How far would you go for the person you love? Would you save the store where you work, a place that you hate? That dilemma lies at the center of the new coming-of-age film “Hickey,” about one high school graduate’s crazy quest to win over his co-worker.
Read More: The 2016 Indiewire SXSW Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival
Ryan Chess (Troy Doherty) has spent the entire summer trying to decide where to go to college. He has a full ride to MIT, but staying in town and attending UCLA would keep him close to longtime crush Carly (Flavia Watson), who works at the same electronics store as him. But when the branch is ordered to be closed, Ryan and the rest of the co-workers have won day to save the store. The film co-stars Raychel Diane Weiner (“Flesh and Bone”), Zedrick Restauro (“Teen Wolf...
Read More: The 2016 Indiewire SXSW Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival
Ryan Chess (Troy Doherty) has spent the entire summer trying to decide where to go to college. He has a full ride to MIT, but staying in town and attending UCLA would keep him close to longtime crush Carly (Flavia Watson), who works at the same electronics store as him. But when the branch is ordered to be closed, Ryan and the rest of the co-workers have won day to save the store. The film co-stars Raychel Diane Weiner (“Flesh and Bone”), Zedrick Restauro (“Teen Wolf...
- 12/23/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
They say there are no giant roles, just giant actresses. Six-foot-nine Lindsay from TLC’s “My Giant Life” is ready for her close-up, she just needs a gig. And perhaps some talent, commitment, or at least, lessons. “Making a living as an actress may not be that difficult if you’re like average height, average look, Plain Jane kinda thing. Because they hire a lot for those,” Lindsay opined. “But when you’re 6-feet-9-inches, 240 pounds and 38G, it’s a little harder.” Also Read: TLC's 'My Giant Life' Follows 6-Foot-9 Woman While Grocery Shopping in New Clip (Exclusive Video...
- 6/7/2016
- by Tony Maglio
- The Wrap
One year ago, "Mr. Robot" premiered at SXSW. Now, with a Golden Globe and a hit show that's transformed an entire network (USA), series creator Sam Esmail returned to Austin, along with his two stars (Rami Malek and Christian Slater) and a 100-foot Ferris wheel, to thank his now rabid fans. Read More: SXSW 2016 - Joe Swanberg Gets Honest About Making a Living in Indie Film During their SXSW panel, the "Robot" trio was extremely tight-lipped about season two during their SXSW, which just started production, except to say the ramifications of Elliott's (Malek) actions at the end of season one would introduce law enforcement into the show. What Esmail was far more open discussing was what he believes makes "Mr. Robot" work as show and what can be learned from their success. Rolling Takes"Mr. Robot" is filled with acting challenges for Malek, whose character's grip on reality is less than firm,...
- 3/15/2016
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
I don't have a lot of friends who listen to "Howard Stern, and many of them are baffled by my obsession with the King of All Media. I suppose the fact that I'm a gay man has something to do with this, given that Howard is traditionally viewed as a straight-male icon. But I love him, I listen to every second of his show and I will continue to do so until he chooses to retire (a distinct looming possibility given that his contract with Sirius is up at the end of the year). I'll admit: I'm a latecomer to the Stern universe. I didn't become a regular listener until about six years ago (i.e. the very tail end of the Artie era) and missed out on the "Golden Age" terrestrial years -- though the claim that he was at his peak in the '80s and '90s is often made,...
- 6/10/2015
- by Chris Eggertsen
- Hitfix
When you're a first-time documentary filmmaker (or even an established one), there's always one key hurdle to surmount: funding. As Maya Newell, the Australian director of "Gayby Baby," told a crowd of budding documentarians at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival this week, "No one knows who you are, so they don't want to give you money." But that didn't stop Newell, or the other first-timer directors who spoke on the Bell Media Kickstart panel "My First Doc," Canadians Suzanne Crocker ("All the Time in the World") and Amber Fares ("Speed Sisters"), all of whom shared advice on how to get funding and make your film in the right way. Read More: Making a Living at Documentary Filmmaking is Harder Than Ever. Here's Why Here are six tips from these trailblazing nonfiction filmmakers: 1. Crowdfund. For both Newell and Fares, crowdfunding campaigns provided an initial boost to get their projects moving forward.
- 5/1/2015
- by Anthony Kaufman
- Indiewire
In the political discourse, when a country addresses another, whether in positive or negative terms, such statements often fail to differentiate between said country’s government and its people, between the government’s policies and the people’s unheard sentiment towards these.
While useful in the theoretical realm in which politics take place, these generalizations create a distorted image of the foreign nation fed by assumptions and dangerously insensitive stereotypes. It’s much easier for rulers to justify their actions if the adversary is made out to look like an irredeemable villain. Sensationalism and ignorance are weapons far more destructive than missiles, because once the smoke dissipates hatred remains.
On that note, it should be clear that the Iranian people are not the Iranian government. Their rich cultural history is not reflected in the actions of those in power, but in the prevailing elegance and allure of their artwork. Remarkable poets, musicians, painters, and, what we are mostly concerned with here, filmmakers.
The history of Iranian cinema is vast and has survived the many transitions and troubling periods the country has experienced. Even more impressive is the fact that as masterfully as Iranian filmmakers and actors understand the medium, they have never watered down their individuality for the sake of mainstream international success. Instead, they’ve managed to create their unique cinematic language that aligns with their idiosyncrasies and that is not silenced despite the hardships they face, but finds a way around censorship or defies it altogether.
Certainly not a definitive list, the following collection of films aims to be an introduction to the compelling and diverse voices within this captivating national cinema and to encourage you to seek out other films in the future. There are films here that are concerned with rural and working class lifestyles, others that focus on the traditions of ethnic minorities, those that deal with the modern middle class, and also several works denouncing the country’s political situation and the oppression that comes with it.
There are also some films that are note worthy even if they don’t easily fit within the parameters of what an Iranian film is.
Special Mentions:
-Iranian-American director Ana Lily Amirpour and her outstanding Farsi-language debut “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,” a visually striking vampire story set in a fictional Iranian town.
-American filmmaker Till Schauder and his documentary “The Iran Job,” which follows Kevin Sheppard, an American professional basketball player in Iran, and uses his experience to build cultural bridges between the two countries.
-Farhadi’s “The Past,” which though is not precisely an Iranian story, continues to show the director’s specific talent for greatly written, puzzling narratives both in his home country and abroad.
-Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud's “Chicken with Plums,” a gorgeously whimsical and darkly comedic love story set in pre-revolutionary Tehran starring Mathieu Amalric.
