By Elias Savada. You may not recall who the 20th President of the United States was. Or the name of the British Prime Minister in 1980. But mention the name Hans Ruedi “HR” Giger and one word immediately comes to mind: Alien. As Dark Star: HR Gigers Welt (expanded in the subtitled […]
The Un-Dead Walks: The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (2013)
May 22, 2015
By Elias Savada. “Being dead can have its advantages sometimes.” That’s just one of the translated pieces of tossed off dialogue delivered in this Scandinavian smorgasbord of a comedy. No, Hundraåringen som klev ut genom fönstret och försvann (The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared), isn’t a […]
Berlinale 2015 Festival Report
May 21, 2015
By Yun-hua Chen. The 65th Berlinale celebrates two generations of German cinema, featuring Werner Herzog’s Queen of the Desert and Wim Wenders’ Every Thing Will be Fine, alongside Andreas Dresden’s Als Wir Träumten and Sebastian Schipper’s Victoria in the competition category. Jafar Panahi’s Taxi, made under extremely difficult circumstances, earned […]
“With Women Like You in the World…”: The Girl is in Trouble (2015)
May 20, 2015
By Jude Warne. The title of this thriller perhaps suggests all one needs to know about its plot, tone and perspective. A girl is in trouble. The girl here, Signe (Alicja Bachleda), is a stereotype of stereotypes, a beautiful but double-crossing Euro chick who gets physically and verbally abused by […]
The Pictures of a Lady: In Praise of Grace Kelly
May 18, 2015
By Daniel Garrett. Some old films have a special appeal. They might not be excellent or particularly beloved objects, and yet they have something that sustains our attention. When I saw Mogambo (1953), I found the love triangle in it interesting even as I recognized its familiarity: an honest rogue […]
Reality in Different Visions: Wei Hu on Butter Lamp (2013)
May 17, 2015
By Paul Risker. The outset of Wei Hu’s filmmaking journey has taken the form of small steps, although the burgeoning young filmmaker admits that his two short films Le Propriétaire (2012) and Butter Lamp (2013) have infused him with a passion and belief in cinema. He explains, “I am confident […]
The 34th Istanbul Film Festival: Marked with Solidarity Against Censorship and the Void Left by Cancelled Competitions
May 17, 2015
By N. Buket Cengiz. It was the festival fever once again heralding the coming of spring in Istanbul when the 34th Istanbul Film Festival started on the 3rd of April with great energy as always. Even richer this year with the addition of the National Documentary Competition to its longtime […]
Ex Machina: Woman Abused (to Small Concern)
May 11, 2015
By Christopher Sharrett. Alex Garland’s Ex Machina (some radio announcers have said “ex masheena”—one wonders if anyone knows Athenian drama, and the particular reasons behind theater’s use of the god from the machine) seems to be the must-see sci-fi film of the season, based on comments by newspaper and Internet reviewers. […]
The 65th Annual Berlinale Film Festival
May 11, 2015
By Zhuo-Ning Su. The Berlin International Film Festival—or the “Berlinale”—celebrated its 65th edition earlier this year (Feb. 5- 15). Locked in bitter, continental weather with little sunshine and no palm trees, Berlin is no match for Cannes both in terms of glamour and prestige. In the past decade, the growing […]
Burden of Peace: An Interview with Filmmaker Joey Boink
May 9, 2015
By Amir Ganjavie. Claudia Paz y Paz, a highly respected criminal law expert and judge with over eighteen years of experience, was the former Attorney General of Guatemala. As the first woman to hold such a high position in Guatemala, she was at the forefront of different fights to bring […]