Interesting thing about the movies I (we?) tend to watch again and again: They are often the most formulaic. I’ve seen The Devil Wears Prada, a tragicomedy about Anne Hathaway‘s bangs, more times than I recited the Nicene Creed in Sunday School, and that movie is almost Disney-esque in its adherence to familiar plotting. That’s just what I like in rewatchable cinema: a gentle retread of everything I understand to be a normal, comforting movie arc. Sigh. I want to pop corn just typing that.
Enter Strictly Ballroom, Baz Luhrmann‘s debut film that cannot hit you hard enough with “ugly duckling” movie tropes. If we judged this movie based on plot alone, we’d be hard-pressed to find anything resembling the unexpected. It even concludes with a triumphant dancefloor lift, a la Dirty Dancing. But what matters — and this goes for Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge...
Enter Strictly Ballroom, Baz Luhrmann‘s debut film that cannot hit you hard enough with “ugly duckling” movie tropes. If we judged this movie based on plot alone, we’d be hard-pressed to find anything resembling the unexpected. It even concludes with a triumphant dancefloor lift, a la Dirty Dancing. But what matters — and this goes for Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge...
- 11/13/2013
- by Louis Virtel
- The Backlot
This week's snow and ice meant big drops for every title, despite a decent crop of new releases including Django Unchained
The winner: snow
The first properly sunny weekend of the year usually proves devastating to cinemagoing in the UK, but snow and frost can also have an impact, as has just been witnessed. Despite the arrival of a decent crop of new releases – notably the latest Quentin Tarantino flick and the 3D reissue of a Pixar hit – takings overall fell 36% from the previous weekend. All the films in the top 10 that were already on release fell by at least 40% from the previous frame, with Quartet's 60% drop in particular suggesting that the older audience was especially discouraged by icy pavements and dangerous driving conditions.
Despite a dip of 46%, Les Misérables nevertheless managed a second weekend of £4.41m, and an impressive 10-day cumulative total of £17.36m. Tom Hooper's film overtook...
The winner: snow
The first properly sunny weekend of the year usually proves devastating to cinemagoing in the UK, but snow and frost can also have an impact, as has just been witnessed. Despite the arrival of a decent crop of new releases – notably the latest Quentin Tarantino flick and the 3D reissue of a Pixar hit – takings overall fell 36% from the previous weekend. All the films in the top 10 that were already on release fell by at least 40% from the previous frame, with Quartet's 60% drop in particular suggesting that the older audience was especially discouraged by icy pavements and dangerous driving conditions.
Despite a dip of 46%, Les Misérables nevertheless managed a second weekend of £4.41m, and an impressive 10-day cumulative total of £17.36m. Tom Hooper's film overtook...
- 1/22/2013
- by Charles Gant
- The Guardian - Film News
Django Unchained | The Sessions | Everyday | V/H/S | The Wee Man | Ballroom Dancer | Monsters Inc 3D
Django Unchained (18)
(Quentin Tarantino, 2012, Us) Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L Jackson, Kerry Washington. 165 mins
Few directors would have the imagination, the guts or the resources to reimagine America's slaving past as a spaghetti western/blaxploitation thriller, but the result is Tarantino's most politically provocative movie, and one of his most entertaining – up to a point. Foxx's odyssey from captive slave to mythical avenger, enabled by Waltz's liberal German "dentist", is often an exhilarating ride, though the action is constantly slowed up by Tarantino's love of his own dialogue – if only he'd kept that chained in.
The Sessions (15)
(Ben Lewin, 2012, Us) John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, William H Macy. 93 mins
Severely disabled man seeks first–time sexual experience. It doesn't sound too promising but there are plenty of riches in this open–hearted drama: the performances,...
Django Unchained (18)
(Quentin Tarantino, 2012, Us) Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L Jackson, Kerry Washington. 165 mins
Few directors would have the imagination, the guts or the resources to reimagine America's slaving past as a spaghetti western/blaxploitation thriller, but the result is Tarantino's most politically provocative movie, and one of his most entertaining – up to a point. Foxx's odyssey from captive slave to mythical avenger, enabled by Waltz's liberal German "dentist", is often an exhilarating ride, though the action is constantly slowed up by Tarantino's love of his own dialogue – if only he'd kept that chained in.
The Sessions (15)
(Ben Lewin, 2012, Us) John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, William H Macy. 93 mins
Severely disabled man seeks first–time sexual experience. It doesn't sound too promising but there are plenty of riches in this open–hearted drama: the performances,...
