New York Int'l Latino Film Festival Unites Latindom

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Thursday, 22 July 2010 12:28

Written by Laura Blum

Nothing says "si se puede" like the New York International Latino Film Festival. The respected fest began 11 years ago with the budget for a burrito, and has since lassoed steady sponsorship, loyal fans and a reputation as a premier US showcase focused on urban Hispanic cinema. 

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Clint Eastwood's Classic Storytelling On View

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Thursday, 08 July 2010 16:49

Written by Jack Angstreich

Starting this week at the Walter Reade Theatre, the Film Society of Lincoln Center is mounting a complete retrospective of the films directed by Oscar winner Clint Eastwood, running from from July 9th to 27th, 2010. For many years, appreciation of Eastwood's classical approach to visual storytelling was primarily the province of  French critics -- especially, those at Cahiers du Cinema and a small cadre of American auteurists. I would cite, in particularly, the exemplary writing of the New York Times' Dave Kehr.

Eastwood is now, of course, one of the most prestigious directors in Hollywood. The retrospective also showcases some of his work as an actor with the two directors who most influenced him as a filmmaker, Sergio Leone and Don Siegel. Eastwood was molded into a very fine actor under the hand of Leone in the "Dollars Trilogy," which ushered in the actor's stardom. The classical art of underplaying has become an undervalued commodity since the revolution in acting wrought by the Method, but Eastwood mastered this skill, along with a fine sense of dryly comic timing, with Leone's supervision.

The Film Society offered press screenings of three titles in "The Complete Clint Eastwood" series, and I offer a short preview here.

One of the ultimate cult films -- and perhaps the ultimate spaghetti Western -- The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is the epic culmination of Leone's "Dollars Trilogy" featuring Eastwood as The Man with No Name. Leone, a grim, Marxist ironist whose taste for operatic excess soared into the stratosphere with his subsequent magnum opus, Once upon a Time in the West, was a master of the close-up as well as of the wide shot, both of which are deployed brilliantly here.

All three lead performances -- by Eastwood, Lee van Cleef and Eli Wallach -- are justly famous, as is Ennio Morricone's astounding score. The film's glorious images were photographed by Passolini's great cinematographer, Tonino Delli Colli. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly was shot in IB Technicolor, but the Film Society is screening the recent restored version in Eastmancolor. This is a very fine transfer with excellent clarity, although unfortunately the color here doesn't have the vividness of Once Upon a Time in the West's recent restoration. The print screened is in excellent condition with a small amount of wear.

Eastwood dealt with uncharacteristically sentimental material in Breezy, his third film as a director and the first in which he did not appear; however, Eastwood's restrained, somewhat distanced approach works against the material to a profitable end even as the actual shooting style proves to be relatively slack amidst the director's other, more estimable achievements. The film is held together by an extraordinary performance from William Holden, here in his moving, autumnal phase as an actor. The Film Society screened an excellent archival print with outstanding, sharp color.

Siegel's style seems closer than Leone's to Eastwood's. Both American directors have on the whole eschewed the European ostentation favored by Leone, although Siegel has occasionally employed mannerist technique, as in The Beguiled. In general, however, Siegel and Eastwood have both utilized a neutral, functional mise-en-scene, although Eastwood has shown more of an affinity for cultivating handsome images in many of his films.

Siegel's Escape to Alcatraz, screening here, displays the director's sober, stripped-down technique at its purest while the film's screenplay is in line with his thematically consistent focus on mavericks. Escape from Alcatraz is well-acted all around, but Patrick McGoohan's evident relish in playing the prison warden is noteworthy. The film was screened in an excellent archival print with good color.