Lastly, in honor of Nowruz or Persian New Year, which is a peaceful celebration of renewal and rebirth that takes place from March 20-24 in Iran and Iranian communities around the world, let’s remember the deeply moving and wise words that Asghar Farhadi gifted us during his acceptance speech on Oscar night a few years back. No one could have said it better than him.
“At this time many Iranians all over the world are watching us, and I imagine them to be very happy. They are happy not just because of an important award, or a film, or a filmmaker, but because at a time in which talk of war, intimidation, and aggression is exchanged between politicians, the name of their country, Iran, is spoken here through her glorious culture, a rich and ancient culture that has been hidden under the heavy dust of politics. I proudly offer this award to the people of my country, a people that respect all cultures and civilizations and despise hostility and resentment. Thank you so much.” –Director Asghar Farhadi after winning the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award for “A Separation” on February 26, 2012
1. "About Elly" (2009)
Dir. Asghar Farhadi
In Farhadi's tense psychological drama a casual trip to the sea evolves into a subtly plotted mystery. The director's depiction of the Iranian middle class in such a fascinatingly unexpected story connected with both local and international audiences earning him awards at home and abroad, among them Berlin's Silver Bear.
*The Cinema Guild will release the film theatrically on April 17, 2015
2. "Baran" (2001)
Dir. Majid Majidi
Taking a look at the diverse ethnic groups that coexist in Iran, the film follows a love story between a man and a young Afghan woman who must pretend to be a man in order to work. Eliciting truly naturalistic performance from his cast Majidi gives voice to his almost silent protagonist, a woman caught up in a system designed by men.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch
3. "Children of Heaven" (1997)
Dir. Majid Majidi
Iran's first ever Academy Award nominated film is also Majidi's most renowned work. Innocence permeates this sweet story about two siblings from a working class family trying to find a pair of missing shoes. Their adventure delivers valuable life lessons that are at once heartwarming and profound. Unquestionably a classic.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch and on DVD from Lionsgate
4. "Closed Curtain" (2013)
Dir. Jafar Panahi & Kambuzia Partovi
In this enigmatic observation on repression and surveillance an anonymous screenwriter, played by co-director Kambuzia Partovi, hides with his dog in a secluded location. Eventually, as other surprising characters appear, the film becomes a complex dance between reality and fabrication. Both filmmakers had their passports confiscated by the Iranian government due to the subversive content of the film.
*Available on Amazon Instant Video
5. "Close-Up" (1990)
Dir. Abbas Kiarostami
In one of the greatest examples of reality and fiction blending in almost seamless ways, Abbas Kiarostami's masterwork poses complex questions about identity. When a film buff impersonates his favorite director, who happens to Mohsen Makhmalbaf , a series of events unravel as he plans his next, fake, film. Surreally enough the film is based on a true story and stars the actual people involved. It's all brilliantly meta.
*Available on Blu-ray & DVD from Criterion
6. "The Color of Paradise" (1999)
Dir. Majid Majidi
Though rejected by his father, a young blind boy rejoices in nature’s beauty and tries to understand the meaning of his struggles with the help of a mentor with the same condition. Showcasing Iran’s visually stunning rural landscapes and delicately embedding with philosophical concerns, Majidi’s poetic film delivers wisdom in wondrously unassuming ways.
*Available on DVD from Sony Pictures Classics
7. "The Cow" (1969)
Dir. Dariush Mehrjui
Considered a turning point in the nation’s cinematic history, this black-and-white work revolves around a man’s devotion for his cow and how its disappearance drives him into madness. While seemingly simple in its conception, Mehrjui manages to compellingly highlight the country’s traditional lifestyles.
*Available on DVD from First Run Features
8. "Fireworks Wednesday" (2006)
Dir. Asghar Farhadi
Intimate conflicts in the Iranian middle class are Farhadi’s expertise and this domestic drama, set fittingly during the celebrations prior to the Persian New Year, is no exception. When a soon-to-be bride in need of money for her wedding gets a job cleaning a family’s house, their secrets begin to unravel through their interaction and confrontations.
*Available on DVD from Facets
9. "Gabbeh" (1996)
Dir. Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Taking its name from a type of Persian carpet, this stunningly evocative fable is adorned with mysticism and magical realist elements that shine through its colorful visual palette. Gabbeh, a young nomadic woman who is likely the incarnation of one of these traditional rugs, falls in love with horseman, but her community follows beliefs that hinder her desire.
*Available on DVD from New Yorker Video
10. "The Green Wave" (2010)
Dir. Ali Samadi Ahadi
Told through striking animated sequences, interviews and footage from the protests, this documentary constructs a bold portrait of the 2009 Green Movement following Ahmadinejad’s reelection. The regime's strong grip over its citizens is exposed, but the spirit of the Iranian people demanding change is even stronger.
*Available on DVD from Strand Releasing
11. "Hamoun" (1990)
Dir. Dariush Mehrjui
Underscored by subdued comedy and poignant dream sequences, Mehrjui’s visionary drama centers on the decaying relationship between Hamoun, a businessman with hopes of becoming a writer, and his wife Mahshid, a painter. Insanity takes over him when she decides to divorce him because of his angry outbursts. A series of drastic occurrences ensue.
*Available on DVD from First Run Features
12. "Kandahar" (2001)
Dir. Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Despite being set in Afghanistan, this Iranian production is a powerful achievement that unveils the unjust treatment of women, not only under the Taliban’s control, but also in the entire region. Nafas, an Afghan women living in Canada, decides to return to her homeland to find her depressed sister. Through this dangerous journey she discovers much more about life in the war-torn country than she expected.
*Available on DVD from New Yorker Video
13. "Leila" (1997)
Dir. Dariush Mehrjui
Starting famous Iranian actress Leila Hatami in one her earliest roles as a married woman unable to have children, this conjugal drama explores the role of women within Iranian society. Leila’s husband, Reza (played by “The Past” star Ali Mosaffa), loves her, but his mother wants him to get another wife that can give him a son. The title character is divided between her happiness and what others think is best for her marriage.
*Available on DVD from First Run Features
14. "Manuscripts Don't Burn" (2013)
Dir. Mohammad Rasoulof
Rasoulof’s brave and searing political statement was shot illegally going against the20-year-ban from filmmaking imposed on him by the Iranian government. It denounces the terrifying lack of freedom of expression via the thrilling story a pair of writers risking it all to protect an incendiary manuscript that authorities are eager to destroy.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch and on DVD from Kino Lorber
15. "Marooned in Iraq" (2002)
Dir. Bahman Ghobadi
Highlighting the rich Kurdish culture, both in Iran and Iraq, Ghobadi’s film is set in the aftermath of the ravaging Gulf War. Marooned is an elderly man who must travel across the mountainous landscape that divides the two countries to find his ex-wife. While portraying the horrors of war in an affecting manner, the film is also a life-affirming work that finds hope in the most surprising places.
