Golden Globe Nominations for Film

                                                                      

The nominations for the second annual biggest party in the media electronic Universe, the Golden Globes®, were announced early this morning. The Globes are sponsored by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), and honor the press association's choices for both film and television professionals at the same gala. This year, the 67th Golden Globe Awards will be Sunday, 17 January 2010, Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills, and broadcast live on NBC at 8:00 p.m., EST. Here is the list of nominees in film.

One advantage of the Globe broadcast is that it is leaner, cleaner, tighter and not as long as the top awards show, the Academy Awards®, a.k.a., The Oscars®. One thing I really like about the Globes is that they have two categories for the Best Picture, one in drama and one in comedy and / or musical comedy. That seems more fair, and I with that AMPAS® would do likewise as comedies and musicals often do not get the recognition they deserve. In the Oscar race, drama is everything.

The Globes are all about glitz and glam, attractive actors and actresses. The honorees are the movies the members of the foreign press liked in the current year. HFPA is mostly composed of the male gender and they tend to vote for their favorite "eye candy," both male and female, not necessarily a nominee's professional achievements and skills. Most often, beauty trumps ability.

Also, their choices are influenced upon the feedback the members get from residents of their native countries, who are their viewers, listeners, and/or readers. After all, each person associated with the press wants as many of their fellow country persons to watch the Globe gala as possible.

Unlike the Academy Awards, the voters aren't members of the industry, per sea. They are journalists and lovers of the industry. One night each year they get to show that love at the Golden Globe Gala. The Globes are no longer an event touted as something to see because they are predictors of the upcoming Oscars. The Globes now shine in their own firmament of splendor and fun.

Because the members represent the foreign press there is a much greater emphasis on who and what is "hot" at the very moment they fill out their nomination, or final ballots. However, they venerate older and more experienced actors, actresses, directors, cinematographers and writers, honoring them wherever they can.

This year, director Martin Scorsese will be honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award for his "outstanding contribution to the entertainment field." He has received two Golden Globe Awards as "Best Director of a Motion Picture" for THE DEPARTED and GANGS OF NEW YORK.

The Globe galas go to places the Oscars dare not go. For instance, this year the host will be Emmy / Golden Globe winner, comedian / actor Ricky Gervais. The Brit is probably best know for his appearances in the TV shows 'Extra' and 'The Office'.

Mavis Spencer, age 18, daughter of Golden Globe winner Alfre Woodard and writer/producer Roderick Spencer is this year's "Miss Golden Globe".

The special will be produced by Dick Clark Productions in association with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Philip Berk is President of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Orly Adelson, president of Dick Clark Productions, and Barry Adelman will executive produce the special. Chris Donovan is the director and Dick Clark Productions’ Bob Bardo is the executive in charge of production.

Here is the complete list of nominees.

AMELIA, The Movie, Also Crashes

I was looking forward to seeing AMELIA this weekend, the biopic about the late Amelia Earhart, but it is not playing near me. So far, the reviews have not been kind to the movie, and I am disappointed.

Most think the subject is worthy but that neither the director Mira Nair, or the script has the moxie to match that of the late aviatrix. Descriptions of the movie run from cookie-cutter, paint-by-the-number, to generated by a computer screenwriting program. One critic even grandstands declaring, "This movie proves the Biopic is dead."

Director Mira Nair (THE NAMESAKE) is Indian. One of her most recent movies is BOLLYWOOD. I suspect that a cultural divide between the director and the esteem with which Americans hold Earhart could account for some of the negative criticism. In other words, something was lost in translation.

The film is lauded for its beautiful cinematography and for actress Hilary Swank's performance, but passion, probably due to the poor dialog in the script, is lacking. That's sad, because Amelia Earhart, by most accounts, was a passionate woman - - passionate about flying, being the best, love, sex, money, and being a celebrity. Above all, she had to fly!

Richard Gere stars as Earhart's older husband and promoter, Publisher Richard Putnam. Ewan McGregor plays Gene Vidal, father of Gore, who was one of Earhart's real-life flings. Apparently, the only fling she is allowed in this movie.

Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly, was very critical of the movie. She asks, "How could so tradition-busing a role model have resulted in so square, stiff, and earthbound a movie?"

All the critics seem to agree that the main problem is with the script by Ron Bass and Anna Hamilton Phelan, which is based on biographies by Susan Butler and Mary S. Lovell. However, the director could have changed those things in the script that, as Schwarzbaum states, "overload the picture with a cargo of messages, so much so that she [Nair] deadens her subject's spirit."

Schwarzbaum isn't the only critic that disliked the musical score for the movie which, apparently, telegraphs impending action and makes one wish for the score of OUT OF AFRICA instead.

Also, not one review mentioned that they flew a real vintage Lockheed Electra in the movie, the type of plane Earhart flew. It was the first turboprop airliner produced in the United States. Unfortunately, it gained the nickname of "Killer Airliner" because of so many crashes. Fifteen still fly today, mostly as cargo planes. Apparently, the Electra is the only authentic aspect of this movie.

I went to a local movie theater Monday and noticed that AMELIA was not among the posters of "coming attractions." I asked the manager when AMELIA might be showing. He replied, "Well. I don't think we will show it. The reviewers this weekend clobbered it." I admitted that I had noticed.

Meanwhile, enjoy this:

For more videos about Earhart, click title of post.

Tribeca Film Festival Opens Wednesday

The Tribeca Film Festival in New York City opens this Wednesday (22 April). All available individual tickets are now on sale. See the previous post for more info.


