Film industry’s night to shine
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Valentine’s Day is Thursday, and what better time to reflect on some of the better films in recent years that have shone the spotlight on love?
High school drama, child abandonment, James Bond, sex surrogates and bullies — all of this and more await in five films coming out on DVD and Blu-ray Tuesday.
Independent movies often slip under the radar of moviegoers. Here are 10 films coming out in theaters in limited release in the next two months.“Happy People: A Year in the Taiga” — opened in New York City on Jan. 25, expanding in the following weeksGerman filmmaker Werner Herzog co-directed this documentary about the indigenous people living in Bakhtia, the heart of Siberian Taiga. It premiered way back in 2010 at the Telluride Film Festival but just opened in New York City on Friday. Herzog’s 2010 documentary “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” was one of the best films of that year. I expect his newest will be an engrossing snapshot of this vast, snow-covered region.“The Gatekeepers” — Feb. 1This documentary premiered at the Jerusalem Film Festival in Israel last year and was nominated at this year’s Oscars for Best Documentary. It features interviews with all six surviving heads of Shin Bet, the Israeli internal security service. Often, documentaries that seem the most dry and unentertaining turn out to be riveting. Take your movie medicine and go see this when it comes out. It will be good for you.“Like Someone in Love” — Feb. 15Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami’s newest film, which centers on the relationship between a young woman and an old man in Tokyo, premiered at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. His previous feature, “Certified Copy,” also followed a man and woman in a foreign city, one of the best films of 2010. Hopefully, his new drama will intrigue and allure as well.“Spring Breakers” — March 22Harmony Korine is a man who directed a feature film on worn VHS home video titled “Trash Humpers.” His newest oddity, starring James Franco, Selena Gomez (“Wizards of Waverly Place”), Vanessa Hudgens (“High School Musical”), Ashley Benson (“Pretty Little Liars”) and Rachel Korine (the director’s wife) premiered at last year’s Venice Film Festival. It follows, as you might guess, a group of young people on spring break. That’s where the obvious stops. With Korine at the helm, heaven knows what will happen to these people. The MPAA rating is R for “strong sexual content, language, nudity, drug use and violence throughout.”“Stoker” — March 1Three talented South Korean directors make their English-language film debuts this year. This drama/horror/thriller, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this month, is directed by Chan wook-Park, the director of “The Vengeance Trilogy,” including “Oldboy” (which, incidentally, has been remade by Spike Lee and is coming out later this year). It stars Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska and Matthew Goode.“War Witch” — March 1This Canadian war drama, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival last year, is another one of the five films nominated at this year’s Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film. It follows a teenage girl starting with her abduction by a rebel army at 12 years old. She is the frame of the film, 14 years old and pregnant, telling her life story to her unborn child.“The We and the I” — March 8Michel Gondry is one of the most inventive, original and eclectic directors working today. His previous films include “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “Block Party,” “Be Kind Rewind” and “The Green Hornet.” His newest film, which premiered at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, follows the lives of teenagers who ride the same bus to and from school in the Bronx, N.Y. You never know what you are going to get with Gondry.“Room 237” — March 29Stanley Kubrick’s horror classic “The Shining,” based on the novel by Stephen King, is dissected and analyzed in ludicrous fashion in this documentary. People with all different readings of and conspiracy theories about the ’80s masterpiece are presented for consideration. One theory: Kubrick filmed the 1969 moon landing, and clues are hidden throughout “The Shining” suggesting his involvement with the faked landing. This documentary, which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, is for movie buffs who love to delve deep into cinema.“The Place Beyond the Pines” — March 29Derek Cianfrance directed the remarkable “Blue Valentine,” starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, and he reunites with Gosling for his new drama that premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year. Gosling plays a motorcycle stunt rider who starts robbing banks to provide for his lover and their newborn, a story that sounds somewhat similar to another Gosling movie, “Drive.” He has proved film after film that he is one of the leading actors of his generation. He co-stars with Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes and Ray Liotta.“No” — Feb. 15Gael García Bernal (“Amores Perros,” “The Motorcycle Diaries”) stars in this political Chilean comedy/drama as an advertising executive who applies his skills to a political campaign to defeat Augusto Pinochet in 1988 Chile. This critically acclaimed film premiered at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and was nominated at this year’s Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is back on top in a stupid, but fun, action film by a talented foreign filmmaker.