Absolute Power
Clint Eastwood, 1997, USA; 120m
In this shadowy White House thriller, a burglar (Eastwood) sees something he shouldn't. Philandering President Gene Hackman is not amused.
Tue Jul 20: 3:40
Sat Jul 24: 3:30
 
Bird
Clint Eastwood, 1988, USA; 161m
Forest Whitaker's indelible turn as Eastwood jazz idol Charlie "Bird" Parker is heroic and heartbreaking--an essential performance of the 80s or any decade. NYFF '88.
Sat Jul 17: 6:00
Mon Jul 19: 1:00
 
Blood Work
Clint Eastwood, 2002, USA; 111m
Post heart transplant, a detective (Eastwood) tackles one last murder. "So much more than just a thriller."-Amy Taubin, Film Comment
Fri Jul 23: 1:30
 
Breezy
Clint Eastwood, 1973, USA; 108m
One of the era's most undervalued films, this May-December romance links a divorcé (superb William Holden) and a hippie (Kay Lenz).
Tue Jul 13: 1:15
 
The Bridges of Madison County
Clint Eastwood, 1995, USA; 135m
This "love story for adults" follows the passionate four-day affair between a housewife (Meryl Streep) and a photographer (Eastwood) in 1960s Iowa.
Wed Jul 21: 1:00 & 6:15
 
Bronco Billy
Clint Eastwood, 1980, USA; 116m
A gentle screwball comedy in which a fugitive heiress (Sondra Locke) crashes a New Jersey shoe salesman's Wild West big top.
Fri Jul 16: 1:30 & 8:45
 
Changeling
Clint Eastwood, 2008, USA; 141m
The majestic, fact-based period drama about a missing child stars Oscar nominee Angelina Jolie (and was the Centerpiece of NYFF '08).
Sun Jul 25: 3:30
 
Dirty Harry
Don Siegel, 1971, USA; 102m
Eastwood compatriot Don Siegel galvanizes the vigilante-cop classic with clean, hard filmmaking, with Clint's gunplay and growls in high form.
Sat Jul 10: 9:00
Thu Jul 15: 4:10
 
The Eastwood Factor
Richard Schickel, 2010, USA; 90m
Schickel's warm documentary joins Eastwood on an extraordinary trip down memory lane, with visits to the Warner Brothers lot and his hometown. Following the screening, Schickel will be signing copies of his book, Clint: A Retrospective.
Fri Jul 9: 7:00
 
The Eiger Sanction
Clint Eastwood, 1975, USA; 125m
Paranoia on an Alpine peak! Eastwood does his own mountaineer stunts as an art-collecting ex-assassin called back for one last kill.
Mon Jul 12: 6:30
Tue Jul 13: 3:30
 
Escape from Alcatraz
Don Siegel, 1979, USA; 112m
The classic nail-biter about a 1962 prison break from "The Rock" was the climactic Siegel-Eastwood pair-up-and a doozy.
Thu Jul 22: 4:00 & 9:35
 
Firefox
Clint Eastwood, 1982, USA; 136m
Eastwood steals a secret Soviet warplane! "A level of personal expressiveness all but banished from popular American movies." -Dave Kehr
Fri Jul 16: 3:50
Sat Jul 17: 3:20
 
A Fistful of Dollars
Sergio Leone, 1964, Italy; 96m
The dazzling spaghetti Western trilogy begins: The Man with No Name (Eastwood) pays a small Mexican town a very special visit. Followed by a live conversation and Q&A with Eastwood via Skype!
Sat Jul 10: 2:30
 
Flags of Our Fathers
Clint Eastwood, 2006, USA; 131m
Guts and glory get a reality check through the cracked prism of Iwo Jima's flag-raising. With Ryan Philippe and Adam Beach.
Sat Jul 24: 6:00
Mon Jul 26: 6:00
 
For a Few Dollars More
Sergio Leone, 1965, Italy; 130m
The spaghetti Western feast continues: Eastwood's bounty hunter and Lee Van Cleef zero in on a bank bandit.
Thu Jul 15: 1:30
 
The Gauntlet
Clint Eastwood, 1977, USA; 114m
Under an action-packed onslaught, a drunken cop (Eastwood) and a mob-witness hooker (Sondra Locke) try to escape Vegas, or anywhere, alive.
Wed Jul 14: 4:10 & 8:45
 