*Available on DVD from Wellspring
16. "My Tehran for Sale"
Dir. Granaz Moussavi
Devastating and current, this debut feature from renowned poet turned filmmaker Granaz Moussavi is a hard-hitting critique on the blatant criminalization of artists in Iran. An actress banned from her profession questions whether she should remain in the country or flee. Getting to safety means leaving everything she knows behind. There are no easy options for her.
*Available on DVD from Global Lens
17. "No One Knows About Persian Cats" (2009)
Dir. Bahman Ghobadi
Music as the banner of freedom is the focus of Ghobadi’s film about the underground rock scene in Tehran. Secular music is essentially forbidden, and playing in public is considered a criminal act punished with prison. Crafted between reality and fiction, this quasi-documentary takes a look at a group of young musicians desperate to express themselves through their art.
*Available on DVD from Mpi Home Video
18. "Offside" (2006)
Dir. Jafar Panahi
Attending sporting events is prohibited for women in Iran, but that doesn’t stop many of them who go as far as to dress like men to get in. Panahi’s touching and insightful film takes place during the 2006 World Cup Qualifying match between Iran and Bahrain, and follows several girls who despite being excluded cheer for their team as joyfully as any fan would.
*Available on DVD from Sony Pictures Classics
19. "Persepolis" (2007)
Dir. Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud
Nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar, this French-language marvel is based on Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novel by the same name. With eye-popping hand-drawn animation, the film revisits the director’s childhood and teenage years in Iran during the events leading up to the Islamic Revolution. It’s a love letter to the bittersweet memories of the Iran Satrapi knew.
*Available on Blu-ray & DVD from Sony Pictures Classics
20. "A Separation" (2011)
Dir. Asghar Farhadi
Dealing with a marriage in turmoil facing the country's peculiar judicial system, Farhadi’s masterpiece is the most acclaimed film in the history of Iranian cinema and earned the country's first Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay for its enthralling thriller-like narrative that grips the audience until its unnerving conclusion. A must see!
*Available on Blu-ray & DVD from Sony Pictures Classics
21. "The Song of Sparrows" (2008)
Dir. Majid Majidi
When Karim (played by Berlin’s Silver Bear Winner Reza Naji), an ostrich farm worker, is forced to find a new job in the city to pay for his daughter’s hearing aid, Iran’s rural and urban realms collide. Thanks to the captivating grace that characterizes Majidi’s films, poverty and misfortune are observed here not with pity but with an optimistic and undefeated perspective.
*Available on DVD from E1 Entertainment
22." Taste of Cherry" (1997)
Dir. Abbas Kiarostami
This quiet and minimalist meditation on death and the simple joys of its antithesis is the first and only Iranian film to have won the coveted Palme d’Or at Cannes. Kiarostami follows a man who has decided to commit suicide and is looking for someone to help him achieve this. However, those he recruits along the way come with their own views on the meaning of our existence and attempt to persuade him to reconsider.
*Available on DVD from Criterion
23. "Ten" (2002)
Dir. Abbas Kiarostami
A female cabbie drives through the streets of Tehran picking up an array of characters that via their casual conversations shine a light on the Iranian society’s expectations of women. Constructed of ten individual scenes in which the only constant is the driver, this heavily improvised and peculiarly shot cinematic experiment is a work of fiction embedded with truth in every frame.
*Available on DVD from Zeitgeist Films
24. "This is Not a Film" (2011)
Dir. Mojtaba Mirtahmasb & Jafar Panahi
In an effort to tell his story despite being banned from filmmaking and under house arrest, filmmaker Jafar Panahi takes his frustration and ingeniously turns it into a courageous visual statement. Whether is shooting video with his cell phone or blocking an imaginary scene in his living room, his passion for storytelling is resilient even when confronting such suffocating censorship.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch and on DVD from Palisades Tartan
25. "A Time for Drunken Horses" (2000)
Dir. Bahman Ghobadi
With the snow-covered Zagros Mountains as backdrop, Ghobadi’s debut feature tells the story of Ayoub, a young Kurdish boy who must provide for his siblings after their mother’s death. Added to the already difficult circumstances, his handicapped brother desperately needs a surgery. This pushes the heroic kid to persevere against all odds in the hostile environment.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch and on DVD from Kino Lorber
26. "Turtles Can Fly" (2004)
Dir. Bahman Ghobadi
Commanding a cast made almost entirely of children Ghobadi sets his film in an Iraqi Kurdish refugee camp just before the American occupation of 2003. Making a living by clearing the hazardous minefields that surround them, a group of orphan children create a small community to survive. The atrocities of war are ever-present, but like in most of the director’s works, the triumph of the human spirit is at the film's core.
*Available on Amazon Instant Video
27. "The White Balloon" (1995)
Dir. Jafar Panahi
Written by Kiarostami and directed by Panahi this is another film set during the important Persian New Year celebrations. It centers on a little girl trying to convince her parents to buy her a goldfish and who gets in a couple mishaps along the way. With utmost innocence, the seemingly simple premise manages to be a charming delight that showcases family values and ancient virtues with a nice dose of humor. It’s an uplifting gem.
*Sadly the film is not curently availble in any format in the U.S. Hopefully Criterion or another distributor will fix this soon.
28. "The White Meadows" (2009)
Dir. Mohammad Rasoulof
While ethereal, almost otherworldly imagery achieved by cinematographer Ebrahim Ghafori is reason enough to see this film, Rasoulof’s poetic storytelling elevates it to even greater intellectual heights. By using a barren coastal land and its inhabitant as a metaphor for the intolerance and injustice that many of his compatriots -creative people in particular - confront everyday, the filmmaker denounces these evils through melancholic beauty.
*Available on DVD from Global Lens
29. "The Willow Tree" (2005)
Dir. Majid Majidi
A writer, who had been blinded in an accident as a child, regains his vision as a middle aged adult only to be challenged by a world that has become foreign to him. At first, his miraculous new situation appears to be an answer to a prayer, but Majidi soon shows us how vision can become a curse in this spiritual drama about fate and regret. Exquisitely shot and sporting visceral performances, the film is both heart-rending and though provoking.