You can access the Festival's Web site by clicking the graphic above or title of this post. Also, Tribeca is on Facebook this year. Visit either site and enter the sweepstakes to win a Transatlantic trip to England on the Cunard Queen Mary2, but hurry as sweepstakes close 31 May.

Olympics Over. Now, We Have Political Conventions.

I enjoyed the Olympics so much that I haven't had time to see, or write about, a movie. Imagine that? However, I do not apologize for having other interests in the year of a national election.

Almost as soon and the Olympics finished, the Democratic National Convention opened in Denver, CO. The Republican National Convention will begin almost immediately after the Democratic one closes. However, I do not apologize for having other interests in the year of a national election.

Therefore, I am now posting on my "Boggling the Mind" blog, and I shall not be posting here until the RNC Convention is over. Sorry, but there are not enough hours in the day.

Meanwhile, you might enjoy reading Woody Allen's "Excerpts of the Spanish Diary" in the New York Times 24 August about his lastest, VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA. It's a hoot!

You might also enjoy my salute to this year's outstanding Spanish athletes on my Foreign Movies Page. There is a heck-of-a-lot there about this year's foreign films, too.

Until I return to the movies, please enjoy my informative "Boggling the Mind" blog. Link on the right sidebar.

Golden Globes® "Press Conference" Tonight

Instead of the 65th star-studded award celebration hosted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA)® that would generate about 60 million dollars for the Los Angeles area economy, including about 8 million for charitable organizations helped annually by HFPS, there will be a one-hour "press conference," hosted by the puffed-up Billy Bush and Nancy O'Dell of the NBC entertainment show Access Hollywood.

That's a slap-in-the face to not only the HFPA but millions of television viewers around the world. Of course, NBC couldn't get any bona fide actor, news anchor, film critic, or studio executive who would bend their mores to host the show.

It will be live on the NBC network, beginning at 6:00 p.m., PT, but there will be no red carpet, no glitz, no glamour, no glitter, no lavish banquet for invited guests following, and hundreds of smaller, slightly lavish private parties around the world, enjoying communal viewing and great booze into the wee hours of the morning.

This has never happened since the first movie-awards dinner was held in Hollywood 80 years ago. A group of movie producers, stars, and studio heads held a small, private dinner. They gave out a statue called "Oscar®" to some of their fellow actors, and others working in the movie industry in order to add status to their profession and, hopefully, some extra dollars. It was not even broadcast on radio, just a cozy little dinner party.

They incorporated as the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)® and I think, with the possible exception of France, it may be the first such Academy. It has been a resounding success benefiting the U.S. movie industry, those who work in it, and hundreds of satellite industries in Southern California.

The gala broadcast generates millions of dollars in three digits for charities, scholarships, artistic education, film restoration and preservation, the Academy's operating expenses, and participating service industries that rely upon it to meet their annual payroll.

The cancellation of the Golden Globes is sad for everyone involved, and will impact the economy of Southern California so much so that it may take years to undo the monetary damage. But, folks, if the Academy Awards do not happen, you "ain't seen nothin' yet!"

Links relevant:

Globes News Release - 11 January 2008 // Article - Los Angeles Times, "Globes TV special now an '"Access" PR stunt'?" // Mimi's Awards Page 2008, link on right sidebar, and awards listed alphabetically by hosting organizations.

Academy Foundation November Calendar

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Foundation® Calendar of Events for November (and part of December) is now online. Let's face it, the Academy is now in the business of exhibition, but the programs are unique, and their prices can't be beat. Most screenings are $5.00, and some special events are free. It doesn't get better than that.

For November they have a special reunion event and screening for ET's 25th anniversary. Some cast members will attend. His honor, director Steven Spielberg may, too. This year is also the 30th anniversary of SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER. No. Say it isn't so. Well, it is, and there is a special screening for it, too.

Events usually take place at one of four Academy locations: The Linwood Dunn Theater, Samuel Goldwyn Theater, Academy's Grand Lobby Gallery, or Academy Theater at Lighthouse International. The first three are in Los Angeles, and the last one in New York. All the information, plus exact locations, contact phone numbers, and methods for ordering tickets in advance are in the calendar.

So, go! There is much, much, more than mentioned here. Click the link in the title to this post and you shall fly there without having to peddle a bicycle past the moon, or shake your booty on a dance floor.

Animated Feature Deadline 1 November

The deadline to submit entry forms and supporting materials to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences®, Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, is Thursday, 1 November, in order to qualify in the 2007 Animated Feature Movie category for the 80th Academy Awards®, 24 February 2008. The deadline to submit accompanying film prints is Friday, 16 November. Complete 80th Academy Award rules.

Watch my Awards Page for the Annie Awards given by the International Animated Film Society (ASIFA - Hollywood) this coming February. They almost always honor the winning animated movie just prior to the Academy Awards. However, they missed last year. They picked CARS, as did I, but the dancing penguins took the Oscar®.

Here are two current animated standout features:

France has submitted its official entry, Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud’s PERSEPOLIS (France, 2007), featuring the voice talents of Catherine Deneuve, Chiara Mastroianni, among others. It won a Jury Prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, plus some other festival awards. It is a coming-of-age story of a precocious and outspoken young Iranian girl that begins during the Islamic Revolution. Languages spoken are: French, English, Persian, German.

