The Weekly Movie Watch Volume 10

This week I watched The Rover, Toy Story 2, The Magnificent Seven.

I watch movies every week and then write down my thoughts. Read my previous reviews!
My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it.

The Rover - He really wants his car back.

The Rover (2014)
Watch The Rover
Written by: David Michôd, Joel Edgerton and David Michôd (based on a story by)
Directed by: David Michôd
Starring: Guy Pearce, Robert Pattinson, Scoot McNairy
Rated: R

Plot:
After having his car stolen, a man stops at nothing to get it back.

Review:

It feels a bit like a western, perhaps due to the bleak setting. You question what is really driving the plot, other than the contrived premise, and the dynamic between the main characters casts a shadow of uncertainty. It's well acted and a welcome change of pace to a 'typical' movie.
It depends.

Toy Story 2 - Better than the original.

Toy Story 2 (1999)
Watch Toy Story 2
Written by: John Lasseter & Pete Docter & Ash Brannon & Andrew Stanton (original story by), Andrew Stanton and Rita Hsiao and Doug Chamberlin & Chris Webb (screenplay by)
Directed by: John Lasseter. Ash Brannon and Lee Unkrich (Co-directors)
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack
Rated: G

Plot:
It's up to Buzz and the gang to rescue the stolen Woody from a toy collector

Review:
It is very impressive and touching. It still looks good now despite how much technology has evolved. The story is simple, but poignant and well told. It's a great film and one everyone should see.
Watch it.

The Magnificent Seven - Only the farmers win.

The Magnificent Seven (1960)
Watch The Magnificent Seven
Written by: William Roberts (screenplay)
Directed by: John Sturges
Starring: Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Eli Wallach
Rated: --

Plot:
An oppressed villages hires seven gunmen for protection.

Review:
It's a very good Western. It's hard not to compare it to The Seven Samurai, the source material. But it is still very much a Western, and very good. Yul Brynner does a great job, as do all the actors.
Watch it.

62nd San Sebastian International Film Festival Award Winners

This year edition was a "bit" gray for me. Started with a "bit" boring opening ceremony with lots of film clips showing that I was already aware of the "interesting" films, so I lost interest. Sigh. But well, today is the closing ceremony and yes, will try to watch it live to find the award winners or at least learn them via twitter.

The awards ceremony started a "bit" late and was rushed at moments. Nevertheless I am really glad that Paprika Steen was honored for her performance in Bille August latest movie. Have the spontaneous impression that this year there are many awards for Spain cinema, which is great- and hope that the quality of Spanish films to come has improve ... we'll find out sooner than later.  Sigh.

Official Selection

Golden Shell for Best Film: Magical Girl, Carlos Vermuth, Spain

Special Jury Prize: Vie sauvage (Wild Life), Cédric Kahn, Belgium and France

Silver Shell for Best Director: Carlos Vermuth for Magical Girl, Spain

Silver Shell for Best Actress: Paprika Steen in Stille hjerte (Silent Heart), Bille August, Denmark
Silver Shell for Best Actor: Javier Gutiérrez in La Isla Mínima (Marshland), Alberto Rodríguez, Spain

Jury Prize for Best Cinematography: Alex Catalán for La Isla Mínima (Marshland), Alberto Rodríguez, Spain
Jury Prize for Best Screenplay: Dennis Lehane for The Drop, Michaël R. Roskam, USA

Kusta-New Directors Award: Urok (The Lesson), Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov, Bulgaria and Greece
Special Mention: Modris, Juris Kursietis, Germany, Greece and Latvia

Horizontes Latinos
Best Film: Güeros, Alfonso Ruiz Palacios, Mexico
Special Mentions
Gente de Bien, Franco Lolli, Colombia and France
Ciencias Naturales, Matías Lucchesi, Argentina

Other Awards

FIPRESCI Award: Phoenix, Christian Petzold, Germany
Feroz Zinemaldia Award: La Isla Mínima (Marshland), Alberto Rodríguez, Spain

SIGNIS Award: En Chance Til (A Second Chance), Susanne Bier, Denmark and Sweden
Special Mention: Loreak (Flowers), Jon Garaño and Jose Mari Goenaga, Spain

Solidarity Award: Tigers, Danis Tanovic, India, France and UK

Sebastiane Award: Une Nouvelle Amie (The New Girlfriend), François Ozon, France

Youth Award: Güeros, Alfonso Ruiz Palacios, Mexico

Tokyo Goham Film Festival Award: Buscando a Gastón (Finding Gaston), Patricia Perez, Peru and USA

III Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum Egeda Best Project Award: Agosto (August), Armando Capó, Costa Rica and Cuba
Special Mention: Walls, Pablo Iraburu and Migueltxo Molina, Spain