- 1/19/2013
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
★★★☆☆ Raised in poverty in the Ukraine before being discovered at age 22, Slavik Kryklyvyy quickly rose to prominence in the sphere of competitive Latin dance. While many documentaries would have been content to focus on Kryklyvyy's ascent, Danish duo Andreas Koefoed and Christian Bonke's Ballroom Dancer (2011) offers an honest and candid portrait of a man fallen from grace, desperately trying to recapture his former glory. A decade after winning the World Latin Dance competition with his partner and lover Joanna Leunis, Kryklyvyy returns to the cut-throat world of professional ballroom dancing with his new girlfriend Anna Melnikova.
Read more »...
Read more »...
- 1/16/2013
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Les Misérables | Gangster Squad | American Mary | What Richard Did | Midnight Son | Jiro Dreams Of Sushi | The Lookout | May I Kill U? | Underground
Les Misérables (12A)
(Tom Hooper, 2012, UK) Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne. 158 mins
The King's Speech director plus the globally adored musical: it's a match made in commercial heaven, a third-hand version of a 19th-century French saga, and the most epic celebrity karaoke session ever filmed. The fact that it's entirely sung, "live" on set, supposedly communicates more "emotion", but this is already oversaturated with so much melodramatic incident, the effect is numbing.
Gangster Squad (15)
(Ruben Fleischer, 2013, Us) Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin. 113 mins
Brolin's under-the-radar police squad guns for Penn's La mobsters in this exuberantly violent, but disappointingly straightforward 1940s thriller, derived more from modern videogames than vintage film noirs. Action definitely speaks louder than words here.
American Mary (18)
(Jen & Sylvia Soska,...
Les Misérables (12A)
(Tom Hooper, 2012, UK) Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne. 158 mins
The King's Speech director plus the globally adored musical: it's a match made in commercial heaven, a third-hand version of a 19th-century French saga, and the most epic celebrity karaoke session ever filmed. The fact that it's entirely sung, "live" on set, supposedly communicates more "emotion", but this is already oversaturated with so much melodramatic incident, the effect is numbing.
Gangster Squad (15)
(Ruben Fleischer, 2013, Us) Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin. 113 mins
Brolin's under-the-radar police squad guns for Penn's La mobsters in this exuberantly violent, but disappointingly straightforward 1940s thriller, derived more from modern videogames than vintage film noirs. Action definitely speaks louder than words here.
American Mary (18)
(Jen & Sylvia Soska,...
- 1/12/2013
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
Bollywood certainly seems to be making its way on to Us dance reality programs. The style is a fixture on the popular dance show ‘So You Think You Can Dance’, with every season showcasing a show stopping number. Even last season on ‘Dancing with the Stars’, it made its debut with a Bollywood flavored Samba that Derek Hough choreographed for his freestyle dance with Maria Menounos.
That performance did not get any 10s, however Monday night actor Gilles Marini and Peta Murgatroyd, his pro partner, got a standing O on their full on Bollywood number. Peta and Gilles looked gorgeous in their Bollywood costumes and they rocked the ballroom to the Pussycat Dolls version of “Jai Ho” by A. R. Rahman.
In case you don’t know, ‘Dancing with Stars’ pairs stars, be it film, TV, sports and many other fields, with a professional Ballroom dancer. Each week they have...
That performance did not get any 10s, however Monday night actor Gilles Marini and Peta Murgatroyd, his pro partner, got a standing O on their full on Bollywood number. Peta and Gilles looked gorgeous in their Bollywood costumes and they rocked the ballroom to the Pussycat Dolls version of “Jai Ho” by A. R. Rahman.
In case you don’t know, ‘Dancing with Stars’ pairs stars, be it film, TV, sports and many other fields, with a professional Ballroom dancer. Each week they have...
- 10/17/2012
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
The Raindance Film Festival recently announced its 20th festival programme lineup which includes an unprecedented 105 features, 138 shorts and 64 UK Premieres, 13 International Premieres, 5 European Premieres, 19 World Premieres and 24 Directorial Debuts from 38 countries, proof of another exceptional year of internationally acclaimed films, special live events, exclusive Q&As and masterclasses. The festival will take place from 26th September to 7thOctober at its home of the Apollo Cinema Piccadilly Circus SW1Y 4Lr.T
Opening the festival on Wednesday 26th September is the International Premiere of Here Comes The Devil – a powerful fantasy horror from Mexico. Shot in Tijuana, a married couple lose their children while on a family trip near some caves in Tijuana. The kids eventually reappear without explanation, but it becomes clear that they are not who they used to be and that something terrifying has changed them. The Opening Night afterparty will feature band The Real Tuesday Weld which The Sunday Times calls: “beautiful…...
