» Tanpa Label » Melancholic Czech Debut TO SEE THE SEA Surprises on Many Levels

Melancholic Czech Debut TO SEE THE SEA Surprises on Many Levels

Oleh

Melancholic Czech Debut TO SEE THE SEA Surprises on Many Levels

Melancholic Czech Debut TO SEE THE SEA Surprises on Many Levels

Posted: 02 May 2014 04:00 AM PDT

Czech cinema retains a certain routine portfolio in its offerings. The main and dominant current consists of films reflecting the recent past, mostly the era of communism, socialism and then normalisation. These stories come in the form of paeans to moral heroes who more often than not surrendered to conformity to preserve their integrity even for the price of jeopardizing their existential comfort. Generally, those are the most talked about and awarded works. Films such as In the Shadow (which received 9  Czech lions, the national award, in 2012), and the undisputed champion of national awards, The Burning Bush (11 Czech lions). The recent black horse from this current is Fair Play, a story of a rising young athlete, aiming for the Olympic Games in...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]

Udine 2014 Review: BLACK COAL, THIN ICE Is A Cold, Compelling Crime Drama

Posted: 02 May 2014 01:00 AM PDT

This year's surprise Golden Bear winner at Berlin is a bleak, yet engrossing whodunnit set in the wintry climes of Northern China.For his third feature film, writer-director Diao Yinan (Uniform, Night Train) evokes both Hollywood procedurals and European arthouse cinema for his story of a disgraced and traumatised ex-cop who continues his search for a serial killer in China's industrialised North. Black Coal, Thin Ice is also the latest in a series of high profile yet independently spirited Chinese films to embrace crime genre sensibilities, while addressing socio-economic issues in contemporary China.When a dismembered corpse is discovered scattered across a number of different coal depots in Heilongjiang province, Detective Zhang Zili's (Liao Fan) investigation leads him to a pair of coal workers. Attempting an arrest,...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]

Hey Australia! Don't Miss Madman's Massive May Giveaway!

Posted: 01 May 2014 07:00 PM PDT

Because Madman's massive giveaway competitions have been so popular with our Australian readers, we are again running two giveaway competitions this month! Competition #1To celebrate the release of crime thriller On The Job on DVD, Madman is giving you the chance to win a DVD pack that includes some exciting thrillers. First prize (one winner): All of the DVDs shown in the picture above - On the Job, Kill List, Four, 13: Game of Death, Easy Money, Point BlankSecond prize (two winners): On The Job on Blu-ray or DVD.For a chance to win, all you have to do is to follow these two steps:1) Tell me in 25 words or less, which of the movies in the prize pack you like the most and why, and 2) Email...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]

Udine 2014 Review: SWEET ALIBIS, An Uneven But Wacky Taiwanese Genre Film

Posted: 01 May 2014 03:00 PM PDT

After recovering from a depression that lasted for over 10 years Taiwanese cinema is gradually gaining recognition, mostly due to the rising popularity of its many touching dramas and promising independent productions. That said, such specific, if wacky, genre mixtures like Sweet Alibis are relatively difficult to come by.Hardly a picture that will find a bigger audience worldwide, Yi-chi Lien's third full-length feature (although second to be shown on the big screen) is nevertheless a crime comedy that drifts between its highs and its lows with enough determination to make the whole murder-cum-slapstick affair seem entertaining even when some less appropriate jokes take control of the proceedings.Sweet Alibis clearly pokes fun at its own indiscreetly cliché-driven narrative, but does it somewhat consciously so the final...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]

Check Out The Complete Line-Up Of Krakow's Off Plus Camera Film Festival

Posted: 01 May 2014 01:00 PM PDT

Now in its 7th edition, Krakow's prominent Off Plus Camera is a film festival devoted solely to world independent cinema. Though relatively young, Off Plus Camera has already been host to some of the most exciting and influential indie filmmakers of the last few years. Amongst Polish cinephiles it's often cited as a perfect and absolutely vital opener of the festival season, and one of the very few events that still keep the true spirit of independent film alive.The remarkable line-up includes more than 100 films, among which are such beloved or critically acclaimed international features as: Ain't Them Bodies Saints, Bastards, Fruitvale Station, Gloria, Grand Piano, Mistaken for Strangers, Museum Hours, The Babadook, Tom at the Farm. Additionally, for Polish cinema aficionados there is...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]

THE BACHELOR WEEKEND: Watch An Exclusive Clip From The Irish Comedy

Posted: 01 May 2014 12:30 PM PDT

Well covered here at Twitch under it's Irish title of The Stag, John Butler's The Bachelor Weekend is currently available on iTunes and VOD platforms and with the limited theatrical release starting tomorrow we've got an exclusive clip to share with you.Pressured by his best man to spend a bachelor's weekend camping, foppish groom-to-be, Fionan, reluctantly agrees. But when his fiancee's alpha-male brother, nicknamed 'The Machine,' unexpectedly turns up, the camping trip takes a turn for the worst. Fionan and his genteel friends are no match for the uncouth bully, and the trip begins to look like it will become Fionan's worst nightmare. A slapstick, good-natured comedy, THE BACHELOR WEEKEND hilariously delves into the stereotypical realm of masculinity that is camping and the great outdoors.Witness...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]

Exciting Full Trailer For Live-Action RUROUNI KENSHIN Sequels Arrives!