*Available on DVD from New Yorker Films
30. "The Wind Will Carry Us" (1999)
Dir. Abbas Kiarostami
Taking the audience on a trip to an untainted region of Iran where tradition hasn’t yet been disrupted by modernity, the acclaimed director crafted another unforgettable experience. Sublimely executed, the film joins four journalists pretending to be engineers as they document the funerary rituals of the local Kurdish people. More than learning about them as researchers, their interactions force them to engage on a much more human level.
*Availble on Blu-ray and DVD from Cohen Media Group...
While useful in the theoretical realm in which politics take place, these generalizations create a distorted image of the foreign nation fed by assumptions and dangerously insensitive stereotypes. It’s much easier for rulers to justify their actions if the adversary is made out to look like an irredeemable villain. Sensationalism and ignorance are weapons far more destructive than missiles, because once the smoke dissipates hatred remains.
On that note, it should be clear that the Iranian people are not the Iranian government. Their rich cultural history is not reflected in the actions of those in power, but in the prevailing elegance and allure of their artwork. Remarkable poets, musicians, painters, and, what we are mostly concerned with here, filmmakers.
The history of Iranian cinema is vast and has survived the many transitions and troubling periods the country has experienced. Even more impressive is the fact that as masterfully as Iranian filmmakers and actors understand the medium, they have never watered down their individuality for the sake of mainstream international success. Instead, they’ve managed to create their unique cinematic language that aligns with their idiosyncrasies and that is not silenced despite the hardships they face, but finds a way around censorship or defies it altogether.
Certainly not a definitive list, the following collection of films aims to be an introduction to the compelling and diverse voices within this captivating national cinema and to encourage you to seek out other films in the future. There are films here that are concerned with rural and working class lifestyles, others that focus on the traditions of ethnic minorities, those that deal with the modern middle class, and also several works denouncing the country’s political situation and the oppression that comes with it.
There are also some films that are note worthy even if they don’t easily fit within the parameters of what an Iranian film is.
Special Mentions:
-Iranian-American director Ana Lily Amirpour and her outstanding Farsi-language debut “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,” a visually striking vampire story set in a fictional Iranian town.
-American filmmaker Till Schauder and his documentary “The Iran Job,” which follows Kevin Sheppard, an American professional basketball player in Iran, and uses his experience to build cultural bridges between the two countries.
-Farhadi’s “The Past,” which though is not precisely an Iranian story, continues to show the director’s specific talent for greatly written, puzzling narratives both in his home country and abroad.
-Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud's “Chicken with Plums,” a gorgeously whimsical and darkly comedic love story set in pre-revolutionary Tehran starring Mathieu Amalric.
Lastly, in honor of Nowruz or Persian New Year, which is a peaceful celebration of renewal and rebirth that takes place from March 20-24 in Iran and Iranian communities around the world, let’s remember the deeply moving and wise words that Asghar Farhadi gifted us during his acceptance speech on Oscar night a few years back. No one could have said it better than him.
“At this time many Iranians all over the world are watching us, and I imagine them to be very happy. They are happy not just because of an important award, or a film, or a filmmaker, but because at a time in which talk of war, intimidation, and aggression is exchanged between politicians, the name of their country, Iran, is spoken here through her glorious culture, a rich and ancient culture that has been hidden under the heavy dust of politics. I proudly offer this award to the people of my country, a people that respect all cultures and civilizations and despise hostility and resentment. Thank you so much.” –Director Asghar Farhadi after winning the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award for “A Separation” on February 26, 2012
1. "About Elly" (2009)
Dir. Asghar Farhadi
In Farhadi's tense psychological drama a casual trip to the sea evolves into a subtly plotted mystery. The director's depiction of the Iranian middle class in such a fascinatingly unexpected story connected with both local and international audiences earning him awards at home and abroad, among them Berlin's Silver Bear.
*The Cinema Guild will release the film theatrically on April 17, 2015
2. "Baran" (2001)
Dir. Majid Majidi
Taking a look at the diverse ethnic groups that coexist in Iran, the film follows a love story between a man and a young Afghan woman who must pretend to be a man in order to work. Eliciting truly naturalistic performance from his cast Majidi gives voice to his almost silent protagonist, a woman caught up in a system designed by men.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch
3. "Children of Heaven" (1997)
Dir. Majid Majidi
Iran's first ever Academy Award nominated film is also Majidi's most renowned work. Innocence permeates this sweet story about two siblings from a working class family trying to find a pair of missing shoes. Their adventure delivers valuable life lessons that are at once heartwarming and profound. Unquestionably a classic.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch and on DVD from Lionsgate
4. "Closed Curtain" (2013)
Dir. Jafar Panahi & Kambuzia Partovi
In this enigmatic observation on repression and surveillance an anonymous screenwriter, played by co-director Kambuzia Partovi, hides with his dog in a secluded location. Eventually, as other surprising characters appear, the film becomes a complex dance between reality and fabrication. Both filmmakers had their passports confiscated by the Iranian government due to the subversive content of the film.
*Available on Amazon Instant Video
5. "Close-Up" (1990)
Dir. Abbas Kiarostami
In one of the greatest examples of reality and fiction blending in almost seamless ways, Abbas Kiarostami's masterwork poses complex questions about identity. When a film buff impersonates his favorite director, who happens to Mohsen Makhmalbaf , a series of events unravel as he plans his next, fake, film. Surreally enough the film is based on a true story and stars the actual people involved. It's all brilliantly meta.
*Available on Blu-ray & DVD from Criterion
6. "The Color of Paradise" (1999)
Dir. Majid Majidi
Though rejected by his father, a young blind boy rejoices in nature’s beauty and tries to understand the meaning of his struggles with the help of a mentor with the same condition. Showcasing Iran’s visually stunning rural landscapes and delicately embedding with philosophical concerns, Majidi’s poetic film delivers wisdom in wondrously unassuming ways.
*Available on DVD from Sony Pictures Classics
7. "The Cow" (1969)
Dir. Dariush Mehrjui
Considered a turning point in the nation’s cinematic history, this black-and-white work revolves around a man’s devotion for his cow and how its disappearance drives him into madness. While seemingly simple in its conception, Mehrjui manages to compellingly highlight the country’s traditional lifestyles.
*Available on DVD from First Run Features
8. "Fireworks Wednesday" (2006)
Dir. Asghar Farhadi
Intimate conflicts in the Iranian middle class are Farhadi’s expertise and this domestic drama, set fittingly during the celebrations prior to the Persian New Year, is no exception. When a soon-to-be bride in need of money for her wedding gets a job cleaning a family’s house, their secrets begin to unravel through their interaction and confrontations.