The favorite could be Dreamworks' animated BEE MOVIE (2007, USA) the brainchild of Jerry Seinfeld, one of the producers and writers, and featuring the voice talents of Hollywood hometown favorites: Jerry Seinfeld, Renée Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, John Goodman, Chris Rock, Kathy Bates, Larry King, Ray Liotta, Sting, Oprah Winfrey, Megan Mullally, etc., etc., etc. BEE MOVIE opens 2 November.

Then, there are some more heavyweights such as: BEOWULF, ENCHANTED, RATATOUILLE, and two long shots MEET THE ROBINSONS, and SURF'S UP. It will be interesting to see which of these possibilities make the short list for nomination.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Foreign Language Movies Submitted for Oscar®

A record 63 countries*, including new entrants Azerbaijan and Ireland, submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 80th Academy Awards®, Academy President Sid Ganis announced 17 October 2007. In June, the Academy sent submission information inviting 93 countries to submit motion pictures.

The 2007 submissions, with directors, are:

Argentina, XXY, Lucia Puenzo;
Australia, THE HOUSE SONG STORIES, Tony Ayres;
Austria, THE COUNTERFIETERS, Stefan Ruzowitzky;
Azerbaijan, CAUCASIA, Farid Gumbatov;
Bangladesh, ON THE WINGS OF DREAMS Golam Rabbany Biplob;
Belgium, BEN X, Nic Balthazar;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, IT'S HARD TO BE NICE Srdan Vuletic;
Brazil, THE YEAR MY PARENTS WENT ON VACATION, Cao Hamburger;
Bulgaria, WARDEN OF THE DEAD, Ilian Simeonov;
Canada, DAYS OF DARKNESS, Denys Arcand;
Chile, PADRE NUESTRO, Rodrigo Sepulveda;
China, THE KNOT, Yin Li;
Colombia, SANTANAS, Andi Baizr;
Croatia, ARMIN, Ognjen Svilicic;
Cuba, THE SILLY AGE, Pavel Giroud;
Czech Republic, I SERVED THE KING OF ENGLAND, Jiri Menzel;
Denmark, THE ART OF CRYING, Peter Schonau Fog;
Egypt, IN THE HELIOPOLIS FLAT, Mohamed Khan;
Estonia, THE CLASS, Ilmar Raag;
Finland, A MAN'S JOB, Aleksi Salmenpera;
France, PERSEPOLIS, Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Paronnaud;
Georgia, THE RUSSIAN TRIANGLE, Aleko Tsabadze;
Germany, THE EDGE OF HEAVEN, Fatih Akin;
Greece, EDUART, Angeliki Antoniou;
Hong Kong, EXILED, Johnnie To;
Hungary, TAXIDERMIA, Gyorgy Palfi;
Iceland, JAR CITY, Baltasar Kormakur;
India, EKLAVYA -- THE ROYAL GUARD, Vidhu Vinod Chopra;
Indonesia, DENIAS, SINGING ON THE CLOUD, John De Rantau;
Iran, M FOR MOTHER, Rasoul Mollagholipour;
Iraq, JANI GAL, Jamil Rostami;
Ireland, KINGS, Tom Collins;
Israel, BEAUFORT, Joseph Cedar;
Italy, THE UNKNOWN, Giuseppe Tornatore;
Japan, I JUST DIDN'T DO IT, Masayuki Suo;
Kazakhstan, MONGOL, Sergei Bodrov;
Korea, SECRET SUNSHINE, Chang-dong Lee;
Lebanon, CARAMEL, Nadine Labaki;
Luxembourg, LITTLE SECRETS, Pol Cruchten;
Macedonia, SHADOWS, Milcho Manchevski;
Mexico, SILENT LIGHT, Carlos Reygadas;
The Netherlands, DUSKA, Jos Stelling;
Norway, GONE WITH THE WOMAN, Petter Naess;
Peru, CROSSING THE SHADOW, Augusto Tamayo;
Philippines, DONSOL, Adolfo Alix, Jr.;
Poland, KATYN, Andrzej Wajda;
Portugal, BELLE TOUJOURS, Manoel de Oliveira;
Puerto Rico, LOVE SICKNESS, Carlitos Ruiz, Mariem Perez;
Romania, 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, AND 2 DAYS, Cristian Mungiu;
Russia, 12, Nikita Mikhalkov;
Serbia, THE TRAP, Srdan Golubovic;
Singapore, 881, Royston Tan;
Slovakia, RETURN OF THE STORKS, Martin Repka;
Slovenia, SHORT CIRCUITS, Janez Lapajne;
Spain, THE ORPHANAGE, J.A. (Juan Antonio) Bayona;
Sweden, YOU, THE LIVING, Roy Andersson;
Switzerland, Late bloomers, Bettina Oberli;
Taiwan, ISLAND ETUDE, Chen Huai-En;
Thailand, KING OF FIRE, Chatrichalerm Yukol;
Turkey, A MAN'S FEAR OF GOD, Ozer Kiziltan;
Uruguay, THE POPE'S TOLET, Enrique Fernandez, & Cesar Charlone;
Venezuela, POSTCARDS FROM LENINGRAD, Mariana Rondon;
Vietnam, THE WHITE SILK DRESS, Luu Huynh.

*Last year, 2006, 62 countries submitted motion pictures. Findland's was withdrawn after the list was announced.

For your convenience, you will find a link on the right sidebar of this blog to this list, "Foreign Films Submitted for 80th AAs," and it will remain there, with updates, for the next year. You will find addtional information by clicking "Mimi's Film Festival Page," link. After opening, use your Browser's "edit, find" feature on the top menu bar to quickly find the movie, or country in which you are interested.

