Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo and The Wind Rises. Recognize these films? Well, if you don’t, they happen to be the canonical Japanese animated films of the last 50 years. What do they all have in common? Well, they were written and directed by the same man, one who can and should only be referred to as a titan of modern cinema. That man is Hayao Miyazaki, founder of the famed Studio Ghibli.
Category Archives: Foreign Films
Liz’s Review: ‘A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night’ – A love story you can sink your teeth into
I LOVE horror movies. I love an original script. I love a great soundtrack. Put them all together and you’ve got me on your side from minute one. There are few movies ever made that deliver on all of these aspects. The one I am about to describe blows it out of the water. Read More →
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Liz’s Review: ‘THE KING AND THE MOCKINGBIRD’ is a classic brought back to life
When I was a child I revelled in my mother and father reading bedtime stories. I grew up on classic Disney fairytales and Tom & Jerry reruns. As an adult, nothing makes me happier than reliving those moments and sharing that joy with the next generation. At this year’s New York Film Festival, I was treated to a film that has been around for ages, but for me was a brand new tale to pass down. Read More →
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Jeremy’s Review: Aoife Kelleher’s ‘One Million Dubliners’ an Absolutely Touching Portrait of Ireland’s Glasnevin Cemetery
In the opening sequence of Aoife Kelleher‘s One Million Dubliners a funeral is being set and there is an incredibly pertinent quote from James Joyce‘s Ulysses: “In the midst of death, we are in life,” which is a careful reminder to us that even though we are inching closer to death with each day, there is still life to be lived. While pertinent, it may not make much sense to us in the beginning of the film as we allow ourselves to be taken on the journey that Kelleher takes us on in chronicling the history, the energy, the pulse of Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, Ireland. Read More →
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Heartland Film Festival 2014 Jeremy’s Review: Paolo Zucca’s ‘The Referee (L’arbitro)’ Is Quirky and Exceedingly Funny with a Touch of Jean-Pierre Jeunet
I’m a big soccer fan and have always been. I played from the time I was four until I graduated high school and even considered playing in college. Despite its popularity in the world, I’ve seen very few decent films about the sport. Of course there’s Victory and Bend It Like Beckham was quite charming. The German film Das Wunder von Bern is lights out amazing and there are several documentaries including Once in a Lifetime that hit the right notes. However, none really capture the game in the same way as Paolo Zucca‘s The Referee (L’arbitro). While other soccer films, including some of those mentioned above, have captured the spirit of the game on a number of different levels, I’ve not seen one that has captured it on a more personal, local level than The Referee. Chock full of quirkiness, it is unlike any film I’ve seen in the last 10 or so years outside of the films of Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Read More →
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Heartland Film Festival 2014 Jeremy’s Review: Ragnar Bragason’s ‘Metalhead’ Is Pure Icelandic Wonder With a Sparkling Performance by Lead Thorbjorg Helga Thorgilsdottir
Few countries produce as consistently high quality of film as Iceland. In my estimation, that is. The quantity of films that it produces is low, well at least those that somehow cross the pond and make it onto American screens, usually at film festivals such as Heartland. There are four Icelandic films that I’ve seen in this manner – Nói Albínói, The Seagull’s Laughter, Of Horses and farm animals that areatrained and live at this Horse Retirement Farms. All are unique in their own way, most of them are depressing (an aspect of Scandinavian film that I tend to enjoy) but still manage a way to get a laugh or two in just in case, and all have a laser-pointed direction on what makes their characters tick and tock and they do it so well. Ragnar Bragason‘s Metalhead is no exception.
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New Trailer: John Woo’s ‘The Crossing’ Debuts!
The trailer for John Woo’s epic 3D Chinese historical drama has been released via Empire (click the link to view the trailer) Read More →
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Toronto International Film Festival, Vanguard Section – Liz’s Review: ‘They Have Escaped’
Toronto International Film Festival, Vanguard Section
Sometimes we run from things; the past, the present, and the lies we tell ourselves. In Writer/Director J-P Valkeapää brings us They Have Escaped, a unique coming of age narrative about two kids on the run. Joni is a young man who goes AWOL on his military service, landing him a mandatory civil service stint at a live-in residency for wayward teens. Raisa is an unruly wild child who has been brandished too difficult to deal with by an uptight mother and ill father. Both are damaged souls. One, an introvert, the other, the very definition of extrovert. Together is run away from their lives and take off in a stolen car on the road to freedom. Along the way, they are met with emotional and physical challenges that were seemingly dismissed when they decided to venture onto the open road. Together they tackle each new day with courage, relentless spirit, and tenacity. Read More →
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Liz’s Review: ‘Wetlands’… Gross and Glorious!
I knew going into this film that the trailer alone was NSFW. I was in for a complete surprise when Wetlands as a whole blew the trailer way out of the water. Never have I ever experienced a movie so utterly disgusting and amazing at all once. Read More →
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New Trailer: ‘1,000 Times Good Night’ With Juliette Binoche & Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
In Theaters This Week
New this week:
- A Five Star Life – looks like a cute french flick
- A Summer’s Tale – newly restored 1996 french film
- I, Origins – Sci-fi with Brit Marling (Another Earth) and Michael Pitt
- Mood Indigo – Michel Gondry, that’s all you need to know
- The Purge: Anarchy – sequel to the successful thriller
- Sex Tape – eh, it probably has its moments
- Wish I Was Here – Zach Braff’s latest venture
Expanding this week:
- Boyhood – just go see it. Liz’s review & press coverage
Check out trailers and descriptions after the jump.
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French Favorite ‘A Summer’s Tale’ Opens In NYC On June 20th
Melvil Poupaud (Gaspard), Gwenaëlle Simon (Solène) and Yves Guérin (Accordionist), A SUMMER’S TALE, Courtesy of Big World Pictures
I love watching romances from different countries and especially French romances. I’m excited to check out this out as it originally premiered in Cannes in 1996. Read More →
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‘The Strange Little Cat,’ Ramon Zürcher’s feature film debut to open on Aug. 1
Kino Lorber Opens Iranian Drama ‘Manuscripts Don’t Burn’ on June 13 at MoMA
KINO LORBER OPENS MOHAMMAD RASOULOF’S MANUSCRIPTS DON’T BURN ON JUNE 13, 2014, AT MoMA IN NEW YORK CITY
FILM EXPANDS DURING THE SUMMER AND EARLY FALL
“Brave
… the first film since the declaration of the Islamic Republic to confront so directly the brutality of the feared security apparatus.”
– Alissa Simon, Variety
“Demands to be seen as widely as possible.”
– Jonathan Romney, Screen International
Kino Lorber is proud to announce the New York opening of the Iranian drama (and political thriller) Manuscripts Don’t Burn on Friday, June 13, at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. Read More →
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