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NYFF '11: 'The Artist' Director Michel Hazanavicius Credits Orson Welles As One Of Many Influences

  • By Christopher Bell
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  • October 15, 2011 6:49 AM
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  • 2 Comments
Director Wanted To Revive Silent Movie Style For A Contemporary Movie AudienceDespite stealing audiences' hearts and walking away from the prestigious Cannes Film Festival with the Best Actor Award, Michel Hazanavicius's nostalgia-fueled silent feature "The Artist" may have its work cut out for it. Will regular movie-goers go and see something like this in an era when the mere thought of a flick not being in color is appalling? It's a tough call, but with the right push, it might get sales solely based on the fact it's unlike anything in at the cineplex today. After that, all the movie needs is five minutes: it's an instant charmer, an escapist picture done with flair and an enormous amount of heart.
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More: Actors, Actresses, Foreign Films, Michel Hazanavicius, Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, The Artist, New York Film Festival

In Theaters: '80s Night At The Multiplex With 'Footloose' & 'The Thing'

  • By Katie Walsh
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  • October 14, 2011 7:34 AM
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  • 1 Comment
Kick off your Sunday shoes, dear readers, this weekend it's time to cut loose with "Footloose." And what's that? It's a remake-tastic weekend with "The Thing" also in theaters, if you enjoy your '80s nostalgia with body inhabiting aliens instead of nubile dancing teens. Also, Señor Almodóvar's latest, "The Skin I Live In," and the funnymen trio of Martin, Wilson and Black in "The Big Year."
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More: Films, Foreign Films, Modern Horror, Trespass, Texas Killing Fields, The Skin I Live In, The Thing, Footloose

The Films Of Pedro Almodóvar: A Retrospective

  • By Oliver Lyttelton
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  • October 14, 2011 5:50 AM
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  • 7 Comments
Pedro Almodóvar is one of the most respected filmmakers in the world, an Oscar winner whose films have become Cannes mainstays, and who's capable of attracting almost any talent that he'd like, despite having never made a film in the English language (although he says that one is on the one way soon). But his global reputation is all the more remarkable considering just how challenging his fare can be. His violent, sexual taboo-pushing early work is the most obvious example, but throughout his career his interest in gay issues, Sirk-ian melodrama, explicit sex and obsessive behavior has hardly been the kind of thing that usually makes the chattering classes line up around the block.
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More: Foreign Films, Feature, The Essentials, Foreign Directors, The Skin I Live In, Pedro Almodóvar

NYFF '11 Review: 'Policeman' A Strong, Haneke-Inspired Rumination On Israeli Society

  • By Christopher Bell
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  • October 14, 2011 3:03 AM
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  • 1 Comment
While it's absolutely an important issue that deserves coverage, we've already heard nearly every angle of the Israel-Palestine conflict seventy times over -- so much so that we barely have a clue about their other dilemmas. One of these issues starting to come to light is the large economic disparity that exists among the Israelis themselves, resulting in many protests against the abnormally high cost of living. In his assured debut "Policeman," journalist/novelist Nadav Lapid tackles this very problem with a reserved strength rarely seen in a filmmaker so green.
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More: Foreign Films, Review, Foreign Directors, Policeman, Nadav Lapid, New York Film Festival

NYFF '11: Pedro Almodóvar Talks The Identity And Gender Themes Of ‘The Skin I Live In’

  • By Mark Zhuravsky
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  • October 13, 2011 5:16 AM
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  • 0 Comments
Director Discusses Finding Humor In Tragedy, Differences Between Men And Women, And MoreWhen we first laid our eyes upon Pedro Almodóvar's "The Skin I Live In" at Cannes, we called it a film that "snaps between bright glittering glamour and dark, doomed horror," and emerges largely triumphant, "uniquely beautiful and distinctively imperfect." The reception for Almodóvar's latest in the Big Apple has been similarly apprehensive and appreciative; the audience's reaction at last Tuesday's press screening was a testament to the polarizing nature of the film. Almodóvar and stars Antonio Banderas and Elena Anaya were present with a translator in tow, and the conversation was by turns amusing and laid-back, touching on themes and concepts native to the story. While our own Jen Vineyard turned in an excellent piece digging deep into the specifics of the production, this time most of the questions were addressed to Almodóvar, who fielded them with ease, occasionally utilizing the translator for particularly verbose answers.
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More: Foreign Films, Interview, Foreign Directors, The Skin I Live In, Pedro Almodóvar, New York Film Festival