Nominations for the 80th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, 22 January 2008, at 5:30 a.m. PT (8:30 a.m. ET) in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater, Beverly Hills.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2007 will be presented on Sunday, 24 February 2008, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. Jon Stewart will host.

KITE RUNNER Opening Delayed Due to Rape Scene

Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada (Hassan, a Hazara servant's son, L) and Zekiria Ebrahimi (Amir, the Pashtun protagonist, R) portray lifelong
friends from rival Afghan ethnic groups in THE KITE RUNNER.

Yesterday, The New York Times reported that the U.S. opening of the movie THE KITE RUNNER, scheduled for the 2nd of November, will be postponed because of safety concerns for the three Afghan boys who star in the movie, as well as their families. One source said the movie's release would be delayed until 14 December, another reported no new opening date has been determined.

The controversy stems from a scene where Amir's friend Hassan is raped by a Parshtun bully. The scene is filmed impressionistically, not realistically, but even the suggestion of such an act in the Muslim culture has generated outcries and threats.

THE KITE RUNNER is based on the 2003 novel of the same title by Khaled Hosseini, an award-winning book that was at, or near, the top of the New York Times best-seller list for almost three years. Marc Forster (FINDING NEVERLAND, 2002) directed the film version, which he chose to film in English, Dari, Pashtu, Urdu, and Russian.

Author Hosseini is Afghani, and his novel covers three decades (1970 - 2000) of Afghan strife, from before the Soviet invasion through the rise of the Taliban. There has also been continuing strife between the Poshtun wealthy Sunni ruling class and the poorer Shi'ite serving class, the Hazara.

The protagonist is Amir, a wealthy Pashtun boy. The part of Amir as a boy is played in the movie by Zekiria Ebrahimi, and as a young man by Khalid Abdalla, who played the pilot / hijacker Ziad Jarrah in UNITED 93 (2006).

Amir's mother died giving birth. He was raised by his wealthy Pashtun father, whom he calls Baba, and his father's Hazara servant, Ali, who has a son, Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada), one year younger than Amir. Hassan's mother left his father when Hassan was a baby.

Life is good for Amir, except for a Pashtun Hitler-admiring bully, who later joins the Taliban. One evening, the bully rapes Hassan while Amir hides, doing nothing and saying nothing even after the incident. Because of Hassan's shame and Amir's guilt, the bond between Amir and Hassan is irreconcilably broken, leading to the distruction of the friendship between their two fathers.

When the Soviets invade Afghanistan, Amir and Baba are forced to escape, eventually finding asylum in the U.S. The story is told in three sections: Amir and Baba in Afghanistan prior to the Soviet invasion, their lives in America where Amir falls in love, and Amir's return to Afghanistan where he finds an unexpected gift.

Anyone who watches the evening news, or follows the news on the web, has little doubt that there is rising lawlessness in Afghanistan and especially in its capital, Kabul. Plus, the young actors in the movie and their relatives are now accusing the filmmakers of mistreatment and paying the boys much less than American actors would have been paid. As a result, the producers of the film, executives at the distributor Paramount Vantage, and even aide workers, have become more concerned about the safety of those in Afghanistan who are involved with the film project.

Apparently, this past Sunday steps were taken in the United Arab Emirates to begin the process of getting the boys and their families out of Afghanistan. A Middle East specialist at the consulting firm Kissinger McLarty Associates has been hired to arrange visas, housing and schooling for the young actors and jobs for their guardians. Bringing them to the United States is not an option because Afghans, like the majority of Iraqis, do not qualify for refugee status.

For much more information, note about the harassment of a young boy in the Indian movie KABUL EXPRESS, and to watch THE KITE RUNNER trailer, see the entire article (click title of this post, a link, or here).

First BFLF Oscar® Deadline Monday

Deadline for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences® to receive entries in Foreign Language Film, Live Action Short Film, and Animated Short Film for Oscar® consideration in the race for the 80th Academy Awards® is 5:00 p.m., Monday, 1 October.

In the short film categories, filmmakers must submit an entry form, one film print or copy in an approved digital format, and all other required materials by the deadline. In the Foreign Language Film category, filmmakers must submit entry forms, one English-subtitled film print and all other required materials by the deadline. Only one motion picture will be accepted from each country.

This past June, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences mailed Foreign Language Film award entry forms to 95 countries, facilitating their submissions for the 80th Academy Awards. Read the complete, and newly revised rules.

The 2006 Best Foreign Language Film was THE LIVES OF OTHERS (Das Leben der Anderen), Germany, written and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. The German spy drama, based on records from the now defunct East German (GDR/DDR) secret police, Stasi, is currently in preproduction as an English-language movie by former Miramax Films chiefs Bob and Harvey Weinstein, and filmmakers Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella. It is tentatively set to be released in 2010.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2007 will be presented on Sunday, 24 February 2008, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. Click the schedule for the 80th Academy Awards on the right sidebar.

Win Red Carpet Seats For Oscars®

You could win red carpet seats for the 80th Oscars® this coming February. Beginning Monday, 17 September at noon PST, and continuing for only one week, fans may apply online to win seats on America’s most celebrated red carpet – the Academy Awards® red carpet.

There are 300 seats available along the 500-foot-long carpet that leads into the Kodak Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center®. In previous years, as many as 25,000 fans have applied online for the limited bleacher seats.

