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MOVIES - From Variety: Disney is developing a live-action film based on Snow White's sister, "Rose Red."
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POLITICS - From YahooPolitics: Matt Bai asks, "Are we getting the leaders we deserve?" I'm scared to answer that question.
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MOVIES - From Variety: Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart are in talks to star in a remake of the 2011 French film, "The Intouchables."
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MOVIES - From TheTrackingBoard: Oscar Isaac is reunited with director Alex Garland for the film, "Annihilation." Garland directed Isaac in "Ex Machina."
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MOVIES - From Variety: Oscar-winning screenwriter, Sofia Coppola, to write and direct a remake of "The Beguiled," a 1971 drama that starred Clint Eastwood.
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TELEVISION - From Mashable: Leonardo DiCaprio texted Jennifer Lopez during the latest "Carpool Karaoke," with James Corden.
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OBITS - From Variety: The actress Patty Duke has died at the age of 69; Tuesday, March 29, 2016. Duke won a supporting actress Oscar for playing "Helen Keller" in "The Miracle Worker." She also starred in the 1960s sitcom, "The Patty Duke Show."
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MOVIES - From IndieWire: Woody Allen's new film, "Cafe Society" to open the 69th Cannes Film Festival.
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COMICS - From ScreenDaily: Disney to screen "Captain America: Civil War" on April 13 at Cinemacon in Las Vegas.
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OBITS - From TVLine: The actor James Noble has died at the age of 94, Monday, March 28, 2016. Noble was best known for playing the role of "Governor Eugene Gatling" on the ABC television series, "Benson" (1979 to 1986).
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POLITICS - From RSN: Obama failed on his clemency promises.
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BOX OFFICE - From Variety: With the actual numbers in for the 3/25 to 3/27/2016 box office weekend, "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" wins with a haul of $166.1 million.
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TELEVISION - From Variety: Viacome is "re-imagining" MTV.
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MOVIES - From Variety: Jason Blum of "Paranormal Activity" and "The Purge" talks the future of horror films.
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TELEVISION - From TVLine: Norman Reedus teases about "The Walking Dead" Season 6 finale.
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TELEVISION - From SlashFilm: "Thunderbirds Are Go" goes to WonderCon.
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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo: Early estimates place "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" as the winner of the Easter 2016 weekend box office.
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COMICS - From SlashFilm: James Wan, director of "The Conjuring" films, talks about directing Warner's "Aquaman" film.
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COMICS - From CBR: DC Entertainment reveals creator line-ups for its "Rebirth" relaunch.
COMICS - From CBR: DC Entertainment launches talent development workshops for new writers and artists.
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COMICS - From CinemaBlend: Tyrese Gibson believes that he has made headway with Warner Bros. in convincing them that he is there new Green Lantern.
Showing posts with label Sofia Coppola. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sofia Coppola. Show all posts
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
2014 Cannes Film Festival Jury Announced
On Monday (April 28, 2014), the 2014 Cannes Film Festival (Festival de Cannes 2014) announced the names of jury members for the 2014 edition of the festival. Jane Campion, who previously won the festival’s highest honor, the Palme d’Or (the Golden Palm), is jury president.
The 2014 Cannes Film Festival runs from Wednesday, May 14, 2014 to Sunday, May 25, 2014, with the closing ceremony and awards handed out Saturday, May 24, 2014.
2014 Cannes Film Festival: THE JURY
• Jane CAMPION – President
• (Director, Screenwriter, Producer – New Zealand)
• Carole BOUQUET (Actress – France)
• Sofia COPPOLA (Director, Screenwriter, Producer – United States)
• Leila HATAMI (Actress – Iran)
• JEON Do-yeon (Actress – South Korea)
• Willem DAFOE (Actor – United States)
• Gael GARCIA BERNAL (Actor, Director, Producer – Mexico)
• JIA Zhangke (Director, Screenwriter, Producer – China)
• Nicolas Winding REFN (Director, Screenwriter, Producer – Denmark)
Jury Member biographies are provided courtesy of the festival:
Carole Bouquet, Actress (France)
After her film debut in 1977 with Luis Buñuel in That Obscure Object of Desire, Bouquet alternated between arthouse and blockbuster productions. A Bond Girl in 1981 in For Your Eyes Only, she worked with Bertrand Blier on Buffet Froid (1979) and Too Beautiful For You (1989) for which she won the César for Best Actress. She appeared in Le jour des idiots by Werner Schroeter, Michel Blanc’s Dead Tired and Embrassez qui vous voudrez, Lucie Aubrac by Claude Berri, L’Enfer by Danis Tanovic, Nordeste by Juan Diego Solanas (Festival de Cannes 2005) and Unforgivable by André Téchiné.
