02013.07: A Yearlong Film Viewing Balancing Act
Films I'm watching in July 02013. Part of A Yearlong Film Viewing Balancing Act. #yfvba
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- DirectorCarlos CasasSaodat IsmailovaStarsJanibek AnuarovTanjer IrsimbetovJumagul OltijanovA documentary film about the three remaining generations of fishermen in the Aral Sea, and their awaiting and everyday struggle to survive in one of the scarcest places on the planet. Life after one of man made biggest disasters.02013.07.01: Beautiful, moving documentary from Uzbekistan by a mixed gender directing team. Streamed on MUBI.
- DirectorSam Taylor-JohnsonStarsAaron Taylor-JohnsonKristin Scott ThomasAnne-Marie DuffA chronicle of John Lennon's first years, focused mainly in his adolescence and his relationship with his stern aunt Mimi, who raised him, and his absentee mother Julia, who re-entered his life at a crucial moment in his young life.02013.07.01: Sam Taylor-Johnson's feature film about John Lennon's complex relationship with his mother.
- DirectorWilliam VegaStarsJoghis Seudin AriasJulio César RobleFloralba AchicanoyA Colombian refugee tries to rebuild her life at a guest house located on the shores of a great lake in the Andes.02013.07.02: Streamed from Film Movement - Film of the Month Club. William Vega, director.
- DirectorAudrius StonysUku Ukai is not a film that tells, but lives like a meditative experience in time and space, landscape and movement. Inhale, exhale. Uku Ukai does not ask the viewer to understand but rather to enter into synchronicity with the sounds and images. Uku Ukai is spiritual gymnastics: bodies run, breathe, reach out without needing to reach anything. While images flutter and sounds ricochet, the viewers become the real film. Inhale, exhale.02013.07.02: Streamed from Doc Alliance. Documentary, man made by Audrius Stonys. 30 minute short film.
- DirectorMichiel ten HornStarsTine JoustraTessa du MeeRemco MellesFor the elderly Mr. Manders, the last years of his life consist only of one thing: loneliness. His light is waning, his spirit drained. The only thing that can still put a smile on his face is his pet canary, Arie. Strangely, it is the death of this yellow spark of life that brings unexpected joy and new friendship.02013.07.03: Streamed from Film Movement. Michiel Ten Horn's 13 minute short.
- DirectorAdrián BiniezStarsHoracio CamanduleLeonor SvarcasNéstor GuzziniA chronicle of a supermarket security guard's obsession with a late-shift janitor.
- DirectorMads MatthiesenStarsKim KoldElsebeth SteentoftLykke SandWhen Dennis, an introvert body-builder, invites a local girl out on a date, his mother is hurt and disappointed. Despite the pressure she puts on him to cancel the date, Dennis ventures into a night that he will never forget.02013.07.04: Mads Matthiesen, director.
- DirectorApichatpong WeerasethakulStarsBanlop LomnoiSakda KaewbuadeeHuai DessomA romance between a soldier and a country boy, wrapped around a Thai folk-tale involving a shaman with shape-shifting abilities.02013.07.04: Apichatpong Weerasethakul, director. I love what he's doing with filmmaking.
- DirectorChristian PetzoldStarsJulia HummerBarbara AuerRichy MüllerClara and Hans are left-wing terrorists who have been sought by police for almost fifteen years. Their increasingly rebellious daughter begins to pose a threat to their security when she falls in love with a boy she meets on the beach.02013.07.04: Christian Petzold, director. It's outside the decade I'm exploring at this time, but I'd heard this was a wonderful film and I really wanted to see it. It is wonderful.
- DirectorLanre OlabisiStarsIan AlsupDennis Rubin GreenKerisse HutchinsonThe party to celebrate Tunde Ibirinde's graduation is the backdrop for a far more momentous occasion: the return of estranged father Dipo, after over a decade of absence. Each family member must face their feelings before they face Dipo.02013.07.04: Lanre Olabisi's family drama has a naturalistic feel. Wonderful ensemble. Glad to be part of Olabisi's next project by supporting the Kickstarter!
- DirectorKen LoachStarsSteve EvetsEric CantonaStephanie BishopEric, a football fanatic postman whose life is descending into crisis, receives some life coaching from the famously philosophical Eric Cantona.02013.07.05: LOVED this Ken Loach magical realism film. Thanks to my friend Jeremy for suggesting I watch it. I had it on my watchlist already, but his suggestion bumped it up to the top. Nice.
