GIFF 2016
Every film I see on Gothenburg International Film Festival.
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- DirectorJaco Van DormaelStarsPili GroyneBenoît PoelvoordeCatherine DeneuveDid you know that God is alive and lives in Brussels with his daughter?Great concept and good presentation. But in my opinion, bad execution. Had this script been given to say Wes Anderson then it would probably be competing for best movie of the year. At least he would be able to make the whole thing funny as f'k. What we got was so many jokes that just fell flat, mostly with the character of God and the whacky music that was playing when he had all his whacky antics. And the extremely over the top acting didn't help. There was one REALLY great scene where God was talking to a priest but that's it.
Even despite he entire concept you really have to suspend your disbeliefs to what's going on. There's logistical issues as well. Very flawed movie with a great concept.
6/10 - DirectorMir-Jean Bou ChaayaStarsAlain SaadehFouad YammineWissam FaresIntending to smuggle drugs across the borders, a small-time Lebanese drug-dealer slyly manipulates public opinion with the help of an underrated filmmaker.A great script with some really interesting and creative scenes. It stayed away from clichés and was really unpredictable. My problem would be with some camerawork. Like it seemed as if they didn't know what a steady cam is because you could literally see every step the camera man was taking at certain points. Scenes that were shot inside of a car were really shaky and made my eyes hurt. But thankfully there weren't that many of these moments. I liked the commentary on people's different visions on movies.
7/10 - DirectorNitzan GiladyStarsMoran RosenblattAssi LevyRoy AssafHagit, a young woman with mild mental deficiency, works in a toilet-paper factory. She lives with her mother Sarah, a divorcée who gave up her life for her daughter. Hagit strives for independence and Sarah is torn between her desire to protect her, and her own will to live. When a relationship develops between her and the son of the factory owner, Hagit hides it from her mother. The announcement of the closing of the factory shakes Hagit and Sarah's life and jeopardizes Hagit's love story.Unlike Very Big Shot this whole plot was very predictable from start to finish. As soon as certain characters were introduced I imagined in my head an outcome and it happened. The acting was great though and there were some really nice shots.
6/10 - DirectorPietro MarcelloStarsTommaso CestroneSergio VitoloGesuino PittalisThe foolish servant Pulcinella is sent from the depths of Mt. Vesuvius to present-day Campania to honor the last wishes of the poor shepherd Tommaso: his mission is to save a young buffalo called Sarchiapone. Pulcinella finds the animal at the former royal palace of Carditello, where Tommaso had looked after the ruined Bourbon estate in the heart of the Land of Fires. He takes the buffalo off to the north and the two servants, man and beast, travel through a beautiful and lost Italy, but their long journey's end does not bring what they were hoping for.It looked good. But I cannot tell you anything about what I thought about the film because it was one of those screenings I shouldn't have attended because I was so f'king tired. All I did throughout the film was struggling to stay awake.
?/10 - DirectorNicola BellucciStarsZainap GashaevaZargan MakhadzhiyevaTaisa Titiyeva«Grozny Blues» follows a few people around Grozny, the capital of war-torn Chechnya where daily life is defined by political repression, constricting customs, forced Islamification and the failure to come to terms with recent history. The film revolves around four women who have been fighting for human rights under worsening conditions for many years but get more and more disillusioned with the situation in Putin's Russia. The building where they work is also home to a Blues Club that is frequented by a group of young people. Having only vague memories of the Chechen wars in the 90s, they try to make sense of the strange things that are happening in their country. In linking the personal and intimate to the political, Nicola Bellucci shows in a dramatic and yet very poetic way what it means to live in a divided society that navigates a no-man's land between war and peace, repression and freedom, archaic traditions and modern life.The best way to describe this movie would be that it's a documentary version of Amarcord - except it's not funny. The music was great in it and I thought the direction was pretty good. Although it did feel a bit too long and I can't say that I wanna watch it again.