Films in Progress 26 Industry Award: Magallanes, Salvador del Solar, Peru, Argentina and Colombia
Special Mention: Ixcanul, Jayro Bustamante, Guatemala and France

TVE-Another Look Award: Bande de Filles (Girlhood), Céline Sciamma, France
Special Mention: Gett (Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem), Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz, Israel, France and Germany

Irizar Basque Film Award: Negociador, Borja Cobeaga, Spain

Audience Award: The Salt of the Earth, Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, France, Italy and Brazil (documentary)
European Film Audience Award: Relatos Salvajes (Wild Tales), Damián Szifron, Argentina and Spain

13th International Film Student Meetings Awards - Short Films

Panavision Award, Freak Independent Film Agency Award, BioBio Cine-DuocUC Award and an invitation to participate in the Short Film Corner at Cannes Festival: Greenland, Oren Gerner, Minshar for Art, Israel

Second Place with an invitation to participate in the Short Film Corner at Cannes Festival: Les Oiseaux-tonerre, Léa Mysius, La Fémis, France
Third Place with an invitation to participate in the Short Film Corner at Cannes Festival: Idle, Raia Al Souliman, National University of Theatre and Film, Romania

Orona Award: Onno de Onwetende (Onno the Oblivious), Viktor van der Valk, Nehterlands Film Academy, Netherlands
Torino Award: Mia Spengler for Nicht den Boden berühren (Don't Hit the Ground), Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH, Germany

September Expiration Watch: Roads Not Taken

This month's expiration list looks mighty familiar�either because we've seen most of these titles expire before or because they only recently made their way to streaming. In the latter category, a good half of those leaving on September 30 arrived in either July or last October, which means a lot of three-month and one-year contracts are up.

Will they be renewed? Hard to say. Although given the resilience of Netflix repeaters like Mean Girls (2004), Barefoot in the Park (1967), and Legends of the Fall (1994), I'm guessing they're in that sweet spot of popular-but-not-too-expensive that will assure a return.

I'm less confident about those perennials that have been around so long it seemed they'd be available forever: titles like The African Queen (1951), Battlestar Galactica, Law & Order, and The War Zone (1999)�a motley mix, for sure, but a high-quality group whose absence will make Netflix Instant just a little less special. Also unlikely to return anytime soon are big-ticket items The Hunger Games (2012) and Safe (2012), which are wrapping up what appear to be 18-month contracts.

Meanwhile, let's hope the more outlying titles like Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), M�dchen in Uniform (1958), and Don't Look Now (1973) are shown some renewed love in the coming months. There can never be too many classics on Instant, as far as I'm concerned�or too many Coppola or Roeg films.

Read more �

27th European Film Awards - Animated Feature Film Nominations

The European Film Academy proudly announces the three nominations in the category European Animated Feature Film 2014

A committee consisting of EFA Board Members Marek Rozenbaum, producer (Israel) and Roberto Cicutto, producer (Italy), as well as Doris Cleven (Director Anima, Belgium), Wolfgang Spindler (journalist, Euronews, France) and Caroline Cor (production analyst, feature films department, CNC, France), all three of them representatives of Cartoon the European Association of Animation Film, decided on the following nominations:

Jack et la mécanique du coeur (Jack and the Cuckoo Clock Heart), Mathias Malzieu and Stéphane Berla, France and Belgium
A 19th-century drama about a man whose heart was replaced with a clock when he was born.

Minuscule - La vallée des fourmis perdues (Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants), Thomas Szabo and Hélène Giraud, France and Belgium
In a peaceful forest, the remains of a picnic trigger a ruthless war between rival ant colonies, obsessed with gaining control of the same prize: a box of sugar cubes!

L'arte della felicità (The Art of Happiness), Alessandro Rak, Italy
Under a leaden sky, among the apocalyptic presages of a Naples at the height of its degradation, Sergio, a taxi driver, receives news which overwhelms him. Nothing can ever be as it was.

To read longer synopsis and watch trailers go here or check videos below with original language (all sound a lot better in the original version)

The nominated films will soon be submitted to the over 3,000 EFA Members to elect the winner. The European Animated Feature Film 2014 will then be presented at the European Film Awards Ceremony in Riga on Saturday, 13 December - streamed live on www.europeanfilmawards.eu.

The Weekly Movie Watch Volume 9

This week I watched Locke, THX 1138, A River Runs Through It.

I watch movies every week and then write down my thoughts. Read my previous reviews!
My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it.

In the nine consecutive weeks this features has been running, I've reviewed thirty eight movies. That's an average of four reviews a week, helping you pick out nothing but the best.