Sofia Coppola, Director and screenwriter (United States)
Coppola’s first feature film, The Virgin Suicides (1999) was selected for the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes, where it met with international critical acclaim. Four years later, after several Oscar nominations for Lost in Translation, including Best Director, she walked off with the Best Screenplay award. Her third film, Marie-Antoinette was selected in Competition at Cannes in 2006. After picking up a Golden Lion in Venice for Somewhere (2010), Sofia Coppola opened Un Certain Regard with her last film The Bling Ring at the Festival de Cannes in 2013.
Leila Hatami, Actress (Iran)
Born in Tehran into a family of filmmakers, she started out acting in films directed by her father, Ali Hatami, before starring in Dariush Mehrjui’s Leila (1998) which brought her to national attention. It was Asghar Farhadi who established her on the world stage with A Separation (Golden Bear at the 2011 Berlin Festival). She picked up the Best Actress award in Karlovy Vary for her role in Ali Mosaffa’s Last Step in 2012.
Jeon Do-yeon, Actress (South Korea)
The first Korean actress to receive the Best Actress award at the Festival de Cannes for her role in Secret Sunshine by Lee Chang-dong (2007), Jeon Do-yeon started out as a television actress before turning exclusively to cinema. Her major films include I Wish I Had a Wife by Ryoo Seung, My Mother, The Mermaid by Park Jin-pyo and The Housemaid by Im Sang-soo, presented at Cannes in 2010. A massive celebrity in her country, she has just finished shooting Memories of the Sword by Park Heung-sik.
Willem Dafoe, Actor (United States)
Twice nominated for an Oscar, for Oliver Stone’s Platoon and Shadow of the Vampire, Dafoe has appeared in 80 films including Grand Budapest Hotel by Wes Anderson, Light Sleeper by Paul Schrader, The Last Temptation of Christ by Martin Scorsese, Antichrist by Lars von Trier and The English Patient by Anthony Minghella. He will soon be appearing in A Most Wanted Man by Anton Corbijn and Pasolini by Abel Ferrara. A co-founder of the Wooster Group – an experimental theatre collective – he is currently on tour with Bob Wilson’s play The Old Woman.
Gael García Bernal, Actor, director and producer (Mexico)
Bernal first came to public attention in Iñárritu’s Amorres Perros, soon followed by Y Tu Mamá También by Alfonso Cuarón. He then featured in films directed by some of the greats of international cinema, such as The Motorcycle Diaries by Walter Salles, Pedro Almodóvar’s Bad Education, The Science of Sleep by Michel Gondry, Babel by Gonzalez Iñárritu, and The Limits of Control by Jim Jarmusch. In 2005, he founded his Canana production company with Diego Luna and in 2010, after a few short films, directed his first feature film, Deficit, selected at La Semaine de la Critique at Cannes.
Nicolas Winding Refn, Director, screenwriter and producer (Denmark)
His first film, Pusher (1996), written and directed at the age of 24, immediately became a cult movie and he shot to fame throughout the world. He then directed Bleeder (1999), Fear X (2003), Pusher II & III (2004 & 2005), Bronson (2008) and Valhalla Rising (2009), all characteristic of the style that came to be dubbed "Refn-esque". In 2011, Drive was presented at the Festival de Cannes and won the Best Direction prize, awarded by the Jury presided by Robert De Niro. His last film, Only God Forgives, featured in Competition at Cannes in 2013.
Jia Zhangke, Director, screenwriter and producer (China)
After first studying art Jia Zhangke, born in 1970, attended the Beijing Film Academy in the 1990s. After the success of his first film, Xao Wu (1998), he directed Platform (Zhantai, 2000) and Unknown Pleasures (Ren xiao yao, 2002) selected for Venice and Cannes respectively. Still Life picked up the Golden Lion in Venice in 2006. He also presented 24 City at the Festival de Cannes, in Competition in 2008 and I Wish I Knew for Un Certain Regard in 2010. Last year, A Touch of Sin garnered the Best Screenplay prize awarded by the Jury presided by Steven Spielberg.