6/10 - DirectorEvangelia Kranioti" Sailors are like terrorists. They arrive in ports with a bomb called love and throw it. And do you know what happens? The bomb explodes when they go away and they never come back, destroying the hearts of all the girls in the neighborhood. How strange - To love somebody who pays you..."It was the shortest film I've seen so far all festival and yet it still felt like it was the longest film. Goddamn was this ever boring and repetitive. I did not give a *beep* for the entire film and found myself thinking of other things to pass time.
5/10 - DirectorOlivier RingerStarsClarisse DjuroskiLéa WarnyAlain EloyFor Cathy, it is not always easy to be born on February 29th, especially when for her birthday, her father gives her an egg to hatch. But it is probably less difficult than to be suffering from myopathy as her best friend Margaux...It was as if this entire film was written and directed by a 5 year old. Nothing makes sense. Yes I will forgive a stupid action if they are committed by children as long as it's not just a cheap plot device, but there were a sh*t ton of stupid actions committed by the adults as well. Like the neighbour girl driving them to the farm and just f'king leaving two like 8 year olds, one of whom's in a F'KING WHEELCHAIR, alone in a F'KING ROW BOAT! Seriously that was one of the dumbest sh*t I've seen ever in a film. Or everything the cops did. The writer and director has no grasp whatsoever on how the police works.
The positives? Well, I can understand that it's difficult to direct a duckling. And part of the score reminded me of Gone Girl. But these things were so incredibly cancelled out by incoherent bullsh*t. There were no likeable characters at all, the kids who we're supposed to care about were so goddamn annoying. And like I said the adults were so f'king stupid. At one point when the wheelchair kid went on the bus the bus driver helped her in but he never turned on the chair's brakes and neither the script nor the director acknowledged it. How the f'k did this get on a film festival?
2/10 - DirectorChloé ZhaoStarsJohn ReddyJashaun St. JohnIrene BedardWith an older brother in jail and living with their single mother on Pine Ridge Reservation, Johnny and his sister Jashuan's lives develop new challenges when their absentee cowboy father suddenly dies. The loss prompts Johnny to strike out for Los Angeles, but would mean leaving behind his beloved sister.This was possibly the most human film I've seen since Mommy. It's not was good as Mommy but that's really not fair since Mommy is absolutely amazing. This had a lot of small details that I really liked. Like certain line delivery, a characters insignificant action, a characters reaction to something, so much of this sh*t that made me really admire the film's direction.
My problems with the film are minimal. The mother sort of disappeared during the second act of the film. The acting in an important scene was a little off. During one scene we saw something subtle which made me expect the story to go a certain way. I think that if they went with that it would've been great, so it sort of felt like a wasted opportunity. But even so the story unfolded really well regardless. And in this film the characters were extremely likeable. They felt real and relatable.
Songs my Brothers Taught Me is definitely the best film I've seen so far this festival.
8/10 - DirectorLeticia DoleraStarsLeticia DoleraManuel BurqueSilvia MuntMaria is 30 years old, she is a peculiar person and has one goal: become a normal person. But first of all she must discover what is exactly this. Which kind of person is she? Is she a normal person? What does exactly means? That question goes deeper into her mind. After she lists every requirements, she proposes to reach them. In that journey she will find her brother's help, Alex, a 25 years old boy who is mentally challenged and achieves every list requirements. She meets Borja as well, a boy obsessed with diets and lose weight. They will make a curious pact: she helps him to live an active and healthy live, and he helps her to meet her goal: become a normal person.So, I just watched a standard Hollywood rom-com starring Zooey Deschanel, Jonah Hill, Jason Segel, Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd. "But wait a minute" you say, "That's not really true is it?". Well if I were to give you a complete plot description then that's exactly what you would imagine this movie being.
