent themselves and give their life a new direction.

ABOUT GRAHAM GUIT

Graham Guit made two short films Caleb (1984) and Le Roman de Léo (1993) before writing and directing his first feature, Shooting Stars (1997), starring Melvil Poupaud (Time To Leave, Speed Racer) and Romane Bohringer (Savage Nights, The Chambermaid on the Titanic). After a second film with Poupaud, The Kidnappers (1998), Graham Guit directed Gérard Depardieu and Élodie Bouchez in Pact of Silence, a film based on the novel Sacred and Profane by Marcelle Bernstein. With Gérard Depardieu and Fanny Ardant, Graham Guit reunites the legendary duo of The Woman Next Door and Colonel Chabert, for his fourth feature Hello Goodbye, co-written with Michel Lellouche.

THEATRE 2
7:45pm
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MYSELF (Aide-toi et le Ciel t'aidera)
West-Coast Premiere
Comedy

Written & Directed by: François Dupeyron
With : Félicité Wouassi (Sonia), Claude Rich (Robert), Ralph Amoussou (Victor), Mamadou Dioume (Georges), Jacqueline Dufranne (Lise), Mata Gabin (Marijo), Raymond Gil (Mr Docase), Jean-Jacques Ido (Fer), Karim Kermaoui (Sylvain), Renée Lecalm (Mme Docase), Charles-Etienne N'Diaye (Léo)

Starring the French-African actor Félicité Wouassi (Café Au Lait, Hate, Happenstance) as the energetic Sonia, a mother of four struggling to make ends meet in the Parisian suburbs, With a Little Help from Myself deals with the serious topics of poverty and family conflict, but with humorous, Almodóvar-esque panache. Although she seems on the verge of a nervous breakdown as everything falls apart around her on the day of her daughter's wedding, the irrepressible Sonia is convinced that things will work out. She finds solace in her friendship with clever and crafty Robert (Claude Rich, Private Fears in Public Places, The Accompanist, Is Paris Burning?), one of her elderly patients, who offers to help her solve her problems with rather unorthodox methods.

ABOUT FRANCOIS DUPEYRON

A former IDHEC graduate, François Dupeyron was quickly noticed with a series of short films, particularly La Nuit du Hibou and Lamento, respectively, 1985 César for Best Short Documentary Film and 1988 César for Best Short Fiction Film. After the critically-acclaimed anti-war film Officer's Ward , screened in competition at the 2001 Cannes Film festival, his adaptation of a novel by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt, Monsieur Ibrahim, led by the stellar Omar Sharif (2004 César for Best Actor), was nominated for a Golden Globe in the category Best Foreign Film. Dupeyron has worked extensively with actor Gérard Depardieu, from his first feature A Strange Place to Meet (1988), to the fantasy thriller The Machine (1991) and the drama The Bridge (1999), co-directed by Depardieu. Dupeyron has also directed Love Reinvented, a TV series dealing with AIDS, and he co-wrote The Favorite Son with Nicole Garcia and Jacques Fieschi.

THEATRE 1
8:30pm
THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE (Le Premier jour du reste de ta vie)
U.S. Premiere
Drama/Comedy

Written & Directed by: Rémi Bezançon
With: Jacques Gamblin (Robert), Zabou Breitman (Marie-Jeanne), Déborah François (Fleur), Marc-André Grondin (Raphaël), Pio Marmaï (Albert), Cécile Cassel (Prune), Sarah Cohen-Hadria (Clara), Aymeric Cormerais (Sacha), François-Xavier Demaison (Doctor Marcaurel), Roger Dumas (Pierre), Philippe Lefèbvre (Philippe), Gilles Lellouche (White Rasta), Camille de Pazzis (Moïra), Jean-Jacques Vanier (Mathias Moreau), Stanley Weber (Éric)

The First Day of the Rest of Your Life portrays the life of a middle-class French family one character at a time, focusing on five pivotal moments that changed their lives and that of the family as a whole, starting with the day their son Albert (newcomer Pio Marmaï) moves out to live on his own. As events unfold individually for Marie-Jeanne (Zabou Breitman, Someone I Loved, Beautiful Memories [COL•COA Classics 2009]), Robert (Jacques Gamblin, Safe Conduct (COL•COA 2002), Hell Train) and their three children, the film shows the consequences on the other members of the family and the way they relate to each other. Respectively playing daughter Fleur and son Raphaël, Déborah François and Marc-André Grondin were awarded a 2009 César for Most Promising Actress/Actor.

ABOUT REMI BEZANÇON

A graduate of the École du Louvre and the film school ESRA, Rémi Bezançon wrote and directed various short films including Vikings (2001) and Paraboles (2003), before co-writing his first feature film Women For Sale (2004) with Jean-Claude Jean. He made his debut feature as Writer-Director in 2005 with the critically acclaimed Love Is in the Air (COL•COA 2005), starring Vincent Elbaz and Marion Cotillard (A Very Long Engagement, La Vie en Rose, COL•COA 2007). A critical and commercial success, The First Day of the Rest of Your Life is his second feature. He is also working with Vanessa Portal on the adaptation of Eliette Abécassis' novel, A Happy Event.

Followed by a discussion with Writer-Director Rémi Bezançon

THEATRE 2
10:00pm
After 10 Series
GOD'S OFFICES (Les Bureaux de Dieu)
West Coast Premiere
Drama/Comedy

Directed by: Claire Simon
Written by: Claire Simon, Natalia Rodriguez, Nadège Trebal
With: Nathalie Baye (Anne), Michel Boujenah (Dr. Lambert), Isabelle Carré (Marta), Béatrice Dalle (Milena), Nicole Garcia (Denise), Anne Alvaro (Dr. Marianne), Rachida Brakni (Yasmine), Lolita Chammah (Emmanuelle), Marie Laforêt (Martine), Emmanuel Mouret (Pierre)

Moved by what she experienced in a family planning center, Claire Simon crafted God's Offices using extensive material from a series of interviews and sessions that she did at the center over the course of seven years. Through various encounters among the women who come for help and their counselors, the film points to the essential role played by these centers and the complexity of the issues at stake. Combining non-professional actresses with an all-star cast including Nathalie Baye (Day For Night, The Green Room) Béatrice Dalle (Betty Blue, I Can't Sleep) and Nicole Garcia (Peril, Mon Oncle d'Amérique), God's Offices pays homage to the courage, dedication and empathy of these women.

ABOUT CLAIRE SIMON

After a first career as a film editor, Claire Simon trained at the Ateliers Varan and quickly found a strong affinity for "direct cinema," crafting a body of work that blurs the divide between fiction and non-fiction. Following her award-winning documentary Coûte que coûte (1996), she wrote and directed her first feature, A Foreign Body (1997), presented at Cannes during Cinémas en France, which won the SACD Grand Prize for Best Screenplay at the Journées Franco-Américaines d'Avignon. After a series of critically-acclaimed documentaries, including Recreation (1998), That's Just Like You (2000) and Mimi (2003), she returned to narrative features with On Fire (COL•COA 2007), also presented during the Cannes Directors' Fortnight. God's Offices is her third feature film.

Thursday April 23rd

THEATRE 2
2:00pm
COL•COA CLASSICS
THE SLEEPING CAR MURDERS (Compartiment Tueurs)
Thriller/Film Noir

Written and Directed by: Costa-Gavras
Based on a novel by: Sébastien Japrisot
With: Simone Signoret (Eliane Darrès), Yves Montand (Inspector Grazzi), Catherine Allégret (Bambi), Charles Denner (Bob), Pierre Mondy (Police Superintendant), Jacques Perrin (Daniel), Michel Piccoli (René Cabourg), Jean-Louis Trintignant (Eric)

Strongly reminiscent of American film noir and adapted from a detective novel written by Sébastien Japrisot (also the author of A Very Long Engagement ), The Sleeping Car Murders is Costa-Gavras' first film. In charge of investigating the murder of a young girl in a night-train from Marseilles to Paris, Inspector Grazzi (Yves Montand) gathers the five passengers who shared the same compartment. As he interviews them, they are murdered one by one. Costa-Gavras assembled an impressive cast for this successful first film, with some of the greatest actors of the time: Yves Montand (Wages of Fear, Z, Jean de Florette), Simone Signoret (Diabolique, Army of Shadows, Is Paris Burning? ) Michel Piccoli (Contempt, Belle de Jour) and Jean-Louis Trintignant (And God Created Woman, The Conformist, A Man and a Woman).

ABOUT COSTA-GAVRAS

After studying at the IDHEC film school, Costa-Gavras worked with Henri Verneuil, René Clément, Jacques Demy and Jean Becker as an assistant before writing and directing The Sleeping Car Murders in 1965. He quickly established a personal style with his trilogy Z (1969), The Confession (1971) and State of Siege (1973), winning two Oscars® (Best Film Editing and Best Foreign Language Film), as well as a Best Actor and Jury Prize at Cannes for Z. Confirming this success with Missing (Palme d'Or at Cannes and Oscar® for Best Screenplay), Music Box (1989), Amen (2002) or The Ax (COL•COA 2005), Costa-Gavras has become a household name in politically engaged cinema. Through genres as varied as thrillers, war films or dark comedies, he has produced an impressive body of work exploring History, politics and social issues. Costa-Gavras is currently President of the Cinémathèque Française and Honorary President of the Franco-American Cultural Fund.

THEATRE 3
2:00pm - 8:00pm
AN EYE TO THE FUTURE (of French cinema)
Special presentation of trailers of upcoming French films
Free admission

THEATRE 2
4:00pm
HAPPY HOUR TALKS
One-hour discussion with Costa-Gavras
Free admission with same-day ticket
Followed by a complimentary wine and cheese reception

THEATRE 2
5:30pm
COLCOA.doc
MODERN LIFE (La Vie moderne)
Los Angeles Premiere
Documentary
Directed by: Raymond Depardon

Award-winning photographer and documentary filmmaker Raymond Depardon goes back to his roots in Modern Life, the last film completing his trilogy on the rural area where he was born. A series of portraits of French farmers living in remote highlands filmed over a ten-year period, Modern Life documents their struggles, economic difficulties and concern with the future inheritance of their land, but also their hopes for the future. Although their way of life may appear as traditional or antiquated, as these farmers talk about their life and values, they seem remarkably in-tune with current environmental issues.