This year, many of the Oscar nominations were well-deserved. Nearly all of the films nominated for best picture were universally praised, but, like always, many worthy films were not nominated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in any category. Here are 10 of the best films released in 2012 that received zero Oscar nominations:1. “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” (DVD and Blu-ray releases scheduled for Feb. 12) This might not be the best film of last year, but it was the one that I connected with the most. I wish I knew the characters in real life. Stephen Chbosky wrote and directed the film, which is adapted from his own novel. The film has only been out for a few months, but I already think this high school dramedy is my generation’s “Breakfast Club.”Deserved Nominations:Best PictureBest Supporting Actor (Ezra Miller)Best Supporting Actress (Emma Watson)Best Adapted Screenplay (Stephen Chbosky)2. “Once Upon a Time in Anatolia” (now on Blu-ray, DVD, and Netflix Instant)Since this film was released in its home country of Turkey in 2011, it would have been eligible at last year’s Oscars. Since it was released in the United States at the very beginning of 2012, I included it here. This beautifully shot existential police procedural is a long, demanding film that will be trying for some audiences. It’s also a masterpiece.Deserved Nominations:Best PictureBest Foreign Language FilmBest Director and Best Original Screenplay (Nuri Bilge Ceylan)Best Cinematography (Gökhan Tiryaki)3. “Bernie” (now on Blu-ray, DVD, and Netflix Instant)The Oscars often ignore comedies, and this year they snubbed one of the best performances of the year, dramatic or comedic. Jack Black gave the best performance of his career so far in Richard Linklater’s howlingly funny gem of a film, “Bernie.” Even the costumes were laugh-out-loud funny. At least he was nominated at the Golden Globes for Best Performance by an Actor in a Musical or Comedy.Deserved Nominations:Best Actor (Jack Black)Best Costume Design (Kari Perkins)4. “The Deep Blue Sea” (now on Blu-ray, DVD, and Netflix Instant)Rachel Weisz, a previous Oscar winner, gave a stunning, heart-wrenching performance in this post-WWII British drama. Writer/director Terence Davies masterfully adapted Terence Rattigan’s play for the silver screen, and the film is greatly enhanced by the stunning performance and beauty of Weisz.Deserved Nominations:Best PictureBest Actress (Rachel Weisz)Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay (Terence Davies)Best Cinematography (Florian Hoffmeister)5. “Oslo, August 31st” (now on DVD and Netflix Instant)The Oscars like to nominate films with characters struggling with addiction, but this depressing documentary-like Norwegian drama about a recovering drug addict was not nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. Since only one film per country can be nominated at the Oscars, dozens of extraordinary foreign films do not end up with any nominations each year.Deserved Nominations:Best PictureBest Foreign Language Film6. “Cloud Atlas” (Blu-ray and DVD releases scheduled for Feb. 5)This nearly three-hour sci-fi epic received wildly mixed reviews when it came out and did poorly at the box office in the U.S. Rarely does a big budget, special effects-laden extravaganza with this much heart, soul and passion come from Hollywood. The filmmakers truly, deeply cared about what they were putting out into theaters, and it shows.Deserved Nominations:Best PictureBest Adapted Screenplay (Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski)Best Costume Design (Kym Barrett, Pierre-Yves Gayraud)Best Make-Up and Hairstyling (Natasha Nikolic, Sian Richards, Daniela Skala)Best Production Design (Hugh Bateup, Uli Hanisch)7. “Holy Motors” (Blu-ray and DVD releases scheduled for Feb. 26)Crazy films rarely get nominated for Oscars, and this film is certainly crazy. This French film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year and blew people away. France decided to select the safe, Oscar-friendly “The Intouchables” as their country’s submission for this year’s Academy Awards. Now that is crazy.Deserved Nominations:Best PictureBest Actor (Denis Lavant)Best Director (Leos Carax) Best Foreign Language Film8. “Compliance” (now available on Blu-ray and DVD)Academy members also tend to leave controversial films off of their Oscar ballots. This “based on true events” shocker features one of the strongest female performances of last year. Ann Dowd plays the manager of a fast food restaurant who receives a prank phone call from a man claiming to be a police officer. The length to which she follows his orders is chillingly played out and grounded by Dowd’s realistic performance.Deserved Nominations:Best Supporting Actress (Ann Dowd)9. “Dark Horse” (now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Netflix Instant)Todd Solondz’s painfully, woefully hysterical comedy is the writer/director’s answer to the man-child films of Judd Apatow (“The 40 Year Old Virgin”). Abe (Jordan Gelber) is a fat loser in a state of arrested development who still lives with his parents (Christopher Walken and Mia Farrow). His severely depressed, almost catatonic girlfriend is played by Selma Blair. The whole cast is excellent, but she is especially a riot.Deserved Nominations:Best Supporting Actress (Selma Blair)10. “The Raid: Redemption” (now available on Blu-ray and DVD)One of the best action movies in years. This Indonesian martial arts film is a head-smashing, arm-breaking, neck-snapping good time. The fight scenes are so brilliantly choreographed and staged that they feel like song and dance numbers ... just with more carnage.Deserved Nominations:Best Foreign Language FilmBest Editing (Gareth Evans)
Looking for a gift for your movie-loving family member or friend? Here are ten films or box sets released on Blu-ray discs recently that might be the perfect stocking stuffer or major purchase.
“The Queen of Versailles” is a fabulously entertaining documentary that provides the guilty pleasure of a reality television show but with depth and substance.
Zombie author Max Brooks performed a straight-faced stand-up comedy routine and Q&A Thursday night in the Russell House Ballroom to a crowd of about 200 people — mostly enthusiastic horror and video game nerds.
“Farewell, My Queen” is a French drama directed and co-written by Benoît Jacquot and based on the novel of the same name by Chantal Thomas. It tells the story of Marie Antoinette (Diane Krugers) through the eyes of her handmaiden, a fictional character named Sidonie Laborde (Léa Seydoux).
Director brings stop-motion style back to cinema with latest film
Crime drama film “End of Watch” plays on the tired cop plot, but strong actors give the been-done a shot at something new.
Looking for a movie to rent? Four new releases hit stores and movie kiosks this week, including "The Cabin in the Woods," a meta comedy/thriller; "Chico & Rita," a Spanish animated film following the love between a musician and a singer; "Detachment," a drama about the failing American education system; and "Oslo, August 31st," a sobering look at a day in the life of a recovering drug addict. Here's why you should either check them out or avoid them.
The film opens with Flik, played by Jules Brown, a 13-year-old African-American boy from Atlanta, riding through Red Hook, New York, in a taxi with his mother (De’Adre Aziza) and filming the neighborhood with his iPad 2.