Gmar Gavi'a

English Title: Cup Final

Eran Riklis, Israel, 1991, imdb

Review: 1.5 Uchuvas
Comment: So, I had another go with this director and it was deeply dissapointed. Let's say that he got better with age! There is no way to compare either The Syrian Bride (2004) and Lemon Tree (2008)with this film! I will only say that during the film I took plenty of time to find and kill a mosquito flying around my room without stoping the film.

Bila Jednom Jedna Zemlja

English Title: Underground

Emir Kusturica, Yugoslavia+others, 1995, imdb

Review: 5.0 Uchuvas
Comment: I wanted to finish my today's post with a happier film! If you like Kusturica films, this movie is a MUST in your list! It's, from my end, the funniest I've seen from him. Do not miss it!

La Stanza del figlio

English Title: The Son's room

Nanni Moretti, Italy+France, 2001, imdb

Review: 3.5 Uchuvas
Comment: It's not my cup of tea but it's a worth watching film ONLY if you are in a mood to watch sad films.  In my case, it didn't touch me that much, I really don't know why as the acting is really good.  The story is super sad but what it's nice about it is how the strong emotions are well shown by the great acting.

Efter Brylluppet

English Title: Afer the Wedding

Susanne Bier, Denamark+Sweden, 2006, imdb

Review: 4.5 Uchuvas
Comment: What else tonight but talking about weddings, relationships, tears, reunion, beginnings and endings. This film has it all together. It has great acting but more than anything it's a film full of emotions. I remembered that it touched me very deeply, I even keep crying for some days after I saw it. Nice film, fully recommended.

Etz Limon

English Title: Lemon Tree

Eran Riklis, Israel+France+Germany, 2008, imdb

Review: 4.0 Uchuvas
Comment: It's been a while since my last post and I'm glad I'm back with this beautiful film.  I passed by a theater and saw a poster of an Israel film with an actress I knew so I just decided to have a go and see what was about.  After I saw the film I realized that it's the same director of the other film I liked a lot: The Syrian Bride.  What I like the most is the softness of the film with such a tough subject. It's very nice how the director mixed the complex political subject with complex relationships. 

Gomorra

English Title: Gomorrah

Matteo Garrone, Italy, 2008, imdb

Review: 3.5 Uchuvas
Comment: I was waiting for so long to see this film that I was a bit disappointed when I saw it as I had a lot of expectations, so maybe I'm a bit tough with the review... I even fall sleep a couple of times!!! and that never happens to me in a theater!!! no even while watching The Love in the times of Cholera! But anyway.... It has won some good awards and nominated several times, so have a look and judge your self. 

Sita Signs the Blues

English Title: Sita Signs the Blues

Nina Paley, US, 2008, imdb

Review: 4.0 Uchuvas
Comment:  Ok, so here I am with my first US film. It's a nice way to introduce Independence US's film with this one!.  This film is still available at this web page if you want to watch it! It's an epic Indian story mixed with a 20's jazz singer's songs and three amazing Indonesian shadow puppets!!!. Add to that an amazing 2D animation and super humor! The shadow puppets, who narrate the story, are just super funny! The collage used in some parts of the film are really good! and the music it's really well mixed with the story. So, don't miss the opportunity to watch this film while it gets over the copy right issues that have had and it's finally realised on big screen. Even if you don't like musicals (like me), it's really worth watching!!

The Pianist

English Title: The Pianist

Roman Polanski, France, Poland+others, 2002, imdb

Review: 4.0 Uchuvas
Comment: I think I have seen just too much holocaust films plus too much times this film to feel as much sympathetic as when I first saw it. Without any doubt it's a great production. The acting of  Adrien Brody  is really remarkable!; I was super impressed by the way he looses weight towards the end of the film!! (ask for his diet!!)  However I think the screen play is a bit too much. I just didn't buy much the part where he is hidden all alone under that circumstances and for that period of time. It's very sad watching Holocaust films and this one is not the exception. 

Mio Fratello e Figlio Unico

English Title: My Brother is an Only Child

Daniele Luchetti, Italy, 2007, imdb

Review: 4.0 Uchuvas
Comment: I like a lot this film as it's a nice mixture between family affairs and political subject. The acting is really really good.