*Available on DVD from Facets
9. "Gabbeh" (1996)
Dir. Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Taking its name from a type of Persian carpet, this stunningly evocative fable is adorned with mysticism and magical realist elements that shine through its colorful visual palette. Gabbeh, a young nomadic woman who is likely the incarnation of one of these traditional rugs, falls in love with horseman, but her community follows beliefs that hinder her desire.
*Available on DVD from New Yorker Video
10. "The Green Wave" (2010)
Dir. Ali Samadi Ahadi
Told through striking animated sequences, interviews and footage from the protests, this documentary constructs a bold portrait of the 2009 Green Movement following Ahmadinejad’s reelection. The regime's strong grip over its citizens is exposed, but the spirit of the Iranian people demanding change is even stronger.
*Available on DVD from Strand Releasing
11. "Hamoun" (1990)
Dir. Dariush Mehrjui
Underscored by subdued comedy and poignant dream sequences, Mehrjui’s visionary drama centers on the decaying relationship between Hamoun, a businessman with hopes of becoming a writer, and his wife Mahshid, a painter. Insanity takes over him when she decides to divorce him because of his angry outbursts. A series of drastic occurrences ensue.
*Available on DVD from First Run Features
12. "Kandahar" (2001)
Dir. Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Despite being set in Afghanistan, this Iranian production is a powerful achievement that unveils the unjust treatment of women, not only under the Taliban’s control, but also in the entire region. Nafas, an Afghan women living in Canada, decides to return to her homeland to find her depressed sister. Through this dangerous journey she discovers much more about life in the war-torn country than she expected.
*Available on DVD from New Yorker Video
13. "Leila" (1997)
Dir. Dariush Mehrjui
Starting famous Iranian actress Leila Hatami in one her earliest roles as a married woman unable to have children, this conjugal drama explores the role of women within Iranian society. Leila’s husband, Reza (played by “The Past” star Ali Mosaffa), loves her, but his mother wants him to get another wife that can give him a son. The title character is divided between her happiness and what others think is best for her marriage.
*Available on DVD from First Run Features
14. "Manuscripts Don't Burn" (2013)
Dir. Mohammad Rasoulof
Rasoulof’s brave and searing political statement was shot illegally going against the20-year-ban from filmmaking imposed on him by the Iranian government. It denounces the terrifying lack of freedom of expression via the thrilling story a pair of writers risking it all to protect an incendiary manuscript that authorities are eager to destroy.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch and on DVD from Kino Lorber
15. "Marooned in Iraq" (2002)
Dir. Bahman Ghobadi
Highlighting the rich Kurdish culture, both in Iran and Iraq, Ghobadi’s film is set in the aftermath of the ravaging Gulf War. Marooned is an elderly man who must travel across the mountainous landscape that divides the two countries to find his ex-wife. While portraying the horrors of war in an affecting manner, the film is also a life-affirming work that finds hope in the most surprising places.
*Available on DVD from Wellspring
16. "My Tehran for Sale"
Dir. Granaz Moussavi
Devastating and current, this debut feature from renowned poet turned filmmaker Granaz Moussavi is a hard-hitting critique on the blatant criminalization of artists in Iran. An actress banned from her profession questions whether she should remain in the country or flee. Getting to safety means leaving everything she knows behind. There are no easy options for her.
*Available on DVD from Global Lens
17. "No One Knows About Persian Cats" (2009)
Dir. Bahman Ghobadi
Music as the banner of freedom is the focus of Ghobadi’s film about the underground rock scene in Tehran. Secular music is essentially forbidden, and playing in public is considered a criminal act punished with prison. Crafted between reality and fiction, this quasi-documentary takes a look at a group of young musicians desperate to express themselves through their art.
*Available on DVD from Mpi Home Video
18. "Offside" (2006)
Dir. Jafar Panahi
Attending sporting events is prohibited for women in Iran, but that doesn’t stop many of them who go as far as to dress like men to get in. Panahi’s touching and insightful film takes place during the 2006 World Cup Qualifying match between Iran and Bahrain, and follows several girls who despite being excluded cheer for their team as joyfully as any fan would.
*Available on DVD from Sony Pictures Classics
19. "Persepolis" (2007)
Dir. Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud
Nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar, this French-language marvel is based on Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novel by the same name. With eye-popping hand-drawn animation, the film revisits the director’s childhood and teenage years in Iran during the events leading up to the Islamic Revolution. It’s a love letter to the bittersweet memories of the Iran Satrapi knew.
*Available on Blu-ray & DVD from Sony Pictures Classics
20. "A Separation" (2011)
Dir. Asghar Farhadi
Dealing with a marriage in turmoil facing the country's peculiar judicial system, Farhadi’s masterpiece is the most acclaimed film in the history of Iranian cinema and earned the country's first Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay for its enthralling thriller-like narrative that grips the audience until its unnerving conclusion. A must see!
*Available on Blu-ray & DVD from Sony Pictures Classics
21. "The Song of Sparrows" (2008)
Dir. Majid Majidi
When Karim (played by Berlin’s Silver Bear Winner Reza Naji), an ostrich farm worker, is forced to find a new job in the city to pay for his daughter’s hearing aid, Iran’s rural and urban realms collide. Thanks to the captivating grace that characterizes Majidi’s films, poverty and misfortune are observed here not with pity but with an optimistic and undefeated perspective.
*Available on DVD from E1 Entertainment
22." Taste of Cherry" (1997)
Dir. Abbas Kiarostami
This quiet and minimalist meditation on death and the simple joys of its antithesis is the first and only Iranian film to have won the coveted Palme d’Or at Cannes. Kiarostami follows a man who has decided to commit suicide and is looking for someone to help him achieve this. However, those he recruits along the way come with their own views on the meaning of our existence and attempt to persuade him to reconsider.
*Available on DVD from Criterion
23. "Ten" (2002)
Dir. Abbas Kiarostami
A female cabbie drives through the streets of Tehran picking up an array of characters that via their casual conversations shine a light on the Iranian society’s expectations of women. Constructed of ten individual scenes in which the only constant is the driver, this heavily improvised and peculiarly shot cinematic experiment is a work of fiction embedded with truth in every frame.
