Top brass at the 25th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (Psiff) have announced a new programme on Canadian Cinema as well as the traditionally strong roster of foreign-language films eligible for the Fipresci Award in the Awards Buzz section, and Modern Masters.
The festival will screen 45 of the 76 official foreign-language Oscar submissions under the umbrella of Awards Buzz.
“We’ve selected Canadian films for a special focus at this year’s festival for many reasons, not the least of which is the wealth of talent emerging from its relatively small, indigenous film industry, and the depth and richness of story and character portrayal its films exemplify,” said festival director Darryl Macdonald.
“Whether it’s established auteurs like Denis Coté, Denis Villenueve and Atom Egoyan, gifted actor-directors like Don McKellar and Sarah Polley or newly emerging talents like Chloé Robichaud, Craig Goodwill and Sébastien Pilote, Canadian creative ingenuity is on abundant display in its films. All of this...
The festival will screen 45 of the 76 official foreign-language Oscar submissions under the umbrella of Awards Buzz.
“We’ve selected Canadian films for a special focus at this year’s festival for many reasons, not the least of which is the wealth of talent emerging from its relatively small, indigenous film industry, and the depth and richness of story and character portrayal its films exemplify,” said festival director Darryl Macdonald.
“Whether it’s established auteurs like Denis Coté, Denis Villenueve and Atom Egoyan, gifted actor-directors like Don McKellar and Sarah Polley or newly emerging talents like Chloé Robichaud, Craig Goodwill and Sébastien Pilote, Canadian creative ingenuity is on abundant display in its films. All of this...
- 12/12/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
"I'm ready for anything - bring it on!" says the ever-confident lead of Yûya Ishii’s latest film, Mitsuko Delivers. In a similar vein to his 2010 film, Sawako Decides, Ishii explores quirky characters learning to take control of their lives.
The heroine, Mitsuko (an excellent Riisa Naka), is heavily pregnant and left to deal alone with the imminent birth of her son after her American boyfriend dumps her. She doesn’t dwell on the past, fleetingly looking at a photograph of near naked guys partying and later matter-of-factly commenting "He was kind of big and really black". Her new neighbour rejects her offers of kindness and when she tries to sell items to make money to pay for medical bills, she ends up being charged a removal fee. Moving out with nothing more than a suitcase to her name, Mitsuko remains remarkably calm, giving her last remaining coins to a...
The heroine, Mitsuko (an excellent Riisa Naka), is heavily pregnant and left to deal alone with the imminent birth of her son after her American boyfriend dumps her. She doesn’t dwell on the past, fleetingly looking at a photograph of near naked guys partying and later matter-of-factly commenting "He was kind of big and really black". Her new neighbour rejects her offers of kindness and when she tries to sell items to make money to pay for medical bills, she ends up being charged a removal fee. Moving out with nothing more than a suitcase to her name, Mitsuko remains remarkably calm, giving her last remaining coins to a...
- 7/20/2012
- Shadowlocked
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Mitsuko Delivers belongs to a very small subset of world cinema that arrives on our shores; it is not a refined, robustly constructed drama like we are typically used to from abroad (after all, we usually get the very best of the litter). Instead it shares a more common DNA with American comedies, albeit still retaining a distinctly Japanese flavour. For these reasons Yûya Ishii’s (Sawako Decides) oddball concoction isn’t exactly a snug and satisfying fit, even though it has its share of amusing moments.
Mitsuko (Riisa Naka) is pregnant and broke, having just split up with her American boyfriend, but withholding this from her parents, instead keeping up appearances that she is still in the U.S. With her head in the sky quite literally, she ends up following an amorphous cloud formation around town, soon enough arriving at the desolate tenement block...
Mitsuko Delivers belongs to a very small subset of world cinema that arrives on our shores; it is not a refined, robustly constructed drama like we are typically used to from abroad (after all, we usually get the very best of the litter). Instead it shares a more common DNA with American comedies, albeit still retaining a distinctly Japanese flavour. For these reasons Yûya Ishii’s (Sawako Decides) oddball concoction isn’t exactly a snug and satisfying fit, even though it has its share of amusing moments.