Locke - Simple in approach, amazing in execution.

Locke (2013
Watch Locke
Written by: Steven Knight
Directed by: Steven Knight
Starring: Tom Hardy, Olivia Colman, Ruth Wilson 
Rated: R

Plot:
Preparing for a big construction job, a phone call changes the course of Ivan Locke's night.

Review:

It's amazing in it's simplicity and completely disarming.  On paper it seems like it wouldn't work, a movie set in a car for the full duration., but the writing is solid and keeps you engaged throughout.  Three different stories, all related to Locke are detailed as we watch. The brilliance of one of the very first scenes will be lost the first time through. Other than that scene, I doubt the movie offers much on a repeat viewing.
Watch it.

THX 1138 - The only way out, is up.

THX 1138 (1971)
Watch THX 1138
Written by: George Lucas (story), George Lucas (earlier screenplay), George Lucas and Walter Murch (screenplay), Matthew Robbins (comic, uncredited)
Directed by: Robert
Starring: Robert Duvall, Donald Pleasence, Don Pedro Colley
Rated: R

Plot:
A man and woman rebel against a strict society.

Review:
It explores some great concepts, but leaves a lot of questions. Who's in charge? What is the hierarchy. These big picture questions make a lot of the movie contrived. While it has a slower pace, that isn't a bad thing. It can't be changed. The final scene is great. It's mandatory for sci-fi fans, but if you don't like sci-fi I'd pass.
It depends.

A River Runs Through It

A River Runs Through It (1992)
Watch A River Runs Through It
Written by: Norman Maclean (story), Richard Friedenberg (screenplay)
Directed by: Robert Redford
Starring: Craig Sheffer, Brad Pitt, Tom Skerritt
Rated: PG

Plot:
Two brothers are opposites, one reserved, one rebellious, but they both love fly fishing with their father.

Review:
A notable family period piece, reminiscent of Legends of the Fall. Well written characterization, though that is due to great source material. This movie has what many lack, depth to the characters. Solid performances, great production values make an all around great movie. There is so much more to the characters than what is in the dialog.
Watch it.

A-Tweeting We Will Go

For those of you who occasionally dip a toe (or even a whole leg) into the Twitterverse, I've just started a WoNN-only account that you might be interested in, @NetflixNow1. I'd previously used my personal handle for announcing new blog posts, but I was feeling more and more limited in what I could tweet without seeming schizophrenic.

The truth is, over the course of any week there are all sorts of Netflix-related tidbits I'd like to share with all of you, but they aren't usually deserving of the time needed to write (or read) a full blog post. You know�updates to the new and expiring lists, links to pertinent news stories, brief announcements about titles to watch out for, thoughts on movies good and bad, etc.�the kinds of things that are perfect in short bursts. And, as regular Twitter users know, it's also an easy way to exchange thoughts and ideas, especially with those of you too shy to leave comments here (or who have weird browsers that won't let them).

So if that sounds like your kind of thing, and you'd like a bit of added value to your WoNN experience beyond a simple subscription, by all means click on that inviting-looking Follow button below. Then, tweet your friends.

Or as henchman Harry Wilson said to Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis, in Some Like It Hot:

"Join us..."

Follow @NetflixNow1
#followme #itseasy #orelse

Swing First, Ask Questions Later: MINNIE & MOSKOWITZ

There are a couple of things to bear in mind while watching the spiky romance that is John Cassavetes' Minnie & Moskowitz (1971). First of all, if you view it through eyes that are even remotely politically correct, you're sure to be horrified�the characters (usually the men) resort to violence and unnerving, stalkery behavior on a regular basis. Which is where the second consideration comes in: this lovestruck free-for-all is intended as a scrappy homage to 1930s screwball comedy, so it's as much cartoon as it is romance�the violence, despite the gritty 1970s textures and v�rit�-like camerawork, shouldn't be taken too seriously.

In fact, as far as Cassavetes films go, Minnie & Moskowitz is considered a frothy romp. But like the director's other, more serious work (such as Faces and A Woman Under the Influence), it offers its share of darkness and disillusionment amid the romance�which makes it all the more affecting. In some ways it's a shaggier, less clenched forebear to Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch-Drunk Love, one of the few films it's comparable to. I like its scatterbrained quality, its unpredictability, the tossed-off nature of its handheld camera and its unusual editing rhythms (scenes often end a beat or two before you expect). I also like the growling, dissatisfied incidental characters who unexpectedly emerge from the background to claim flesh-and-blood lives before ceding the spotlight back to the film's stars.