*Available on DVD from Zeitgeist Films
24. "This is Not a Film" (2011)
Dir. Mojtaba Mirtahmasb & Jafar Panahi
In an effort to tell his story despite being banned from filmmaking and under house arrest, filmmaker Jafar Panahi takes his frustration and ingeniously turns it into a courageous visual statement. Whether is shooting video with his cell phone or blocking an imaginary scene in his living room, his passion for storytelling is resilient even when confronting such suffocating censorship.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch and on DVD from Palisades Tartan
25. "A Time for Drunken Horses" (2000)
Dir. Bahman Ghobadi
With the snow-covered Zagros Mountains as backdrop, Ghobadi’s debut feature tells the story of Ayoub, a young Kurdish boy who must provide for his siblings after their mother’s death. Added to the already difficult circumstances, his handicapped brother desperately needs a surgery. This pushes the heroic kid to persevere against all odds in the hostile environment.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch and on DVD from Kino Lorber
26. "Turtles Can Fly" (2004)
Dir. Bahman Ghobadi
Commanding a cast made almost entirely of children Ghobadi sets his film in an Iraqi Kurdish refugee camp just before the American occupation of 2003. Making a living by clearing the hazardous minefields that surround them, a group of orphan children create a small community to survive. The atrocities of war are ever-present, but like in most of the director’s works, the triumph of the human spirit is at the film's core.
*Available on Amazon Instant Video
27. "The White Balloon" (1995)
Dir. Jafar Panahi
Written by Kiarostami and directed by Panahi this is another film set during the important Persian New Year celebrations. It centers on a little girl trying to convince her parents to buy her a goldfish and who gets in a couple mishaps along the way. With utmost innocence, the seemingly simple premise manages to be a charming delight that showcases family values and ancient virtues with a nice dose of humor. It’s an uplifting gem.
*Sadly the film is not curently availble in any format in the U.S. Hopefully Criterion or another distributor will fix this soon.
28. "The White Meadows" (2009)
Dir. Mohammad Rasoulof
While ethereal, almost otherworldly imagery achieved by cinematographer Ebrahim Ghafori is reason enough to see this film, Rasoulof’s poetic storytelling elevates it to even greater intellectual heights. By using a barren coastal land and its inhabitant as a metaphor for the intolerance and injustice that many of his compatriots -creative people in particular - confront everyday, the filmmaker denounces these evils through melancholic beauty.
*Available on DVD from Global Lens
29. "The Willow Tree" (2005)
Dir. Majid Majidi
A writer, who had been blinded in an accident as a child, regains his vision as a middle aged adult only to be challenged by a world that has become foreign to him. At first, his miraculous new situation appears to be an answer to a prayer, but Majidi soon shows us how vision can become a curse in this spiritual drama about fate and regret. Exquisitely shot and sporting visceral performances, the film is both heart-rending and though provoking.
*Available on DVD from New Yorker Films
30. "The Wind Will Carry Us" (1999)
Dir. Abbas Kiarostami
Taking the audience on a trip to an untainted region of Iran where tradition hasn’t yet been disrupted by modernity, the acclaimed director crafted another unforgettable experience. Sublimely executed, the film joins four journalists pretending to be engineers as they document the funerary rituals of the local Kurdish people. More than learning about them as researchers, their interactions force them to engage on a much more human level.
*Availble on Blu-ray and DVD from Cohen Media Group...
- 3/23/2015
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
He and his wife Jennifer Garner have often spoke out about the paparazzi's targeting of children and in a new interview with Playboy, Ben Affleck is letting fans know what effect it has on their kids.
Though he himself struggled with the constant pressure, he eventually made peace with it. "Once I saw my way out of it, I said, You know what? I don’t even care anymore. I’m going to focus on my job. I don’t give a sh*t. Take my picture. Write what you want to write. At the end of the day, what you write in a gossip column doesn’t matter. What matters is how the movie works.”
However, when it came to his family, the "Argo" star drew the line, saying, "You can say what you want about me. You can yell at me with a video camera and be TMZ.
Though he himself struggled with the constant pressure, he eventually made peace with it. "Once I saw my way out of it, I said, You know what? I don’t even care anymore. I’m going to focus on my job. I don’t give a sh*t. Take my picture. Write what you want to write. At the end of the day, what you write in a gossip column doesn’t matter. What matters is how the movie works.”
However, when it came to his family, the "Argo" star drew the line, saying, "You can say what you want about me. You can yell at me with a video camera and be TMZ.
- 12/8/2013
- GossipCenter
'Being 6ft 7in is too tall. 6ft 4in is much better'
Stephen Merchant, 38, was born in Bristol. After studying film and literature, in 1997 he became Ricky Gervais's assistant at Xfm radio, and they went on to create the award-winning television series The Office. He toured the world with Hello Ladies, a stand-up show about his quest to find love, which he turned into a sitcom, now on Sky Atlantic. He is still single and lives in London.
When were you happiest?
Watching Bruce Springsteen at Glastonbury. During Because The Night I actually shouted, "This is the greatest moment of my life!"
What is your greatest fear?
Boredom. Also, giant crabs.
What is your earliest memory?
On a potty, surrounded by Lego.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Overthinking things.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Rudeness.
Property aside, what's the most expensive thing you've bought?...
Stephen Merchant, 38, was born in Bristol. After studying film and literature, in 1997 he became Ricky Gervais's assistant at Xfm radio, and they went on to create the award-winning television series The Office. He toured the world with Hello Ladies, a stand-up show about his quest to find love, which he turned into a sitcom, now on Sky Atlantic. He is still single and lives in London.
When were you happiest?
Watching Bruce Springsteen at Glastonbury. During Because The Night I actually shouted, "This is the greatest moment of my life!"
What is your greatest fear?
Boredom. Also, giant crabs.
What is your earliest memory?
On a potty, surrounded by Lego.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Overthinking things.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Rudeness.
Property aside, what's the most expensive thing you've bought?...
- 11/2/2013
- by Rosanna Greenstreet
- The Guardian - Film News
If you are a cinephile, there will be a handful of movies in your lifetime that you will feel the need to defend ardently, convinced that it’s a movie that most of the world just “didn’t get.” But even thinking that puts you at a disadvantage, because majority often rules. So one must choose their battles carefully.
Making a living evaluating, loving, and writing about films, I very rarely write the “all of you are wrong” articles, because I know that they can really force a writer into exile, especially depending on what portion of your audience he or she is calling out. In this case, involving the vastly misunderstood and wholly brilliant 2007 action film starring Clive Owen called Shoot Em Up, I have no problem pulling up a soapbox, grabbing a microphone, and letting 90% of the world know they were wrong about this film. This is not...
Making a living evaluating, loving, and writing about films, I very rarely write the “all of you are wrong” articles, because I know that they can really force a writer into exile, especially depending on what portion of your audience he or she is calling out. In this case, involving the vastly misunderstood and wholly brilliant 2007 action film starring Clive Owen called Shoot Em Up, I have no problem pulling up a soapbox, grabbing a microphone, and letting 90% of the world know they were wrong about this film. This is not...