------------------------------
The 2014 Cannes Film Festival runs from Wednesday, May 14, 2014 to Sunday, May 25, 2014, with the closing ceremony and awards handed out Saturday, May 24, 2014.
2014 Cannes Film Festival: THE JURY
• Jane CAMPION – President
• (Director, Screenwriter, Producer – New Zealand)
• Carole BOUQUET (Actress – France)
• Sofia COPPOLA (Director, Screenwriter, Producer – United States)
• Leila HATAMI (Actress – Iran)
• JEON Do-yeon (Actress – South Korea)
• Willem DAFOE (Actor – United States)
• Gael GARCIA BERNAL (Actor, Director, Producer – Mexico)
• JIA Zhangke (Director, Screenwriter, Producer – China)
• Nicolas Winding REFN (Director, Screenwriter, Producer – Denmark)
Jury Member biographies are provided courtesy of the festival:
Carole Bouquet, Actress (France)
After her film debut in 1977 with Luis Buñuel in That Obscure Object of Desire, Bouquet alternated between arthouse and blockbuster productions. A Bond Girl in 1981 in For Your Eyes Only, she worked with Bertrand Blier on Buffet Froid (1979) and Too Beautiful For You (1989) for which she won the César for Best Actress. She appeared in Le jour des idiots by Werner Schroeter, Michel Blanc’s Dead Tired and Embrassez qui vous voudrez, Lucie Aubrac by Claude Berri, L’Enfer by Danis Tanovic, Nordeste by Juan Diego Solanas (Festival de Cannes 2005) and Unforgivable by André Téchiné.
Sofia Coppola, Director and screenwriter (United States)
Coppola’s first feature film, The Virgin Suicides (1999) was selected for the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes, where it met with international critical acclaim. Four years later, after several Oscar nominations for Lost in Translation, including Best Director, she walked off with the Best Screenplay award. Her third film, Marie-Antoinette was selected in Competition at Cannes in 2006. After picking up a Golden Lion in Venice for Somewhere (2010), Sofia Coppola opened Un Certain Regard with her last film The Bling Ring at the Festival de Cannes in 2013.
Leila Hatami, Actress (Iran)
Born in Tehran into a family of filmmakers, she started out acting in films directed by her father, Ali Hatami, before starring in Dariush Mehrjui’s Leila (1998) which brought her to national attention. It was Asghar Farhadi who established her on the world stage with A Separation (Golden Bear at the 2011 Berlin Festival). She picked up the Best Actress award in Karlovy Vary for her role in Ali Mosaffa’s Last Step in 2012.
Jeon Do-yeon, Actress (South Korea)
The first Korean actress to receive the Best Actress award at the Festival de Cannes for her role in Secret Sunshine by Lee Chang-dong (2007), Jeon Do-yeon started out as a television actress before turning exclusively to cinema. Her major films include I Wish I Had a Wife by Ryoo Seung, My Mother, The Mermaid by Park Jin-pyo and The Housemaid by Im Sang-soo, presented at Cannes in 2010. A massive celebrity in her country, she has just finished shooting Memories of the Sword by Park Heung-sik.
Willem Dafoe, Actor (United States)
Twice nominated for an Oscar, for Oliver Stone’s Platoon and Shadow of the Vampire, Dafoe has appeared in 80 films including Grand Budapest Hotel by Wes Anderson, Light Sleeper by Paul Schrader, The Last Temptation of Christ by Martin Scorsese, Antichrist by Lars von Trier and The English Patient by Anthony Minghella. He will soon be appearing in A Most Wanted Man by Anton Corbijn and Pasolini by Abel Ferrara. A co-founder of the Wooster Group – an experimental theatre collective – he is currently on tour with Bob Wilson’s play The Old Woman.