Applicants may register up to four persons; however, only one form will be accepted per person or group. Only those individuals who have been pre-approved by the Academy will have access to the bleachers. Those who wait overnight to attempt admittance will not be granted entry, and the Academy will NOT be responsible for securing travel and/or hotel accommodations for winners.

The lucky winners will get to watch and cheer the Oscar® nominees, presenters, and other ceremony guests as they arrive at the 80th Academy Awards on Sunday, 24 February, and following the red carpet arrivals, the winners will be invited to watch the Academy Awards telecast at a nearby location.

Click for the application form. The online-only application process will close at noon PST, Monday, 24 September.

To be eligible for the random lottery, an individual must complete the application form in its entirety. Applications may only be submitted online. No other method of delivery will be accepted.

Those whose names are selected in the random drawing will be notified in early October. They will then be required to submit additional information for security purposes prior to final approval. Eligible attendees will receive a confirmation letter in early December with information pertinent to the event.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2007 will be presented on Sunday, 24 February 2008, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network.

My Film Festiva Page News

Wes Anderson’s new film, THE DARJEELING LIMITED, featuring Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman, and Anjelica Huston. (Fox Searchlight)

Winners at the Sarajevo and Edinburgh Film Festivals were posted today on my Film Festival Page as the fall film festival season is underway. My MIMI'S FILM FESTIVAL PAGE is currently reporting on happenings at the Edinburgh (England) and Sarajevo (Bosnia) festivals as well as the following: Montreal (Canada), Venice (Italy), Telluride (Colorado, USA), Toronto (Canada), San Sebastián (Spain), Vancouver (B.C.), New York (NYC, USA), Catalonian (Sitges, Spain), and the Times BFI London (UK) festivals. Others will be added as information becomes available.

The page is designed as a "quick stop" for viewers/readers to catch the highlights, and access the official sites immediately through quick links. Updates are sporadic, because they are made whenever information is received from various sources.

So, go visit and bookmark/favor the page for convenient frequent checking.

Three Movie Trilogies For Summer's Dog Days

The Dog Days of Summer have been with us for a couple of weeks, and the forecast does not predict any relief in sight for the rest of August, with temps well above 95 degrees F, mostly above 100, and heat indices of 105 or higher. So, if you are living through the dog days where you are, now is the time to consider renting some movies you may not have previously considered.

Nothing like turning off the telephone, sending everything to your mailbox, kicking back with a tall cool drink, a snack, and watching a movie all by yourself, or with a significant other, without the distractions in the average movie theater. The experience of watching a movie which does not follow the formula of the usual Hollywood concocted pablum - - most now written with pre-programmed computer programs and filled with computer-generated images (CGI) - - provides new stimulation for one's mind and emotions.

The movies I recommend here are definitely not computer generated pablum. Warning: Attention, brain power and reading (subtitles) are required, unless you understand French, Polish, Spanish, Hindi! The movies all have simple one-word titles, but there is nothing simple about any of them, cinematically or thematically.

FIRST TRILOGY

There was a Polish filmmaker, most call him a cinematic genius, who made a a movie trilogy in French and Polish, which he titled THREE COLORS (Trois Coleurs). He had made other films before discovering that he had congenital heart failure, and died shortly after he finished the third film in the trilogy. I am referring to the late Krysztof Kieslowski, and the award-winning movies in the three colors trilogy are, in the order they were made and in the order they should be viewed: BLUE (Bleu, 1993), WHITE (Blanc, 1994), and RED (Rouge, 1994).

The colors represent the tricolors in the French flag, left to right as it flies: Blue, White and Red. And, everyone should know that the French chose those colors after their revolution to express their ties and appreciation to America. They simply reversed the Red, White and Blue. The national motto of France is: Liberty, Equality, Fraternity (Liberté , Egalité, Fraternité). The last, fraternity, refers to brotherhood, not a keg party.

BLUE (1993)
Trois Couleurs: Bleu

In the first installment of Kieslowski's three colors trilogy BLUE represents liberty in the French national motto and is the first color of the French flag. A young Frenchwoman Julie Vignon (Juliette Binoche), tries to uncover her famous composer husband's secret life when she finds a couple of not-so-subtle clues after he and their young daughter die in an automobile accident. Blue in this movie also represents fidelity, a trait lacking in Julie's late husband. He not only betrayed her sexually, he took her musical talents and claimed them as his own. Each step takes her both closer and farther from the truth as she journeys on a path ultimately leading to self-discovery, a man who will not betray her, and a liberating life.

WHITE (1994)
Trois Couleurs: Blanc

Julie Delpy stars in WHITE (Blanc, 1994), a dark comedy that is the middle segment of the trilogy, representing the middle section of the French flag and equality in the French motto. It is about the price of passion. Polish immigrant Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski) is humiliated in a public courtroom by his wife Dominique (Delpy) during their divorce proceedings in a French court. She is divorcing him because he cannot perform in bed. Shamed and brokenhearted, he finds an ally in a fellow countryman. The two concoct a way back to post-Communist Poland, where Karol sets about rebuilding his life, but not without some missteps until he and his countryman come to view each other as equals.

RED (1994)
Trois Couleurs: Rouge

RED (Rouge, 1994), is the final film in Kieslowski's three-colors trilogy, and in the French flag. The plot is an excellent fit with the last word in the French motto, fraternity. In this meditation on the need for passion and human connection, Valentine (Irene Jacob) accidentally hits a dog with her car, and the accident brings together two very different people -- Valentine, a model, and Joseph (Jean-Louis Trinignant), a retired judge who owns the dog. Random fate chooses to pair them and, although deeply improbable, their eventual relationship becomes a true romance.