- DirectorPaul CotterStarsMargaret KustermannLily MillerDan FlanneryToday is a Sunday unlike any other on Estes Avenue.02013.07.05: short film by Paul Cotter on Film Movement disc borrowed from the library. It falls into the 'clever' category. only 3 minutes though... so it didn't take much of my time.
- DirectorValerie BuhagiarStarsOksana SokoloskiElaine KolinasLeo JenkinsTell Us the Truth Josephine is an experimental Drama about a Maltese woman's search for 'Home'. Josephine walks across Canada on stilts. And for Josephine to find home she must accept the 'Truth'. And once she does she can come off her stilts and land. Her journey is haunted by fragmented voices and images of her bloodline - bitter immigrant stories.
- DirectorSusanne BierStarsPierce BrosnanTrine DyrholmMolly Blixt EgelindA hairdresser who has lost her hair to cancer, finds out her husband is having an affair, travels to Italy for her daughter's wedding, and meets a widower who still blames the world for the loss of his wife.
- DirectorTom VaughanStarsShaun EvansAbigail ThawLavinia BertramThe strangulation of a married woman and the poisoning of an elderly botanist lead Morse to bring a serial killer to justice.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsMorgan FreemanVirginia MadsenMadeline CarrollMonty Wildhorn, an alcoholic novelist of Westerns, has lost his drive. His nephew pushes him to summer in quiet Belle Isle. He begrudgingly befriends a newly single mom and her 3 girls who help him find the inspiration to write again.
- DirectorCarlos SorinStarsAntonio LarretaMaría del Carmen JiménezEmilse RoldánIt is a significant day for eighty year old Antonio. After an absence of many years, his estranged son is coming to visit.02013.07.08: on disc from the library. film movement release. lovely. carlos sorin director.
- DirectorIan SharpStarsRay WinstoneNicholas McGoughGareth ReevesAn Afrikaner veteran of the Boer War has just immigrated to New Zealand and is hired to track a man accused of killing a soldier. While hunting through the countryside he captures his fugitive, only to learn that he's innocent of the crime. When faced with the life-changing decision to turn him in or set him free only, one man will walk away alive.02013.07.09: Ian Sharp's film starring Ray Winstone....
- DirectorVivienne RoumaniOut of Print draws us into the topsy-turvy world of the written word, illuminating the turbulent, exciting journey from the book through the digital revolution. Writers, publishers, readers all in flux. Booksellers closing shop. Librarians and teachers seeking new roles. Storytellers like Ray Bradbury, complemented by evocative visuals, weave a compelling tale. Scott Turow and Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon as an online bookstore, place us in the middle of their debate. People tell us they read snippets all day long, yet one of five Americans no longer reads a single book, in any format, in an entire year. Personal stories of parents and students take us into their worlds, highlighting how this revolution is changing every aspect of the printed word -- and changing us.02013.07.10: Watched Vivienne Roumani's documentary Out of Print in anticipation of its screening at Indy Film Fest. Wonderful film. Very engaging.
- DirectorAlexis MorantePaco TorresStarsFrancisco Torres02013.07.11: watched on Film Movement disc borrowed from library. 3 minute short.
- DirectorGideon KoppelA poetic and profound journey into a world of endings and beginnings; a world of stuffed owls, sheep and fire.02013.07.11: Streamed from Amazon Prime...
- DirectorJordan FeldmanStarsFabio ZenoniZoé FélixRoberto B.Françoise provokes a chain reaction amongst people as she appears in a Japanese restaurant during lunchtime...
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsAlex GibneyPaul PiffAnne RuethFilmmaker Alex Gibney investigates the fact that the 400 richest Americans control more wealth than the 150 million people in the bottom 50 percent of the population.02013.07.12: streamed Alex Gibney's doc from Netflix
- DirectorPhie AmboStarsRichard DavidsonEmma SeppalaJohn OsborneIn 1992 Professor Richard Davidson, one of the world's leading neuroscientists, met the Dalai Lama, who encouraged him to apply the same rigorous methods he used to study depression and anxiety to the study of compassion and kindness, those qualities cultivated by Tibetan meditation practice. The results of Davidson's studies at the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, are portrayed in Free the Mind as they are applied to treating PTSD in returning Iraqi vets and children with ADHD. The film poses two fundamental questions: What really is consciousness, and how does it manifest in the brain and body? And is it possible to physically change the brain solely through mental practices?02013.07.12: Ryder Film Series with my sweetie: Phie Ambo's moving documentary
- DirectorNancy MeyersStarsMel GibsonHelen HuntMarisa TomeiA cocky, chauvinistic advertising executive magically acquires the ability to hear what women are thinking.02013.07.12: watched this on disc borrowed from the library. First time I've seen Nancy Meyers film. Watched it as a way to balance out watching The State I Am In (also 2000).... my outliers... in A Yearlong Film Viewing Balancing Act #yfvba
- DirectorGabriela YepesStarsHellen Sly SanchezFrank AroniLiliana TrujilloNina is a ten-year-old girl whose life dramatically changes when her father, a master Scissor Dancer, asks her to fulfill his last wish.02013.07.13: watched Gabriela Yepes' short film on a Film Movement disc borrowed from MCPL.