Opening the festival on Wednesday 26th September is the International Premiere of Here Comes The Devil – a powerful fantasy horror from Mexico. Shot in Tijuana, a married couple lose their children while on a family trip near some caves in Tijuana. The kids eventually reappear without explanation, but it becomes clear that they are not who they used to be and that something terrifying has changed them. The Opening Night afterparty will feature band The Real Tuesday Weld which The Sunday Times calls: “beautiful…...
- 9/4/2012
- by John
- SoundOnSight
Raindance have just announced their line-up for their 20th annual film festival. The 2012 festival will, like every year showcase some of the best independent movies that we can expect in the coming year and beyond. Raindance 2012 will take place 26th September to 7th October at the Apollo Cinema, Piccadilly Circus in London. This year we can expect to see 105 features, more than 138 shorts, 64 UK Premieres, 13 International Premieres, 5 European Premieres, 19 World Premieres and 24 Directorial Debuts from 38 countries.
Scroll down to see the full press release as well as all the feature films that will be showing at the festival. To find out more, click here to visit their official site.
Opening the festival on Wednesday 26th September is the International Premiere of Here Comes The Devil a powerful fantasy horror from Mexico. Shot in Tijuana, a married couple lose their children while on a family trip near some caves in Tijuana.
Scroll down to see the full press release as well as all the feature films that will be showing at the festival. To find out more, click here to visit their official site.
Opening the festival on Wednesday 26th September is the International Premiere of Here Comes The Devil a powerful fantasy horror from Mexico. Shot in Tijuana, a married couple lose their children while on a family trip near some caves in Tijuana.
- 9/4/2012
- by David Sztypuljak
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Rachel Mwanza, War Witch Tribeca 2012 Politics Nation: Una Noche Movie World Narrative Competition Categories The jurors for the 2012 World Narrative Competition were Patricia Clarkson, Dakota Fanning, Mike Newell, Lisa Schwarzbaum, Jim Sheridan, and Irwin Winkler. The Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature – War Witch, directed by Kim Nguyen (Canada). Best Actor in a Narrative Feature Film – Dariel Arrechada and Javier Nuñez Florian as Raul and Elio in Una Noche, directed by Lucy Mulloy (UK, Cuba, USA). Best Actress in a Narrative Feature Film – Rachel Mwanza as Komona in War Witch, directed by Kim Nguyen (Canada). Best Cinematography in a Narrative Feature Film – Cinematography by Trevor Forrest and Shlomo Godder, for Una Noche, directed by Lucy Mulloy (UK, Cuba, USA). Special Jury Mention – Alex Catalan for Unit 7. Best Screenplay for a Narrative Feature Film – All In (La Suerte en Tus Manos), written by Daniel Burman and Sergio Dubcovsky and directed by...
- 4/29/2012
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
War Witch, a Canadian-made film about a young girl who escapes from the African rebels who forced her to be a child soldier, was named Best Narrative Feature at the 11th annual Tribeca Film Festival. “This indelible character study of a girl who becomes a woman before our eyes in the midst of harrowing war gives words to the unspeakable,” said the jury, which included Patricia Clarkson, Dakota Fanning, Mike Newell, EW’s Lisa Schwarzbaum, Jim Sheridan, and Irwin Winkler. “Riveting, heartbreaking, vivid, and eloquent, the movie balances scenes of crazy enemy hatred with moments of luminous private love.”
Rachel Mwanza,...
Rachel Mwanza,...
- 4/27/2012
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
The Tribeca Film Festival awards ceremony took place on Thursday, and the controversial Cuban film "Una Noche" turned out to be the toast of the town. Though "War Witch" won the award for Best Narrative Feature and Rachel Mwanza was named Best Actress, "Una Noche" became the breakout story of the festival after two of its actors disappeared en route to New York.
Director Lucy Mulloy, cinematographers Trevor Forrest and Shlomo Godder were honored for their work on the film. Actors Dariel Arrechada and Jaiver Nunez Florian both won Best Actor in a Narrative Feature.
Other big winners include Nisha Pahuja's "The World Before Her" for Best Documentary Feature, Bryan Buckley's "Asad" for Best Narrative Short and Frederic Golding's "On the Mat" for Best Feature Film in the festival's online competition.
Florian and Anailin de la Rua de la Torre, were flown from Cuba to the United States...
Director Lucy Mulloy, cinematographers Trevor Forrest and Shlomo Godder were honored for their work on the film. Actors Dariel Arrechada and Jaiver Nunez Florian both won Best Actor in a Narrative Feature.
