Difficult to navigate. Too much that’s only available to subscribers. (I thought “free” was the future of business.) And I don’t have time for a Nielsen survey!
The new Hollywood Reporter launched on April 28. Maybe they’re still working on it.
I still like their coverage, but more and more, I’m just reading individual stories via links on other people’s blogs.
Prisoner “Sally” Sorowitsch (Karl Markovics, in center) produces fake currency for Nazis.
Why has this Austrian film been running continuously at New York’s Lincoln Plaza and Angelika Film Center since Feb. 22, when so many other films have come and gone? It’s still attracting audiences in many, many cities across the nation, and recently passed the $5 million mark at the box office.
1- A true story, well told
2- Surprisingly appealing leading man
3- Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film
4- Considers provocative question of self preservation versus sacrifice for greater good
5- Excellent production values
6- and… The vivid examination of tools and techniques for counterfeiting
I called Mike Barker at Sony Classics for his input on the phenom. He said, “The film grossed $130,000 last weekend and it’s not even beginning to abate. It has great word-of-mouth. We expect to play through the summer, and it’s a perfect alternative to the popcorn movies out now. We’re reliving what happened with The Lives of Others last year, which also won the Oscar. The key is the film’s originality, and the fact that it’s based on actual events. It’s a fresh story no one has seen, about the Holocaust, which has been the subject of many films.”
Barker transferred me to Tom Prassis who read me a list of cities playing the film, but there were too many for this modest blog, so I’ll list the states.
AK
CA
CO
CT
FL
GA
IA
ID
IL
MA
MD
MI
MN
MO
MS
MT
NC
NH
NJ
NM
NV
NY
OH
PA
TN
TN
TX
UT
WA
WI
WY
Not me. Yuck. Especially not a fiction film. But it happened. In 2004 at the New York Film Festival I saw “Moolaadé” and it blew me away. In the director’s words, “It’s not a film about genital cutting; it’s a film about freedom.” 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and a must-see.
Senegalese Ousmane Sembene (1923-2007) is a key figure in world cinema history. On Tuesday night the French Institute paid tribute to the director with a work-in-progress documentary on his life, reminiscences, readings, and a screening of his 1964 short, “Borom Sarret” to a musical accompaniment by DJ Spooky. Afterwards, African food and drink were plentiful at a reception in “Le Skyroom.”
There, we took snapshots of the participants.
Dr. Mamadou Diouf of Columbia University
Fadhima Thiam
Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky
In 1993 there was a tie for the Palme d’Or. The top award at Cannes was shared by Jane Campion for “The Piano” and Chen Kage for “Farewell My Concubine.”
Campion is in production as writer/director of “Bright Star,” with Abbie Cornish and Ben Whishaw. The film follows the romance of 23-year-old English poet John Keats and his fashionable muse, in the early 1800s.
I’m excited that Laurent Cantet won this year’s Palme d’Or, the top prize at Cannes, for “Entre les Murs” (The Class). I’ve followed his work from “Les Sanguinaires” (1997) “Human Resources” (1999) and “Time Out” (2001). I had the chance to interview the affable French director for a feature on “Heading South” (2005). All films are highly recommended.
Quiz: Who is the only woman to win the Palme d’Or, and what is she doing now?
Answer: On tomorrow’s Week of Wonders.
Syndicate this site