Ehhhhh...why the f'k did I watch this movie? It's about a goofy girl who meets a guy and they have fun and then they stop talking towards the latter half of the film and then in the end they get together in a big stunt created by the female lead. You know we got another movie just like this in 2015 and its called Trainwreck and it's complete sh*t. I could predict the entire plot from just the first 10 minutes because I've seen it in every f'king Hollywood rom-com ever made. So what differentiates this movie from every Hollywood rom-com ever made? It's spanish, that's it. Had this movie been american then nobody would give a sh*t. It wouldn't attend any festival in the world. It would get a worldwide summer release and people would pay to see it and then forget about it a month later. It advertised itself as a comedy and yet I did not laugh once. Don't watch this movie, you've already seen it.
3/10 - DirectorPiotr ChrzanStarsLeslaw ZurekSzymon NowakWeronika LewonWhile walking through the forest during the Nazi occupation, young people find a wounded Jewish man. They now have to decide what to do with him.It was a good and interesting story that moved forward without becoming boring or uninteresting, apart from the first act being a bit repetitive. But there's only so much you can do with this plot. I don't know if they were supposed to talk a bit strangely or if it was the translation that was off as f'k. Because at times it seemed like it was translated in Google Translate.
The cinematography was a bit inconsistent, at times it was shot without a steady cam and became really distracting and at times it was shot with a steady cam and looked really nice. There were also shots with an insane DOF and I must praise that.
There were times though where characters just disappeared for a great amount of time and all I could think of when they came back was "What the f'k have you been doing? And one specific character showed up in the third act and I wished he had more screen time because he was really interesting. Anyways it was a good movie.
7/10 - DirectorSina Ataeian DenaStarsRoya AfsharDorna DibajHooshang GhovanlooThe 25 years old Hanieh lives in the household of her married sister in Tehran. Every day Hanieh travels long and tedious hours to get to the suburbs where she works as a teacher at a girls' primary school. Hanieh tries to get shifted to a school inside Tehran but the paperwork seems stuck in bureaucratic channels. Increasingly exhausted by her paralysing everyday life and the two-faced reality she subliminally experiences as a woman, an employee, a younger sister, and unhappy partner, Hanieh struggles to find her way out, but despite her real intention, Hanieh plays a different role...It was alright, not exactly Taste of Cherry but not bad either. There were some genuinely funny moments and some wtf moments and there was one really awkward moment - not in the film but in the theatre. It was a overview of a park when the main character was walking and talking with her sister. A bunch of kids were playing football next to them and suddenly one of the kids got hit by the ball and barely reacted to it. I bursted out laughing and everyone else stayed quiet and some even looked in my direction. It was horrible.
Anyway the directing and cinematography was pretty good but nothing really happened story-wise. I had to leave for 10 minutes to let people out from another screening and when I came back I didn't feel like I had missed anything. And they reused some shots which kinda bugged me.
6/10 - DirectorJohn CrowleyStarsSaoirse RonanEmory CohenDomhnall GleesonAn Irish immigrant lands in 1950s Brooklyn, where she quickly falls into a romance with a local. When her past catches up with her, however, she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within.Ah yes, the best picture nominated Brooklyn. I don't think I've seen a best picture nominated film that was this melodramatic in a while. What is wrong with the Oscars this year? They have made so many mistakes this year. There is nothing new or special or impressive about this film. Saoirse Ronan nominated for best lead actress. She wasn't bad but just because you can cry on command doesn't mean that you automatically deserve a oscar nod. Especially not when Emily Blunt in Sicario happened. And I can't say that I liked her character at all. But if you think that I'm just a heartless bastard who dislikes every character that's socially awkward you should know that I've been recommending Mr. Robot to every living breathing thing since I saw the first episode. The thing is that she was just a copy paste shy and innocent girl.
But you know what the worst thing is? Like none of this would've mattered but there was one thing that almost enraged me. Are you sitting down? They ended it on a f'king freeze frame!!! The Oscars nominated a movie for best picture that ends ON A F'KING FREEZE FRAME! Not only that but it's a FREEZE FRAME on two characters hugging each other. Brooklyn was just a melodramatic oscar bait period piece with no style or substance that I'll forget in a couple of weeks and it's not worth your time.