Gael García Bernal, Actor, director and producer (Mexico)
Bernal first came to public attention in Iñárritu’s Amorres Perros, soon followed by Y Tu Mamá También by Alfonso Cuarón. He then featured in films directed by some of the greats of international cinema, such as The Motorcycle Diaries by Walter Salles, Pedro Almodóvar’s Bad Education, The Science of Sleep by Michel Gondry, Babel by Gonzalez Iñárritu, and The Limits of Control by Jim Jarmusch. In 2005, he founded his Canana production company with Diego Luna and in 2010, after a few short films, directed his first feature film, Deficit, selected at La Semaine de la Critique at Cannes.
Nicolas Winding Refn, Director, screenwriter and producer (Denmark)
His first film, Pusher (1996), written and directed at the age of 24, immediately became a cult movie and he shot to fame throughout the world. He then directed Bleeder (1999), Fear X (2003), Pusher II & III (2004 & 2005), Bronson (2008) and Valhalla Rising (2009), all characteristic of the style that came to be dubbed "Refn-esque". In 2011, Drive was presented at the Festival de Cannes and won the Best Direction prize, awarded by the Jury presided by Robert De Niro. His last film, Only God Forgives, featured in Competition at Cannes in 2013.
Jia Zhangke, Director, screenwriter and producer (China)
After first studying art Jia Zhangke, born in 1970, attended the Beijing Film Academy in the 1990s. After the success of his first film, Xao Wu (1998), he directed Platform (Zhantai, 2000) and Unknown Pleasures (Ren xiao yao, 2002) selected for Venice and Cannes respectively. Still Life picked up the Golden Lion in Venice in 2006. He also presented 24 City at the Festival de Cannes, in Competition in 2008 and I Wish I Knew for Un Certain Regard in 2010. Last year, A Touch of Sin garnered the Best Screenplay prize awarded by the Jury presided by Steven Spielberg.
------------------------------
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Review: "Lost in Translation" is Superb (Happy B'day, Bill Murray)
Lost in Translation (2003)
Running time: 101 minutes (1 hour, 41 minutes)
MPAA – R for some sexual content
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Sofia Coppola
PRODUCERS: Sofia Coppola and Ross Katz
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Lance Acord (D.o.P.)
COMPOSER: Kevin Shields
Academy Award winner
DRAMA/ROMANCE with some elements of comedy
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris, Nancy Steiner (uncredited voice), Fumihiro Hayashi, Hiroko Kawasaki, and Akiko Takeshita
The subject of this movie review is Lost in Translation, a 2003 drama and romantic film from writer-director Sofia Coppola. Sofia’s legendary filmmaker father, Francis Ford Coppola, is also this film’s executive producer.
In 1990, film critics howled in derision when director Francis Ford Coppola cast his daughter, Sofia, in The Godfather: Part III, when another actress had to drop out early in filming schedule. Over a decade later, Sofia Coppola has firmly established herself as a directorial talent to watch thanks to her excellent film, Lost In Translation, the story of two displaced Americans in Tokyo who form a unique friendship of platonic love.
Bob Harris (Bill Murray) is a fading TV star who goes to Tokyo after he’s paid $2 million to appear in an ad for Suntory whiskey. Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) is in Tokyo with her husband, John (Giovanni Ribisi), who is photographing a rock band for a major magazine. Bob and Charlotte spend most of their time stuck in a hotel. Charlotte is frozen in her life, unsure of where her marriage is going and of what’s she going to do in life. Bob’s marriage is kind of shaky as he goes through a midlife crisis.
Bob and Charlotte meet in a hotel bar and bond. It’s that bond that helps them to deal with their feelings of confusion and loneliness, and in that special friendship, they share the hilarity caused by the cultural and language differences they encounter in Tokyo. They turn their time in a strange land into a wonderful and special week in Japan.
Lost in Translation was one of 2003’s best films. It’s smartly written, beautifully photographed, and splendidly directed. If there’s an adjective that suggests good, it belongs in descriptions of LiT. There is a patience in the filmmaking that suggests the filmmakers allowed the film to come together in an organic fashion, each adding their talents in the correct measure.
Ms. Coppola is brilliant in the way she lets her stars carry the film. She does her part to give LiT a unique visual look, something that suggests a documentary and an atmosphere of futurism. If you’ve heard that Bill Murray is just doing himself in this movie, you’re hearing ignorant people. Yes, Murray brings a lot of his personality to the role, but Bob Harris is mostly a stranger to us. Bill builds the character before our eyes, showing us a character new and rich in possibilities, someone with whom we can sympathize. Bill shows us just enough to know him and keeps enough hidden to make Bob mysterious and intriguing.