Read more �

27th European Film Awards - Long List

During a press conference in Riga, European Capital of Culture 2014 where this year’s 27th European Film Awards will take place, the European Film Academy and EFA Productions announced the titles of the 50 films on this year’s selection list, the list of films recommended for a nomination for the European Film Awards! With 31 European countries represented, the list once again illustrates the great diversity in European cinema.

In the 20 countries with the most EFA Members, these members have voted one national film directly into the selection list. To complete the list, a Selection Committee consisting of EFA Board Members and invited experts Mark Adams (UK), Marit Kapla (Sweden), Stefan Kitanov (Bulgaria), Paz Lázaro (Spain), Christophe Leparc (France) and Elma Tataragic (Bosnia & Herzegovina) has included further films.

This is a list with the best of the best in European cinema and movies that we should watch when we enjoy great cinema. Have seen a few, there are some that I thought should skip (not anymore) and more that I'm looking forward to watch. Also remarkable is that some of the European countries that have already selected their Oscar 2015 submission have the film also in this list.

Adieu Au Langage (Goodbye to Language), Jean-Luc Godard, France
Amour Fou, Jessica Hausner, Austria, Germany and Luxembourg
Bande de Filles (Girlhood), Céline Sciamma, France
Betoniyö (Concrete Night), Pirjo Honkasalo, Denmark, Sweden and Finland
Bird People, Pascale Ferran, France
Blind, Eskil Vogt, Netherlands, Norway
Când se lasa seara peste Bucuresti sau metabolism (When Evening Falls on Bucharest or Metabolism), Corneliu Porumboiu, Romania
Calvary, John Michael McDonagh, Ireland
Caníbal (Cannibal), Manuel Martín Cuenca, Russia, Romania, France and Spain
Das finstere tal (The Dark Valley), Andreas Prochaska, Austria

Deux Jours, Une Nuit (Two Days, One Night), Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne, Belgium, Italy and France
Die andere Heimat - Chronik einer Sehnsucht (Home from Home: Chronicle of a Vision), Edgar Reitz, Germany and France
Fair Play, Adrea Sedlackova, Czech Republic, Germany and Slovakia
Fehér isten (White God), Kornél Mundruczó, Sweden, Germany and Hungary
Frank, Lenny Abrahamson, UK and Ireland
Haganenet (The Kindergarten Teacher), Nadav Lapid, Israel and France
Harcheck mi headro (That Lovely Girl), Keren Yedaya, Israel
Hermosa Juventud (Beautiful Youth), Jaime Rosales, Spain and France
Hross í oss (Of Horses and Men), Benedikt Erlingsson, Iceland, Germany and Norway
Ida, Pawel Pawikowski, Denmark and Poland

Il Capitale Umano (Human Capital), Paolo Virzì, Italy
Kertu (Love is Blind), Ilmar Raag, Estonia
Kis uykusu (Winter Sleep), Nuri Bilge Ceylan, France, Germany and Turkey
Kraftidioten (In Order of Disappearance), Hans Petter Moland, Norway
Kuzu (The Lamb), Kutlug Ataman, Germany and Turkey
La Herida (Wounded), Fernando Franco, Spain
Le Meraviglie (The Wonders), Alice Rohrwacher, Italy, Germany and Switzerland
Leviafan (Leviathan), Andrey Zvyagintsev, Russia
Locke, Steve Knight, UK
Macondo, Sudabeh Mortezai, Austria

Miss Violence, Alexandros Avranas, Greece
Mr. Turner, Mike Leigh, UK, Germany, France
Nymphomaniac - Director's Cut, Lars von Trier, Denmark
Otchujdenie (Alienation), Milko Lazarov, Bulgaria
Papusza, Joanna Kos and Krzysztof Krauze, Poland
Plemya (The Tribe), Miroslav Slaboshpitsky, Ukraine
Razredni sovraznik (Class Enemy), Slovenia
Shemtkhveviti Paemnebi (Blind Datest), Levan Koguashvili, Georgia
Starred Up, David Mackenzie, UK
Still Life, Uberto Pasolini, UK and Italy

To Mikro Psari (Stratos), Yannis Economides, Greece
Traumland (Dreamland), Petra Volpe, Switzerland
Turist (Force Majeure), Ruben Östlund, Sweden, Denmark and Norway
Under The Skin, Jonathan Glazer, UK
Vi är bäst! (We Are the Best!), Lukas Moodysson, Sweden and Denmark
Violette, Martin Provost, Belgium and France
Vonarstraeti (Life in a Fishbowl), Baldvin Zophoníasson, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Czech Republic
Vivir es fácil con los ojos cerrados (Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed), David Trueba, Spain
Walesa. Czlowiek z nadziei (Walesa: Man of Hope), Andrzej Wajda, Poland
Wolf, Jim Taihuttu, Netherlands

If you wish to read about each movie go to the award official site here.