Mitsuko (Riisa Naka) is pregnant and broke, having just split up with her American boyfriend, but withholding this from her parents, instead keeping up appearances that she is still in the U.S. With her head in the sky quite literally, she ends up following an amorphous cloud formation around town, soon enough arriving at the desolate tenement block...
- 5/16/2012
- by Shaun Munro
- Obsessed with Film
Dark Shadows (12A)
(Tim Burton, 2012, Us) Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green, Chloë Grace Moretz, Jackie Earle Haley. 113 mins
Another expensive pop-gothic fantasy (remake) for Depp and Burton's gallery – how long before either they get bored or we do? This time Johnny's an effete 18th-century vampire, reawakened in 1972 to reunite with his dysfunctional Addams-like descendants and marvel at the modern world. Expect fish-out-of-water silliness, a light shade of darkness, and the usual descent into messiness.
Café De Flore (15)
(Jean-Marc Vallée, 2011, Can) Vanessa Paradis, Kevin Parent, Hélène Florent. 121 mins
Music and mystery add a great deal to this well-made emotional drama, which switches between a present-day DJ and a 1970s mother (Paradis) whose child has Down's syndrome.
Beloved (15)
(Christophe Honoré, 2011, Fra/UK/Cze) Chiara Mastroianni, Ludivine Sagnier, Catherine Deneuve. 139 mins
Using flashbacks and musical moments, Honoré tells the story of a former prostitute, her daughter and the men in their lives.
(Tim Burton, 2012, Us) Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green, Chloë Grace Moretz, Jackie Earle Haley. 113 mins
Another expensive pop-gothic fantasy (remake) for Depp and Burton's gallery – how long before either they get bored or we do? This time Johnny's an effete 18th-century vampire, reawakened in 1972 to reunite with his dysfunctional Addams-like descendants and marvel at the modern world. Expect fish-out-of-water silliness, a light shade of darkness, and the usual descent into messiness.
Café De Flore (15)
(Jean-Marc Vallée, 2011, Can) Vanessa Paradis, Kevin Parent, Hélène Florent. 121 mins
Music and mystery add a great deal to this well-made emotional drama, which switches between a present-day DJ and a 1970s mother (Paradis) whose child has Down's syndrome.
Beloved (15)
(Christophe Honoré, 2011, Fra/UK/Cze) Chiara Mastroianni, Ludivine Sagnier, Catherine Deneuve. 139 mins
Using flashbacks and musical moments, Honoré tells the story of a former prostitute, her daughter and the men in their lives.
- 5/11/2012
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
A whimiscal comedy from Japan in which our pregnant, broke but feisty heroine follows a wafting cloud to whatever awaits her
A whimiscal comedy from Japan that struggles to cross over successfully at first, hampered by a fey opening that sees our eponymous protagonist – pregnant, broke, but feisty – follow a wafting cloud to whatever awaits her. Bolstered by an engaging performance by Riisa Naka, Yûya Ishii's fable follows Mitsuko as she winds up in the backwater tenement she briefly lived in as a child, and sets out to reinvigorate the forlorn, morose inhabitants. It isn't exactly a laugh a minute, and some of the comedy is way too broad, but it exerts a quiet hold.
Rating: 3/5
World cinemaAndrew Pulver
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds...
A whimiscal comedy from Japan that struggles to cross over successfully at first, hampered by a fey opening that sees our eponymous protagonist – pregnant, broke, but feisty – follow a wafting cloud to whatever awaits her. Bolstered by an engaging performance by Riisa Naka, Yûya Ishii's fable follows Mitsuko as she winds up in the backwater tenement she briefly lived in as a child, and sets out to reinvigorate the forlorn, morose inhabitants. It isn't exactly a laugh a minute, and some of the comedy is way too broad, but it exerts a quiet hold.
Rating: 3/5
World cinemaAndrew Pulver
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds...
- 5/10/2012
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
★★★☆☆ Yûya Ishii's Mitsuko Delivers (2011) tells the story of a young single woman in the ninth month of her pregnancy who relinquishes her fate to the wind, drifting through life like a wayward cloud. Starring Riisa Naka, Aoi Nakamura and Ryo Ishibashi, Ishii's latest feature is a quintessential slice of contemporary Japanese cinema with a refreshing, original twist.