Review: Byzantine, Bloody Almodóvar Takes A New Direction With 'The Skin I Live In'

  • By James Rocchi
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  • October 13, 2011 2:57 AM
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  • 0 Comments
The following is a reprint of our review from Cannes.
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More: Foreign Films, Review, The Skin I Live In

NYFF: Pedro Almodóvar Told Antonio Banderas To Watch Cary Grant Movies To Prep For 'Skin I Live In'

  • By Jen Vineyard
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  • October 12, 2011 3:26 AM
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  • 1 Comment
The Director Reveals He's Not Doing A Biopic On Mina; Tension, Twists & More From The Team Behind The FilmPedro Almodóvar crafts a creepy Frankenstein-esque tale of rape, revenge, and survival in "The Skin I Live In" – a polarizing film which is one of his most ambitious yet. Because the movie features an unexpected twist halfway through the film, discussing it becomes difficult – how do you debate the themes, the issues and the meaning without giving it all away? We leave that task to the esteemed director and his cast that includes Antonio Banderas and Elena Anaya, who hit NYFF this week to present this latest concoction, a tale unlike anything Almodóvar has put on the big screen before. Covering everything from the twist in the movie (don't worry, we won't reveal it here), the reason why Antonio Banderas had to watch Cary Grant movies to prepare for the film, and the themes of identity that run through the story, the trio were happy to discuss in detail the quirky, provocative and unforgettable film.
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More: Actors, Foreign Films, Foreign Directors, Antonio Banderas, The Skin I Live In, Pedro Almodóvar, New York Film Festival

VIFF '11: Johnnie To's 'Life Without Principle' An Uneven, All Too Familiar Financial Crisis Drama

  • By Erik McClanahan
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  • October 11, 2011 2:16 AM
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  • 0 Comments
While movies are primarily considered a form of entertainment, they do have the ability to inform, especially to a mass audience. But that’s a slippery slope. All too easily, the audience can be taken right out of the story if things get too didactic. We at the secret Playlist headquarters (which is, naturally, surrounded by a piranha-filled moat where we toss in haters of the movie “Drive”) tend to like our cinema focused more on organic storytelling, not issue-driven diatribes.
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More: Foreign Films, Review, Vancouver Film Festival

Béla Tarr Confirms At NYFF That He's Retired From Filmmaking

  • By Oliver Lyttelton
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  • October 10, 2011 6:47 AM
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  • 1 Comment
We can't claim to be massive fans of everything that Béla Tarr's made; his work can be fascinating, but somewhat trying. But when he's firing on all cylinders, as in "Werckmeister Harmonies," the Hungarian director is an incredibly vital voice in cinema, and even when he's not, his films find a way of indelibly printing themselves on your mind. As such, we were disappointed to learn back in 2008, on the announcement of Tarr's latest project, that it was intended to be his last.
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More: Foreign Films, Foreign Directors, The Turin Horse, Béla Tarr, New York Film Festival

NYFF '11 Review: Bela Tarr's Swan Song 'The Turin Horse' Is Despairing But Unforgettable

  • By Christopher Bell
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  • October 9, 2011 3:00 AM
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  • 2 Comments
If the name Béla Tarr rings any sort of bell in your head, chances are you've already formed an unwavering opinion of his work. He hasn't exactly shaken up his approach since 1988's "Damnation" (that said, this writer -- probably like most -- isn't familiar with his crop of '90s short films), and if despairing (yet deeply moving) minimalist films composed of stark black-and-white single takes doesn't tickle your fancy, this film won't change your mind.
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More: Foreign Films, Review, Foreign Directors, The Turin Horse, Béla Tarr, New York Film Festival

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