ABOUT RAYMOND DEPARDON

Photographer, journalist and filmmaker Raymond Depardon started his career as assistant to photographer Gilles Foucherand and war reporter for the agency Gamma, which he co-founded in 1966. While covering the 1969 events in Prague, he directed his first short film Jan Palach, about the Czech student who self-immolated to protest the Soviet occupation. Depardon has won many awards, including two César awards for Best Short Film Documentary with Reporters (1981) and New York, N.Y. (1986) and a Best Feature Documentary César in 1995 for Délits flagrants. He has also written and directed critically acclaimed narrative features, including Untouched by the West (2002) and Captive of the Desert, starring Sandrine Bonnaire, nominated for a Palme d'Or at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival. Presented in official selection at Cannes in 2004 and screened at COL•COA in 2005, his documentary The 10th District Court is an unprecedented look at the everyday proceedings in a French court.

THEATRE 1
6:00pm
FINAL ARRANGEMENTS (Bouquet Final)
U.S. Premiere
Comedy

Directed by: Michel Delgado
Written by: Michel Delgado, Christophe Riandee
With: Didier Bourdon (Gervais Bron), Marc-André Grondin (Gabriel), Bérénice Béjo (Claire), Marthe Keller (Nickye), Gérard Depardieu (Hugo), Chantal Neuwirth (Evelyne), Marilu Marini (Carmen), Valérie Bonneton (Marie Thanato), Michel Galabru (M. Froissard), Anne Girouard (Natacha)

Unable to succeed as a musician, struggling composer Gabriel (Marc-André Grondin, The First Day of the Rest of Your Life (COL•COA 2009), Che: Part Two) embarks on a corporate job search. After failing too many interviews, he accepts to work with an old friend as an executive in the funeral business, but hides the nature of his job to his artist parents and his new girlfriend Claire. Sent to train with Gervais Bron (Didier Bourdon, The Blood of Others, The Machine) a bitter funeral home director who had hoped to be promoted to his position, Gabriel gradually adapts to his new job until he finds out that Claire is the granddaughter of a client he has shamelessly robbed of all his savings.

ABOUT MICHEL DELGADO

A former journalist, Michel Delgado started writing in the early 1990s. After working on various comedies, including The Tenors (1993), Revenge of a Blonde (1994) and Two Dads and One Mom (1996), he co-wrote episodes for the popular television mini-series The Red Summer (2002). His latest projects include the adaptation of the comic book Corsican File (2004) and The Red Inn (COL•COA 2008) a remake of the Jean Aurenche & Claude Autant-Lara horror classic. He frequently collaborates with Christian Clavier and Gérard Jugnot, two well-known comedians whose comedy saga Les Bronzés was a huge boxoffice success in France. Michel Delgado has also acted in some of his films, including The Corsican File and The Tenors. Final Arrangements is his directorial debut.

THEATRE 2
7:45pm
LOUISE-MICHEL
West-Coast Premiere
Comedy

Written & Directed by: Benoît Delépine, Gustave Kervern
With: Yolande Moreau (Louise), Bouli Lanners (Michel), Benoît Poelvoorde (The mad scientist), Albert Dupontel (The madman), Philippe Katerine (The singer), Mathieu Kassovitz (the new farm landlord), Pierre Broodthaers (Pierrette), Terence Debarle (Terence), Robert Dehoux (The priest), Hervé Desinge (Poutrain), Yannick Jaulin (the banker), Jacqueline Knuysen (Jackie)

After the sudden shutdown of their company, the factory workers, led by Louise (played by the iconic Yolande Moreau, 2009 César for Best Actress in Séraphine), are determined to get their revenge on the CEO responsible for the relocation. They hire Michel (Belgian actor Bouli Lanners, A Very Long Engagement, When the Sea Rises, I Always Wanted to Be a Gangster), an incompetent hit man who proves unable to do the job. Louise decides to take matters in her own hands and teams up with Michel to hunt down the "boss." Along the way, the eccentric duo encounter a mad scientist (Benoît Poelvoorde, Man Bites Dog, The Return of James Battle (COL•COA 2005), Podium), a singer (famous French pop artist Philippe Katerine) and a farmer played by Writer-Director-Actor Mathieu Kassovitz (Babylon A.D., Munich, Amélie, La Haine), who also co-produced the film.

ABOUT BENOÎT DELÉPINE AND GUSTAVE KERVERN

Well-known TV personalities on French TV channel Canal +, Benoît Delépine and Gustave Kervern have been writing comedy and satire for television since the 1990s on popular shows Les Guignols de l'Info, Le Plein de Super and Groland. In 2004 and 2006, they wrote and directed their exuberantly dark and surrealist first two features Aaltra (COL•COA 2005) and Avida. For their third feature, named after 19th century French revolutionary Louise Michel, Benoît Delépine and Gustave Kervern wanted to make "a film somewhere between the Dardenne and the Coen Brothers"..."a social western where the best of people can become villains, and where the villains are criminals on a never-seen before scale".

THEATRE 1
8:30pm
EDEN IS WEST (Eden à l'ouest)
West-Coast Premiere
Drama

Directed by: Costa-Gavras
Written by: Costa-Gavras, Jean-Claude Grumberg
With: Riccardo Scamarcio (Elias), Juliane Koelhler (Christina), Ulrich Tukur (Nick Nickelby), Éric Caravaca (Jack), Anny Duperey (the lady with a jacket), Bruno Lochet (Yann)

Starring Italian actor Riccardo Scamarcio (Now or Never, Go Go Tales), Eden is West follows the trials and tribulations of Elias, a young man immigrating to Europe from an undisclosed location in the Mediterranean. Consciously avoiding treating the topic in a factual manner, Eden is West is less a film about immigration than a universal parable about a man trying to find a home in an unfamiliar and hostile land. As he eventually makes his way to Paris, helped by some and rejected by others, Elias is confronted with violence, humiliation, cruelty but also kindness, empathy and compassion. His journey brings to mind images from Homer's The Odyssey, Voltaire's Candide or The Stranger by Camus.

ABOUT COSTA-GAVRAS

Costa-Gavras worked with Henri Verneuil, René Clément, Jacques Demy and Jean Becker as an assistant before writing and directing The Sleeping Car Murders (COL•COA 2009) in 1965. He quickly established a personal style with his trilogy Z (1969), The Confession (1971) and State of Siege (1973), winning two Oscars® (Best Film Editing and Best Foreign Language Film), as well as a Best Actor and Jury Prize at Cannes for Z. Confirming this success with Missing (Palme d'Or at Cannes and Oscar® for Best Screenplay), Music Box (1989), Amen (2002) or The Ax (COL•COA 2005), Costa-Gavras has become a household name in politically engaged cinema. Through genres as varied as thrillers, war films or dark comedies, he has produced an impressive body of work exploring History, politics and social issues. Costa-Gavras is currently President of the Cinémathèque Française and Honorary President of the Franco-American Cultural Fund.

Followed by a discussion with Co-Writer/Director Costa-Gavras

THEATRE 2
10:00pm
After 10 series
THE GIRL FROM MONACO (La Fille de Monaco)
West-Coast Premiere
Comedy/Drama

Directed by: Anne Fontaine
Written by: Anne Fontaine, Benoît Graffin
With: Fabrice Luchini (Bertrand Beauvois), Roschdy Zem (Christophe Abadi), Louise Bourgoin (Audrey Varella), Stéphane Audran (Edith Lassalle), Gilles Cohen, Jeanne Balibar, Pierre Bourgeon

Bertrand Beauvois (Fabrice Luchini, The Discreet, Full Moon in Paris, The Aviator's Wife, Colonel Chabert) is a brilliant lawyer hired to defend criminal Edith Lassalle (Stéphane Audran, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, Babette's Feast, The Butcher) at a high-profile trial in Monaco. Given the sensitive nature of the case, the overzealous bodyguard Christophe (Roschdy Zem, Bad Faith (COL•COA 2007), Days of Glory) is assigned to protect him. However, the danger seems to come less from organized crime than from local weather girl Audrey Varella (newcomer Louise Bourgoin, a real life personality on French TV channel Canal +). A stunning beauty, Audrey seduces and enthralls the otherwise austere lawyer, who falls head over heels for her.

ABOUT ANNE FONTAINE

A former actress and dancer, Anne Fontaine started her career as assistant director on a stage adaptation of Céline's Journey to the End of the Night and won the Jean Vigo Prize with her first feature Love Affairs Usually End Badly (1992). After the provocative Dry Cleaning (COL•COA 1998), Best Screenplay Award at the Venice Film Festival in 1997, she confirmed her talent for creating complex and sexually ambiguous characters with Nathalie (COL•COA 2004). Acclaimed for her psychological dramas How I Killed My Father (Best Actor César in 2002 for Michel Bouquet) and In His Hands (COL•COA 2006), Anne Fontaine has also collaborated with her brother Jean-Chrétien Sibertin-Blanc for her Augustin trilogy. Starring Audrey Tautou, her new Film Coco Before Chanel is based on Edmonde Charles-Roux's biography about the fashion designer.

Friday April 24th

THEATRE 2
1:30pm
COL•COA CLASSICS
TCHAO PANTIN
Drama/Film Noir

Directed by: Claude Berri
Written by: Claude Berri, Alain Page
Based on the novel by: Alain Page
With: Coluche (Lambert), Richard Anconina (Bensoussan), Philippe Léotard (Inspector Bauer), Agnès Soral (Lola), Ahmed Ben Ismaël (Mahmoud), Albert Dray (Sylvio), Mickaël Pichet (Mickey), Mahmoud Zemmouri (Rachid)

Starring famous stand-up comedian Coluche in an unlikely dramatic role, Tchao Pantin has become a classic example of post-noir 1980s French cinema. Coluche is Lambert, a middle-aged alcoholic who works nights in a Parisian gas station. He has no friends or family and lives alone. One night, he meets small time criminal and drug dealer Bensoussan (Richard Anconina), who becomes his only friend. When Bensoussan is killed in front of him, Lambert goes into a rampage to avenge his friend, assisted by young delinquent Lola, an acquaintance of Bensoussan. This murdering rage brings his tragic past to the surface and forces him to deal with his old demons.

ABOUT CLAUDE BERRI (1934 - 2009)

Claude Berri was a writer, director, producer, actor, and one of the most prominent figures of French cinema. He adapted various French novels, turning them into widely popular films: Germinal (1993), Jean de Florette (1986) and Manon of the Spring (1986). His work as a writer/director is very eclectic and ranges from film noir to more personal films about love and relationships like One Stays, the Other Leaves (2005). Claude Berri was one of France's most successful producers. In addition to his own films, he produced Tess (1979), Valmont (1989), The Bear (1998) and adaptations of the comic book Astérix. In 2007, his film Hunting and Gathering, based on a novel by Anna Gavalda, won the Audience award at COL•COA. In 2008, both the COL•COA Audience award (Welcome to the Sticks) and COL•COA Critic award (The Secret of the Grain) were films produced by Claude Berri. Highly respected in the film industry, Claude Berri managed to produce both mainstream films and art house cinema.