In the coming weeks, the over 3,000 members of the European Film Academy will vote for the nominations in the categories European Film, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenwriter. The nominations will then be announced on 8 November at the Seville European Film Festival in Spain. A 7-member jury will decide on the awards recipients in the categories European Cinematographer, Editor, Production Designer, Costume Designer, Composer and Sound Designer.

The 27th European Film Awards with the presentation of the winners will take place in Riga on 13 December.

The Weekly Movie Watch Volume 8

This week I watched Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Raid 2: Berandal, Dil Chahta Hai, Lords of Dogtown.

I watch movies every week and then write down my thoughts. Read my previous reviews!
My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier - The Captain is back.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Watch Captain America: The Winter Soldier 
Written by: Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely (screenplay), Joe Simon and Jack Kirby (based on the Marvel comic by)
Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Redford, Sebastian Stan
Rated: PG-13

Plot:
The Captain teams up with Black Widow to battle the Winter Soldier.

Review:
Easily the best Captain America movie, and one of the better Marvel films. It's well done with some very good directing and fight choreography. The political undertones help elevate the story, though they aren't explored quite as far as they could have been. The movie excels because it's more than a hero movie, it's part thriller, part mystery. It's less the hero has to stop the villain who wants to take over the world. The villain could have been more likable, just to force the viewer to really think about it, instead of spoon feeding us morality. While the end starts to drag a bit, getting slightly convoluted, it's satisfying overall.
It depends.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier - It's time to party.

The Raid 2: Berandal - More brutal than Iron Chef.

The Raid 2: Berandal (2014)
Watch The Raid 2: Berandal
Written by: Gareth Edwards
Directed by: Gareth Edwards
Starring: Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian, Arifin Putra
Rated: R

Plot:
An police officer must go undercover to infiltrate a crime syndicate and flush out corrupt cops.

Review:
I miss the focus on action of the original, as this one uses a lot of cute camera angles and takes time establishing story. The story isn't bad, thought it does feel a bit tepid.  Everything comes together in the last half, the scope of the story and the villains. The last half run is every bit as good as the first, if not better. It's a bit long, but a worthy sequel to the first one. The fights, again, are great.
Watch it.

The Raid 2: Berandal - Hammer Girl and Bat Man have met their match

Dil Chata Hai - It feels every bit as long as three hours.

Dil Chahta Hai (2001)
Watch Dil Chahta Hai
Written by: Kassim Jagmagia (story co-developed by), Farhan Akhtar (story, screenplay, dialog)
Directed by: Farhan Akhtar
Starring: Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna
Rated: --

Plot:
Three childhood friends graduate from college and pursue romantic relationships.

Review:

It seems every highly rated Indian movie has Aamir Khan, is three hours long, and has an actor sing along to the soundtrack at some point. I don't know why I keep watching. The core of the story isn't bad, if not regurgitated, but the run time makes it hard to recommend. It's nearly twice as long as it should be, and I can never accept the musical bits. If you've never seen an Indian film, check this one out. If you have seen one, it's okay to keep moving.
It depends.

Lords of Dogtown - You'll want to buy a skateboard.

Lords of Dogtown (2005)
Watch Lords of Dogtown
Written by: Stacy Peralta
Directed by: Catherine Hardwicke
Starring: Heath Ledger, Emile Hirsch, Victor Rasuk 
Rated: PG-13

Plot:
How Venice, California surfers revolutionized the skateboarding world.

Review:
It's got a great atmosphere and feel. The story is engaging and the acting solid. It provides glimpses of what happens to the original crew without going too far and getting long. The soundtrack is top notch. It will make you want to get a skateboard.
It depends.

Expiration Watch: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA

Tick, tick, tick...

Somehow, one of the greatest science fiction shows of all time is expiring from Netflix at the end of the month. How can that be? By the gods, Netflix, have you no heart?

Of course, all of you have watched it by now. Right? Um, you haven't? Then it's time to get on it! Think you've got what it takes to binge your way through 75 episodes in just three weeks? That's only...let's see...a tad over 3-1/2 episodes per day, including a couple of weekends for extra-large portions. You don't really need all that food and air, do you?

Read more �

New in September: It's All About Pacing

This month's new offerings are a bit deceptive. On the one hand, most of the titles showing up in the first few days of September don't inspire a lot of excitement. There was the return of a number of on-again, off-again classics (welcome back, Ms. Hepburn and Messrs. Cooper and Wayne), a bunch of 1980s and '90s comedies and sci-fi/horror, and a handful of returning kid flicks. So far, so predictable. But once we look forward, things start to get interesting, with the debuts of a number of recent films that are undeniably top tier, as well as new seasons of quite a few notable TV shows.