- DirectorRama BurshteinStarsHadas YaronYiftach KleinIrit ShelegWhen the older sister of Shira, an 18-year-old Hasidic Israeli, dies suddenly in childbirth, Shira must decide if she can and should marry her widowed brother-in-law, which also generates tensions within her extended family.02013.07.13: at Landmark Keystone Art Cinema. woman made film by Rama Burshtein
- StarsMark CousinsJuan Diego BottoAleksandr SokurovA comprehensive history of the medium and art of motion pictures.02013.07.14: episode 12... the 80's.
- DirectorOlivier NakacheÉric ToledanoStarsFrançois CluzetOmar SyAnne Le NyAfter he becomes a quadriplegic from a paragliding accident, an aristocrat hires a young man from the projects to be his caregiver.02013.07.14: on disc from MCPL
- DirectorFernando EimbckeStarsDiego CatañoHector HerreraDaniela ValentineA story of a teenager and the strange events that take place in his small town.02013.07.15: LOVED Fernando Eimbcke's feature film. On Film Movement disc from MCPL.
- DirectorErrol MorrisStarsJoyce McKinneyPeter ToryTroy WilliamsA documentary on a former Miss Wyoming who is charged with abducting and imprisoning a young Mormon Missionary.02013.07.16: Errol Morris' documentary on disc from MCPL. Watched with my sweetie.
- DirectorReuben LoaneStarsWilliam SerrellA Man anxiously practices his proposal to his Girlfriend, while the coin operated Machine that turns the world is running low on credit.02013.07.17: Reuben Loane's stop motion animation short on Vimeo.
- DirectorGabriel MascaroThrough dialogues with the owners of penthouses in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Recife, High-Rise explores the social and cultural mindset of the elite, and the phenomenon of the 'verticalization' of the Brazilian cityscape. This is a film about height, status and power.02013.07.17: Streamed Gabriela Mascaro's documentary on MUBI.
- DirectorConor FinneganStarsMark DohertyAoife DuffinSteven CourtneyA small bird with a fear of flying tries to avoid heading South for the winter.02013.07.18: Short film.
- DirectorJoe SwanbergStarsOlivia WildeJake JohnsonAnna KendrickLuke and Kate are coworkers at a brewery who spend their nights drinking and flirting heavily. One weekend away together with their significant others proves who really belongs together and who doesn't.02013.07.18: Joe Swanberg film opens Indy Film Fest.
- DirectorDanny MaddenStarsMaria DeCotisWill MaddenBenjamin PapacThe film follows the story of a high schooler, played by Madden's younger brother Will, who purchases a sound recording device in search of better sounds in his life, and slowly becomes obsessed with it. He roams his small town and nearby Atlanta, capturing audio, and starts to experience the world through those sound bites.02013.07.19: Feature film at Indy Film Fest
- DirectorWouter WiggeleerStarsStoffel BolluMaarten BosmansElla BrockAn everyday cashier turns into a hero when the store where she works is being robbed.02013.07.19: How Can I Help? Short at Indy Film Fest
- DirectorNikki BraendlinStarsCaroline FogartyBonnie McNeilLaurel PorterMargaret has always been a little... particular. But since being jilted by her fiance, her obsessive-compulsive behaviors are in overdrive. The last thing she needs is company. Showing up on her doorstep unannounced, Margaret's nomadic older sister Josephine (with ten-year-old daughter Hannah in tow) is initially an unwanted jolt to her carefully regulated life. But their playfulness eventually wins her over and she begins to loosen her neurotic control on life. However, when Margaret discovers the real reason for her sister's visit, she's forced to confront the betrayal... and the long suppressed grief at the root of her fastidious behaviors.02013.07.20: Loved Nikki Braendlin's feature. Laurel Porter was a particular revelation in her role of the young Hannah.
- DirectorVeena RaoEmily SheskinIn many ways, best friends Allison Kopach and Jenny Flores are typical pageant queens. They love makeup, fashion, and anything that sparkles. However, unlike Miss America, at a size 22 the only doors open to them are in the plus size pageant world. There She Is follows the two as they prepare for and compete in the 2011 American Beauties Plus Pageant and revisits them in 2012 to reflect on the outcome of the pageant and what has changed in their lives.02013.07.20: Short film by Veena Rao and Emily Sheskin. At Indy Film Fest.
