February 2012 - Cinema-V

February 28, 2012May 13, 2012 Aaron Leave a Comment

The Way Back

Russian gulags were never known for their fair treatment of their prisoners, most of which were political prisoners, given unbelievably long sentences, often on chumped up charges of treason, espionage, or criticism of “Comrade Stalin.” The prisoners held in this gulag were no different.

Although a reasonably unknown film, the cast is made up of a surprising collection of A-list actors to include Ed Harris, Colin Farrell, and Saoirse Ronan. The other lesser-known co-stars are on par with the A-listers in this dramatic escape-turned-journey flick.

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February 28, 2012February 28, 2012 Torsten Reitz Leave a Comment

Marty in Wonderland: The Verdict on Martin Scorsese’s 3D Adventure Hugo

Hugo Cabret and Isabelle with the automaton

The grandmaster of the gangster genre and the cinema of madness is back. He has returned with a project that can in good conscience be described as peculiar and atypical for him. Martin Scorsese’s latest movie, Hugo, is a 3D adaptation of Brian Selznick’s children’s novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

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February 27, 2012February 29, 2012 Torsten Reitz Leave a Comment

Golden Boys: The 84th Annual Academy Awards Coverage

2012 Oscars Logo

The 84th Annual Academy Awards have just come to a close. So what can we take away from it other than Billy Crystal being a charming, but aging host or the ladies gushing about Brad Pitt’s outfit? For starters, there were two big winners among the films: Hugo, Martin Scorsese’s 3D adventure, and The Artist, Michel Hazanavicius’s homage to the silent era. Each had received a double-digit number of nominations, and both won five times apiece.

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February 26, 2012March 2, 2013 Aaron Leave a Comment

Noriko’s Dinner Table: alter-egoism and constant change

“There is no suicide club,” says a nondescript man in his mid-thirties.

Confused, the middle aged man accepts the answer and walks away, only to reflect later on another thing the man said “the actors play their roles, and if their roles require them to commit suicide, then they do it.”

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February 25, 2012February 26, 2012 Aaron Leave a Comment

I Saw The Devil: revenge at any cost

Min-shik Choi is back as the psycho killer in the murder-thriller I Saw The Devil. Min-shik’s character, Kyung-chul is cold, ruthless and deceptive. In the opening scene Kyung-chul is seen assisting a young woman with a flat tire. Soo-hyeon, the fiancé of the woman in the car talks with her on the phone as she waits for a tow truck. She begins to get suspicious when Kyung-chul ominously hangs outside her car window. He strikes with brutal swiftness with a hammer, knocking her out. Later he drags her back to his kill-house where he hacks her up despite her calls for mercy.

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February 24, 2012February 24, 2012 Torsten Reitz Leave a Comment

A Life Less Ordinary: Roman Karimov’s Inadequate People and the ‘Russian Realities’

There are those who complain that Russian cinema has abandoned its distinctive identity in favor of Hollywood conventions in recent years, and justifiably so. Ever since Timur Bekmambetov’s Night Watch, a surprise success in the United States and elsewhere in 2004, there has been a perplexing, sometimes even disturbing trend to move away from the trademarks of Russian filmmaking and cater to commercial American movies. Likewise, the major Hollywood studios invest in the country’s film industry. Disney’s first-ever Russian production The Book Of Masters (2009) demonstrates that as much as the involvement of Fox in the Revolution-era drama Admiral (2008) or Universal financing a modern version of the Soviet cult comedy An Office Romance (2011).

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February 22, 2012February 22, 2012 Torsten Reitz Leave a Comment

Family Affair: Elena as a Thought-Provoking Character Study and Portrait of Life in Contemporary Russia

“Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,” Leo Tolstoy wrote at the beginning of his famous novel Anna Karenina. This was true for the aristocratic clans in the tsardom of the 19^th century and it is still valid for many societies, especially contemporary Russia with its glaring social contrasts. Elena by director Andrei Zvyagintsev, mainly known for his acclaimed 2003 feature The Return, is such a modern family drama that unfolds slowly. The film takes its time to observe the characters and the respective environments they inhabit.

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February 21, 2012February 26, 2012 Aaron Leave a Comment

Hollywood gearing up for this year’s Academy Awards

This year’s Academy Awards will be presented by two of American cinema’s biggestpranksters, Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis who just recently finished shooting for the film The Campaign. Ferrell and Galifianakis are just two joining many big names hosting this year, to include Halle Berry, Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Tom Hanks, Milla Jovovich, Chris Rock, Ben Stiller and Emma Stone.

This is a preview of Hollywood gearing up for this year’s Academy Awards. Read the full post

February 20, 2012February 26, 2012 Aaron Leave a Comment

The Housemaid lacks originality, reinforces stereotypes of Korean society

the-housemaid-jeon-do-yeon-Lee-Jung-jae- — Jeon Do-yeon and Lee Jung-jae in 'The Housemaid'

A shy young woman gets hired to become a wealthy Korean family’s maid.