Robin Williams down but not out

Flubber

But let's take a moment to break out the older and returning titles. First off, last month's loss of two Robin Williams movies, Popeye and The Fisher King, was certainly bad timing given the actor's own untimely departure. But Netflix seems to be making up for that with the joint arrival of Barry Levinson's beloved wartime comedy, Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), and 1997's Flubber, a serviceable remake of Jerry Lewis' Disney's The Absent-Minded Professor (1961). Which means the late Mr. Williams hasn't been totally left out in the cold, even if his incoming titles are arguably a downgrade from the outgoing. Perhaps the Michael Keaton comedy two-fer of Mr. Mom (1983) and Multiplicity (1996) will help balance the scales?

Hello, kiddies

It's also more or less a wash as far as family films go, with last month's expirations being offset by a number of (mostly returning) titles. Among those are the above mentioned Flubber, Barry Sonnenfeld's witty remake of TV's The Addams Family (1991), Disney's Fox's animated Anastasia (1997) and live-action Swiss Family Robinson (1960), Mel Brooks' Star Wars spoof, Spaceballs (1987), Pee-Wee Herman's second big-screen appearance, in Big Top Pee-Wee (1988), and the welcome return of Martin Scorsese's sumptuous ode to cinema, Hugo (2011). Also making its way to streaming is that rite-of-passage film for generations past, Old Yeller (1957), which may be a bit musty but should still leave a tot or two bawling by the end credits.

Read more �

87th Academy Awards Foreign Language Film Submissions

October 10th, 2014

Yesterday the Academy published the list with a record eighty-three films submitted for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category with Malta, Mauritania, Panama and Kosovo being first-time entrants.

According to AMPAS news the published list are still submissions which somehow makes me wonder IF all will be accepted as seems that there are a few films that have a foreign language but also English and IF English is spoken above the acceptable quota, film will be disqualified. Perhaps soon we will learn if there will be or not films with too much English spoken.


Also was reading news from China that tells that submitted film has NOT been premiered in China, yet; well, perhaps film had the 7-days qualifying requirement but now I am just wondering...

Will update if necessary according to news, but now we truly have to consider that Academy members have the surmountable task of watching 83 films in less than two work-days months! Which means more than two films per day! I will LOVE to watch all the films but not even me with my passion for good cinema have the time and energy to watch all those films in that amount of time. So, I ask, what will the Academy do to be fair to all films submitted? Increase the number of members of the Foreign Language committee? Allow at least five different people watching each film? What? Doubt the Academy will explain detailed procedure, but have no doubt that task will be a bit harder than last year.

Nevertheless this is a GREAT list with films from all over the world, many films are must be seen by those that love great cinema, other films seem can be entertaining and the rest perhaps you and I can skip watching.

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October 6th, 2014

Soon will update post with my comments but will not change post date as if I do links from other web sites will be broken. Not all Blogger changes are positive and not able to keep post name the same when you only change post date is not good. Sigh.

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See previous comments at end of post.

Submission deadline for Foreign Language Film is Wednesday, October 1st, 2014 by 5pm PT. The 87th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 15, 2015 and about a week before organizers will announce the short list of nine (9).

As in previous years in parenthesis will include the festival where film was screened plus the director's name will be in BLUE when is a female director.

Afghanistan: فیلمِ سینمایی چند متر مکعب عشق Chand Metre Moka’ab Eshgh (A Few Cubic Meters of Love), Jamshid Mahmoudi
Argentina: Relatos Salvajes (Wild Tales), Damián Szifrón (Cannes)
Australia: Charlie's Country, Rolf de Heer (Cannes)
Austria: Das Finstere Tal (The Dark Valley), Andreas Prochaska (Berlinale)
Azerbaijan: Nabat, Elchin Musaoglu (Biennale Orizzonti)

Bangladesh: জোনাকির আলো Jonakir Alo (Glow of Firefly), Khalid Mahmood Mithu
Belgium: Deux Jours, Une Nuit (Two Days, One Night), Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardene (Cannes)
Bolivia: Olvidados, Carlos Bolado
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Sa mamom (With Mom), Faruka Lončarevića (2013 SarajevoFF)
Brazil: Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho (The Way He Looks), Daniel Ribeiro (Berlinale Teddy Award winner)
Bulgaria: българска рапсодия Bulgasrska Rapsodia (Bulgarian Rhapsody), Ivan Nitchev