Other big winners include Nisha Pahuja's "The World Before Her" for Best Documentary Feature, Bryan Buckley's "Asad" for Best Narrative Short and Frederic Golding's "On the Mat" for Best Feature Film in the festival's online competition.
Florian and Anailin de la Rua de la Torre, were flown from Cuba to the United States...
- 4/27/2012
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
Ballroom Dancer goes inside the underbelly of the competitive dance world through the eyes of former World Latin Dance Champion Slavik Kryklyvyy in his quest for a comeback ten years after his rise and fall from glory. After his championship partner - and former lover - Joanna Leunis left him professionally and romantically, Slavik's career sputtered as Leunis' soared. This bittersweet documentary captures Slavik's journey with his new girlfriend and dance partner, Anna Melnikova, in his unrelenting quest to reclaim his ruling place on the dance floor. Following the North American premiere screening on Saturday, April 21, filmmakers Christian Bonke and Andreas Koefoed greeted moviegoers for a Q and A. Despite the film's comprehensive profile of Slavik, the audience was eager to learn more about the unrelentingly determined dancer. Andreas noted that upon meeting Slavik, 'He reeked of drama' - immediately piquing Christian's and his interest to chronicle Slavik's story. The...
- 4/26/2012
- TribecaFilm.com
“Ballroom Dancer” begins with black-and-white footage of dancer Slavik Kryklyvyy in 2000, on top of the world and dominating the World Latin Dance Championships. Kryklyvyy is lithe and seductive at the age of 24, slicing through routines with his equally skilled partner and lover Joanna Leunis. With his high cheekbones, piercing eyes, and a matinee-idol handsomeness that puts Johnny Depp to shame, he seems almost built from the ground up for success.
However, “Ballroom Dancer” takes a fascinating look at Krykylvyy in the aftermath. Ten years later, he’s coming off a brief, unexplained retirement, driven to recapture the glories of the dancehall once again. Most notably, he no longer has Leunis by his side, instead directing his intensity towards his new girlfriend and dance partner, Anna (hm) Melnikova. For Krykylvyy and Melnikova, there’s not a single moment of solitude, no brief respite from the preparations for the dance. Even in...
However, “Ballroom Dancer” takes a fascinating look at Krykylvyy in the aftermath. Ten years later, he’s coming off a brief, unexplained retirement, driven to recapture the glories of the dancehall once again. Most notably, he no longer has Leunis by his side, instead directing his intensity towards his new girlfriend and dance partner, Anna (hm) Melnikova. For Krykylvyy and Melnikova, there’s not a single moment of solitude, no brief respite from the preparations for the dance. Even in...
- 4/21/2012
- by Gabe Toro
- The Playlist
Spend your first Festival Friday checking out these free events and panels! Oh, and some more films, of course, including the invasion of The Goonies to the Tribeca Drive-In! (It's free, so bring the kiddoes.) Tribeca Talks: Pen to Paper - Biography on Film 1:00 Pm: Barnes and Noble Union Square Price: Free Join us as Tff filmmakers Ramona S. Diaz (Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey), Petter Ringbom (The Russian Winter), Andreas Koefoed (Ballroom Dancer), and Daniel A. Miller (Evocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie), and more discuss the unique ways in which they explored the life of a real individual and shaped that person's story into a film. Moderated by Basil Tsiokos, documentary consultant and Sundance Film Festival programming associate. Tribeca Talks Industry: Film and Brands 2:30 Pm: Sva Theater Price: Free Join producer and director Brett Ratner, American Express' Vice President of Global Media, Sponsorship and Experiential Marketing Rich Lehrfeld,...
- 4/20/2012
- TribecaFilm.com
"Ballroom Dancer" is the directorial debut for Christian Holten Bonke and Andreas Koefoed. It had its world premiere as the opening film of Cph:dox and heads to Tribeca this week. The story of a champion dancer who's now struggling with an aging body and an intense anger management problem that keeps scaring off dance partners, it's accessible, charming and you're going to be seeing a lot of it on the festival circuit. The film follows the former world champion in Latin American dancing, Slavik Kryklyvyy. A decade after being one of the most celebrated dancers in the world, Bonke and Koefoed's subject finds a new partner (who is also his girlfriend) and "Dancer" depicts Kryklyvyy as he attempts to make a comeback. The directors say: "Our ambition with 'Ballroom Dancer' was to create a seductive and dramatic film that tells a documentary story using the tools from fiction film.