5/10 - DirectorYves MontmayeurStarsKenneth AngerUdo KierGuy MaddinGuy Maddin, who has been nicknamed the Canadian David Lynch is doubtlessly one of the last remaining Magus of cinema.It was a good documentary. Whenever a documentary has a subject that interests me I tend to not be bored at all throughout the runtime of the film. However I kind of wish that this director, Yves Montmayeur who by the way I forgot the name of when I was presenting the movie like a f'king idiot. Anyway I wish that he would have picked another director to do a documentary about. It's not that I dislike Guy Maddin, I've never actually seen any of his films. But after watching this documentary I also don't think I'll ever watch any of them - they don't seem like my cup of joe. So if he had made this documentary about someone else I think I would've liked it more.
6/10 - DirectorSeyi BabatopeStarsShaffy BelloKc EjelonuKeppy Ekpenyong-BasseyIn this feel-good romcom from Nollywood, a successful events planner, Mo, is a trusted matchmaker for her friends. But privately, Mo dreams of finding herself a special man - one who may come along sooner than she thinks.Possibly the worst movie I've ever seen in my entire life. The worst directing I've ever seen. The worst cinematography I've ever seen. The worst editing I've ever seen. The worst sound editing I've ever seen. The acting was wooden as f'k. The dialogue was SO BAD! Seriously at times it was The Room bad. But not bad like the amazing parts of The Room. No, the bad I'm talking about is the dialogue with Lisa and her mother bad. It also didn't help that it was so obnoxious and repetitive. The style was extremely inconsistent. The pacing was terrible. I swear to god that the soundtrack was constructed of Kevin Macleod music. It wasn't funny at all - it wasn't even so bad that it becomes funny, it was worse than that.
And the whole thing about her starting a VLog is completely irrelevant! They could've removed it completely from the script and it would literally make no f'king difference. Don't watch this movie. Don't support these filmmakers and scriptwriters. They have no idea what they're doing and should all be fired from their jobs.
1/10 - DirectorRodrigo PláStarsJana RaluySebastián AguirreHugo AlboresWhen her insurance company refuses to approve the care her husband needs to survive, Sonia Bonet (Jan Raluy) takes things into her own hands. Up against an unyielding bureaucracy and disinterested workers, she is pushed to her breaking point: with her son in tow, she attempts to fight the system.Very immersive film! The story and narrative was compelling and creative. The acting was great. The directing was great. The pacing was great. The camerawork was great but the shot composition was a bit strange. Like there were all these odd camera angles and it feels like they were there just for the sake of having odd camera angles - like there were odd camera angles with no purpose. This is weird criticism I know because things I absolutely adore does have this to an extent as well, Mr. Robot for example. But in Mr. Robot it works, in this film it kinda bugged me because it seemed like a waste of time and effort. There were other choices of camera placement in this film though that worked very very well. It forced you to acknowledge things in the background and thus making you less prepared for what's happening in the foreground. I'm not going into spoilers but there was one moment in particular that made the entire theatre gasp and jump in their seats, myself included of course.
Anyways check this movie out by all means because it is a great one. Not sure if I should give this a 7 or an 8 so I will bend my rules a bit and give it a
7,5/10 - DirectorDuke JohnsonCharlie KaufmanStarsDavid ThewlisJennifer Jason LeighTom NoonanA man crippled by the mundanity of his life experiences something out of the ordinary.Finally got to see Anomalisa and wow was it amazing. The animation was absolutely fantastic. I've never seen anything like it. Several times it caught my attention that shots had been going on seamlessly for a couple of minutes, and that's stop-go animation. I can just imagine the f'king time and effort it took to accomplish that. The film felt incredibly real even though it was animated. A story like this could've easily just been made as a live action film to save money for the studios. But I'm so happy it didn't because it would not be the same at all. The voice acting was perfect and I really want to see some Tom Noonan interviews right now. The movie was heart felt, interesting, hilarious, sad and quite intense at points. As soon as the blu-ray arrives I will pick it up and watch it again because there is so much there that I just didn't discover yet. And depending on my second watch I might just give this year's second perfect 10/10. But for now I'll keep it just below that.