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Sergio Leone, 1966, Italy; 161m
The One and Only! If you've never seen this tour-de-force Western on the big screen, then you haven't seen it.
Thu Jul 22: 12:30 & 6:15
 
Gran Torino
Clint Eastwood, 2008, USA; 116m
A tough-as-nails Detroit retiree (Eastwood) grudgingly makes nice with Vietnamese neighbors and shows no-good hoods the meaning of honor.
Tue Jul 27: 4:00
 
Heartbreak Ridge
Clint Eastwood, 1986, USA; 128m
A hard-drinking old-school Marine sergeant whips his rowdy grunts into shape in this colorful tribute to military life.
Sat Jul 17: 9:00
 
High Plains Drifter
Clint Eastwood, 1975, USA; 105m
A stranger (Eastwood) dispenses his own justice in a corrupt Western town in this unsettling study of the archetypical gunslinger.
Mon Jul 12: 4:20 & 9:00
 
Honky Tonk Man
Clint Eastwood, 1982, USA; 123m
In this "male tear-jerker," a broke-down country singer (Eastwood) aims for the Grand Ole Opry during the Depression.
Fri Jul 9: 4:30
Wed Jul 14: 6:20
 
Invictus
Clint Eastwood, 2009, USA; 134m
Morgan Freeman becomes Nelson Mandela in this uplifting story of rugby triumph (team captain: Matt Damon) in the ashes of apartheid.
Tue Jul 27: 8:40
 
Letters from Iwo Jima
Clint Eastwood, 2006, USA; 141m
The notorious island battle gets a harrowing and deeply moving retelling, elegantly structured and told through Japanese eyes.
Sat Jul 24: 8:40
Mon Jul 26: 8:40
 
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Clint Eastwood, 1997, USA; 135m
Eastwood's adaptation of the Georgia-set best-seller stars John Cusack as the Gotham reporter covering local color and maybe murder. With primo Kevin Spacey.
Wed Jul 21: 9:00
 
Million Dollar Baby
Clint Eastwood, 2005, USA; 132m
Reviving the boxing picture, Eastwood's heartbreaking father-daughter-bond story between coach (Eastwood) and scrapper (Hilary Swank) reaped Oscar gold.
Sun Jul 25: 1:00
 
Mystic River
Clint Eastwood, 2003, USA; 137m
Crimes past and present corrode the bonds between childhood Boston friends in this devastating Lehane adaptation starring Oscar-winner Sean Penn. Opening Night NYFF '03.
Fri Jul 23: 6:15
 
The Outlaw Josey Wales
Clint Eastwood, 1976, USA; 135m
A Missouri farmer (Eastwood) journeys to avenge his murdered wife in this nuanced consideration of community and payback.
Sun Jul 11: 3:45
Wed Jul 14: 1:30
 
Pale Rider
Clint Eastwood, 1985, USA; 115m
Before Unforgiven, Eastwood rode to the rescue of the Western with this stark tale of a mining monopolist laid low by guess-who.
Fri Jul 9: 2:00
Fri Jul 16: 6:30
 
A Perfect World
Clint Eastwood, 1993, USA; 130m
This soulful fugitive drama examines the bonds between an enigmatic go-it-aloner (Kevin Costner) and the boy he kidnaps.
Sun Jul 11: 1:00
Tue Jul 20: 1:00
 
Piano Blues

Clint Eastwood, 2003, USA; 85m
Part of PBS's "The Blues" series, this chronicle of masters from Tatum to Brubeck testifies to Eastwood passions as composer/pianist.
Tue Jul 27: 6:15
 
Play Misty for Me
Clint Eastwood, USA, 1971; 102m
For his directorial debut, Eastwood went for cracked obsession: a swinging deejay gets stalked by his number-one lady-fan. Featuring a Roberta Flack hit.
WITH
The Beguiled: The Storyteller
Clint Eastwood, USA, 1971; 12m
A rare documentary shot during the making of Don Siegel's The Beguiled.
Sat Jul 10: 6:30
Mon Jul 12: 2:00
 