No comment on Oscar's night

The only good thing about that night was: The little gathering, the Cranberry juice, the delicious brownies, the winners bet, the smiles, two awards (Winslet and Penn). The biggest disappointment... I don't even have to tell you which one was. The winners are listed in my previous post just in case you didn't see the ceremony. Thanks to our hostess!

Diarios de la Motocicleta

English Title: The Motorcycle Diaries

Walter Salles, Argentina + others, 2004, imdb

Review: 5.0 Uchuvas
Comment: Another long story about Che Guevara but not as long as the new production called "Che" (2008) that has to be split into two films as nobody was able to resist 4 long hours in a row watching a film.... Who can be seated for more than 3??!! even if the film is truly amazing! no way! but anyway we are here to talk about the beautiful production of the Motorcycles Diary... which is in two words: really amazing! The film has a lot of great things but what makes the whole film worth it is the super beautiful cinematography. You can add to that the great acting, the great screen play and the amazing music.

El Aura

English Title: The Aura

Fabian Bielinsky, Argentina-France-Spain, 2005, imdb

Review: 4.5 Uchuvas
Comment: I saw this film a long ago. I don't remember the film in detail but I do remember that the story is very cleaver, the acting is really good and I loved the shots in the Forest.... very nice photographs!! This director has another great film, Nueve Reinas, but unfortunately hasn't done much recently.

POST # 100!!!!!!

HEY!!!  We did it!!!! We reach the post 100!!!!!!!!!!!

EEEEEEHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  HAPPY ANNIVERSARY FOR THE ONES THAT HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS GREAT IDEA!!!  It's been great fun having all your feedback through comments in the blog or by mail or in person!! I have found great voices around the subject and I enjoy it more and more every day!  Keep sending info and making comments... I enjoy replying to the comments and talking and watching whatever films you tell me to see.

Happy post to you,

Happy Post to you,

Happing Post LaUchuva

Happy Post to you!!!!!! (if you have imagination just put a bit of music to the lyric)

To Celebrate our first 100 Post day, I'm going to post this great video which is not film related but... oh well.... we are in happy birthday so I'm allowed!! These people have great stuff! check their web page for more great videos!!!

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Los Amantes del Circulo Polar

English Title: The Lovers of the Arctic Pole

Julio Medem, Spain, 1996, imdb

Review: 4.5 Uchuvas
Comment: Great Film! Soft and Powerful but most important full of transparent and true love. Great acting, beautiful cinematography and super good edition.

SAFTA 2009

What it's nice about checking the film festivals and awards, is that you collect a long list of films that you can check out at some point in your life; most of the time those films awarded or nominees are worth watching!. The South African Film and Television Awards 2009 (that were celebrated on Feb 07) have given 6 out of 7 of the most important awards to one and only one film: The World Unseen by Shamim Sarif.  So, let's wait until it's release here to check it out!

Berlinale 2009

I'll keep posting some awards and festivals  butnot many as they are countless but I'll do it when feeling in festival's mood.

This time I'll post about Berlin Film Festival.  The awards were annouced yesterday night. There is a list of great films to have a look.  This year's most important award (The Golden Bear) was awarded to a Latin American film and director!! Well done! It is her second film and apparently it's really a great job (what else can you expect from someone with such a beautiful name!!)

Golden Bear for Best Film:

La Teta Asustada (The Milk Sorrow) by Claudia Llosa, Peru-Spain

Silver Bear - The Jury Grand Priz

Alle Anderen (Everyone else) by Maren Ade, Germany

Gigante by Adrian Biniez, Argentina-Uruguay-Germany-Spain

Silver Bear for Best Director:

Asghar Farhadi for Darbareye Elly (About Elly), Iran

Silver Bear for Best Actress

Birgit minichmayr in Alle Anderen (Everyone else), Germany

Silver Bear for Best Actor

Sotigui Kouyate in London River, UK

Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution

for the Sound-Design of Katalin Varga, Romania-UK-Hungary

Silver Bear for Best Script

for The Messenger, USA

Alfred Bauer Prize

Adrian Biniez for Gigante, Argentina-Uruguay-Germany-Spain

Andrzej Wajda for Tatarak (Sweet Rush), Poland

Just one last word to mentioned that Tilda Swinton is the Jury President of The International Jury of the Berlinale 2009.