- 8/21/2013
- by Remy Carriero
- We Got This Covered
White Winter Black Night is the title of one of the novels I’m writing. Simon & Schuster will publish the book in 2014.
Published by Simon & Schuster… how damn cool is that? Simon & Schuster is one of the most respected and largest publishers in the world. To get a book published by Simon & Schuster is a big deal for a writer, any writer.
I’m a writer.
Well, now I’m a writer.
Growing up there was nothing and I mean nothing I loved more than reading. I read everything and when I say everything I mean everything. It started with comics and once I realized how wonderful reading was it started me on an odyssey that still exists today. At present I’m listening to two audio books in two different cars. I’m reading two hard cover books and have no idea how many books I’m reading on my iPad.
Published by Simon & Schuster… how damn cool is that? Simon & Schuster is one of the most respected and largest publishers in the world. To get a book published by Simon & Schuster is a big deal for a writer, any writer.
I’m a writer.
Well, now I’m a writer.
Growing up there was nothing and I mean nothing I loved more than reading. I read everything and when I say everything I mean everything. It started with comics and once I realized how wonderful reading was it started me on an odyssey that still exists today. At present I’m listening to two audio books in two different cars. I’m reading two hard cover books and have no idea how many books I’m reading on my iPad.
- 5/21/2013
- by Michael Davis
- Comicmix.com
Please see last’s week part one.
Although closeted in the interim report of the 1954 comic book hearings, race was not an issue that America really wanted to deal with and perhaps that above all is why race had been given little more than a nod in the hearing.
Race was however one of the major reasons that 2.5 million black Americans registered for the draft between 1941-45. Hoping that by helping their country win the war the United States would at last make the “Four Freedoms” a real part of their lives and not something they had to aspire too. Freedom of speech and religion, freedom from want and fear were offered to every American by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in one of the greatest speeches in the history of the United States of America.
Black people were well aware that those freedoms were not being offered to us, not...
Although closeted in the interim report of the 1954 comic book hearings, race was not an issue that America really wanted to deal with and perhaps that above all is why race had been given little more than a nod in the hearing.
Race was however one of the major reasons that 2.5 million black Americans registered for the draft between 1941-45. Hoping that by helping their country win the war the United States would at last make the “Four Freedoms” a real part of their lives and not something they had to aspire too. Freedom of speech and religion, freedom from want and fear were offered to every American by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in one of the greatest speeches in the history of the United States of America.
Black people were well aware that those freedoms were not being offered to us, not...
- 8/21/2012
- by Michael Davis
- Comicmix.com
Why Watch? Charlie Chaplin‘s first film, Making a Living, features the man who would go on to be the planet’s biggest star donning a top hat and the creepiest face he could muster. It’s the earliest example of his potential for genius, and one of the few where we get to see a talent that’s still in the raw. By his next film, Kid Auto Races at Venice, he had debuted his Little Tramp character and launched a career in earnest. So, what better way is there to spend Labor Day than to watch how Chaplin worked? What does it cost? Just 9 minutes of your time. Check out Making a Living for yourself: Making A Living (1914) Trust us. You have time for more short films.
- 9/5/2011
- by Cole Abaius
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Michael Angarano, widely known as Jack’s pre-pubescent son from Will and Grace, is all grown up and starring in new indie flick The Art of Getting By.
Angarano who proved his chops in a lot of younger roles in film such as Almost Famous, Seabiscuit, and Music of the Heart, is now showing us another side.
In The Art of Getting By Angarano plays Dustin, a young alumnus of an NYC prep school.
He is introduced on career day in a scruffy, hipster ensemble displaying a cute nervousness as he’s not really sure he should be the one doling out advice. Interestingly enough, Angarano noted that this was his most difficult scene to film and it was his first day on set.
Making a living as an artist in Brooklyn, Dustin instantly clicks with high school senior George (Freddie Highmore) who is floating around in a state of ambivalence.
Angarano who proved his chops in a lot of younger roles in film such as Almost Famous, Seabiscuit, and Music of the Heart, is now showing us another side.
In The Art of Getting By Angarano plays Dustin, a young alumnus of an NYC prep school.
He is introduced on career day in a scruffy, hipster ensemble displaying a cute nervousness as he’s not really sure he should be the one doling out advice. Interestingly enough, Angarano noted that this was his most difficult scene to film and it was his first day on set.
Making a living as an artist in Brooklyn, Dustin instantly clicks with high school senior George (Freddie Highmore) who is floating around in a state of ambivalence.
- 6/17/2011
- by alyssa@mediavine.com (Alyssa Caverley)
- Reel Movie News
Love was in the air for Valentine's Day this morning, as was the burning wreckage of discussion from last night's Grammy Awards. Brian Michael Bendis and Laurenn McCubbin stuck up for Lady Gaga, while Ryan Stegman laid out his high expectations for Best New Artist nominee Justin Bieber.
Their thoughts, as well as a very good point about "Marvel vs. Capcom 3" from Corey Lewis and Gail Simone's critique of the Fantastic Four's new uniforms and advice for aspiring webcomics creators can be found down below.
I'm @brianwarmoth, and this is your Twitter Report for February 14, 2011.
@awyeahfranco Valentines day? Love is in the air...I thought I smelled something.
-Franco Aureliani, Writer ("Tiny Titans," "Patrick the Wolf Boy")
Grammy Awards pt. 1: @Brianmbendis meanwhile if kesha showed up in an egg you guys would be like: oh my god, she's so cool!
-Brian Michael Bendis, Writer ("New Avengers,...
Their thoughts, as well as a very good point about "Marvel vs. Capcom 3" from Corey Lewis and Gail Simone's critique of the Fantastic Four's new uniforms and advice for aspiring webcomics creators can be found down below.
I'm @brianwarmoth, and this is your Twitter Report for February 14, 2011.
@awyeahfranco Valentines day? Love is in the air...I thought I smelled something.
-Franco Aureliani, Writer ("Tiny Titans," "Patrick the Wolf Boy")
Grammy Awards pt. 1: @Brianmbendis meanwhile if kesha showed up in an egg you guys would be like: oh my god, she's so cool!
-Brian Michael Bendis, Writer ("New Avengers,...