- 4/16/2012
- by Indiewire
- Indiewire
2012 Tribeca Film Festival announced the World Narrative and Documentary Competition film selections
HollywoodNews.com: The 2012 Tribeca Film Festival (Tff), presented by American Express®, today announced the World Narrative and Documentary Competition film selections, along with selections for the out-of-competition Viewpoints section—the program established last year that highlights personal stories in international and independent cinema. Forty-six of the 90 feature-length films were announced. The 11th edition of the Festival will take place from April 18 to April 29 at locations around New York City.
The Festival was curated by a new programming team this year. Frédéric Boyer has joined Tff as Artistic Director, having most recently served as Artistic Director and Head of Programming for the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival. Geoffrey Gilmore, Chief Creative Officer of Tribeca Enterprises, has expanded his role in overseeing the Festival program. Genna Terranova has been promoted to Director of Programming and Cara Cusumano returns as Programmer.
“It’s been so gratifying to watch the new programming...
The Festival was curated by a new programming team this year. Frédéric Boyer has joined Tff as Artistic Director, having most recently served as Artistic Director and Head of Programming for the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival. Geoffrey Gilmore, Chief Creative Officer of Tribeca Enterprises, has expanded his role in overseeing the Festival program. Genna Terranova has been promoted to Director of Programming and Cara Cusumano returns as Programmer.
“It’s been so gratifying to watch the new programming...
- 3/6/2012
- by Josh Abraham
- Hollywoodnews.com
The Tribeca Film Festival announced half of this year’s movie showcase, the 11th edition of the New York celebration set for April 18-29. James Franco’s behind-the-scenes General Hospital feature, Francophrenia, will have its North American premiere in the Viewpoints section – the program established last year that highlights more personal stories. “He’s kind of constructed this really interesting and well-crafted film about that experience that plays with the boundaries of documentary,” says Genna Terranova, Tribeca’s director of programming. “It’s a bit tongue in cheek, as James himself can be. He’s a bit enigmatic and the film is as well.
- 3/6/2012
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
With The Five-Year Engagement set as the opening title for the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival, they’ve announced more of the line-up today with World Narrative & Documentary Features as the Viewpoint titles. We’ve got the next film from The Exploding Girl director Bradley Rust Gray, Jack and Diane (as well as a first look about featuring Juno Temple, thanks to Styd).
There is a new Harmony Korine short as well Kate Bosworth‘s While We Were Here and The Girl, starring Abbie Cornish. James Franco also has his latest film, Francophrenia, featuring footage from his performance on General Hospital. Nothing sticks out too greatly yet, but if I see something as interesting as Beyond the Black Rainbow or Magic Valley like last year, I’ll be a happy man. Check it out below and come back Thursday for the rest of the announcement.
World Narrative Feature Competition
• All In (La Suerte En Tus Manos...
There is a new Harmony Korine short as well Kate Bosworth‘s While We Were Here and The Girl, starring Abbie Cornish. James Franco also has his latest film, Francophrenia, featuring footage from his performance on General Hospital. Nothing sticks out too greatly yet, but if I see something as interesting as Beyond the Black Rainbow or Magic Valley like last year, I’ll be a happy man. Check it out below and come back Thursday for the rest of the announcement.
World Narrative Feature Competition
• All In (La Suerte En Tus Manos...
- 3/6/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
SXSW kicks off later this week, but once your done slurping the BBQ sauce off your fingers, pack your backs and head north to Manhattan as the Tribeca Film Festival is gearing up to unspool in April. To whet cinephile appetites, organizers have dropped the lineup for the World Narrative Feature Competition, World Documentary Feature Competition and Viewpoints lineups and there are plenty of titles to take note of.
Among the narratives, the anticipated "Jack And Diane" from Bradley Rust Gray will make its world premiere. Starring Juno Temple and Riley Keough, the film takes a teenage lesbian love tale and twists the formula, with one of them revealing she's a werewolf. Add to that a cast rounded out by Dane DeHaan, Jena Malone and pop star Kylie Minogue (as a tattooed lesbian, of course) and you can see why this will be one of the hottest tickets at the fest.
Among the narratives, the anticipated "Jack And Diane" from Bradley Rust Gray will make its world premiere. Starring Juno Temple and Riley Keough, the film takes a teenage lesbian love tale and twists the formula, with one of them revealing she's a werewolf. Add to that a cast rounded out by Dane DeHaan, Jena Malone and pop star Kylie Minogue (as a tattooed lesbian, of course) and you can see why this will be one of the hottest tickets at the fest.
- 3/6/2012
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
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