The Rookie
Clint Eastwood, 1990, USA; 121m
Charlie Sheen plays the stone-faced protégé to a grizzled cop (Eastwood) determined to stop some German auto thieves and their fast, fast cars.
Mon Jul 19: 4:00 & 8:50
 
Space Cowboys
Clint Eastwood, 2000, USA; 129m
Four silverback pilots (Eastwood, James Garner, Donald Sutherland, and Tommy Lee Jones) blast into space to save a satellite in this high-spirited adventure.
Fri Jul 23: 3:45
Sat Jul 24: 1:00
 
Sudden Impact
Clint Eastwood, 1983, USA, 117m
Dirty Harry directs himself for the first time in a no-holds-barred pursuit of an enraged and complex serial killer (Sondra Locke).
Sat Jul 17: 1:00
 
True Crime
Clint Eastwood, 1999, USA; 127m
A womanizing journalist (Eastwood) sets out to exonerate a death-row inmate (Isaiah Washington). With James Woods and Denis Leary as news editors.
Wed Jul 21: 3:40
Fri Jul 23: 9:00
 
Unforgiven
Clint Eastwood, 1992, USA; 130m
Eastwood finally won the Best Director Oscar for this devastating dissection of the mythology of violence and retribution so prominent in his films.
Sun Jul 18: 3:15
Mon Jul 19: 6:20
 
White Hunter, Black Heart
Clint Eastwood, 1990, USA; 114m
In a fictionalized take on the making of The African Queen, a proudly self-destructive filmmaker (Eastwood) almost derails his latest project with his brawling and big-game hunting.
Sun Jul 18: 1:00

Ticket Information:
Single Screening Tickets: $12 General Public/ $8 Seniors & Students/ $7 Members [$10 Affiliate]
Weekday Matinee Screenings, Mon-Fri before 6pm: $9 General Public/ $6 Seniors & Students/ $5 Members
Five Film Pass: $50 General Public/ $35 Seniors & Students/ $30 Members
All Access Pass: $129 General Public/ $109 Seniors & Students/ $99 Members
 
In Person: Walter Reade Theater box office; Hours: Mon-Fri opens at 12:30pm, Sat/Sun opens 1/2 hr before first public screening; closes 15 minutes after last public screening, at 6pm when there are no public screenings.
 For more information call 212 875 5601 or visit www.Filmlinc.com
 
Walter Reade Theater at The Film Society of Lincoln Center
165 West 65th Street, upper level
(between Broadway and Amsterdam Ave.)
Subways: 1 train to 66th Street Lincoln Center
Buses: M5 M7 M104
More options available at nearby Columbus Circle

AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Fest Metes Out Awards

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Friday, 02 July 2010 02:23

Written by Laura Blum

Serious issues and documentaries go together like Washington, D.C., and its nonfiction scrum, AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival. But this year's fest, which showed about 100 films from 54 countries (June 21 to 27, 2010) at the AFI Silver Theater and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Md., gave top awards to stories with a lighter, more intimate touch.

This despite the fact that Silverdocs -- and its five-day International Documentary Conference -- offered up plenty of fodder to "enhance our understanding of the world." With more goo putrefying the Gulf of Mexico each day than the average news consumer can fathom, perhaps jurors and fest-goers sought to buoy their spirits with more manageable, personal narratives than the sobering themes of war, politics and globalization featured on much of the Festival line-up.

Voters among the estimated 25,000 attendees, including more than 1,000 filmmakers, entertainment executives and media professionals, selected Men Who Swim for the feature Audience Award. Dylan Williams' film chronicles a British expat in Sweden who joins a men's synchronized swimming team to cope with his mid-life crisis, ultimately competing in the unofficial All Male World Championship in Milan.

A nostalgic look at the waning of phone booths in Ireland is the topic of the Audience Award-winning short, Bye Bye Now, from Aideen O'Sullivan and Ross Whitaker.

