NYFF 2012: ‘Passion’ is an awkward attempt at provocation
Passion Directed by Brian de Palma Screenplay by Brian de Palma USA / Germany, 2012 The story goes that, when asked why his new film Passion contained highly stylized touches even in scenes that did not appear to need them, its director responded simply, “Because I’m Brian de Palma.” That answer should not be taken with 100% seriousness, as de Palma has long been equal parts auteur and provocateur. Unfortunately, Passion seems to have been made by a director who can’t decide which he is trying to be. The film is a tug of war between Isabelle (Noomi Rapace) and… Read more
NYFF 2012: Feature Debut of David Chase’s ‘Not Fade Away’ Highlights Centerpiece Gala Selection
The Lincoln Center has recently announced that David Chase (Sopranos) will be making his feature debut, Not Fade Away, at the 50th Anniversary of the New York Film Festival’s Centerpiece Gala (Saturday October 6th). Said to be his dream project, Not Far Away follows a group of New Jersey teenagers in 1964 as they form a rock band. Read below for the official press release of the announcement, along with a full synopsis of the film. David Chase’s NOT FADE AWAY announced by THE FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER as the Centerpiece Gala Selection for the 2012 NEW YORK FILM… Read more
World Premiere of Ang Lee’s ‘Life of Pi’ Opens Night Gala Selection
The Lincoln Center has recently announced that Ang Lee’s Life of Pi will be making its world première in 3D at the 50th Anniversary of the New York Film Festival’s Opening Night Gala (September 28 – October 14). The visionary director will mark his return to NYFF after 12 years since Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon closed the festival in 2000. This selection also marks Lee (joining the ranks of Robert Altman, Pedro Almodovar and Francois Truffaut) as one of the only directors to have more than one film chosen to open the festival (The Ice Storm opened 1997). Read below… Read more
NYFF 2012: World Premiere of Robert Zemeckis’s ‘Flight’ Closing Festival
Celebrating the New York Film Festival’s 50th anniversary, the Lincoln Center announced today that Robert Zemeckis’s Flight will close the festival during it’s Gala selection. The Lincoln Center welcomes Zemeckis for the first time at the New York Film Festival, commemorating a director known for both personal storytelling and pushing technology in the film industry further. The synopsis of the film along with the official press release of the announcement is below. THE FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER announces the World Premiere of Robert Zemeckis’s FLIGHT as Closing Night Gala selection for the 2012 NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL New York,… Read more
NYFF 2011: ‘Miss Bala’ sets a new bar for Mexican filmmaking
Miss Bala Directed by Gerardo Naranjo 2011, Mexico You may not know it, but Mexican cinema is alive and has something to tell us. Overshadowed by the big wigs of the American studio system, foreign markets are endlessly trying to compete with the big budgeted, CGI saturated, sequel profiteering that has blindsided artistic talents to go forth and pursue the American cinematic dream: think board and spend big for the sake of mass hysteria. Swedish cinema has become a frontrunner in recent years with commercial and critical success with such examples as Let the Right One In and The Millennium… Read more
NYFF 2011: The Sound On Sight Staff Picks Their Favourite Films
Kenneth Broadway A Separation Directed by Asghar Farhadi A Separation is one of the most intellectually stimulating pieces of entertainment I have experienced in a long time. It piles layers upon layers of intrigue, social commentary, ethical dilemmas, gender politics, and more. A tremendous amount of thought obviously went into the making of A Separation, and a tremendous amount of thought comes out of viewing it. It boasts that exceptional quality of intellectual stimulation that continues to haunt the conscience and imagination long after the screen goes blank. In the end, A Separation manages to break down some barriers… Read more
NYFF 2011: ‘Pina’ / ‘Policeman’
Pina Written and Directed by Wim Wenders Germany / France / UK, 2011 Policeman Written and Riected by Nadav Lapid Israel, 2011 Growing up, my younger sister was an incredibly talented semi-professional dancer, and because of that I have seen more dance performances than I can count. I like to think that my forced exposure to the art form over the years has left me with a discerning eye and critical acumen for discussing the mechanics and aesthetics of physical movement. But in actuality, it has just made me a total snob. So really the highest praise I can lavish… Read more
NYFF 2011: ‘Shame’ a blunt look at addiction and self-nullification
Shame Directed by Steve McQueen Written by Abi Morgan and Steve McQueen 2011, UK If there is one aspect of human psychology that is truly at odds with our evolutionary imperative, it is shame. It’s not that shame is antithetical to sex, but it is a revulsion of the body and a retreat from the self brought on by the interactive nature of physical and emotional intimacy. Outward manifestations of shame vary, from brash acts of destruction to quiet nervous breakdowns, but inside it is always the same: a slow hollowing out of empathy and self-worth, replacing it with a… Read more
NYFF 2011: ‘The Kid With A Bike’ / ‘Martha Marcy May Marlene’
When we talk about modernism in cinema, we are talking about filmmaking that acknowledges the medium as part of the storytelling, a melding of form and content so that the images on screen portray not just actions but interior psychology and moral quandaries. Keeping that in mind, it is hard to deny that the Dardenne brothers are among the most distinct and influential modernist filmmakers today. It seems unlikely, but the Belgian duo’s – who have been working steadily since the late 1970’s – mark can be felt in the visual fabric of a wide array of recent movies, from… Read more
NYFF 2011: Day 6 ‘Miss Bala’
Miss Bala Directed by Gerardo Naranjo 2011, Mexico Yet another long day at the Lincoln Center, the wait for Miss Bala proved to be just as timely. And rightfully so. With an array of festival passes lining the newly established Beale Theater of the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, it was indeed a sure sign that a great film was in our presence. Directed by Gerardo Naranjo and starring Stephanie Sigman, this Mexican dramatic thriller approaches drug violence through the unlikely perspective of a Tijuana beauty pageant contestant with high hopes of becoming a star. With long steadfast camera work and moments of… Read more
NYFF 2011: ‘Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory’ has an impassioned energy that raises it far above the average advocacy documentary
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory Directed by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky 2011, USA The cameras and filmmakers are plainly visible in Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, the third, and likely last, documentary on the West Memphis Three from Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky. The two previous Paradise Lost films have been a major driving force in galvanizing the movement that has supported Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley since they were convicted of the horrific murders of three young boys in 1993. The documentary itself has become a part of the story, and here the cameras turn on the two… Read more
NYFF 2011: ‘This Is Not A Film’ chronicles Panahi’s creative imprisonment
This Is Not A Film Directed by Mojtaba Mirtahmasb & Jafar Panahi Written by Jafar Panahi 2010, Iran When the Iranian government moved last year to formally ban Jafar Panahi from writing or directing any future films for the next two decades, Panahi decided to interpret the ban in the narrowest terms possible. He can not write a screenplay, true, and he can not direct a scene, but what do those two things mean when it comes to making a film? Panahi, clearly finding the confines of his house arrest stifling, decided to explore that question, enlisting fellow filmmaker Mojbata… Read more