Ms. Johansson carries herself like a veteran actress of many films. She’s beautiful, but she’s puts those good looks to more use than just being eye candy. She’s subtle and crafty, and a lot of her character is revealed in her eyes, in the careful nuances of facial expressions, and in the understated movements of her slender, sexy frame. She’s a movie star.
For people who are always looking for something different in film, this is it. Lost in Translation is like sex, lies, and videotape or Reservoir Dogs, an early film in a director’s career that is more foreign than American, and announces the coming of a director who might just be a visionary. Plus, it’s a great romantic movie, as good as any classic love story.
9 of 10
A+
NOTES:
2004 Academy Awards, USA: 1 win “Best Writing, Original Screenplay” (Sofia Coppola); 3 nominations “Best Actor in a Leading Role” (Bill Murray), “Best Director” (Sofia Coppola), “Best Picture” (Ross Katz and Sofia Coppola)
2004 BAFTA Awards: 3 wins: “Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role” (Bill Murray), “Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role” (Scarlett Johansson), and “Best Editing” (Sarah Flack); 5 nominations: “Best Film” (Sofia Coppola and Ross Katz), “Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music” (Kevin Shields and Brian Reitzell), “Best Cinematography” (Lance Acord), “Best Screenplay – Original” (Sofia Coppola), “David Lean Award for Direction” (Sofia Coppola)
2004 Golden Globes, USA: 3 wins: “Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical,” “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical” (Bill Murray), “Best Screenplay - Motion Picture” (Sofia Coppola); 2 nominations: “Best Director - Motion Picture” (Sofia Coppola) and “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical” (Scarlett Johansson)
Updated: Saturday, September 21, 2013
The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Review: Original "Frankenweenie" Short and Sweet
Frankenweenie (1984) – B&W
Running time: 27 minutes
DIRECTOR: Tim Burton
WRITERS: Leonard Ripps (from an idea by Tim Burton)
PRODUCER: Julie Hickson
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Thomas Ackerman
EDITOR: Ernest Milano
SHORT/SCI-FI/COMEDY with elements of horror
Starring: Shelley Duvall, Daniel Stern, Barret Oliver, Joseph Maher, Roz Braverman, and Domino (Sofia Coppola)
Back in 1984, Tim Burton made a delightful little film short entitled, Frankenweenie, for Disney. Disney didn’t like the offbeat story and refused to release the film. However, after Burton had a hit film with Beetle Juice and landed the gig to direct Batman (1989), Disney released the film on videocassette in the late 80’s.
The film retells the Frankenstein story from a child’s perspective with gentle humor and simplicity. When his pet dog Sparky is hit and killed by a car, Victor Frankenstein (Barret Oliver) revives Sparky Frankenstein-style using electricity. While Victor’s parents Susan (Shelley Duval) and Ben (Daniel Stern) slowly come to accept the resurrected Sparky, the neighbors aren’t so cool with it. The chase Sparky to miniature golf course where Sparky becomes a tragic hero, but can he come back again?
In Frankenweenie, Burton reveals his whimsical gothic style and his penchant for putting the unusual, the weird, and the bizarre in a suburban setting, a theme he’s revisited several times. The black and white photography and Victor’s neighborhood, which the photography turns into a “Leave it to Beaver” wonderland, are a nice fit for this gentle tale about a boy and his dog. Frankenweenie is nowhere near as good as Burton’s great films, but it is a nice and charming little oddity-lite.
6 of 10
B
----------------------
Saturday, December 4, 2010
The National Board of Review Chooses "The Social Network"
The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, which is made up of film enthusiasts, academics, students, and filmmakers, historically launches the movie awards season. The named the winners for the year 2010, this past Thursday, December 2. This year, they gave the "Best Picture of the Year" award to The Social Network.