- 2/14/2011
- by Brian Warmoth
- MTV Splash Page
Dear Jackie:My focus is weak these days. Making a living from acting is distracting me from the love of the art. I actually am starting to hate myself. But from trial and error, I know that acting is the only thing I enjoy.I'm done with building my résumé. I want to feel like a "working actor," as I am working in the acting world now. But at the same time, the artist inside of me needs to act. It's a dichotomy.—Out of TouchNew York CityDEAR Out:Hate yourself? No, no, no! I can certainly relate to getting all tied up when trying to pursue art as a business. It's a difficult balance to achieve, probably a bit like surfing: You never settle in but have to keep finding your balance again and again. Instead of blaming yourself, take comfort in the cold fact that artists of all kinds have struggled with this very issue.
- 2/10/2011
- backstage.com
1914, U, BFI
This important, instructive, hugely enjoyable four-disc set contains painstakingly restored and attractively scored prints of 34 of the 35 films Charlie Chaplin made at Mack Sennett's Keystone studio between January and December 1914. They introduced Chaplin to the cinema, turning him in the process from an admired music hall artist into an accomplished film-maker, who ended the year on the threshold of becoming the most famous man in the world and its highest-paid entertainer. In the course of this astonishing 12 months, he worked with silent stars Mabel Normand, Fatty Arbuckle and Chester Conklin, and we see a great artist evolve, appearing first as a silk-hatted pseudo-toff in his debut film, Making a Living, competing for work at a Los Angeles newspaper. In his second film, the seven-minute Kid Auto Races at Venice, he discovered his tramp persona complete with bowler and cane, delighting and puzzling the crowds at a children's...
This important, instructive, hugely enjoyable four-disc set contains painstakingly restored and attractively scored prints of 34 of the 35 films Charlie Chaplin made at Mack Sennett's Keystone studio between January and December 1914. They introduced Chaplin to the cinema, turning him in the process from an admired music hall artist into an accomplished film-maker, who ended the year on the threshold of becoming the most famous man in the world and its highest-paid entertainer. In the course of this astonishing 12 months, he worked with silent stars Mabel Normand, Fatty Arbuckle and Chester Conklin, and we see a great artist evolve, appearing first as a silk-hatted pseudo-toff in his debut film, Making a Living, competing for work at a Los Angeles newspaper. In his second film, the seven-minute Kid Auto Races at Venice, he discovered his tramp persona complete with bowler and cane, delighting and puzzling the crowds at a children's...
- 1/30/2011
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
The Tree of Life won’t be screening until May next year but Terrence Malick hasn’t disappeared for a few more years, he’s hard at work on his next film. Naturally there’s not much detail to go on but these photos confirm Ben Affleck is starring!
Also joining him for the Oklahoma based shoot is Olga Kurylenko, Javier Bardem, Barry Pepper, Rachel McAdams and Rachel Weisz. What’s amazing about some of these photos is the amount of times Terrence “Don’t Take My Picture” Malick appears in them. He’s notoriously secretive and private about having his photo taken, but check out his Hawaiian shirt in one of them!
The few things we do know about this movie is it’s a romantic drama (so pretty much like all his other films) and it looks as if it takes place in contemporary America. Which would be a first.
Also joining him for the Oklahoma based shoot is Olga Kurylenko, Javier Bardem, Barry Pepper, Rachel McAdams and Rachel Weisz. What’s amazing about some of these photos is the amount of times Terrence “Don’t Take My Picture” Malick appears in them. He’s notoriously secretive and private about having his photo taken, but check out his Hawaiian shirt in one of them!
The few things we do know about this movie is it’s a romantic drama (so pretty much like all his other films) and it looks as if it takes place in contemporary America. Which would be a first.
- 11/2/2010
- by Martyn Conterio
- FilmShaft.com
Taylor Swift had some stiff competition at Sunday's Grammy Awards - but nobody seemed more surprised by the country superstar's big win than Swift herself. "Ahh, this is album of the year," a breathless Swift said, as she took the stage to collect the night's big award at Los Angeles's Staples Center. "Oh wow! Thank you so much. I just hope that you know how much this means to me - that we get to take this back to Nashville." "This is for my dad," Swift said, still beaming from the win. "Thank you for all those times you said...
- 2/1/2010
- by Brian Orloff
- PEOPLE.com
Are you stoked for Julie that she’s been signed on for more episodes of Desperate Housewives after being dropped from Dexter?
We were completely shocked when Julie Benz’s character, Rita, was brutally bumped off on the season finale of Dexter, but pleased as punch to hear she had been resurrected to join the ladies of Wisteria Lane as educated stripper Robin (Not an oxymoron, apparently). But there’s even more good news: Julie has signed on for more than her originally slated three episodes on the show.
“[I'm doing] four episodes now,” Julie, 37, told HollywoodLife.com exclusively Jan. 16 at Access Hollywood’s Golden Globe Awards gifting suite, after picking out an oversized handbag at the Guess booth. “They gave me more. I actually start with Teri, but I end up interacting with all of Wisteria Lane.”
Julie, who says she’s a long-time fan of the show, couldn’t contain...
We were completely shocked when Julie Benz’s character, Rita, was brutally bumped off on the season finale of Dexter, but pleased as punch to hear she had been resurrected to join the ladies of Wisteria Lane as educated stripper Robin (Not an oxymoron, apparently). But there’s even more good news: Julie has signed on for more than her originally slated three episodes on the show.
“[I'm doing] four episodes now,” Julie, 37, told HollywoodLife.com exclusively Jan. 16 at Access Hollywood’s Golden Globe Awards gifting suite, after picking out an oversized handbag at the Guess booth. “They gave me more. I actually start with Teri, but I end up interacting with all of Wisteria Lane.”
Julie, who says she’s a long-time fan of the show, couldn’t contain...
- 1/20/2010
- by Kirstin Benson
- HollywoodLife
Making a living as King Khan’s look-alike hasn’t been easy for Raju Rahikwar. He has made a documentary on it called, Living in King Khan’s shadow. The 24 minute documentary is almost done except for a quote from Shah Rukh Khan. Raju has tried hard to contact Shah Rukh, but his efforts have been in vain.
Raju wants the world to know how he has come up in life. He just wants two minutes from Srk, for that will complete his documentary. He reminisces on meeting the star many times and one time when he spoke to him at Holy Family Hospital in Bandra. He remembers Srk being very humble. He had given.
Raju wants the world to know how he has come up in life. He just wants two minutes from Srk, for that will complete his documentary. He reminisces on meeting the star many times and one time when he spoke to him at Holy Family Hospital in Bandra. He remembers Srk being very humble. He had given.
- 8/31/2009
- by realbollywood
- RealBollywood.com
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