Canada: Mommy, Xavier Dolan (Cannes Jury Prize winner)
Chile: Matar a un Hombre (To Kill a Man), Alejandro Fernández Almendras (Rotterdam IFF KNF Award winner and Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner)
China: 夜莺 Ye Ying (The Nightingale), Philippe Muyl
Colombia: Mateo, María Gamboa
Costa Rica: Princesas Rojas (Red Princesses), Laura Astorga (Berlinale 2013 )
Croatia: Kauboji (Cowboys), Tomislava Mršića (Pula)
Cuba: Conducta (Behavior), Ernesto Daranas
Czech Republic: Fair Play, Andrea Sedlácková (Karlovy Vary)

Denmark: Sorg og glæde (Sorrow and Joy), Nils Malmros (Rotterdam IFF)
Dominican Republic: Cristo Rey, Leticia Tonos

Ecuador: Silencio en la tierra de los sueños (Silence in Dreamland), Tito Molina
Egypt: فتاة المصنع Fatat el masnaa (Factory Girl), Mohamed Khan
Estonia: Mandariinid (Tangerines), Zaza Urushadze (Tallinn Black Nights)
Ethiopia: Difret, Zeresenay Berhane Mehari (Berlinale Panorama)

Finland: Betoniyö (Concrete Night), Pirjo Honkasalo (Göteborg)
France: Saint Laurent, Bertrand Bonello (Cannes)

Georgia: სიმინდის კუნძული Simindis kundzuli (Corn Island), George Ovashvili (Karlovy Vary Crystal Globe winner)
Germany: Die geliebten Schwestern (Beloved Sisters), Dominik Graf (Berlinale)
Greece: Μικρά Αγγλία Mikra Anglia (Little England), Pantelis Voulgaris (Shanghai IFF Golden Goblet Award winner)

Hong Kong: 黄金时代 Huang jin shi dai (The Golden Era), Ann Hui (Biennale)
Hungary: Fehér isten (White God), Kornél Mundruczó (Cannes Un Certain Regard award winner)

Iceland: Vonarstræti (Life in a Fishbowl), Baldvin Zophoníasson
India: लायर्स डाइस Liar's Dice, Geetu Mohandas (Rotterdam)
Indonesia: Soekarno: Indonesia Merdeka (Soekarno), Hanung Bramantyo
Iran: امروز Emrouz (Today), Seyyed Reza Mirkarimi
Iraq: مردان Mardan, Batin Ghobadi
Ireland: An Bronntanas (The Gift), Tom Collins
Israel: גט Gett (Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem), Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabet (Cannes Directors' Fornight)
Italy: Il Capitale Umano (Human Capital), Paolo Virzì

Japan: そこのみにて光輝く Soko nomi nite hikari kagayaku (The Light Shines Only There), Mipo Oh (Montreal WFF Best Director winner)

Kosovo: Tri dritare dhe një varje (Three Windows and a Hanging), Isa Qosja (SarajevoFF)
Kyrgyzstan: Құрманжан Датқа Kurmanjan Datka (Kurmanjan Datka Queen of the Mountains), Sadyk Sher-Niyaz (Montreal)

Latvia: Akmeņi manās kabatās (Rocks in My Pockets), Signe Baumane (animation) (Karlovy Vary)
Lebanon: غدي Ghadi, Amin Dora
Lithuania: Lošėjas (The Gambler), Ignas Jonynas (Tallin Black Nights 2013)
Luxembourg: Never Die Young, Pol Cruchten (documentary)

Macedonia: До балчак Do Balcak (To the Hilt), Stole Popov
Malta: Simshar, Rebecca Cremona
Mauritania: Timbuktu, Abderrahmane Sissako (Cannes)
Mexico: Cantinflas, Sebastián del Amo
Moldova: La limita de jos a cerului (The Unsaved), Igor Cobileanski (Karlovy Vary 2013 - FIPRESCI award winner at CottbusIFF)
Montenegro: Dječaci iz Ulice Marksa i Engelsa (The Boys from Marx and Engels Street), Nikole Vukčevića
Morocco: القمر الأحمر La Lune Rouge (The Red Moon), Hassan Benjelloun

Nepal: ‘झोला’ Jhola, Yadav Kumar Bhattarai
Netherlands: Lucia de B. (Accused), Paula van der Oest
New Zealand: The Dead Lands, Toa Fraser
Norway: 1001 gram (1001 Grams), Bent Hamer

Pakistan: دختر، بیٹی Dukhtar (Daughter), Afia Nathaniel
Palestine: عيون الحرامية Eyes of a Thief, Najwa Najjar
Panama: Invasión (Invasion), Abner Benaim (documentary)
Peru: El Evangelio de la Carne (The Gospel of the Flesh), Eduardo Mendoza de Echave
Philippines: Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan (Norte, the End of History), Lav Diaz (Cannes Un Certain Regard)
Poland: Ida, Pawel Pawlikowski (London Film Festival)
Portugal: E Agora? Lembra-me (What Now? Remind Me), Joaquim Pinto (documentary) (Locarno 2013)