Below is the full list of the awards given by the National Board of Review for 2010:
Best Film: The Social Network
Best Director: David Fincher, The Social Network
Best Actor: Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Best Actress: Lesley Manville, Another Year
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter
Best Supporting Actress: Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom
Best Foreign Language Film: Of Gods and Men
Best Documentary: Waiting for "Superman"
Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3
Best Ensemble Cast: The Town
Breakthrough Performance: Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
Best Directorial Debut: Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington, Restrepo
Spotlight Award: Sylvain Chomet and Jacques Tati, The Illusionist
Best Original Screenplay: Chris Sparling, Buried
Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
Special Filmmaking Achievement Award: Sofia Coppola for writing, directing, and producing Somewhere
William K. Everson Film History Award: Leonard Maltin
NBR Freedom of Expression: Fair Game, Conviction, Howl
Production Design Award: Dante Ferretti, Shutter Island
Ten Best Films (in alphabetical order)
Another Year
The Fighter
Hereafter
Inception
The King’s Speech
Shutter Island
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone
Five Best Foreign-Language Films (in alphabetical order)
I Am Love
Incendies
Life, Above All
Soul Kitchen
White Material
Five Best Documentaries (in alphabetical order)
A Film Unfinished
Inside Job
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
Restrepo
The Tillman Story
Top Ten Independent Films (in alphabetical order)
Animal Kingdom
Buried
Fish Tank
The Ghost Writer
Greenberg
Let Me In
Monsters
Please Give
Somewhere
Youth in Revolt
See this list at http://www.nbrmp.org/awards/2010NBRAwardsAnnounced.cfm
Visit this group at http://www.nbrmp.org/
Below is the full list of the awards given by the National Board of Review for 2010:
Best Film: The Social Network
Best Director: David Fincher, The Social Network
Best Actor: Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Best Actress: Lesley Manville, Another Year
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter
Best Supporting Actress: Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom
Best Foreign Language Film: Of Gods and Men
Best Documentary: Waiting for "Superman"
Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3
Best Ensemble Cast: The Town
Breakthrough Performance: Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
Best Directorial Debut: Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington, Restrepo
Spotlight Award: Sylvain Chomet and Jacques Tati, The Illusionist
Best Original Screenplay: Chris Sparling, Buried
Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
Special Filmmaking Achievement Award: Sofia Coppola for writing, directing, and producing Somewhere
William K. Everson Film History Award: Leonard Maltin
NBR Freedom of Expression: Fair Game, Conviction, Howl
Production Design Award: Dante Ferretti, Shutter Island
Ten Best Films (in alphabetical order)
Another Year
The Fighter
Hereafter
Inception
The King’s Speech
Shutter Island
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone
Five Best Foreign-Language Films (in alphabetical order)
I Am Love
Incendies
Life, Above All
Soul Kitchen
White Material
Five Best Documentaries (in alphabetical order)
A Film Unfinished
Inside Job
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
Restrepo
The Tillman Story
Top Ten Independent Films (in alphabetical order)
Animal Kingdom
Buried
Fish Tank
The Ghost Writer
Greenberg
Let Me In
Monsters
Please Give
Somewhere
Youth in Revolt
See this list at http://www.nbrmp.org/awards/2010NBRAwardsAnnounced.cfm
Visit this group at http://www.nbrmp.org/
Monday, September 13, 2010
Sofia Coppola's "Somewhere" Wins Best Picture at 2010 Venice Film Festival
Results of 67th Venice International Film Festival (September 11, 2010):
Leone d'Oro (Golden Lion) for the best film: Somewhere by Sofia Coppola
Leone d'Argento (Silver Lion) for the best director: Álex de la Iglesia for Balada triste de trompeta (A Sad Trumpet Ballad)
Special Jury Prize: Essential Killing by Jerzy Skolimowski
Coppa Volpi for the Best Actor: Vincent Gallo, for Essential Killing
Coppa Volpi for the Best Actress: Ariane Labed, for Attenberg
Premio Marcello Mastroianni, for the best emerging actor or actress: Mila Kunis for Black Swan
Osella for Best Cinematography: Mikhail Krichman for Ovsyanki (Silent Souls)
Osella for Best Screenplay: Álex de la Iglesia for Balada triste de trompeta (A Sad Trumpet Ballad)
Special Lion for Overall Work: Monte Hellman
"Luigi de Laurentis" Award for a Debut Film: Cogunluk (Majority) by Seren Yüce