9/10 - DirectorJames PonsoldtStarsJason SegelJesse EisenbergAnna ChlumskyThe story of the five-day interview between Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky and acclaimed novelist David Foster Wallace, which took place right after the 1996 publication of Wallace's groundbreaking epic novel, 'Infinite Jest.'I really really like dialogue driven movies and The End of the Tour was exactly what I love about dialogue driven movies. It was really well paced, well acted and well written. At first I just saw Jesse Eisenberg and Jason Segel but as the movie went on I think that they brilliantly became their characters. The directing was pretty great too.
Now if you're reading the description of the film then you might notice that it's really similar to Anton Corbijn's Life that came out in 2015 and you're right. The plot is pretty similar. But The End of the Tour was so much better. Not only did it have more memorable scenes but it was written in a way that you're able to understand and care about the characters. And like I said it's really well paced and you're not ever bored. So if you're choosing between the two then choose The End of the Tour because it is worth your time.
8/10 - DirectorPeter LandesmanStarsWill SmithAlec BaldwinAlbert BrooksIn Pittsburgh, accomplished pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu uncovers the truth about brain damage in football players who suffer repeated concussions in the course of normal play.This was an obvious oscar bait. It was the definition of an okay movie. There wasn't anything horrible about it but certainly not anything great about it either. Will Smith did a good job but since he's such a personality himself it's really difficult to see beyond just plain old Will Smith. I could see and appreciate what things he did differently with this character compared to all the other Will Smith roles. But there were still quite a few moments where he responded to questions or finished his sentences sounding exactly like Will Smith. The Oscars has made a whole lot of mistakes this year but not nominating Smith was not one of them.
Besides Will Smith the film doesn't have that much going for it. Everything is handled in a very simple way and you can tell that they didn't focus a whole bunch on artistic choices or genuine great filmmaking. They just wanted the story out and the film to be inspirational. That being said though I was never bored. The film was paced pretty good for what it was.
6/10 - DirectorTom McCarthyStarsMark RuffaloMichael KeatonRachel McAdamsThe true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.I was really looking forward to Spotlight and after seeing it I was really pleased. The obvious comparison would be to All the President's Men. Was it as good as that? No, but All the President's Men is a phenomenal film and Spotlight was really great. The directing was pretty great and the film moved fast as I hoped it would. The script was also really great. Every actor also did a really great job. Mark Ruffalo was especially great and I'm sure as hell will be routing for him at the oscars. Speaking of which how come he's nominated as a supporting role when his name appeared first in the end credits? And he was obviously a main role, wtf Oscars what happened this year? Anyway I thought that he was outstanding and that he carried the film on his shoulders.
I sort of kind of knew what the film was about but I didn't check anything on the original story. That was a good play on my part because part of what was so great about Spotlight was the unraveling of the story. Giving that though I'm not sure how much of the enjoyment will stay on my second viewing because unlike All the President's Men I didn't exactly feel that it had those moments that'll stay with you forever. And there were some scenes that had terrible audio, like really terrible. But that also may have been due to technical issues in the theatre and not to sound editors being incapable of using their ears. But nevertheless Spotlight was a great film and I wouldn't have any problem with it bringing home the best picture Oscar.
8/10 - DirectorErik ShiraiThe Birth of Saké is a documentary that reveals the history of passionate sake makers, and what it takes to create a traditional sake at the Yoshida Brewery, a family distillery with more then 140 years of history, in northern Japan.
- DirectorGrant GeeStarsPandora ColinMehmet ErgenAra GülerBase on a novel of the Nobel Prize writer Orhan Pamuk 'The Museum of Innocence'. Set in Istanbul during 1975 to 1984, a story of a man who collects various objects of a woman as memory during their love period.
- DirectorFilipe MatzembacherMarcio ReolonStarsMateus AlmadaMaurício BarcellosElisa BritesTwo boys on the edge of adulthood find themselves exploring their relationship.