At the Festival awards ceremony, I Love You, Mommy/Wo Ai Ni Mommy took the Sterling Award for Best U.S. Feature. The documentary tracks a Jewish couple's adoption of an 8-year-old Chinese girl, and her new life in Long Island. Director Stephanie Wang-Breal will receive $5,000 in cash.

Joonas Berghäll and Mika Hotakainen's Steam of Life won Special Jury Mention. (Together with Men Who Swim, it'd yield a mean double feature of males in water therapy.) Set in the saunas of Finland, Steam of Life lays bare the protagonist's mid-life crisis and the men with whom he swaps hopes and disappointments.

This year’s Sterling Award for Best World Feature went to The Woman with the 5 Elephants. Directed by Vadim Jendreyko, it portrays 85-year-old Svetlana Geier and her Russian-to-German translation of Dostoyevsky’s five great novels, which are dubbed "the five elephants." The prize carries $5,000 cash pot.

The Sterling Award for Best Short Film was awarded to Alan Martin's This Chair Is Not Me, about the director's technology-enabled refusal to let the cerebral palsy that confines him to a wheelchair confine other aspects of his life.

Marwencol  bagged the Cinematic Vision Award. Jeff Malmberg's film trains its lens on Mark Hogancamp, who builds a mini World War II-era village and Nazi-themed narrative as art therapy after sustaining amnesia and physical injuries. Malmberg will enjoy $5,000 of in-kind services from Alpha Cine, a Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera worth another $5,000 and a Sunday Best Barbie® to spice up the toy town.

Garnering Special Jury Mentions were The Kids Grow Up and My Perestroika. In the former, filmmaker Doug Block takes an emotional journey through his daughter's departure for college and his home's transformation into an empty nest. In the latter film, Robin Hessman captures the pangs and aspirations of the last generation of Soviet children to be raised behind the Iron Curtain.

Other Special Jury Mentions honored two shorts, Iris Olsson's Between Dreams, retelling the nocturnal crossing of Siberia by a 100 strangers on a train, and Vance Malone's The Poodle Trainer, which tracks a Russian poodle trainer who has devoted her life to training her 20 brightly festooned poodles.

Budrus snagged the Witness Award, given in honor of Joey R. B. Lozano. The film by Julia Bacha offers a portrait of Palestinian activist Ayed Morrar, an ordinary villager who advocates peaceful transformation. The award carries in-kind marketing support and tickets to the annual Witness Gala hosted by Peter Gabriel.

The Writers Guild of America sister organizations on both coasts garlanded Yael Hersonski with the WGA Documentary Screenplay Award for A Film Unfinished. Hersonski's documentary explores the previously unseen footage from a lost reel of an unfinished Nazi propaganda film about the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw 1942. The award includes a cash prize of $1,000 and a one-year complimentary membership in the WGAW Nonfiction Writers Caucus or WGAE Nonfiction Writers Committee Membership.

Silverdocs Artistic Director Sky Sitney had whittled the Festival program from 2,162 submissions, yielding six world, one international, three North American, five US and 10 east coast premieres, in addition to six retrospective films and an outdoor screening. In a written statement, she thanked the jurors, who included:

Sterling U.S. Feature Jury: Steve Bognar, Filmmaker (A Lion in the House); Michael Palmieri, Filmmaker (October Country); Jenna Rosher, Filmmaker (Junior) and Cinematographer (Jesus Camp)

Sterling World Feature Jury: Simon Kilmurry, Executive Director, American Documentary | POV; Havana Marking, Filmmaker (Afghan Star); Andrea Meditch, Executive Producer (Man on Wire, Grizzly Man)

Sterling Short Film Jury: Ben Fowlie, Founding Director, Camden International Film Festival; Elena Fortes, Director, Ambulante Documentary Film Festival; Aron Gaudet, Filmmaker (The Way We Get By).

For the whole kit and caboodle, see www.silverdocs.com.

AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival
June 21 to 27, 2010
AFI-Silver Theater and Cultural Center
8633 Colesville Road
Silver Spring, MD 20910