Leone d'Oro (Golden Lion) for the best film: Somewhere by Sofia Coppola
Leone d'Argento (Silver Lion) for the best director: Álex de la Iglesia for Balada triste de trompeta (A Sad Trumpet Ballad)
Special Jury Prize: Essential Killing by Jerzy Skolimowski
Coppa Volpi for the Best Actor: Vincent Gallo, for Essential Killing
Coppa Volpi for the Best Actress: Ariane Labed, for Attenberg
Premio Marcello Mastroianni, for the best emerging actor or actress: Mila Kunis for Black Swan
Osella for Best Cinematography: Mikhail Krichman for Ovsyanki (Silent Souls)
Osella for Best Screenplay: Álex de la Iglesia for Balada triste de trompeta (A Sad Trumpet Ballad)
Special Lion for Overall Work: Monte Hellman
"Luigi de Laurentis" Award for a Debut Film: Cogunluk (Majority) by Seren Yüce
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Sofia Coppola's "Marie Antoinette" Pretty, Empty
Marie Antoinette (2006)
Running time: 123 minutes (2 hours, 3 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sexual content, partial nudity, and innuendo
DIRECTOR: Sofia Coppola
WRITER: Sofia Coppola (based upon the book Maria Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser
)PRODUCERS: Ross Katz and Sophia Coppola
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Lance Acord, A.S.C. (director of photography)
EDITOR: Sarah Flack
2007 Academy Award nominee
DRAMA/HISTORICAL
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman, Judy Davis, Rip Torn, Rose Byrne, Asia Argento, Molly Shannon, Shirley Henderson, Danny Huston, Jamie Dornan, Marianne Faithful, and Steve Coogan
In her film, Marie Antoinette, Sofia Coppola directs a stylized portrait of a naïve princess, who became Queen of France when she was 19 years old.
Austria, 1768: Austrian princess Marie Antoinette (Kirsten Dunst) becomes betrothed to the dauphin (heir) of the French crown, Louis XVI (Jason Schwartzman). At the age of 14, Marie is stripped of all her possessions and thrown into the opulent French court at Versailles (near Paris) where vicious gossip defines everyone. Marie is alone and mostly without guidance, and Louis remains distant even after marriage – even refusing to consummate their union. By 19, Marie is Queen.
Adrift in Versailles’ dangerous world of conspiracy and scandal, Marie dives into the decadent life of French aristocracy, living the lavish life of a young royal. She buys extravagant clothing and jewelry for herself and has hugely expensive tastes when it comes to decorating the estate. She even has an affair with an alluring Swede, Count Fersen (Jamie Dornan). Many, however, view Marie as out of touch with her subjects, and the youthful indiscretions and frivolity that are her only releases from the confining life as Queen also become her undoing.
Coppola, who won a screenplay Oscar for her film, Lost in Translation
, focuses Marie Antoinette on the life of the super wealthy and aimless. Coppola’s stated goal was to capture life in 18th century Versailles from the point of view of a lonely foreigner, so the narrative follows Marie through a whirlwind of extravagant costumes, opulent surroundings, and luxurious foodstuffs. In fact, one might consider this movie to be a lavish soufflé of kaleidoscopic operas, revelries, and even a costume ball that looks like a 21st century bash. Watching the film, you might get hungry for this pastel-colored world where cookies, candies, and cakes, and other sweets are so abundant, even a chamber pot might hold a multi-tiered cake.Don’t think of Marie Antoinette even as historical fiction. It has little or no historical or political weight; this is all about the look. Visual anachronisms (as well as the modern rock, new wave, alternative soundtrack) mark this as more Coppola’s personal cinematic vision (a colorful art project) than it does cinema as history or even docu-drama. To that end, Marie Antoinette sure is a beautiful film. The costumes (Oscar-nominated), art direction/set decoration, cinematography, and makeup are some of the most stunningly beautiful that I’ve ever seen on film. So while the acting (Kirsten Dunst is wooden, except for a moment here and there) and the story are dry, stiff, and sometimes missing in action, the setting is splendid eye candy. Two hours of pretty style and no substance, however, is just too much to bear.
5 of 10
B-
NOTES:
2007 Academy Awards: 1 win: “Best Achievement in Costume Design” (Milena Canonero)
2007 BAFTA Awards: 3 nominations: “Best Costume Design” (Milena Canonero), “Best Make Up & Hair” (Jean-Luc Russier and Desiree Corridoni), and “Best Production Design” (K.K. Barrett and Véronique Melery)
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
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