THEATRE 3
2:00pm - 8:00pm
AN EYE TO THE FUTURE (of French cinema)
Special presentation of trailers of upcoming French films
Free admission

THEATRE 2
3:45 pm
HAPPY HOUR TALKS
Young audiences and foreign film
Free admission with same-day ticket
Followed by a complimentary wine and cheese reception

THEATRE 2
5:15 pm and 7:20pm
Film Noir Series
MESRINE: A FILM IN TWO PARTS
Thriller/Drama
Los Angeles Premiere

Directed by: Jean-François Richet
Written by: Abdel Raouf Dafri
With: Vincent Cassel (Jacques Mesrine), Cécile De France (Jeanne Schneider), Gérard Depardieu (Guido), Ludivine Sagnier (Sylvia), Mathieu Amalric (François), Gérard Lanvin (Charlie), Elena Anaya (Sofia), Myriam Boyer (Mesrine's mother), Anne Consigny (The Lawyer), Michel Duchaussoy (Mesrine's Father), Roy Dupuis (Jean-Paul Mercier), Olivier Gourmet (Commissaire Broussard), Gilles Lellouche (Paul), Florence Thomassin (Sarah)

Few people have marked the collective French consciousness like Jacques Mesrine, a charismatic and megalomaniac gangster who reached rock star status in the 1970s in France and Canada through a series of robberies, bloody abductions, extravagant escapes and a knack for manipulating the media. Based on Death Instinct, the autobiography he wrote in prison, Mesrine: A Film in Two Parts portrays Mesrine from his formative years during the war in Algeria to his spectacular death, being gunned down in his car by police sharpshooters. Led by French star actor Vincent Cassel (Eastern Promises, Ocean's Twelve and Thirtheen) as Mesrine, the film boasts an impressive cast, including Gérard Depardieu as his mentor Guido, Cécile de France (A Secret (COL•COA 2008), Avenue Montaigne (COL•COA 2006), Ludivine Sagnier (Swimming Pool, A Girl Cut in Two) and Mathieu Amalric (Munich, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly).

ABOUT JEAN-FRANÇOIS RICHET

Born in the Parisian suburbs, Jean-François Richet grew up in the projects and worked in a factory before making films. This working class experience and a passion for the works of Russian masters Eisenstein and Dziga Vertov led him to write and direct two acclaimed first features, the politically militant Inner City (1995) and Ma 6-T va crack-er (1997), an almost prophetic look at a potential explosion of violence in the Parisian suburbs. After his third feature All About Love (2001), a love story set in the suburbs, he was hired to remake Assault on Precinct 13 in the U.S (2005), a fast-paced action thriller starring Ethan Hawke, Gabriel Byrne and Laurence Fishburne. With the critical and commercial success of Mesrine: A Film in Two Parts, he confirms his talent for tackling social and political themes in action films.

Followed by a discussion with Director Jean-François Richet

THEATRE 1
5:45 pm
OSS 117, LOST IN RIO (OSS 117, Rio ne répond plus)
International Premiere
Presented one week after its release in France
Comedy/Adventure

Directed by: Michel Hazanavicius
Written by: Michel Hazanavicius, Jean-François Halin
Based on the original work by: Jean Bruce
With: Jean Dujardin (Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath/OSS 117), Louise Monot (Dolorès), Alex Lutz (Heinrich), Rüdiger Vogler (Von Zimmel), Pierre Bellemare (Lesignac), Laurent Capelluto (Kutner), Moon Dailly (The countess), Serge Hazanavicius (Staman), Philippe Hérisson (Mayeux), Reem Kherici (Carlotta), Ken Samuels (Trumendous), Walter Shnorkell (Fayolle)

More than a decade after his mission to Cairo (OSS117: Cairo Nest of Spies, COL•COA 2008), chauvinist and "so French" spy Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath, a.k.a OSS 117 is sent to Rio in search of a microfilm that could compromise the French state. Just as he was unaware of the colonial reality and ignorant of Muslim culture in Cairo, OSS117 is completely oblivious to the cultural and political changes happening in the world of the1960s. Assigned to capture Von Zimmel, a former Nazi, he is forced to team up with Dolorès (Louise Monot), an attractive Mossad lieutenant, and Von Zimmel's son Heinrich (Alex Lutz), a young hippie rebelling against his father.

ABOUT MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS

Michel Hazanavicius started his career on French television channel Canal + in 1988, writing skits for popular Saturday Night Live style TV show "Les Nuls" and TV parodies such as Le Grand Détournement or Derrick contre Superman. After writing and directing various short films, he co-wrote his first feature film in 1996, Delphine 1, Yvan 0, and made his debut as writer/director with Mes Amis in 1999, starring Yvan Attal (Rush Hour 3, Munich, The Interpreter). From 1999 to 2005, he directed more than 40 commercial films and co-wrote the television documentary Rwanda: History of a Genocide (2004). After the worldwide success of his second feature film, OSS 117: Cairo Nest of Spies, he returns with a new adventure adapted from Jean Bruce's character.

Followed by a discussion with Co-Writer/Director Michel Hazanavicius

THEATRE 1
8:30 pm
SO CLOSE (Tellement proches)
World Premiere
Comedy

Written & Directed by: Eric Tolédano and Olivier Nakache
With: Vincent Elbaz (Alain), Isabelle Carré (Nathalie), Audrey Dana (Catherine), François-Xavier Demaison (Jean-Pierre), Joséphine de Meaux (Roxane), Omar Sy (Bruno)

Alain (Vincent Elbaz, Would I Lie to You, Maybe, Le Péril Jeune) met Nathalie (Isabelle Carré, Private Fears in Public Places, The Horseman on the Roof, Beaumarchais The Scoundrel) while working at a Club Med. When he married her, he didn't realize he was also marrying her sister Catherine (Audrey Dana, Roman de Gare (COL•COA 2008), Welcome (COL•COA 2009)) and her brother-in-law Jean-Pierre (François-Xavier Demaison, Coluche, L'histoire d'un mec). Alain has less and less patience for their overbearing presence in his life. Tackling the subject of family ties and conflict in their signature light-hearted humor, writer-director duo Éric Tolédano and Olivier Nakache return to COL•COA with the World Premiere of their new comedy So Close, three years after winning the COL•COA Audience Award forThose Happy Days (2006).

Followed by a discussion with Writer-Directors Eric Tolédano and Olivier Nakache

THEATRE 2
10:30 pm
Film Noir Series
SPY(IES) (Espion(s))
Espionage/Thriller

Written & Directed by: Nicolas Saada
With: Guillaume Canet (Vincent), Géraldine Pailhas (Claire), Stephen Rea (Palmer), Hippolyte Girardot (Simon), Hiam Abbass (Wafa), Bruno Blairet (Gérard) Jamie Harding (Fouad), Archie Panjabi (Anna), Vincent Regan (Peter Burton), Alexander Siddig (Malik)

Art house thriller Spy(ies) stars French heart-throb Guillaume Canet (Tell No One (COL•COA 2007), Hunting and Gathering (COL•COA 2007), The Beach) as Vincent, a baggage handler at a Paris airport recruited by the French counterintelligence. Vincent and his colleague Gérard often commit petty theft on the job, an unfortunate habit that proves fatal for Gérard, who dies in the explosion of a perfume bottle found in a Syrian diplomatic suitcase. Accused of being an accessory to the crime, Vincent is forced to cooperate and go on a mission to London in exchange for amnesty. Upon arrival, his local MI5 contact Palmer (Stephen Rea, V For Vendetta, The Confessor) instructs him to seduce the wife of a pharmaceutical executive suspected to be linked with the terrorists. Vincent follows orders but quickly becomes emotionally involved and confused about his feelings for her.

ABOUT NICOLAS SAADA

A renowned film critic for Les Cahiers du Cinéma, Nicolas Saada is well-known for his radio show dedicated to film soundtracks on Radio Nova, "Nova fait son cinema." He started writing for film and television in 2000 with Le Détour and The Sandmen, two films directed by Pierre Salvadori. In 2004, he wrote and directed his first short film Les Parallèles, starring Géraldine Pailhas and Mathieu Amalric (Munich, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly). He worked with Arnaud Desplechin on the adaptation of a play by Edward Bond, In the Company of Men and collaborated with Jean-Pierre Salomé on the screenplay for Arsène Lupin (COL•COA 2005). From 1992 to 1998, he was also in charge of fiction programs for French TV channel Arte, in collaboration with Pierre Chevalier. His first film as Writer-Director, Spy(ies) was released in early 2009 to rave reviews and box office success.

Saturday April 25th

THEATRE 2
11:00 am
LOUISE-MICHEL
West-Coast Premiere
Comedy

Written & Directed by: Benoît Delépine, Gustave Kervern
With: Yolande Moreau (Louise), Bouli Lanners (Michel), Benoît Poelvoorde (The mad scientist), Albert Dupontel (The madman), Philippe Katerine (The singer), Mathieu Kassovitz (the new farm landlord), Pierre Broodthaers (Pierrette), Terence Debarle (Terence), Robert Dehoux (The priest), Hervé Desinge (Poutrain), Yannick Jaulin (the banker), Jacqueline Knuysen (Jackie)

After the sudden shutdown of their company, the factory workers, led by Louise (played by the iconic Yolande Moreau, 2009 César for Best Actress in Séraphine), are determined to get their revenge on the CEO responsible for the relocation. They hire Michel (Belgian actor Bouli Lanners, A Very Long Engagement, When the Sea Rises, I Always Wanted to Be a Gangster), an incompetent hit man who proves unable to do the job. Louise decides to take matters in her own hands and teams up with Michel to hunt down the "boss." Along the way, the eccentric duo encounter a mad scientist (Benoît Poelvoorde, Man Bites Dog, The Return of James Battle (COL•COA 2005), Podium), a singer (famous French pop artist Philippe Katerine) and a farmer played by Writer-Director-Actor Mathieu Kassovitz (Babylon A.D., Munich, Amélie, La Haine), who also co-produced the film.

ABOUT BENOÎT DELÉPINE AND GUSTAVE KERVERN

Well-known TV personalities on French TV channel Canal +, Benoît Delépine and Gustave Kervern have been writing comedy and satire for television since the 1990s on popular shows Les Guignols de l'Info, Le Plein de Super and Groland. In 2004 and 2006, they wrote and directed their exuberantly dark and surrealist first two features Aaltra (COL•COA 2005) and Avida. For their third feature, named after 19th century French revolutionary Louise Michel, Benoît Delépine and Gustave Kervern wanted to make "a film somewhere between the Dardenne and the Coen Brothers"..."a social western where the best of people can become villains, and where the villains are criminals on a never-seen before scale".