- DirectorJoshua IzenbergStarsJohn KitchinDepressed and frustrated with his life, Dr. John Kitchin abandons his career as a neurologist and moves to Pacific Beach. There, he undergoes a radical transformation into SLOMO, trading his lab coat for a pair of rollerblades and his IRA for a taste of divinity.02013.07.20: Short film at Indy Film Fest
- DirectorDror MorehStarsAmi AyalonAvraham ShalomAvi DichterA documentary featuring interviews with all surviving former heads of Shin Bet, the Israeli security agency whose activities and membership are closely held state secrets.02013.07.21: Dror Moreh's Oscar nominated feature. On disc from MCPL.
- DirectorZaheed MawaniTraces the development of the office cubicle since its inception in the late 1960s to its current status as the dominant form of office furniture in North America. More than a bit of social history, this documentary captures the melancholic absurdity of the modern day office and examines the larger issues surrounding the shifting nature of white-collar work.02013.07.21: streamed on Doc Alliance. Doc about cubicles.
- DirectorCody StokesSeventeen gay and lesbian couples define marriage equality; as they take a chartered bus from St. Louis to Iowa City to be legally married.02013.07.22: marriage equality short doc by Cody Stokes
- DirectorRose TrocheStarsAshley Nicole AndersonJae BenjaminRyan Castro02013.07.22: Rose Troche's short futuristic film...
- DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsJohnny DeppIsla FisherTimothy OlyphantRango is an ordinary chameleon who accidentally winds up in the town of Dirt, a lawless outpost in the Wild West in desperate need of a new sheriff.02013.07.22: My sweetie remembered we had this Gore Verbinski film on disc, but had not yet seen it.
- DirectorTill SchauderStarsKevin SheppardEunice SheppardLeah SheppardA documentary that follows one year in the life of American pro basketball player Kevin Sheppard, who signed on to play for the upstart Iranian Super League team A.S. Shiraz.02013.07.23: streamed on Film Movement - Till Schauder, director
- DirectorBrett HaleyStarsTrieste Kelly DunnRyan HunterKevin WheatleySunny gives up a promising future to return to her hometown to care for her ailing father and finds herself working at a bowling alley. When a charming high school rival returns for the holidays, Sunny is forced to reexamine her life.02013.07.23: Brett Haley's insightful film about death and finding a way forward into life. Streamed on MUBI.
- DirectorYung-Han ChangKimberly KnollIn the not so distant future, a cafe owner has to run a business during a time when robots have resorted to crime as a means of survival. He discriminates against mechanical citizens by segregating himself against robotic kind. However, his beliefs are put to the test when he is confronted with a moral dilemma that could change his life forever.02013.07.23: Short streamed on Vimeo
- DirectorWim WendersStarsPina BauschRegina AdventoMalou AiraudoA tribute to the late German choreographer Pina Bausch, as her dancers perform her most famous creations.02013.07.24: Wim Wenders stirring tribute to Pina Bausch.
- DirectorMelba WilliamsStarsRodney WilliamsRodney S. WilliamsA daughter regrets her life-long lack of communication with her father, especially after a stroke silences his memories. Rodney Williams did not have many career options when he opted to join the army at 19 and go to Vietnam. But he took with him both a still camera and an 8mm movie camera, which he carried everywhere and kept pretty well hid. Although stoic about his experiences, his tantalizing home movie footage and accomplished still photos of the Vietnam War speak of a fettered artistic soul.02013.07.24: Short woman made by Melba L. Williams
- DirectorBessy AdutStarsZafer AlgözMetin AvsarWilma EllesA beautiful woman, a wanna be young actress Kivilcim obsessed with her own beauty wishing to be explored, getting ready for an audition and an overweight guy, passionate with delicious food, a film geek, studying at an art college, meet one day. On one side, we see the beautiful girl looks at her own reflection checking her make up on the patisserie window, on the other side Daghan focused on the cakes at the window. Just for a split second their eyes meet on the two sides of the patisserie screening. She suddenly turns her back and sits at a table. Fat man gets mad at that minute because she is sitting on his everyday routine favorite table by ruining his daily routine!02013.07.25: Streamed on Snagfilms. Woman made short by Besi Adut. From Turkey.