Offret

English Title: The Sacrifice

Andrei Tarkovsky, Sweden-UK-France, 1986, imdb

Review: 4.0 Uchuvas
Comment: It's not an easy film for the only fact that it's extremely slow; I was about to collapse half way of the film but manage to forget about the story and just enjoy the amazing cinematography.  Most of the shoots of the film (if not all) were so beautiful! The use of color emphasis so beautifully the photo. There were million of scenes where it looks like a portrait! I remember especially one of them that reminds me Johannes Vermeer's paintings. It really amuse me how a film could make that!  The other great point of the film is the movements of the camera... it moves horizontally several times during the film but soooooo slowly that lulls you!!! As I said, it's a beautiful film but be aware of the slowness of it! My sister will get sleep in the first minute of the film for sure!

Todo Sobre mi Madre

English Title: All About my Mother

Pedro Almodovar, Spain, 1999, imdb

Review: 3.5 Uchuvas
Comment: For now, this will be my last posting of the mini Almodovar's festival I did during the last month. 

I think the story is a bit too much! to top the terrible performance of Cecilia Roth playing the main character, kills the film for me. She is really terrible! she over acts so much!... really really bad! Trying to forget about her (although being the main character is impossible to) I have to say that the cinematography is soo nice... Almodovar is great on this... just G R E A T and that's basically why I gave more than 3 Uchuvas!  To finish this post I'll  quote one special shoot that I think is the most beautiful shoot in the whole film: when Manuela (Cecilia Roth) is waiting for his son in front of a huge poster of a "famous" actress... really nice!

BAFTA 2009

So here with some winners of BAFTA awards. I have to repeat that I totally disagreed with saying that Slumdog Millionaire is worth an award. The film is good, no doubt, but it isn't a film that worth so many awards!!

So, here the winners in red, my favorites in green and half half when agree:

BEST FILM

Slumdog Millionaire

The Curious case of Benjamin Button

Frost\Nixon

Milk

The Reader

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

Man on a wire

Hunger

In Bruges

Mamma Mia

Slumdog Millionaire

DIRECTOR

Clint Eastwood for Changeling

David Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire

Ron Howard for Frost\Nixon

Stephen Daldry for The Reader

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Changeling

I've loved you so long

In Bruges

Burn After reading

Milk

LEADING ACTOR

Frank Langella in Frost\Nixon

Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler

Dev Patel in Slumdog Millionaire

Sean Penn in Milk

Bradd Pitt in The curious case of Benjamin Button

LEADING ACTRESS

Angelina Jolie for Changeling

Kristin Scott Thomas for I've loved you so long

Kate Winslet for The Reader

Kate Winslet for Revolutionary Road

Meryl Streep for Doubt

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight

Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder

Brendan Gleeson for In Bruges

Philip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt

Brad Pitt for Burn After reading

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Penelope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona (No way!!!)

Amy Admas for Doubt

Freida Pinto for Slumdog Millionaire

Tild Swinton for Burn After Reading

Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler

ANIMATED FILM

Wall-E

Persepolis

Waltz with Bashir

BEST FILM NOT IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE (have only seen 3 so I can't say which one is better but definitely I've loved you so long is not the best one so far!)

The Baader Meinhof Complex

I've loved you so long

Gomorrah

Persepolis

Waltz with Bashir

MAKE UP AND HAIR (I include this award as I think this film did an astonishing work)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button... The best make up I've seen in the big screen!!!

Laitakaupungin Valot

English Title: Lights in the Dusk

Aki Kaurismaki, Finland , 2006, imdb

Review: 3.5 Uchuvas
Comment: Another Kaurismaki typical film! The king of films about lonely and empty lives.

Two meaningless things that caught my attention were: I think there wasn't one single scene that didn't have a cigarette on! What a way to smoke!! and then, there were a lot of Tango songs in the film! The film starts with my beloved song from Carlos Gardel, Volver!!!! and then, another Gardel's masterpiece: el dia que me quieras and some other tango songs. After the film I was told how popular Tango was in Finland so I went to wikipedia and found this article about Finnish Tango that gave me an explanation as to why Gardel was part of the film's soundtrack. Apparently Tango in Finland is even more popular than in Argentina.

One last comment... if you want to see this film (and most, if not all, of Kaurismaki's films), make sure to be open mind to face a different style of movies.