Archive for July, 2009
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Released 24th July 2009
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The Scandinavian film industry must be laughing all the way to the bank, as their brand of cinema spreads across the globe. First there was vampire flick, Let The Right One In. Now we have a film-noir thriller of the highest calibre from writer/director Ole Bornedal that would have Hitchcock paying close attention. In contrast with the strikingly realistic road accident scenes at the start that could be taken from any shock-tactic government ‘buckle up’ campaign, is a delightfully witty story about a man having a midlife crisis, and his bizarre case of mistaken identity leading to farcical but thrilling events. This really is a true foreign-language gem that isn’t just for the indie film brigade, but translates well, whatever the language.
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Released 24th July 2009
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Controversial Danish film-maker Lars von Trier claims to have made his latest ‘cinematic homage to nature’ in a time of crippling depression that made him question whether he would ever work again. Although confessing that it was made without much enthusiasm and his ‘usual modus operandi’, Antichrist - a questionable title, even after viewing - is probably one of the film-maker’s most important, most compelling, and most loyal to the subject matter of ‘nature’ he has ever created. ‘Nature’ is, perhaps, the Antichrist, the Devil’s playground that consumes and manipulates the psyche of the leads, a grieving couple, played with harrowing conviction by Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Dafoe.
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The Proposal is released on Buena Vista Home Entertainment Blu-ray Hi-Def Combi Pack and single disc DVD from the 30th November.
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Love is in the air once more, as the summer sun shines through, prompting the studios to tactfully cash in on this balmy feeling with ‘yet-another’ rom-com to add to the list. But refraining from sounding prematurely cynical, as The Proposal may appear to follow the traditional rom-com route, the sole attention-grabbing aspect of this film is the appealing duo of Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, falling head-over-heels in love on screen.
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Released 17th July 2009
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You don’t have to have worked in the news business to appreciate that there is a wealth of news out there that goes unaired, or conflicts and struggles in the world that are unintentionally ‘forgotten’. The humanitarian and political situation in the military dictatorship of Burma is one such volatile ’story’ that should be addressed, and acclaimed Danish film-maker Anders Østergaard’s powerful, multi-award-winning piece, using a combination of video-camera footage from the utterly fearless video journalists (VJs) of the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), supported by The Co-Operative, and obviously re-staged scenes will bring this issue to the public’s attention. This film has a unique and indescribable impact that is both shocking and equally invigorating because of the flicker of hope that a courageous few can help bring about change.