Read more »...
Read more »...
- 5/10/2012
- by CineVue
- CineVue
The Tree Of Life (12A)
(Terrence Malick, 2011, Us) Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken, Laramie Eppler, Sean Penn, Tye Sheridan. 139 mins
Successor to Kubrick's 2001 or extended perfume ad? Either way, Malick's macro/microcosmic take on life, the universe and family life makes most films look unadventurous. Beyond the head-trip "creation of the universe" sequences, it's largely Sean Penn's impressionistic reminiscence of his conflicted childhood, rendered in gorgeous imagery, with introspective voiceovers and a dreamy intensity.
The Princess Of Montpensier (15)
(Bertrand Tavernier, 2010, Fra) Mélanie Thierry, Gaspard Ulliel, Lambert Wilson. 140 mins
There's costumes and courtliness, but this 16th-century saga remains unstuffy. Sought-after Thierry's quest for self-determination is the focus, and the treatment is modern and immediate.
Trust (15)
(David Schwimmer, 2010, Us) Liana Liberato, Clive Owen, Catherine Keener. 106 mins
Those who saw Catfish will know where this teen's online relationship with an apparently nice boy is headed. But what follows is an exercise in parent-worrying technophobia.
(Terrence Malick, 2011, Us) Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken, Laramie Eppler, Sean Penn, Tye Sheridan. 139 mins
Successor to Kubrick's 2001 or extended perfume ad? Either way, Malick's macro/microcosmic take on life, the universe and family life makes most films look unadventurous. Beyond the head-trip "creation of the universe" sequences, it's largely Sean Penn's impressionistic reminiscence of his conflicted childhood, rendered in gorgeous imagery, with introspective voiceovers and a dreamy intensity.
The Princess Of Montpensier (15)
(Bertrand Tavernier, 2010, Fra) Mélanie Thierry, Gaspard Ulliel, Lambert Wilson. 140 mins
There's costumes and courtliness, but this 16th-century saga remains unstuffy. Sought-after Thierry's quest for self-determination is the focus, and the treatment is modern and immediate.
Trust (15)
(David Schwimmer, 2010, Us) Liana Liberato, Clive Owen, Catherine Keener. 106 mins
Those who saw Catfish will know where this teen's online relationship with an apparently nice boy is headed. But what follows is an exercise in parent-worrying technophobia.
- 7/8/2011
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
[Our thanks to Alexander Thebez for the following review.]
Sawako Decides is probably one of the best chick flicks I have ever seen, ever. This existential, nihilistic film is a lot of fun and also oddly comforting. The film follows Sawako (Hikari Mitsushima from Love Exposure), an average girl on her fifth job, fifth boyfriend, and fifth year in Tokyo.
Sawako is indecisive. With a lot of self-esteem issues, everyone around Sawako seems to be rather intolerable, including her inept boyfriend, who is obsessed with knitting when he is not busy making useless toys for a living. Sawako's life is unimpressive, if not mildly depressing. Things turn complicated when Sawako is forced to deal with her past when her father falls ill. Left with no choice but to come home, Sawako finds herself surrounded by people who disapprove of her presence. Unfortunately for Sawako, she is the only one who save her father's clam packing business, and the town that depends on it.
Sawako Decides is probably one of the best chick flicks I have ever seen, ever. This existential, nihilistic film is a lot of fun and also oddly comforting. The film follows Sawako (Hikari Mitsushima from Love Exposure), an average girl on her fifth job, fifth boyfriend, and fifth year in Tokyo.
Sawako is indecisive. With a lot of self-esteem issues, everyone around Sawako seems to be rather intolerable, including her inept boyfriend, who is obsessed with knitting when he is not busy making useless toys for a living. Sawako's life is unimpressive, if not mildly depressing. Things turn complicated when Sawako is forced to deal with her past when her father falls ill. Left with no choice but to come home, Sawako finds herself surrounded by people who disapprove of her presence. Unfortunately for Sawako, she is the only one who save her father's clam packing business, and the town that depends on it.
- 6/30/2010
- Screen Anarchy
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