The movie is poignant when we know what was happening behind the scenes. Before and during the production, Kieslowski was aware that he had heart failue and that he was dying, but RED ends on a positive note.

SECOND TRILOGY

Deepa Metha

The second trilogy, featuring three films directed by Indian-born and current Canadian resident Deepa Mehta, a female, is a trilogy about Indian Women in the early to mid Twentieth Century. All the movies are set in times past. How far in the past? We know only that the events in the movies, as well as references to Mahatma Gandhi as being alive, free in India and advocating nonviolent resistance, place the timeframe of all the movies in, or around, the 1940s.

FIRE (1996)

Deepa Mehta's FIRE, the first Indian film about lesbians, follows two Hindu women struggling with loveless arranged marriages. When Sita discovers that her husband Jatin has a mistress, she shares her unhappiness with her sister-in-law Radha, who cannot give birth. As the lukewarm coals of their long-term relationships fade, they ignite passion in their lives by finding comfort in each other. The fire that has smoldered within each of them is finally free to blaze.

The movie almost didn't get made because of the lesbian content, and fires were set in Movie theaters in India when the film was shown. Be sure and watch all the features on the DVD.

EARTH (1998)

This middle film in the trilogy is a stirring tale about the real-life religious and civil wars that broke out in India and Pakistan in 1947. The battle to gain independence from the British brought about horrendous violence between Muslims and Hindus, finally causing the splitting of India (mainly Hindu) by carving from it he nation of Pakistan (mainly Muslim). EARTH, the second movie in a trilogy from Mehta, is based on the autobiographical novel Cracking India by Bapsi Sidhwa and is told through the eyes of a little girl Lenny, who has one leg in a brace. Again, the DVD special features are almost as interesting as the movie itself. Don't miss them.

WATER (2005)

After losing her much older husband to illness, 8-year-old Chuyia is forced to live out the rest of her days in a temple for Hindu widows, communing with 14 other women with a cruel headmistress who agrees to take her into the Ashram. It is through the trials of another widow that Chuyia learns the many restrictions of widowhood.

Chuyia's friend is a beautiful young woman Kalyani (Lisa Ray), who is forced into prostitution by the greedy headmistress. Meanwhile, Kalyani is being courted by Narayan (John Abraham), a wealthy educated man from a higher caste. Marriage between the star crossed lovers Kalyani and Narayan is forbidden by law for two reasons. First, because widows are forbidden to remarry (unless they marry a relative of their deceased husband) and second, because the young people belong to different castes.

Chuyia and Kalyani both eventually escape their bondage but only after being cruelly used by Narayan's father. Chuyia escapes through the kindness of a fellow widow and Narayan, but Kalyani does not understand the concepts of forgiveness and redemption through the use of holy water and makes a tragic mistake.

WATER was nominated for an Oscar as the Best Foreign Language Film of 2006 (Canada/India), but lost to THE LIVES OF OTHERS (Germany). The art direction and visuals are absolutely stunning, as are Ray and Abraham. A visual feast almost as mesmerizing as a Bernardo Bertolucci movie.

All these movies are available to rent from NETFLIX (see link on right sidebar), and WATER may be downloaded for instant viewing at NETFLIX.

ADDED NOTE: I just saw Mehta's BOLLYWOOD/HOLLYWOOD (2000) "Different tree. Same wood". It is the first film of Metha's in which Lisa Ray stars. It is a hoot!

THIRD TRILOGY

There is another trilogy of movies that I whis to recommend. I highly recommend the first dance trilogy of Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saura: BODAS DE SANGRE (BLOOD WEDDING, 1981), CARMEN (1983), and EL AMOR BRUJO (aka, Love Bewitched, 1986). All three star the famous late male flamenco dancer Antonio Gades. The marvelous dancer Cristina Hoyos dances with Gades in all the movies, starring in the first. Laura del Sol danced the featured role with Gades in CARMEN and AMOR BRUJO, but Hoyos is fabulous in the supporting roles. So, too, are the soundtracks. I have the soundtrack for BRUJO, but don't know about availability of the others.

FYI, Saura may have completed his second dance trilogy that began with FLAMENCO (1995), followed by TANGO (1998) only recently. Some critics are writing that FADOS (2007) is the last movie in the trilogy, but I'm not sure they are correct. From what I have read, it may relate more to Sevillanas (1992), or ¡Ay, Carmela! (1990). FADOS will receive a special screening at the San Sebastián Film Festival next month (see link to my Film Festival Page on the right sidebar). I'll keep you advised about the trilogy.

FLAMENCO and TANGO are available to rent at NETFLIX. UPDATE 10/07: BLOOD WEDDING, CARMEN and EL BRUJO are now available to rent on DVD. NETFLIX has them as a set (see link for NETFLIX on right sidebar). All the movies are also available on video tape (VHS and PAL).

Happy Dog Days!

My Film Festival Page News

My Film Festival Page is updated! Tomorrow, 15th, the 61st Edinburgh International Film Festival (Edinburgh, Scotland), kicks off the late-summer into fall season. The updates begin in Scotland and run through the Times BFI London Film Festival closing 1 November.

In between, you will find information about others, including festivals in New York (NYC), Montreal, San Sebastian, Sitges (Barcelona), Telluride, Toronto, Venice, etc. I try to find and post interesting highlights before the festivals, but you will always find links to the Official Web Sites and a notification, with highlights, when the awards are presented with easy links for more information.