THEATRE 2
1:00 pm
CHILDHOODS (Enfances)
Drama/Comedy

Directed by: Yann Le Gal, Isild Le Besco, Joana Hadjithomas, Khalil Joreige, Ismaël Ferroukhi, Corinne Garfin, Safy Nebbou
Written by: Yann Le Gal
With: Julie Gayet (Fritz Lang's mother), Clotilde Hesme (Gabrielle), Isild Le Besco (Orson Welles's aunt), Elsa Zylberstein (Ingmar Bergman's mother), Grégoire Azouvy (Alfred Hitchcock), Brandon Darai (Orson Welles), Maxime Juravliov (Jacques Tati), Virgil Leclaire (Fritz Lang), Eliott Margue (Jean Renoir), Max Renaudin (Ingmar Bergman)

Written by Yann Le Gal and directed by several young filmmakers, Childhoods is a series of vignettes recreating moments in the childhood of iconic filmmakers Fritz Lang, Jacques Tati, Orson Welles, Jean Renoir, Ingmar Bergman and Alfred Hitchcock. Based on the idea that a single moment can profoundly influence one's artistic direction, each segment takes a real-life incident or anecdote in the filmmaker's early life and imagines how it relates to his future body of work. It is also a young generation paying homage to the filmmakers that influenced them, and more than an object of curiosity reserved to cinephiles, Childhoods is a film about the lasting impact of our worst childhood fears.

Yann Le Gal has written several films and docudramas for television, including Corps Perdus (2008) and Joséphine (2006). He wrote all the segments in Childhoods and directed one of them, A Secret Beyond the Door. He gathered an eclectic group of directors for the project, from newcomers Corinne Garfin and actress turned filmmaker Isild Le Besco (The Untouchable, Girls Can't Swim, Backstage) to established Writer-Directors Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige (I Want To See, Around the Pink House, Cendres), Safy Nebbou (The Giraffe's Neck, Mark of an Angel) and Ismaël Ferroukhi (Too Much Happiness, Zero Guilt, Le Grand Voyage).

THEATRE 1
2:15 pm
SOMEONE I LOVED (Je l'aimais)
Presented before its release in France
Romance/Drama

Directed by: Zabou Breitman
Written by: Zabou Breitman, Agnès de Sacy
Based on the novel by: Anna Gavalda
With: Daniel Auteuil (Pierre), Marie-Josée Croze (Mathilde), Florence Loiret-Caille (Chloé), Olivia Ross (Christine), Christiane Millet (Suzanne)

Based on the eponymous novel by Anna Gavalda (also the author of Hunting and Gathering, adapted by Claude Berri and shown at COL•COA in 2007), Someone I Loved is the story of Pierre (Daniel Auteuil, Queen Margot, Girl On the Bridge, Caché), a married man who once fell deeply in love with another woman, but chose to stay with his wife. When he finds out that his son has left his wife Chloé (Florence Loiret-Caille, Let It Rain, Seventh Heaven), Pierre chooses to share this secret with her and tells her about his lifelong love for Mathilde (Marie-Josée Croze,The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Munich, The Barbarian Invasions). Reflecting on his choice and its dramatic consequences, he attempts to help his daughter-in-law understand and overcome her pain.

ABOUT ZABOU BREITMAN

Zabou Breitman started acting at age four and has appeared in many films, plays and TV movies, including: La Boum 2, C'est La Vie, Cuisine et Dépendances, My Little Business. In 2001, she made her directorial debut with Beautiful Memories (COL•COA Classics 2009), co-written with her father, and was awarded a César for Best First Film. While writing and directing short films, she returned to acting in more dramatic roles in Michel Deville's Almost Peaceful (COL•COA 2003), and Bruno Podalydès' The Perfume of the Lady in Black (2005). Her critically-acclaimed second feature film, The Man of My Life (2006) was released in the U.S. by Strand Releasing. Someone I loved is her third film and first novel adaptation. She successfully continues her parallel careers, and also acts in The First Day of the Rest of Your life (COL•COA 2009).

THEATRE 2
3:00 pm
A DAY AT THE MUSEUM (Musée haut, musée bas)
West Coast Premiere
Comedy

Written and Directed by: Jean-Michel Ribes
With: Michel Blanc (Mosk), Victoria Abril (Clara), Pierre Arditi (Henri Province), Josiane Balasko (The mother wearing Chanel), Isabelle Carré (Carole Province), André Dussollier (The Minister), Gérard Jugnot (Roland Province), Valérie Lemercier (Valérie), Fabrice Luchini (The Guardian), Yolande Moreau (Madame Stenthels), François Morel (Hervé Parking), Daniel Prévost (Maurice Bagnole), Muriel Robin (La dame Kandinsky)

Based on Jean-Michel Ribes' widely successful play, translated in many languages and played abroad after its two-year run in Paris, A Day at the Museum is a satire of the art world and its pretentious attitudes toward novelty or "high culture" that also boldly pokes fun at neophyte art fans. Boasting a dizzying cast of well-known actors, including Victoria Abril, Pierre Arditi, Josiane Balasko, Michel Blanc, André Dussollier, Fabrice Luchini or Muriel Robin, A Day at the Museum also features cameos from Writer-Director Tonie Marshall, Producer Dominique Besnehard, Writer-Director Jean-Michel Ribes and former Canal plus CEO Pierre Lescure. From a Minister of Culture admiring a photo exhibit of private parts to a group of provincial visitors obsessed with the Impressionists, A Day at the Museum is a joyfully mad succession of clever repartee and absurdist humor reminiscent of Monty Python.

ABOUT JEAN-MICHEL RIBES

At the age of twenty, Jean-Michel Ribes created his theater troupe La Compagnie du Pallium (1966) and quickly made his mark in French theater circles. He started writing and directing films in the 1970s with Out of Whack (1979) and became known to a larger audience in 1988, when he wrote the successful comedy series Palace for French TV channel Canal plus, starring Philippe Khorsand. He also co-wrote and directed the comedies The King's Cake (1986) and Every Man For Yourself (1993) and adapted Sacha Guitry's play Faisons Un Rêve for television (1996). After a ten-year hiatus, he returned to cinema in 2006 with the award-winning Private Fears in Public Places, directed by Alain Resnais, which he adapted from a play by Alan Ayckbourn. Director of the Parisian Theâtre du Rond-Point since 2001, he remains an essential figure of French theater while pursuing his film career.

THEATRE 3
1:00pm - 8:00pm
AN EYE TO THE FUTURE (of French cinema)
Special presentation of trailers of upcoming French films
Free admission

THEATRE 1
5:00 pm
A FRENCH GIGOLO (Cliente)
Los Angeles Premiere
Comedy/Drama

Written & Directed by: Josiane Balasko
Based on a novel by: Josiane Balasko
With: Nathalie Baye (Judith), Eric Caravaca (Patrick/Marco), Josiane Balasko (Irène), Isabelle Carré (Fanny), George Aguilar (Jim), Marilou Berry (Karine), Catherine Hiegel (Maggy), Félicité Wouassi (Rosalie)

In A French Gigolo, Nathalie Baye (Day For Night, The Green Room, Venus Beauty Institute) is Judith, a successful divorcee in her 50s who hires male escorts on the Internet. Cynical and confident, she wants sexual pleasure without emotional attachment. She meets Marco (Eric Caravaca), a shy young married man who makes an unlikely gigolo. Madly in love with his wife Fanny (Isabelle Carré), a hairdresser who knows nothing about his secret profession, Marco finds himself prostituting to make ends meet and feels uneasy in this role. Things get complicated when the relationship between Judith and Marco becomes serious and Fanny finds out.   

ABOUT JOSIANE BALASKO

Writer-director Josiane Balasko is also one of the most prominent actresses in France. She became famous, along with her theater troupe Le Splendid, for a series of comedies that have become cult classics in France: The Bronzés saga and Le Père Noël est une ordure. Her dramatic role in Too Beautiful For You is also among her most celebrated performances. She started writing and directing in the mid-1980s with All Mixed Up and Lady Cops. In 1995, she won a César award for Best Screenplay with her comedy French Twist, also nominated for a Golden Globe and released in the U.S. in 1996 to rave reviews. Her seventh feature film, A French Gigolo is based on a novel she wrote and adapted to the big screen.

Followed by a discussion with Writer/Director/Actress Josiane Balasko

THEATRE 2
5:30 pm
GROWN-UPS (Les Grandes personnes)
Los Angeles Premiere
Comedy/Romance

Directed by: Anna Novion
Written by: Anna Novion, Béatrice Colombier, Mathieu Robin
With: Jean-Pierre Darroussin (Albert), Anaïs Demoustier (Jeanne), Lia Boysen (Annika), Jakob Eklund (Per), Björn Gustafsson (Johan), Judith Henry (Christine), Anastasios Soulis (Magnus)

Single father Albert (Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Conversations With My Gardener, A Very Long Engagement, The Taste of Others) likes to take his daughter Jeanne (Anaïs Demoustier, La Belle Personne (COL•COA 2009), Time of the Wolf ) on vacation trips across Europe every year. Although she tags along, those journeys are less designed for her than to fulfill Albert's own interests, including an adolescent passion for treasure hunting metal detectors. For her 17th birthday, he takes her to Sweden to look for the lost treasure of a famous Viking. Upon arrival, they realize that the house they have rented is already occupied by Annika and Christine. This sudden change of plans destabilizes Albert's well organized vacation, to the sheer delight of his daughter, who opens up to a new world through the presence of these two emancipated women.

ABOUT ANNA NOVION

Writer-Director Anna Novion studied producing at the University of Saint-Denis and wrote a thesis on Ingmar Bergman at the University of Jussieu in Paris. Before Grown-Ups, Anna Novion wrote and directed three short films: Frédérique est française (2000), Chanson entre deux (2001) and On prend pas la mer quand on la connaît pas (2004). Part French part Swedish, she chose to set her first feature film in Sweden, while vacationing in her family house on an island in the Gothenburg archipelago.