Very quickly Eun-yi (the maid played by Do-yeon Jeon) finds her way into the good graces of the head of the household. The man’s wife is pregnant with twins, and is unable to please him sexually. The man begins to get ideas about the maid that he just hired. One night he comes down, and begins to fondle Eun-yi. Hesitantly, the maid gives in and appears to enjoy their clandestine sexual activities. Early on, the older, more experienced maid becomes suspicious and catches on to the affair. Meanwhile the maid begins to develop an especially close relationship with the couples’ daughter.

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February 20, 2012February 22, 2012 Torsten Reitz Leave a Comment

Martin Mysicka (left) and Ivan Trojan (right) in character

Sympathy for the Devils: The World as a Rotten Place in Petr Zelenka’s The Karamazovs

Fyodor Dostoevsky is arguably one of the greatest novelists of all time. The interest of filmmakers in his work has remained alive, and even seems to have increased in recent years. Martin Scorsese, of all people, has signaled interest in creating another version of The Gambler with Leonardo DiCaprio and The Departed screenwriter William Monahan. Likewise, Russian television produced television series of The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov not too long ago.

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February 18, 2012February 24, 2012 Aaron Leave a Comment

The Grey: a story about the inevitability of death, and the importance of self reliance

the-grey-liam-neeson — Liam Neeson in 'The Grey'

Liam Neeson’s performance in The Grey was unparalleled.

Though the story starts out somewhat like a would-be typical Hollywood flick following the done-to-death ‘great adventure’ scenario; the film actually incorporates many elements that would be more typical in an art house film, than in a Hollywood blockbuster. Furthermore, the film leaves the viewer with a somewhat ambivalent feeling about what the true intent of the film is. The most apparent theme appears to be triumph-over-evil. However, the dynamics are a little different in this piece from a regular triumph-over-evil scenario. The Grey depicts men who, even when the odds are stacked against them, and the chance of winning is nearly zero, continue to fight. This is a classic recurring theme in many Chinese fables. Though there is nothing that overtly indicates that that is where the plot was derived from.

This is a preview of The Grey: a story about the inevitability of death, and the importance of self reliance. Read the full post

February 15, 2012February 26, 2012 Torsten Reitz Leave a Comment

Bridges to Babylen: Generation P as a Cyberpunk Satire of Russian Consumerism in the 1990s

Babylen on the hunt for psychedelic drugs

“We’re waiting for changes,” Victor Tsoy, arguably the biggest rock star of the Soviet Union, exclaimed in the late 1980s. They would come only a few years later. The 1990s were a decade of transformations on both sides of the formerly bipolar world order, and the cultural climate was largely represented by their teens and twens. While the West had its ‘Generation X’, divided into many subcultures and generally disillusioned with life, as displayed by the alternative rock and grunge music of the era, the former Soviet Union had its own post-communist bunch of kids.

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February 15, 2012February 26, 2012 Aaron Leave a Comment

Max Manus

Max Manus, at a seemingly modest production price of 55 million kroner[1] (ca. 9.6 million dollars), is the most expensive film ever produced in Norwegian history. Though this might not sound like much money, for a country with a mere five million citizens that’s an unheard of amount of money to go towards the production of a film. The quality in production and aesthetically pleasing screenplay appear to merit the budget, not to mention twelve accolades for everything from best actress to best film.[2] The filming style is somewhat reminiscent of that used in Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, and many of the imitation films which followed. The film was largely regarded as a great triumph for directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, with an estimated 25% of the entire Norwegian population having screened the film.[3]

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February 13, 2012February 26, 2012 Torsten Reitz Leave a Comment

Kevin Smith’s Cop Out

I love Kevin Smith. For a solid decade and a half, the man has been an essential part of American cinema. With his subliminal commentaries on society, quirky below-the-belt sense of humour, intelligent homage to pop culture and spaced-out plots, he has provided a valid alternative to the Tinseltown glitz-and-glamour. A Garden-State counterpart to the Hollywood industry, he has created largely unheralded gems like Clerks, Chasing Amy or Dogma on low budgets – and still managed to attract A-list talent for the better part of his career. Film buffs and critics alike admire him. But one really must wonder: what has gotten into Kevin Smith?

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February 13, 2012March 6, 2013 Aaron Leave a Comment

Paradise Murdered. Kim Han-Min’s fruitless success.

Paradise_Murdered_film_poster — Paradise Murdered Movie Poster

The year is 1986.

On an isolated island off the coast of the Korean mainland, lies a small secluded establishment. The island is rocky, steep, and often surrounded by a heavy fog which makes travel to and from the island problematic.

There are 17 villagers. The friendly inhabitants range in age from young to old, but they all have one thing in common; their strongly held superstitions.

This is a preview of Paradise Murdered. Kim Han-Min’s fruitless success.. Read the full post