Posted: 01 May 2014 12:00 PM PDT

The full trailer has been unveiled for the sequels to the successful live action adaptation of Rurouni Kenshin, one of the most popular anime and manga series ever. Titled Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno and Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends, the new films cover the fan-favorite Kyoto arc of the manga, specifically the Great Kyoto Fire and End of a Legend storylines. Kenshin Himura goes up against pure evil Makoto Shishio, who is attempting to overthrow the Meiji government. The fate of the country hangs in the balance as Kenshin Himura takes up the sword that he vowed to never draw again.Satoh Takeru (Kamen Rider Den-O, Beck) reprises his role as Kenshin, while Fujiwara Tatsuya (Death Note, Battle Royale) plays Shishio Makoto. Kyoto Inferno opens in Japan on August...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]

Hot Docs 2014 Review: LOVE AND TERROR ON THE HOWLING PLAINS OF NOWHERE

Posted: 01 May 2014 11:30 AM PDT

In a sparse corner of Nebraska, as far as possible from the state's cities of Lincoln and Omaha, sits the high-elevation prairie town of Chadron, population 5600.  The town, described as 'politely hanging on' after peaking somewhere in the 19th century, is host to the State College and was the hometown of NFL wide receiver Don Beebe, but is now quite remarkable for its motley collection of characters unearthed and endeared by author Poe Ballantine (himself one of those characters) in his memoir-slash-true-crime novel, "Love and Terror on the Howling Plains of Nowhere: A Memoir."  It has been adapted, wrangled, and condensed into documentary form by Dave Janetta in the same tattered, rascally spirit as the book - equal parts pragmatism and poetry. Love and...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]

Review: IDA, A Lovely, Artfully-Crafted Little Masterpiece

Posted: 01 May 2014 11:00 AM PDT

Sister Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska) is an war orphan who is about to take a vow. The Mother Superior tells her that her only known relative, her aunt Wanda (Agata Kulesza), finally contacted her, and Anna is to leave the convent and stay with Wanda before committing herself to God. Chain smoking and boozy, aunt Wanda is kind of a mess -- a guilt-ridden Jewess war survivor, she became a judge hell-bent on revenge. She tells Anna that her actual name is Ida Lebenstein, a daughter of a Jewish couple who perished in the war. Together they take a trip to find out what happened to Ida's parents. They confront a Polish farmer who might or might not have killed Ida's family during the Nazi occupation...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]

LA Asian Pacific Film Fest 2014: Twitch Makes 5 Can't Miss Picks

Posted: 01 May 2014 10:00 AM PDT

It's VC time of the year again as the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival kicks off tonight for another year of great programming from around the Pacific. The fest runs from May 1-11 and mostly takes place at the DGA and CGV Cinemas (though there are a few screenings in Long Beach and at Downtown's Japanese American National Museum). As we did last year, Twitch has chosen five films to put on your radar - not an easy task as the fest is packed with many lesser known films with Asian connections. Check out the gallery below and let us know what you'll be seeing. Plus there is plenty more on the LAAPFF homepage...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]

Levring Goes Danish-Neo-Spaghetti-Western in Trailer for THE SALVATION

Posted: 01 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT

Kristian Levring's new feature film The Salvation is headed to Cannes shortly in the Out of Competition section, as part of the Midnight screenings. That last bit suggests there's going to be a fair amount of violence and bloodshed, which is more than hinted at in the first trailer. It looks quite firmly inspired by the spaghetti westerns that European filmmakers have a knack for. Mads Mikkelsen plays John, a former soldier and immigrant from Scandinavia who has come to the American West in search of a new life for him, his wife and child. But when he kills the man who killed his family, it raises the anger and revenge of the murderer's brother Delarue (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). When John seeks the help of...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]

Hot Docs 2014 Review: THE GREEN GIRL Reveals Prolific Actress, Director, And Aviator Susan Oliver

Posted: 01 May 2014 08:00 AM PDT

Proving in its own way that most actors of a certain era ended their careers with a guest spot on Murder, She Wrote before quietly going into obscurity, The Green Girl presents its sexy Star Trek hook, that of the Orion Slave girl, played by Susan Oliver, who gamely sways her curves on screen in spinach-coloured body paint, firing up the fecund imaginations of many a young sci-fi nerd. Oh, those blue eyes. Her character's name Vina (also seen in the more natural blonde-haired pale skinned mode) has the faint ring of Venus, n'est pas?  But this is not a fan service affair. Beyond those clips from Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek pilot, "The Cage" (eventually aired later in the show as two-parter, "The Menagerie") rather a...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]

Hot Docs 2014 Interview: Twitch Talks To The Legendary Alice Cooper

Posted: 01 May 2014 07:00 AM PDT

The filmmakers behind Super Duper Alice Cooper dub their work the first "doc opera", and it comes pretty close to living up to that hype. Tracing the remarkable career of the band Alice Cooper (a moniker derived from a drunken Ouija board session), we get a nice overview by directors Reginald Harkema, Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn of the hedonistic rock of the 70s right through to the present day."Alice Cooper" became not just the band's appelation but the legal name of its flamboyant yet macabre lead singer. From "I'm Eighteen" to "School's Out", Cooper's songs continue to be a staple of Classic Rock radio. The story behind this rise, as well as the many slips along the way (be they professional or personal)...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]

Back To Top