THEATRE 2
8:00 pm
SÉRAPHINE
Los Angeles Premiere
Drama/Biopic

Directed by: Martin Provost
Written by Martin Provost and Marc Abdelnour
With: Yolande Moreau (Séraphine de Senlis), Ulrich Tukur (Wilhelm Uhde), Anne Bennent (Anne-Marie Uhde), Adélaïde Leroux (Minouche), Geneviève Mnich (Mme Duphot), Nico Rogner (Helmut Kolle)

Based on the life of Séraphine de Senlis, an unknown turn of the century naïve painter, Séraphine tells the story of a poor and mentally ill housekeeper inhabited by an incredible talent. Séraphine, played by Yolande Moreau (Amélie, The Last Mistress), works for German art collector Wilhelm Uhde (Ulrich Tukur), who accidentally discovers one of her paintings in a local art salon. Fascinated by her talent, Uhde wants to show her work but WWI forces him to flee the country. In 1927, Udhe finds his protégée destitute but still painting. As the Great Depression forces him to delay his plans for her a second time, this new disappointment precipitates Séraphine's descent into madness. The film shows the complexity and limitations of their relationship but also the pain and violence of her visceral need to paint.

ABOUT MARTIN PROVOST

Writer-director Martin Provost started his career as an actor, onscreen in films by Tonie Marshall or Claude Zidi and onstage for six years at the Comédie Française. He wrote and directed his first feature Tortilla and Cinema in 1996, a Franco-Spanish co-production with Castilian star Carmen Maura. Following his critically acclaimed Song from within, Provost's third feature Séraphine brought him worldwide recognition as well as national accolades, including seven César awards, including Best Picture of the year and Best Original screenplay. He is also the author of two short films J'ai peur du noir (1990) and Cocon (1992), various plays and a novel, Aime-moi vite (1993).

THEATRE 1
8:30 pm
QUEEN TO PLAY (Joueuse)
Presented the day of the World Premiere at the Tribeca International Festival
Drama

Written & Directed by Caroline Bottaro
With: Sandrine Bonnaire (Hélène), Kevin Kline (Kröger), Jennifer Beals (The American Woman), Valérie Lagrange (Maria), Francis Renaud (Ange), Laurence Colussi (Pina), Didier Ferrari (Jacky), Alexandra Gentil (Lisa), Dominic Gould (The American Man), Daniel Martin (Chess Club President), Alice Pol (Natalia), Élisabeth Vitali (Marie-Jeanne)

Starring Franco-American duo Sandrine Bonnaire (Her Name Is Sabine (COL•COA 2008),Vagabond, Under The Sun of Satan, The Ceremony) and Kevin Kline (The Pink Panther, French Kiss, Cry Freedom, Sophie's Choice), Queen To Play portrays the emancipation of a woman through chess playing. Sandrine Bonnaire plays Hélène, a hotel chambermaid whose life is transformed when she sees a couple play chess at the hotel. Obsessed by the game and the desire to master it, she meets Kröger (Kevin Kline), an American expat who teaches her how to play and becomes her mentor. American actress Jennifer Beals (Flashdance, The Grudge 2, The Anniversary Party) also stars in the film.

Followed by a discussion with Producer Dominique Besnehard

Sunday April 26th

THEATRE 2
11:00am
Rerun To be announced
Free Admission

THEATRE 1
1:00 pm
Closing Film in competition
WELCOME
North American Premiere
Drama

Directed by: Philippe Lioret
Written by: Philippe Lioret, Emmanuel Courcol, Olivier Adam
With: Vincent Lindon (Simon), Firat Ayverdi (Bilal), Audrey Dana (Marion), Selim Akgül (Zoran), Derya Ayverdi (Mina), Jean-Pol Brissart (The Judge), Firat Celik (Koban), Behi Djanati Atai (Mina's mother), Thierry Godard (Bruno), Murat Subasi (Mirko), Olivier Rabourdin (the police lieutenant)

An ode to the abandoned immigrants trapped on the shores of Calais and the good Samaritans who take risks to help them, the ironically titled Welcome stars popular French actor Vincent Lindon (Betty Blue, The School of Flesh, Seventh Heaven) as Simon and talented newcomer Firat Ayverdi as Bilal, in his first role. Simon gives shelter and swimming lessons to illegal Kurd immigrant Bilal, who wants to cross the channel and join his fiancée in England. Although Simon and Bilal develop a sincere father-son relationship, Simon takes the risk of being arrested for helping an illegal immigrant in the desperate hope of impressing his estranged wife Marion (Audrey Dana, Roman de Gare (COL•COA 2008)), with whom he is still deeply in love. Released in March 2009 in France after premiering at the Berlinale, Welcome has already fueled many debates with its politically controversial stance.

ABOUT PHILIPPE LIORET

A former sound engineer, Philippe Lioret turned to filmmaking in 1993 with a first feature Lost in Transit, for which he won a Silver Seashell award for Best Director and OCIC Award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. He followed with the comedy Tenue Correcte Exigée (1997) and two critically-acclaimed feature films starring Sandrine Bonnaire: Mademoiselle (2001) and The Light (COL•COA 2005). In 2007, his adaptation of a novel by Olivier Adam, Don't Worry, I'm Fine, became a critical and commercial success in France, winning many awards including an Étoile d'Or for Best Screenplay and revealing the talent of young actress Mélanie Laurent (César, Lumière award and Étoile d'Or for Most Promising Actress).

THEATRE 2
1:30 pm
A SHORT AFTERNOON (Part 1)
Official competition of Short films
Free Admission

3:30 - 4:45 pm
GRAND LOBBY OF THE DGA
13TH ANNIVERSARY CAKE AND COFFEE
DRAWING OF THE WIN A TRIP TO PARIS CONTEST

THEATRE 2
4:15 pm
A SHORT AFTERNOON (Part 2)
Official competition of Short films
Free Admission

THEATRE 1
4:45 pm
Rerun To be announced
Free Admission

Posted by Bob Strauss at 4:52 PM | Comments (0)

Give the big Hollywood studios credit for at least releasing the off-its-meds and possibly satanic Observe and Report on the same weekend they flooded theaters with the pasteurized, processed cheese-wiz of Hannah Montana.
The angry Anti-Blart comedy would have been the perfect antidote to Miley Cyrus' mind-numbing plattitude parade (and that other mall cop movie's juvenile appeal) had O & R been actually funny and put together coherently. As it stands, the movie provides Seth Rogen with a nice acting stretch, but isn't strong enough to counteract the wave of unreal (and unimaginative) idiocy that the likes of Blart, Montana and those fume-huffing Fast & Furious leadfoots are riding to oxygen-starved boxoffice heights.
Cinema that's actually observant and reportorial came to L.A. by two very different routes from the Middle East this weekend.
The Song of Sparrows is the latest work from Iran's Majid Majdi. Like many films from that demonized country, it's an astonishing combination of humanism and naturalistic artistry.
Reza Naji, whose weathered rock of a face would typecast him as a criminal mastermind in the West, plays a hardworking father of three with a short temper and a resilient drive to do anything to provide for his family. When an ostrich escapes from the farm where he's employed, Naji's Karim gets fired and accidentally discovers that he can make pretty good money using his motorcycle as a taxi for Tehran businessmen. Each evening he returns to his rural home with useful junk from the big city strapped on the back of his bike, and soon Karim's yard is filled with treasures tradition dictates he share with his grateful neighbors.
Yes, Song of Sparrows is something of a comedy, especially when Karim's rambunctious kids get his goat. But he's fundamentally a decent and loving man, and when his newfound prosperity leads to all manner of subtle moral choices, the movie becomes an ethical drama of a high order.
Majidi and his cinematographer Tooraj Mansoouri are geniuses at composition, and whether Karim is chasing a ridiculous bird around dry grass hills or negotiating bustling streets and bursting warehouses on his bike, the images shimmer with painterly control that never looks obtrusive. The visual metaphor of turning rubbish into something attractive and useful is masterfully deployed throughout. Grammy-nominated composer Hossein Alizadeh's sitar-based score, one of the most memorable you'll likely hear all year, completes a near-perfect picture that tells the simplest of stories in a constantly surprising and believable manner.
Storytelling is something that Norma Khouri, the subject of the fascinating and shrewdly put together Australian documentary Forbidden Lie$, is also very good at. She wrote a book about a childhood friend of hers in Amman, Jordan who was the victim of an honor killing. It sold well to lots of First World readers who were moved and appalled by this horrific Arab tradition, and it made the charismatic Khouri a media celebrity Down Under, where she settled after her success made returning to her home country risky.
Because, y'know, the FBI usually gets its man. As it turns out, Khouri spent most of her pre-literary life in Chicago, where there's still pretty good evidence that she was quite an adept con-artist. According to many of its politely outraged citizens - including women who have dedicated their lives and professions to combating the relatively rare practice of murdering a wayward sister or daughter - her non-fiction book got just about every detail about Jordan and its culture wrong.
Oh, and the friend who'd become a posthumous martyr for women's rights and a symbol of everything Westerners automatically believe is so very, very bad about the Islamic world? Even when Khouri takes Forbidden's increasingly skeptical director Anna Broinowski on a fact-proving trip to Amman, the possibility that the dead girl ever actually existed remains improbable at best.
But not impossible. Facile - and highly entertaining at it - liar though she is, Khouri often manages to turn up a kernel of evidence to throw our doubts into doubt. Broinowski plays along, formally anyway, by restaging scenes that probably never happened and calling attention to filmmaking artifice. The result is perhaps the cleverest work of cinematic subterfuge (non-fiction division) this side of Orson Welles' F for Fake.
A consummate fabulist like Khouri deserves no less a tribute.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 11:28 PM | Comments (0)

Filmmakers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck ("Half Nelson") have a way of making completely natural, almost verite-feeling dramas that nonetheless look carefully composed and stick to a subtle storytelling discipline.
"Sugar" is the nickname of a young Domincan pitcher (Algenis Perez Soto, a baseball player from the island in real life) who gets tapped to go pro in the States. It's the sweet-natured Sugar's life goal, but a stint on a farm team in Iowa quickly turns surreal for the Spanish-speaking athlete - and nightmarish as the pressures of the game and his own investment in it mount.
Appropriately, non-professional actor Soto doesn't say much and, luckily, is very good at expressing Sugar's mounting bewilderment and anxiety through facial expressions and body language. The filmmakers have a wonderful way of framing him in commonplace environments - a comfy farmhouse, a game arcade, ballparks of course - from angles that makes them seem quite alien. And the Anglos Sugar encounters may seem to border on caricature, but we're really just seeing them from the point of view of someone who can't understand what they're saying, and often finds their real intentions even more puzzling.
Like "Half Nelson" turned the inspiring teacher genre on its ear by injecting serious human frailty into the formula, "Sugar" undercuts both sports movie and immigrant story conventions with honest psychology and true behavior. It may seem to drift near the end, but that's only because Sugar himself has awakened from his desperately clutched American dream and is wondering, like any citizen, what to do next.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 2:02 PM | Comments (0)