This page is not static. I am constantly updating it as I receive new information, and there is a permanent link to it on the right sidebar of this blog. Visit often and enjoy!

MORE ABOUT TOP MOVIES AT CANNES

In the previous post I forgot to mention that Geraldine Chaplin is appearing in THE ORPHANAGE (El Orfanato, Spain-Mexico). Her character's name is Aurora, and the director is Juan Antonio Bayona.

Also, I failed to mention Michael Moore's latest documentary, SICKO. This is the "Inconvenient Truth" about the ailing American health care system but, overall, much less entertaining than "Truth," or Moore's previous films. One thing it is - - a powerful wakeup call!

SOME TOP MOVIES AT CANNES

According to many critics, there were more top-rate movies at Cannes than were expected. The first thing that caught my eye was the Mexico-Spain co-production THE ORPHANAGE (El Orfanato), produced by director Guillermo del Toro (PAN'S LABYRINTH). It's a Spanish ghost story that has been described as, "terrifying and enthralling." I suggest you watch for it.

Others you might want to put on your must-see list:

THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY (French) that won best director at Cannes for Julian Schnabel, and A MIGHTY HEART, produced by Brad Pitt and starring Angelina Jolie as reporter Daniel Pearl's widow, were both extremely well received.

The Coen brother's NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN starring Javier Bardem, Kelly Macdonald and Josh Brolin, didn't win any awards but it received great buzz. It arrived with distribution from Miramax, which acquired DIVING BELL at the market.

Sony Pictures Classics purchased rights to the Israeli comedy THE BAND'S VISIT, while IFC bought the Palme d'Or winner, the Romanian drama 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS & 2 DAYS (now mostly referred to as 4 MONTHS). IFC also acquired FLIGHT OF THE RED BALLOON (Le Voyage du ballon rouge, France) starring Juliette Binoche.

It's almost summer, and I'm going on a short hiatus. Of course, if anything happens that I think is interesting, movie-wise, I'll probably post it.

HAPPY SUMMER EVERYONE!

KITE RUNNER Production, and Cannes

The Kite Runner, a best-selling novel by Afghan-born Khaled Hosseini, is now in production as a movie. It is scheduled to be released this fall. The 2003 novel and the movie are set in Afghanistan under the brutal radical Islamist, the Taliban.

Marc Forster (FINDING NEVERLAND) directs. Khalid Abdalla, who played the pilot/hijacker Ziad Jarrah (UNITED 93), stars as Amir who returns to his native Afghanistan after years in the U.S. to help his boyhood friend Hassan. The novel was on the best-seller list for four years and has sold over four million copies in the U.S. After a summer of predictable movie pabulum, this movie will be welcomed by the millions of adults who read the book and, hopefully, most movie goers. Hosseini's new novel A Thousand Splendid Suns was recently published.

The summer movie season officially kicked off this weekend with PRIATES 3, the Cannes Film Festival just wrapped where the Romanian movie, 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, AND 2 DAYS (Cristian Mungiu, dir.), won the Palme d'Or and the FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) prize. See link on right sidebar for Mimi's Film Festival Page.

SPIDEY OPENS SUMMER MOVIE SEASON EARLY

The traditional opening of the summer movie season is the Friday of the Memorial Day weekend. However, the movie gate has been swinging open for the summer season earlier and earlier each year.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: At World's End will open on the traditional date this year, 25 May. Traditional season: Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Oops! SPIDER-MAN 3 opened 4 May and set the bar for the "official" season by grossing over 150 million in the U.S. alone, breaking all box office records. Sympathy to the other films that opened the same time, such as the Eric Bana, Drew Barrymore, Robert Duvall cutesy LUCKY YOU, and the multi-directed, critically well-received PARIS, JE T'AIME. THE WAITRESS opened two days earlier, but caught a pie in the face anyway.

Next big blockbusters of the season? How about OCEAN'S THIRTEEN (June8), HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (13 July), HAIRSPRAY (20 July), THE SIMPSONS MOVIE (27 July), and THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM (23 August)?

Some long-distance runners not mentioned above may be GEORGIA RULE (11 May), NANCY DREW (15 June), RUSH HOUR 3 (10 August) that is scheduled to open against STARDUST, and THE INVASION (17 August). One that critics think will not have legs? J-Marc's EL CANTANTE (The Singer), and some have dubbed it "CAN-NOT-A".

We'll see how they all shakes out come September.

GUADALAJARA FESTIVAL OF CINEMA

The 22nd Guadalajara International Festival of Cinema will run 22 - 30 March 2007, in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Mexican director Guillermo del Toro (PAN'S LABYRINTH) will receive the first Guadalajara Award. This new award is for outstanding personalities of the Ibero-American cinematographic community who have distinguished themselves at the international level.

American Actress Elizabeth Peña will present the movie, ADRIFT IN MANHATTAN, directed by Alfredo de Villa. It will screen in a new event at the Festival: From the Other Side (Desde el Otro Lado).

Spanish actor/director Antonio Banderas will present his movie SUMMER RAIN (El Camino de los Ingleses). RAIN will screen Saturday, 24 March. Several films from Mexico will also screen. The 5th Guadalajara Film Market will run concurrently with the festival.

For more about this festival and many others, see Mimi's Film Festival Page. Link also on right sidebar.

Two More Movie Series for Los Angeles

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will again present continuations of two of its popular film series, "Rediscovered Silent Films" and "Great to be Nominated, Part Four." The first begins 29 March and the second 23 April.