Romania: Câinele Japonez (The Japanese Dog), Tudor Cristian Jurgiu (San Sebastian 2013)
Russia: Левиафан Leviathan, Andrey Zvyagintsev (Cannes)

Serbia: Montevideo, vidimo se! (See You in Montevideo), Dragana Bjelogrlića
Singapore: Sayang disayang (My Beloved Dearest), Sanif Olek
Slovakia: Krok do tmy (A Step Into The Dark), Miloslav Luther (Montreal)
Slovenia: Zapelji me (Seduce Me), Marko Šantić (Warsaw IFF 2013)
South Africa: Elelwani, Ntshaveni Wa Luruli
South Korea: 해무 Haemoo (Sea Fog), Shim Sung-bo
Spain: Vivir es fácil con los ojos cerrados (Living is Easy with Eyes Closed), David Trueba
Sweden: Turist (Force Majeure), Ruben Östlund (Cannes Un Certain Regard Jury Prize winner)
Switzerland: Der Kreis (The Circle), Stefan Haupt (Berlinale-Teddy Award for Best Documentary winner)

Taiwan: 冰毒 Bing du (Ice Poison), Midi Z (Berlinale-Panorama)
Thailand: คิดถึงวิทยา Khid thueng withaya (Teacher's Diary), Nithiwat Tharathorn
Turkey: Kış Uykusu (Winter Sleep), Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Cannes Palm d'Or Winner)

UK: Uzun Yol (Little Happiness), Nihat Seven
Ukraine: Поводырь Povodyr (The Guide), Oles Sanin
Uruguay: Mr. Kaplan, Alvaro Brechner

Venezuela: Libertador (The Liberator), Alberto Arvelo

Watch trailers @MOC and to see movie posters go to Storyteller tumblr.

To check original announcements go to Pinterest 2015 Oscar Foreign Film Category here.



Comments
From 9/7/14
With 20+ submissions we can clearly see that this year the Academy's Foreign Language Film Award committee members will have an incredible good cinema feast as they will be able to savor the best of the best of Cannes 2014 plus more festival award winners that we know have high quality filmmaking and add more films by very well-known directors as the icing in a very big cake. Oh yes, this year I really wish I was a member of this committee.

We still have 50+ countries that have to announce their submissions, so I am expecting more Cannes and other major world festivals films coming to enhance this incredible good list of great films, all in one place for a few men (think there is no woman in the committee) to see.

We know that is not easy to guess what committee members like as from previous years, the shortlist of nine films always has one, two or more films that makes you wonder the committee criteria to have them in the shortlist and to ignore excellent films. But we always have hope that with the still "new" procedure, this year the shortlist of nine will include many of the films that have already been announced as they have great above the average filmmaking quality. If it was for me the shortlist of nine already has six films that for sure HAVE to be in there, can you guess them?

Not everything is good news as we already have a couple of controversies with young filmmakers protesting Bulgaria selection as seems that the "old" traditions prevail against industry favorites from younger filmmakers. Selection film director actually is a member of the council that selects the submission, so in a way as a twitter says: "he selected himself". Still, there are many that celebrate decision as believe film will get a nomination. Sigh.

But for us World cinema lovers this list will always represent the opportunity to know and hopefully eventually see the best cinema from all over the world, especially from those countries that with their Oscar submission actually are promoting their local cinema. Cheers!

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From 8/4/14
The first Monday in August brings us the first country to announce its submission: Turkey. As many -including me- were expecting Turkey sent the Cannes Palm d'Or winner Winter Sleep by Nuri Bilge Ceylan.

As far as I can tell there are no major changes to Rule Thirteen Special Rules for the Foreign Language Film Award, but here are some highlight from Rule 13.

Definition: A foreign language film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States of America with a predominately non-English dialogue track.

Eligibility (extract): Films that, in any version, receive a nontheatrical public exhibition or distribution before their first qualifying theatrical release will not be eligible for Academy Awards consideration. Nontheatrical public exhibition or distribution includes but is not limited to: Broadcast and cable television, PPV/VOD, DVD distribution, Internet transmission.

Voting (extract): All submissions sent to the Academy will be screened by the Academy’s Foreign Language Film Award Committee(s). After the screenings, the committee(s) will vote by secret ballot to nominate five foreign language motion pictures for this award. Final voting for the Foreign Language Film award shall be restricted to active and life Academy members who have viewed all five motion pictures nominated for the award.