- DirectorYulene OlaizolaStarsLuisa PardoSalomón HernándezJuan J. Reyes AcuasLuisa is 25 years old and fighting a heroin addiction. Having escaped the city she finds herself seeking repose in a fading beach resort that rests on the lush seaside hills of Veracruz, Mexico.02013.07.25: Beautiful narrative film by Yulene Olaizola streamed on MUBI
- DirectorMiranda JulyStarsJohn HawkesMiranda JulyMiles ThompsonA lonely shoe salesman and an eccentric performance artist struggle to connect in this unique take on contemporary life.02013.07.26: Miranda July, director.
- DirectorJody ShapiroStarsKevin BaughPatri FriedmanDean KamenHow to start your own country, you can have one too.02013.07.26: Jody Shapiro's documentary about micronations on MUBI. I'm having a quirky film day.
- DirectorAgnieszka SmoczynskaThe great Polish opera diva Maria Foltyn created her greatest performance in Stanislaw Moniuszkos Halka, with which she toured worldwide - she was applauded by Stalin and admired by Castro. Today, when she is losing her voice, she has decided to give way to her successor. The film Viva Maria! is a tale of passion, sacrifice and devotion, and is an extraordinary story of passing down a voice.02013.07.26: Woman Made Short streamed on Doc Alliance.
- DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsRobert De NiroJohn TurturroStanley TucciTwo weeks in the life of a fading Hollywood producer who's having a rough time trying to get his new picture made.02013.07.27: Barry Levinson's film starring De Niro based on Art Linson's memoir.
- DirectorShari Springer BermanRobert PulciniStarsDiane LaneTim RobbinsJames GandolfiniA behind-the-scenes look at the making of the first American family to be the subjects of a reality TV show.02013.07.27: Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini's look at the making of An American Family about the Louds.
- DirectorAndrew CohnDavy RothbartIn America's basketball heartland, four boys from rural Medora, Indiana fight to end their high school's team's losing streak, as their dwindling town faces the threat of extinction.02013.07.28: Indy Film Fest's Matter of Fact winner man made documentary about Medora an Indiana small town and basketball team.
- DirectorSandy AmerioStarsLemmy ConstantineFeeling deprived of his status and confronted with a fear of his own disappearance, a man tries to renew links with his vital forces and lost faith, through the incantation of a parallel heroic tale.02013.07.28: Short woman made by Sandy Amerio
- DirectorEd StoneStarsAmanda PeetDermot MulroneySarah PaulsonTwo people face a seemingly-insurmountable obstacle that might stand between them and a last chance at love.02013.07.29 on TV ... watched it with my sweetie.
- DirectorAlexandra PelosiStarsAlexandra PelosiTed HaggardGayle HaggardTed Haggard had it all: prosperity, a doting wife, five kids and a ministry that reached more than 30 million followers who hung on his every word. But in 2006, it all fell apart in a sea of scandal. Journalist/filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi returns to talk with 'Pastor Ted'--whom she met while filming 'Friends of God' for HBO--who was exiled from the church he built and the state where he lived after admitting to 'sexual immorality' and to buying methamphetamines. Following Haggard and his family as they move from house to house and motel to motel, Pelosi interviews the sullied ex-minister as he works as a traveling insurance salesman...and maps out a strategy for redeeming himself and supporting his family.02013.07.30: Alexandra Pelosi's short doc released by HBO Documentary Films. I watched it on DVD borrowed from Monroe County Public Library.
- DirectorTakuya DairikiTakashi MiuraStarsTakuya DairikiKeisuke MatsudaTakashi MiuraA journey of three companions begins with a casual meeting. The purposeless journey is carried on with the harmless conversation. This is a modern fairy story trying to sense as much about the significance in life which is a series of nonsense events.02013.07.30: Streamed on MUBI. Delightful man made film co-directed by Takuya Dairiki & Takashi Miura
- DirectorÉléonore FaucherStarsAriane AscarideLola NaymarkJackie BerroyerClaire (Nymark), an unmarried pregnant teenager, finds an odd relation in Madame Mélikian (Ascaride), an older woman grieving over the death of her son.02013.07.31: Éléonore Faucher The film streamed on Netflix under an alternate title: Sequins.
- DirectorHeidi BergDara BrattDoron DorAs the modern world becomes smaller and our differences become larger, can we afford to ignore what it means to be similar and yet unique? 11 filmmakers on 5 continents explore the fine line between us and them.02013.07.31: Collection of 11 short films... streamed online from the film's website: http://www.realideasstudio.org/
- DirectorHeather RaeStarsRobert RedfordKris KristoffersonSam ShepardA chronicle of legendary Native American poet/activist John Trudell's travels, spoken word performances and politics.02013.07.31: moving