Series # 1 - Rediscovered Silent Films, Linwood Dunn Theater

THE CURSE OF QUON GWON, the first known feature made by Chinese-Americans, and HER WILD OAT, starring the quintessential 1920s flapper Colleen Moore, will unspool as part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ “Lost and Found” film series on Thursday, March 29, at 7:30 p.m., Linwood Dunn Theater at the Academy’s Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study in Hollywood. Both films will be accompanied by live music performed by Michael Mortilla.

THE CURSE OF QUON GWON, directed by Marion Wong, is one of the few American silent feature films directed by a woman. It was thought to be lost until filmmaker Arthur Dong discovered two surviving reels in the possession of the lead actress’s daughters. Dong brought the nitrate 35mm negative reels, as well as ten minutes of additional 16mm footage, to the Academy Film Archive for preservation. In December 2006 the Library of Congress selected the movie for the National Film Registry.

In HER WILD OAT, Moore, with her signature flapper haircut, stars as a woman who owns a small lunch wagon and falls for a duke’s son who is pretending to be his own chauffeur. Many of Moore’s films have been lost to nitrate decomposition. This print newly restored by the Archive provides the public a rare opportunity to rediscover Moore’s work. Her filmography includes both silent and sound films. Her final movie role was as Hester Prynne in the 1934 version of THE SCARLET LETTER.

“Lost and Found” is a periodic screening series designed to showcase archival prints that have been recently rediscovered, or films that have been restored from new materials that improve the presentational quality of previous available versions. In some instances, the films may be incomplete or damaged, making access unlikely through more traditional venues. The series provides renewed access to “lost” films and brings to light some of film preservation’s more notable success stories.

Tickets to “Lost and Found” are $5 for the general public, and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Get your tickets beforehand, and get their early to be safe. I think you can pay for the tickets a pick them up at the boxoffice that evening. For more information, call (310) 247-3600.

The Linwood Dunn Theater is located at 1313 North Vine Street in Hollywood. Free parking is available behind the building through the entrance on Homewood Avenue.

Series # 2 - “Great To Be Nominated” blasts off with STAR WARS, Samuel Goldwyn Theater

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will launch part four of its popular “Great To Be Nominated” series on Monday, April 23 with George Lucas' STAR WARS. The 16-week series will once again showcase the Academy Award® nominees for Best Picture that garnered the most Oscar® nominations in a particular year but did not win the Oscar for Best Picture. This installment will cover films from 1977 to 1992. A different film will screen each Monday evening, plus one Tuesday night, at 7:30 p.m. in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater on Wilshire Boulevard.

The “Great To Be Nominated” screening of STAR WARS coincides with the 30th anniversary of the breakthrough science fiction film that launched an empire. George Lucas and many of his fellow filmmakers will be present for a post-film panel discussion.

The film was nominated for ten Academy Awards® and took home Oscars® for Art Direction (John Barry, Norman Reynolds, Leslie Dilley; Set Decoration: Roger Christian), Costume Design (John Mollo), Film Editing (Paul Hirsch, Marcia Lucas, Richard Chew), Music - Original score (John Williams), Sound (Don MacDougall, Ray West, Bob Minkler, Derek Ball), and Visual Effects (John Stears, John Dykstra, Richard Edlund, Grant McCune, Robert Blalack). Benjamin Burtt, Jr. received a Special Achievement Award for the creation of the alien, creature and robot voices in the film.

The film was also honored with nominations for Actor in a Supporting Role (Alec Guinness), Directing (George Lucas), Best Picture (Gary Kurtz, producer) and Writing – Screenplay written directly for the screen (Lucas).

STAR WARS was the first, and only, best picture nomination for a Lucas-directed movie. It lost to ANNIE HALL (Woody Allen). Also, George Lucas received his only best director nomination for this movie and lost to Woody Allen.

The series will continue through August 20. “Great To Be Nominated” will then go on hiatus until Spring 2008, when part five will begin with REMAINS OF THE DAY (1993). The complete screening schedule for part four of “Great To Be Nominated” is:

April 23 - Star Wars (1977); April 24 - (Tuesday) - Julia (1977); April 30 - Heaven can Wait (1978); May 7 - All That Jazz (1979); May 14 - Raging Bull (1980); May 21 - Reds (1981); June 4 - Tootsie (1982); June 11 - The Right Stuff (1983); June 18 - A Passage to India (1984); June 25 - The Color Purple (1985); July 9 - A Room with a View (1986); July 16 - Broadcast News (1987); July 23 - Dangerous Liaisons (1988); July 30 - Born on the Fourth of July (1989); August 6 - The Godfather, Part III (1990); August 13 - Bugsy (1991); August 20 - Howards End (1992).

Passes for part four of “Great To Be Nominated” will be available starting April 2 at a cost of $30 for film buffs wishing to see the series in its entirety. A $5 discount is available for those who wish to renew their passes from parts one, two or three of the series. Tickets for the first four individual screenings will be available starting April 9 at a cost of $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. They may be purchased by mail, in person at the Academy during regular business hours or, depending on availability, on the night of the screening when the doors open at 6:30 p.m., but you better purchase beforehand.

Other elements from each year, such as short subjects, behind-the-scenes footage, trailers and music, will be incorporated into each evening’s program. Curtain time for all features is 7:30 p.m., and pre-show elements will begin at 7 p.m. The Academy is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call 310-247-3600.

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See links for A.M.P.A.S.® and Oscars Web sites on right sidebar.