Too bad there are only 15 seats at the Mann Chinese in Hollywood equipped with the synchronized, motion-coded marvel that allows you to feel a prety good approximation of every engine rev, high-speed swerve, connecting punch and blast of foot-chase adrenaline in the otherwise ignorable, original untalented cast reuniting fourth "Fast & Furious" destructo derby.
The Canadian company's motion designers put 300-plus hours into creating movements for their hi tech chairs to match the action and noise on the screen. It usually only comes into play when something starts moving or gets fired (like a gun), but feeling a ripple or a roll begin in your seat is always a welcome sensation - especially once you figure out it usually signals the end of a dumb dialgoue sequence.
The seats have three intensity settings, but only the wimpiest of wimps will want to dial theirs' down to anything less than full. The seats don't buck and tilt with anything like the fervor of, say, Disneyland's Star Tours ride - it's more like a cross between a pleasant sit in a massage chair and a stimulating off-road drive over not particularly rugged terrain.
I had more fun with it when I raised my feet off the floor; others' pleasure may vary.
Each seat is comfortably upholstered and has a wrought-iron cup holder. Again, the movements never get amusement-park wild, but I would suggest drinking some of your beverage down before the show stars, and keeping lids on tight.
Lots of thought and some real artistry went into designing the seat motions. It remains to be seen how much D-BOX could enhance an actually good movie, but for junk like F&F, it definitely makes the stupid things worth sitting through - if not actually watching.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 2:52 PM | Comments (0)

The 13th Annual City of Lights, City of Angels film festival, a comprehensive sampling of the last 12 months' worth of Gallic cinema, starts April 20 at the Directors Guild Theatres. For information and tickets, click here.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 5:10 PM | Comments (0)

For L.A. residents who just couldn't get their Subcontinental movie fix from the Oscar-winning "Slumdog Millionaire," tickets for a huge feast of Indian cinema go on sale today.

Here's the press release:

The 7th Annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) announces the full schedule of films for the 2009 edition of the popular festival which runs April 21-26, including five feature films making their world premiere, five features making their U.S. premiere, and five features making their L.A. debut.

Celebrating its 7th anniversary in a year where Indian cinema has come to the forefront both in the national and international consciousness, IFFLA has firmly established itself as the first and largest film festival worldwide devoted to a greater appreciation of Indian cinema and culture through showcasing films, honoring entertainment industry performers and business executives, and promoting the diverse perspectives of the Indian diaspora. The six-day festival is set to open on Tuesday, April 21 at ArcLight Hollywood Cinemas with the World Premiere of Anand Surapur's THE FAKIR OF VENICE, and close on Sunday, April 26 with Megan Doneman's YES MADAM, SIR a documentary profiling Dr. Kiran Bedi, the first woman to join the Indian Police Service and a controversial and inspiring figure in India. Dr. Bedi will be in attendance as a guest of honor that evening along with director, Doneman.

Surapur's THE FAKIR OF VENICE is about a hustler who is tasked with finding a fakir - a holy man, known for performing feats of endurance. Instead he finds a poor man who buries himself in sand on the beach to collect money from passersby and tourists. Together, the two con men venture to Venice, finding themselves in a strange land where their culture is commodified and exploited for artistic, political and spiritual purposes. Ultimately, they are forced to examine the course of their individual lives. Produced by Phat Phish Motion Pictures, the film stars noted filmmaker Farhan Akhtar, in his acting debut and Anu Kapoor. Surapur and Akhtar will both be attending the festival.

Regarding the film's premiere, Akhtar said, "It is an honor to have THE FAKIR OF VENICE open the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles. The film is an apt representation of a new kind of Indian cinema and I hope it will serve as a window through which the world can glimpse this evolution. Anand Surapur has been pushing the creative boundaries in television, music and film for years and this opportunity and recognition is truly well deserved. Congratulations to him and the entire team at Phat Phish." An entertainment company on the pulse of contemporary Indian media/entertainment, Phat Phish Motion Pictures also is behind the feature QUICK GUN MURUGUN, screening at IFFLA this year.

Highlights of the 2009 program include high profile films from women including Nandita Das's directorial debut, FIRAAQ, Deepa Mehta's HEAVEN ON EARTH (the follow up to her Academy Award-nominated film, WATER), Sooni Taraporevala's LITTLE ZIZOU (executive produced by Mira Nair), and Nina Paley's animated SITA SINGS THE BLUES. The films lead an impressive list of nine films helmed by female filmmakers at this year's festival.

Highly anticipated this year will be the salute to Bollywood legend Anil Kapoor one of Indian cinema's most significant and popular personalities. The salute will include screenings of Kapoor's classic films LAMHE (1991) and VIRASAT (1997) as well as the world premiere of the English language version of GANDHI, MY FATHER (2007). Kapoor produced the film which explores the cost Mahatma Gandhi's own family bore due to his efforts to free the nation of India.

As part of IFFLA's ongoing commitment to supporting and showcasing restored prints of Indian classic films, the festival will pay homage to BR Chopra by screening his classic, NAYA DAUR. One of the great Indian filmmakers, B.R. Chopra was famous for making hit Bollywood musicals with socially relevant themes. NAYA DAUR is arguably his most famous work, as it tackled the conflict between traditional Gandhian ideals and modern technology. The visually stunning restored colorized print will display the film in all its splendor on ArcLight Hollywood's screen.

CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Suneel Gupta will officially launch the Kahani Movement at IFFLA. The brothers are co-founders of the film project to capture and share stories from Indians that immigrated to the United States. Kahani accomplishes this by motivating second-generation Indian Americans to pick up a camera, interview their parents, and then post that footage to a central website. "These cherished stories are evaporating along with the people who lived them," says co-founder Dr. Sanjay Gupta. "It is our generation's responsibility to preserve those stories, so that they are never lost." The process of collecting the stories has informally taken place for nearly a year prior to this official unveiling.

Also among IFFLA's featured events will be a dinner to honor those selected for Korn/Ferry International's list of 25 Most Influential South Asian executives in the U.S. entertainment and media industry. The list was created to recognize senior executives of South Asian background who have excelled in various roles within the entertainment business community.

The Opening and Closing Night Galas will feature music by DJ Sandeep Kumar and performances by Project Pulse, the popular Indian/Bollywood Fusion dance and drama team that incorporates an eclectic mix of styles. Chakra Cuisine will again delight with its delectable Indian-inspired feast, complimented with libations from Malibu Family Wines, official wine sponsor of IFFLA 2009, and Western Liquors.

IFFLA Festival Director Christina Marouda notes this year's festival is very significant due to Hollywood's enthusiastic embrace of SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE and the recent surge of business taking place between Mumbai and Los Angeles. "IFFLA is solidifying itself as a key touchstone in the US for the Indian entertainment industry at a time when the Indian film industry and the film business community in Hollywood are truly coming together."

Five feature-length films will be making their world premiere at IFFLA 2009. Those films include the narrative features BOMBAY SUMMER; THE FAKIR OF VENICE; GANDHI, MY FATHER (English version), 7 DAYS IN SLOW MOTION and the documentary feature LEAVING HOME: THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF INDIAN OCEAN. The short films CURIOUS TODD AND THE MYSTERY DREAM; THE JOURNEY; and MUSIC BINDS ALL will also make their world premiere.

Five feature-length films will be making their U.S. premiere. That group includes the documentaries CHILDREN OF THE PYRE; SUPERMEN OF MALEGAON; the narrative films THE DAMNED RAIN (Gabhricha Paus); QUICK GUN MURUGUN and SIDDHARTH THE PRISONER. The short films DHIN TAK DHA; EYES OF SILENCE; A MANGO TREE IN THE FRONT YARD and THE PASSION OF CRICKET will also make their U.S. debut.

Five feature length films will be making their Los Angeles debut. They include the narrative films FIRAAQ; HEAVEN ON EARTH; KANCHIVARAM; LITTLE ZIZOU; and the documentary YES MADAM, SIR. The short films ANDHERI; BATTLE OF THE ALBUM COVERS, CANADA; EYES OF SILENCE; KAVI; KEY TUMI?; NARMEEN and SUKRIT'S SUNDAYS will also screen for the first time in Los Angeles.

The IFFLA full festival lineup, curated by a team including esteemed India-based senior programmer Uma Da Cunha, will showcase 20 features (15 narrative and 5 documentary) and 16 shorts for a total of 36 films representing 5 countries.

The 2009 IFFLA films (in alphabetical order) are:

FEATURE LENGTH NARRATIVE

BOMBAY SUMMER - DIR/SCR: Joseph Mathew Varghese (USA/India)
Cast: Tannishtha Chatterjee, Samrat Chakrabarti, Jatin Goswami, Gaurav Dwivedi
Three young people from very different backgrounds form a fleeting and delicate friendship as they attempt to make their way in modern day Bombay.
English/Hindi (English subtitles)

THE DAMNED RAIN (Gahricha Paus) - DIR/SCR: Satish Manwar (India)
Cast: Girish Kulkarni, Sonali Kulkarni, Jyoti Subhash, Veena Jamkar, Ammanul Attar
A young wife worries about her husband as farmers commit suicide everyday in a drought ridden village in Maharashtra.
Marathi (English subtitles)

THE FAKIR OF VENICE - DIR/ED: Anand Surapur (India)
Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Anu Kapoor, Kamal Sidhu
A black comedy, where a fakir, a mystic known for performing feats of endurance, is taken to Venice by a con man to be featured in an installation art exhibit.
English

FIRAAQ - DIR: Nandita Das (India)
Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Paresh Rawal, Deepti Naval, Raghuveer Yadav
The directorial debut of acclaimed actress Nandita Das, FIRAAQ follows the emotional journeys of various people dealing with the aftermath of the 2002 Gujarat Riots.
English

GANDHI, MY FATHER - DIR/SCR: Feroz Abbas Khan (India)
Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Bhoomika Chawla, Darshan Jariwala, Shefali Shetty
The film is a rare exploration of Gandhi's family and the pains they experienced living in his shadow as he struggled to free a nation.
English

HEAVEN ON EARTH - DIR/SCR: Deepa Mehta (Canada)
Cast: Preity Zinta, Vansh Bhardwaj, Balinder Johal, Rajinder Singh Cheema, Ramanjit Kaur
Preity Zinta stars as a young woman who retreats into fantasy to deal with her oppressive marriage into a family of frustrated Punjabi immigrants living in Canada.
Punjabi/English (English subtitles)

