The Directors' Fortnight, a parallel program borne out of the tumultuous events of May 1968 during the Cannes festival, was launched by filmmakers and film critics who sought to train their own spotlight on a few deserving films. This year, twenty-one feature films will be shown, among which six are by first-time directors, with a strong showing for French and Latin-American features. Michel ... more >
Archives for April 2012
ARCHIVES
MICHEL GONDRY to open Directors’ Fortnight
French and Latin-American fare will figure highly this year
Lucy Mulloy’s “Una Noche”
When all that separates you from freedom is the open sea
Havana’s busy streets, the tense subtext of Cuba’s confinement politics, a desperate escape via the sea; “Una Noche” has all the elements of an eminently-compelling feature film and newcomer filmmaker Lucy Mulloy shows that she’s up to the task. Lila is a socially-awkward young woman who’s very close to her twin brother, Raul, himself in love with a troubled youngster named Elio. The two men ... more >
TRIBECA FESTIVAL | “Whole lotta sole”
Brendan Fraser leads one of the top comedies at this year's fest
Oscar-winning director Terry George ("Hotel Rwanda," "Reservation Road," "The Shore") isn't known for light-hearted comedies. His latest effort, "Whole lotta sole," however, stands convincingly between "Snatch" and "Notting Hill." Laugh convulsively as you follow several different sets of characters--among them a young father (Martin McCann), a ruthless crime lord (David O'Hara), a grizzled cop ... more >
TRIBECA FESTIVAL | “The revisionaries”
Reinventing a world that no longer fits
Fresh off the heels of “Bully” the salient and engaging documentary “The Revisionaries” could be the sequel to the “What’s Wrong With American Schools Now?” series. “Revisionaries” centers on conservative Texas School Board member Don McLeroy, a creationist who’s apparently made it his life’s goal to impose creationist beliefs in public school curricula while simultaneously working to discredit ... more >
BOLLYWOOD MURDER MYSTERY: the case of Karan K
Deceipt, theft and murders: must be another day in Mumbai.
A recent spate of murders has rocked the Mumbai film industry in a vicious case of life imitating art. A lucrative but dodgy business that’s run by several mafia families, Mumbai’s film industry (known as Bollywood) is responsible for the world’s biggest filmic output. As demonstrated recently, working there can be killer. The recent murder of businessman Karan Kakkad is at the center of a ... more >
FEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED
89 features and 60 short films made up this year's stable of films
The Tribeca Festival was never about half measures. This year’s festival included 89 features and 60 short films from 46 countries--that's a lot of movies. "War Witch," (pictured) "The World Before Her," "Wavumba" and "Una Noche" won the top awards. We hope to bring you those reviews on Screen Comment as the films become available theatrically (find the full awardee information here). This ... more >
TRIBECA FESTIVAL | “Your sister’s sister”
A heartfelt and recognizably human story
Jack (Mark Duplass) is shell-shocked and angry from the recent death of his brother. His compassionate best friend Iris (Emily Blunt), whom he secretly pines for, sends him to her father’s secluded log cabin, to regain composure. When he arrives, he’s surprised to find Iris’s sister Hannah (Rosemarie DeWitt) already occupying the cabin. She’s in recovery mode, too, a lesbian still hurting from a ... more >