KANCHIVARAM - DIR/SCR: Priyadarshan (India)
Cast: Prakash Raj, Shriya Reddy, Shammu
When his daughter is born, a silk weaver begins stealing bits of silk every day so he can provide a sari for her eventual wedding day, but his dream collides with his efforts to unionize his fellow weavers in 1940's South India.
Tamil (English subtitles)

LAMHE - DIR: Yash Chopra (1991) (India)
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Sridevi, Anupam Kher, Waheeda Rehman
A Rajasthani prince leaves home and moves to London in an attempt to escape the tragic loss of the woman he loved, only to cross paths with her daughter 18 years later.
Hindi (English subtitles)

LITTLE ZIZOU - DIR/SCR: Sooni Taraporevala (India)
Cast: Boman Irani, Sohrab Ardeshir, Zenobia Shroff, Shernaz Patel, Imaad Shah, John Abraham
The Mumbai Parsi community is viewed through the eyes of a soccer-mad eleven-year-old when the lives of its quirky residents are uprooted by the rivalry between a newspaper publisher and a self-proclaimed religious leader.
Hindi (English subtitles)

NAYA DAUR - DIR/PROD: B.R. Chopra (1957) (India)
Cast: Dilip Kumar, Vijayanthimala, Ajit, Jeevan
When an entrepreneurial man from the city takes over the main business in a small village and attempts to modernize it by replacing the workers with machines, the villagers unite to show the heartless businessman that they can outperform his fancy contraptions.
Hindi (English subtitles)

QUICK GUN MURUGUN - DIR: Shashank Ghosh (India)
Cast: Rajendra Prasad, Ramba, Naseer, Raju Sundaram, Vinay Pathak, Anu Menon
A hilarious curry western from Southern India in which a gunslinging vegetarian crusader is murdered by a homicidal bandit who wants to force everyone to eat meat, only to be reincarnated in modern day India to face his nemesis once more.
English

7 DAYS IN SLOW MOTION - DIR: Umakanth Thumrugoti (India)
Cast: Teja, Kunal Sharma, Shiva Varma, Rajeshwari Sacdev, Ayesha Jaleel
A boy and his friends set out to make a film in seven days after chancing upon a filmmaker's lost camera.
Hindi & English (English subtitles)

SIDDARTH THE PRISONER - DIR/SCR/ED: Pryas Gupta (India)
Cast: Rajat Kapoor, Sachin Nayak, Praddip Sagar, Pradip Kabra
Recently released from prison, a novelist's attempts to reconcile with his family are derailed when the briefcase with his latest manuscript is accidentally switched with one filled with a gangster's money.
Hindi (English subtitles)

SITA SINGS THE BLUES - DIR/PROD/SCR/ED: Nina Paley (USA)
Cast: Annette Hanshaw, Aseem Chhabra, Manish Acharya, Bhavana Nagulapally, Reena Shah
Set to 1920's jazz vocals, this animated film retells the mythological story of Rama and Sita from a hilarious, modern and refreshingly female perspective.
English

VIRASAT - DIR: Priyadarshan (1997) (India)
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Tabu, Pooja Batra, Amrish Puri, Milind Gunaji
After finishing college in London, a young man returns home to his village in India to be caught in-between ambition and familial responsibilities as he looks to set right a world torn apart by hatred and violence.
Hindi (English subtitles)

FEATURE LENGTH DOCUMENTARY

AIR INDIA 182 - DIR/SCR: Sturla Gunnarsson (India)
Cast: Gurpreet Chana, Ujjal Dosanjh, Michael Hamper, Baljinder Singh
A personal and multilayered examination of one of the most deadly terrorist attacks in history.
English

CHILDREN OF THE PYRE - DIR/PROD/DP: Rajesh S. Jala (India)
Featuring: Ravi, Gagan, Yogi, Ashish, Manish, Sunil, Kapil
At the sacred cremation grounds in Varanasi along the Ganges River adolescent boys try to support themselves any way they can.
Hindi (English subtitles)

LEAVING HOME: THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF INDIAN OCEAN - DIR Jaideep Varma (India)
Featuring: Susmit Sen, Asheem Charkravarty, Rahul Ram, Amit Kilam
This music documentary captures the unique sounds and sensibilities of the four men who make music together as Indian Ocean.
English & Hindi (English subtitles)

SUPERMEN OF MALEGAON - DIR/PROD: Faiza Ahmad Khan (India)
Featuring: Sheikh Nasir, Akram Khan, Shafique, Farogh Jafri
Armed with a small camera, a desktop computer, and their passion for movies, a small group of filmmakers work feverishly on their own project for, by, and of the people.
Hindi (English subtitles)

YES MADAM, SIR - DIR/DP/ED: Megan Doneman (Australia/India)
Narrator: Helen Mirren
Featuring: Kiran Bedi
An evocative look at the extraordinary and controversial career of Dr. Kiran Bedi, the first woman to join the Indian Police Service.
Hindi & English (English subtitles)

SHORTS

ABRIDGED - DIR/PROD/SCR: Arjun Rihan (USA)
The daily commute is disrupted when two Golden Gate bridge supports fall in love... with each other.
No Dialogue

ANDHERI - DIR/SCR: Sushrut Jain (India/USA)
Tragic fate intervenes when a live-in maid decides to run away from her domineering employer in Mumbai.
Hindi (English subtitles)

BATTLE OF THE ALBUM COVERS - DIR: Rohitash Rao (USA)
Iconic rock-and-roll album covers fight to the death.
English

CANADA - DIR/SCR: Anjali Sundaram (USA)
A teenage girl is forced to cope when her irresponsible mother uproots her and her siblings for a sudden move to Canada.
English

CURIOUS TODD AND THE MYSTERY DREAM - DIR: Ganesh Gothwal, Rahul Jogale (India)
When his water tank goes dry, Todd tries to rein in a nearby rain cloud before learning an important environmental lesson.
No dialogue

A DAY'S WORK - DIR/SCR: Rajeev Dassani (USA)
In this Student Academy Award winning short, a simple job escalates into a violent misunderstanding between a family and the immigrant laborers they have hired to help them move.
English/Spanish (English subtitles)

DHIN TAK DHA - DIR/SCR: Shraddha Pasi (India)
A film-obsessed villager sees the hard work that goes into entertainment while driving a traditional theater troupe around rural India.
Hindi (English subtitles)

EYES OF SILENCE - DIR: Avi Sidhu (India)
An explosives expert has a crisis of conscience while carrying out a terrorist mission.
No dialogue

THE JOURNEY - DIR/SCR: Ashish R. Shukla (India)
A man takes an emotional boat ride on the Ganges River.
No Dialogue

KAVI - DIR/PROD/SCR: Gregg Halvey (India)
A young boy tries to lead his family out of bonded labor in a brick kiln.
Hindi (English subtitles)

KEY TUMI? - DIR/PROD/SCR: Kunal Sen (Canada/India)
With a guitar, a catchy tune and an inquisitive mind a young boy tries to combat stage fright.
English

A MANGO TREE IN THE FRONT YARD - DIR/PROD/SCR: Raveendran Pradeepan (France)
In war-torn Sri Lanka, even walking home from school proves to be dangerous for three children.
Tamil (English subtitles)

MUSIC BINDS ALL - DIR: Pushpendra Prakash Sagar, Sharad Mante (India)
Indian tribal art styles come together through the power of music.
No Dialogue

NARMEEN - DIR/SCR: Dipti Gogna (India)
During the partition of India, a young Muslim mother tries to cope with the loss of her child by befriending a little Sikh boy.
Hindi/Punjabi (English subtitles)

THE PASSION OF CRICKET - DIR/SCR: Shyam A. Salunke (India)
The sport of cricket infects the daily lives of everyone in the city of Mumbai.
No Dialogue

SUKRIT'S SUNDAYS - DIR/PROD/SCR: Vasant Nath (India)
Young Sukrit (Tanay Chheda from SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE) learns the importance of his weekly trips to see his grandfather.
No Dialogue

Tickets go on sale on April 1 at ArcLight Hollywood Cinema's box office located at 6360 W. Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, CA and online at www.arclightcinemas.com.

Festival passes will be available starting April 1 at www.itsmyseat.com/IFFLA.html.

For more information on IFFLA please go to www.indianfilmfestival.org.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 4:46 PM | Comments (0)

Kiyoshi Kurosawa is no relation to the legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. K.K.'s latest release, though, seems inspired by the work of another genius from Japan's greatest filmmaking generation, Yasujiro Ozu.
For awhile, anyway. "Tokyo Sonata" plays like an observant, deceptively simple family drama for its first two acts, informed by larger social forces (in this case, catastrophic job losses). So Ozu so far, and so good, though getting a little boring around the hourlong mark. But then true weirdness sets in; not of the semi-supernatural kind found in such signature K.K. works as "Cure," "Pulse" and "Charisma," but certainly bizarre and unsettling enough to turn "Sonata" from a homage into a genuine Kurosawa movie.
Before that happens, the film charts the family-atomizing effect when the breadwinner Ryuhei (Teruyuki Kagawa), a middle-aged middle manager, has his office unit outsourced to China and can't articulate his skills to suddenly curious higher-ups.
Soon jobless, Ryuhei can't break the news to his stay-at-home wife Megumi (Kyoko Koizumi) or their two sons, and pretends to go to work for weeks while really hanging out with other truth-hiding ex-salarymen and learning to enjoy the fare at a soupline for the homeless.
There's a sentimental storyline about the youngest boy, Kai (Kenji Sasaki), spending his lunch money on secret piano lessons. But this is mostly a film about the psychological dissolution of individuals and their family unit as the reality of bad economic times gradually becomes evident.
But like I said, it also takes some downright loony plot turns in the stretch. If you ask me, Kurosawa does a wonderful job of shifting the film's tone from depressive realism to, well, melancholic absurdism (look for Japanese superstar - and Kurosawa regular - Koji Yakusho as a much too self-coscious thief). Others might have trouble swinging along with the movie's mood, but that's its distinctive strength - along with Kurosawa's keen understanding of people's fragile egos and relationships to home, society and work.
Even with an unconvincing upbeat ending and minus his usual, otherworldly elements, Kurosawa has still made a disturbing, even scary movie.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 3:32 PM | Comments (0)

Well, really, it is a great story about a little movie that was orphaned when the studio specialty division that commissioned it got shut down, its parent conglomerate Warner Bros. didn't know what to make of it and was about to send it straight to DVD, and the best specialty division in the whole business (a subsidiary, ironically, of the worst big studio, Fox) turned it into its first, long sought-after best picture winner.
"Dark Knight's" still a much better movie, though.
I hope the poor Indian kids they brought over for the event get to go to Disneyland.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 9:02 PM | Comments (0)

Well, the best man won. But we love ya, Mick. Don't fall off the wagon over this.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 8:53 PM | Comments (0)

The biggest surprise of the night is a sentimental Japanese movie beating out the scintillating and internationally acclaimed French and Israeli entries for foreign language film. But then, considering the unadventurous crowd who votes for these things, that really isn't much of a surprise at all.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 8:33 PM | Comments (0)

Slumdog Middlebrow. Slumdog Middlebrow. Slumdog Middlebrow. Every time it wins something, I feel like I'm reliving a traumatic past experience.
Every. Bloody. Repetitious. Time.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 8:32 PM | Comments (0)

A little bit of Jerry Lewis goes a long way. At least the Oscar show seemed to understand that.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 8:25 PM | Comments (0)

So, Will Smith's ridiculous "serious" movie didn't get any nominations. Yet he gets more Oscar show airtime than any actor in, like, history, presenting all the post-production categories. Guess being the biggest moneymaker in Hollywood does carry some clout with this academy crowd. Um, note to voting members: "Dark Knight" broke the $1 billion worldwide ticket sales record last week. And it was a zillion times better than "Seven Pounds."

Posted by Bob Strauss at 7:56 PM | Comments (0)

The good, good, good - really, the best - bad guy wins. Love ya, Heath. Always will.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 7:25 PM | Comments (0)

Y'know, however great its storytelling prowess, however hard-earned its few moments of uplift were (and I defy anyone to tell me there was a more genuinely hopeful moment in all of last years' cinema than the two ferry boats' passengers refusal to destroy the other craft to save their own), "The Dark Knight" was a comic book movie, and therefore not realistic enough to be considered best picture material by this crowd.
A man who ages backwards and a poor kid whose horrific experiences just happen to provide him with all the answers on the quiz show that will fulfill his deepest dreams made the cut, though.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 7:15 PM | Comments (0)

Note to Ben Stiller: Joaquin Phoenix impersonations are not the new blackface. They were old hat by the time Craig Ferguson came on.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 7:01 PM | Comments (0)

Five awards in, and the biggest surprise was the cut to Brangelina while Jennifer Aniston was announcing the animation nominees. Wish they would have done that when the Japanese director of the short cartoon winner was stumbling through his speech.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 6:38 PM | Comments (0)

Well, the burning questions surrounding some of the most semi-loved films of 2008 were answered at the 81st Annual Academy Awards show.

Questions like:

Would the police-torturing, child-mutilating, feces-drenched feelgood movie of the year win the best picture Oscar it clearly deserved?

Check. "Slumdog Millionaire" took that and seven more

Would the self-important, big studio head-scratcher that nobody feels passionate about win any of the 13 awards it was nominated for?

"Benjamim Button" won three.

Would the academy voters agree that a respected but 'til now Oscarless actress had really done the best work of her career as a naked-half-the-time, statutory raping, illiterate Nazi war criminal?

Yep. Kate Winslet even brought her dad to the ceremony. He must bwe so proud.

And of course, the big one on the minds of everyone involved with the show who wasn't a pretentious, myopic voting member of the academy: would anybody watch the ceremony that neglected to acknowledge the film millions of moviegoers and critics clearly understood was not just last year's most popular, but one of its very best?

Won't know until the ratings come in. But you can bet they would have been higher if the out-of-it voters had recognized "The Dark Knight" for the brilliant film that it is and always will be.

Host Hugh Jackman did a nice job.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 6:09 PM | Comments (0)

The opening production number was great; of course it was, it mentioned "The Dark Knight." But what's with all these previous winners buttering up the acting nominees? That's boring; even Whoopi Goldberg couldn't keep it lively.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 6:07 PM | Comments (0)

The indy movie support group - whose always fun Independent Spirit Awards hit Santa Monica Beach again on Feb. 21 - sent over a few alerts about some other upcoming events:

REMINDER! SUBMISSIONS DEADLINES ARE APPROACHING!

The final deadline for the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival is coming up fast. The last day to submit short films and music videos is Friday, February 6. The deadline for feature-length narrative and documentary films is Monday, March 2. Spread the word amongst your filmmaker friends and readers, as this is a must-attend event on the film festival circuit!
Please visit http://www.filmindependent.org/events/la_Film_Festival+/guidelines for submission guidelines.
This summer, over the course of ten days from June 18 - 28 in Westwood Village, Film Independentís Los Angeles Film Festival will showcase the best of American and international independent cinema. With an expected audience of over 100,000 people, the festival will screen over 175 narrative features, documentaries, shorts, and music videos, alongside gala premieres, panels and seminars, free outdoor screenings, Family Day, and live musical performances.

Now in its fourteenth year, the Los Angeles Film Festival is widely recognized as a world-class event, providing the movie-loving public with access to some of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers, scholars, critics, film industry professionals, and emerging talent from around the world.
The Festival also features unique signature programs including the Filmmaker Retreat, the Spirit of Independence Award ceremony and gala, and Financing Conference. Additionally, the Festival screens short films created by high school students and has a special section devoted to music videos.
Approximately 110 features, 100 shorts, and 50 music videos, representing more than 40 countries, make up the main body of the Festival. Films submitted to the Festival are reviewed by Film Independentís programming department, which evaluates each film, looking for the best in new American and international independent cinema.
Awards are given out in the following categories at the conclusion of the Festival: Best Narrative Feature; Best Documentary Feature; Outstanding Performance in the Narrative Competition; Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature; Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature; Audience Award for Best International Feature; Best Narrative Short Film; Best Documentary Short Film; Best Animated/Experimental Short Film; Audience Award for Best Music Video; and the Audience Award for Best Short Film.
For more information, please visit www.LAFilmFest.com.

And then there's this:

Film Independent's annual Directors Close-Up Series runs February 4th through March 11th, 2009 at The Landmark theater in West Los Angeles.

This year's panels will cover the following topics:

February 4th - Music and Sound Design - The soundtrakc of a film is essential to the emotional reality of a film. A director and his/her sound team reveal the power of sound, taking us through the process of designing and creating the soundtrack of a film. Ben Burtt (Sound Designer, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark) will be this evening's guest.

February 11th - The Director's Vision and the Creative Team - From the initial stages of research to the execution on set, director Catherine Hardwicke and her creative team explain how they achieve the look of a film through cinematography, production design, and editing. Panelists include Elliot Davis (Director of Photography, Twilight, Lords of Dogtown), Chris Gorak (Production Designer, Lords of Dogtown), and Nancy Richardson (Editor, Twilight, Lords of Dogtown).

February 18th - The Independent Spirit: A Directors Roundtable - 2009 Spirit Award nominees discuss their films, their careers, and the way in which they have been able to balance their artistic integrity with the demands of the marketplace. Panelists include Courtney Hunt (Writer/Director Frozen River), Lance Hammer (Writer/Director Ballast), and additional directors to be announced.

February 25th - Writing and Directing - Through the work of directors who write and direct their material, or write for other directors, this panel explores the writing process and the writer/director collaboration. Panelists include Jonathan Levine (Writer/Director The Wackness), Howard Rodman (Writer, Savage Grace), Reggie Rock Bythewood (Writer, Notorious) and Gina Prince-Bythewood (Writer/Director The Secret Life of Bees)

March 4th - Casting and Directing Actors - Hear from every different point of view on whatís behind a great performance, as actors, a casting director, and director Rodrigo GarcÌa discuss the ways in which they collaborate. Reception following to be hosted by SAGIndie.

March 11th - New Visions, New Media - Explore how new technologies are allowing filmmakers to expand their palettes and take charge of production, not only to make their films, but how to get them to an audience.

All panels will take place in Theater 8 at The Landmark - West Los Angeles (10850 West Pico Boulevard at Westwood Boulevard) on Wednesday evenings from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. - between February 4 - March 11, 2009. Each panel will be followed by a reception.

To purchase a pass for the 2009 Directors Close-Up or individual tickets, please phone Film Independent's reservation line at 310.432.1222 or send an email to Reservations@FilmIndependent.org. Ticket prices are $180 for a series pass and $35 per session for Film Independent members, and $280 for a series pass and $50 per session f
for the general public. Starting today until February 2, 2009, the purchase of a series pass will also include one free guest ticket to a panel of your choice.

For more information about this yearís Directors Close-Up or to register, please visit www.FilmIndependent.org/directorseries

Posted by Bob Strauss at 1:53 PM | Comments (0)

With a leading 13 Academy Award nominations, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is obviously the Hollywood establishment's idea of what a classy movie is these days.
But has anyone else wondered why, of all of F. Scott Fitzgerald's beautifully written, keenly observed and psychologically perceptive human documents, this inconsequential fantasy story is the great author's one work deemed filmable since the '70s?
True, none of Fitzgerald's masterpieces - "The Great Gatsby," "Tender Is the Night," "The Last Tycoon" - have been turned into very good movies. But that doesn't mean that they can't be, perhaps by some star of the last few decades' exploding indie scene who's proven adept at putting nuanced behavior and complicated relationships on the screen. I'd really look forward to Ang Lee's take on "Gatsby" (unfortunately, if the rumors prove true, what we might get is Baz Luhrmann's).
The movie version of "Button" - completely changed, by the way, from Fitzgerald's jokey but still more emotionally challenging short story - has terrific special effects that enhance its illusion of a man aging backward through life. They're worth honoring, but that stuff also reinforces a gimmicky plotline. The combination of domineering technology and a fantastic story element that determines everything else leaves the film with about as much real insight into the human condition as "Back to the Future."
But unreality seems to be the only mode in which Hollywood knows how to approach any subject comfortably now - even the most fundamental realities of getting along in the world and finding the love you need, the subjects Fitzgerald's good books so truly and eternally illuminate.
There was a time when impossible elements like Benjamin's youthing instead of aging would have been laughed at, or at least dismissed by, audiences for serious drama. Now it's practically the other way around; the second big Oscar contender, "Slumdog Millionaire," is no less contrived or wish-fulfilling despite its grittiness and violence.
But generations now have been raised on the idea of movies as pure escapist fantasy. When one of those purports to tell you something about How Life Is, the unbelievable elements make it feel more familiar as the kind of entertainment we've grown used to; they add a comfort factor to the lesson.
A book such as "Tender Is the Night" has a lot more to actually say, of course. A movie version of it may not be as pleasant to sit through as something that suggests time isn't unyielding or dreams can come true, but done right it'll upset and edify to a degree much deeper and more lasting than fantasy ever can.
But why should Hollywood bother pulling off that tough trick when super special effects and cleverly schematic scripts get called the best that film can do?

Posted by Bob Strauss at 1:53 PM | Comments (0)