The Double Hour..

RELEASE DATE: 2009 (Italy)

Lavazza Italian Film Festival Release in Australia.

 - - Recommended to anyone who enjoys the 'thriller' genre.

The Lavazza Italian Film Festival 2010 is serving up a treat of independent films. The Double Hour is a debut film for the director, Giuseppe Capotondi (normally found directing music videos), which featured in the 'Venice Film Festival 2009 official selection.

The main character in this film is the psychologically damaged 'Sonia' (played by Ksenia Rappoport) who meets the charismatic 'Guido' (played by actor Filippo Timi) at a speed-dating function. The recently widowed Guido is not interested in long term relationships but meeting Sonia soon changes his mind.

While Sonia continues her day job as a chamber-maid at an inner city Hotel in Turin, we are taken on an adventure where what ensues is a thriller with more than a couple of twists. Sonia's subconscious and reality become increasingly intertwined as the truth about her life is slowly revealed.

The film is entertaining with a couple of startling moments that had me leaping out of my seat, as Sonia's subconscious worked overtime.

http://www.charisse-movierevue.blogspot.com/









The Ghost Writer...

RELEASE DATE: 12th August 2010.

- Don't expect to interfere with the CIA and come out alive!

The Ghost Writer is a new film by the notorious director Roman Polanski, whose girlfriend Sharon Tate, was famously killed by the "Manson Family".  Unfortunately Roman Polanski is also famous in his own right, not only for Award winning films (Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown), but for past misdemeanors (he pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a minor in 1977) and fortunately this movie was good enough, that my personal feelings about Mr Polanski did not cloud my view of the film.

The Ghost Writer stars Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Tom Wilkinson, Olivia Willliams (who looks remarkably like Australian/Italian actress Greta Scacchi) and a toned down "Samantha" from Sex and the City (Kim Cattrall), playing a modern "M" like character to Pierce Brosnan's, Adam Lang (former British Prime Minister).

The film is suspenseful without trying to have too hard and confusing us with its many last minute twists and turns which many films of late seem to do. The story is about a Ghost Writer (Ewan McGregor) who is sent to the US to finish the memoirs of a past British Prime Minister, Pierce Brosnan. Upon arriving and meeting with the Prime Minister a series of events are reported in the media where the former Prime Minister is accused of assisting in the interrogation and death of terrorists in Afghanistan and is set to be investigated by the War Crimes tribunal.

What seems to be a straight forward turn of events becomes a plot involving betrayal, misguided career aspirations and the CIA.  .

http://charisse-movierevue.blogspot.com/

More Film Festivals.........

Well I can't keep up! It seems every week there is a different film festival on in Melbourne and here is but a few of them..

At the moment we have the Russian Film Festival, "Russian Resurrection" showing at Palace Cinema Como unitl September 5th.

With only one day to go the choices are smaller but there is a mixture of romance, thriller and action films left, to meet all tastes. 

http://www.russianresurrection.com/2010/

In a couple of weeks the Environmental Film Festival begins, 16th September - 19th September.

Watch out for the double feature, "Dive", (for those of you who would like to more about what cafe's and the like do with their excess food supplies) and the film "What's Organic about Organic", for those who are intrested in the debate about traditional Agriculture V's Organic.

http://www.effm.org.au/

After the Italian Film Festival (which I have spoken about in a past post) the Greek Film Festival runs from 13th October - 31st October and showing exclusively at Palace Cinema Como.

Watch out for "Bang Bang Wedding", which stars Alex Dimitriades and "Dogtooth" which was selected to screen at the Cannes Film Festival, 2010.

http://www.greekfilmfestival.com.au/

Over in Carlton at Cinema Nova we have The 2010 Mobile Samsung AFI Award Films screening from August 24th - September 16th.

Featuring, "Bran Nue Dae", "Animal Kingdom", "Accidents Happen", "Beneath Hill 60" and other Australian films released over the 2009 -2010 period.

Reel Anime 2010 also begins on September 2nd showcasing anime feature films from Japan. I am not known for my love of anime, however I am going to give it another shot by hopefully catching "Summer Wars", with its premise of the Worlds fate at stake, and in the hands of a young "Computer Nerd".

http://www.madman.com.au/reelanime/

The Singapore Film Festival screens on September 7th and 8th at both Cinema Nova and Greater Union Russel Street.

"Singapore Dreaming" is one of the films featuring in the program about a family living on a small Island and what happens once they win the lottery.

  This film was regarded on its release in "07", as “...one of Singapore’s best films ever.”

     FiRST, Singapore’s top film magazine

http://www.sffmelbourne.com/

Watch this blog for more updates and reviews from the many film festivals mentioned!

http://charisse-movierevue.blogspot.com/

Boy...

RELEASE DATE: 26th August 2010

- Thoroughly entertaining your mouth will hurt from smiling incessantly!

New Zealand film "Boy" from actor/director, Taika Waititi who wrote, directed and starred in this feature (and also directed the 2007 film Eagle vs Shark) is sure to entertain and pull on the heart-strings of those sensitive types! Soon to be release at Cinema Nova and Palace cinemas, this film is akin to such Australian classic's as "Muriel's Wedding" and will be sure to go down in New Zealand cinema history in much the same way.

Set in the mid 1980's "Boy" (played by young actor James Rolleston) shares his love of Michael Jackson and his dream to bond with and meet his absent father, Alameinn. None too soon Boy's wish comes true and his father returns to the family, although Boy and his Father's intentions are not exactly the same.

You must watch out for the hilarious scene where Boy first meet's his father and two of his friends outside the family home, a stilted conversation ensues which lay's the foundations of further interactions between the two and there are many more laugh-out-loud moments like this throughout the film.

A simple but sad tale told with humour and the insights of a young boy who comes to the realisation that his father isn't the man he had imagined him to be.

http://charisse-movierevue.blogspot.com/

Inception....

RELEASE DATE: 22nd July 2010.

- If Leo's your leading man of choice, then you will enjoy this film.

Inception is the new film from British director Christopher Nolan who was responsible for creating the darker Batman character, played by Christian Bale in "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight".

Inception has a star studded cast with Leonardo DiCaprio playing the lead role of "Cobb" along with Ellen Page of "Juno" fame, Joseph Gordon-Levitt of "60 Days of Summer", Academy Award winning actress Marion Cotillard from the film "La Vie en rose" and seminal actors Michael Caine, Pete Poselthwaite and Tom Berenger.

Up and coming British actor "Tom Hardy", who also features in the film, manages to steal the limelight from others through his sheer charisma and that British accent!  He is best known for his starring role in the film "Bronson" which premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival in 2009.

This film takes us on a journey which can be likened to that of the film "The Matrix", where reality and the subconscious become blurred. Leo appears to be attracted to the idea of reality and our skewed perceptions of it as his role in the film "Shutter Island" took a similar turn.

Casting in this film is similar to that of the Ocean's Eleven franchise, with a couple of  key character such as Leo's "Cobb" and Ellen Page's "Ariadne" supported by a cast of pretty young things and acting stalwarts Michael Caine and Pete Poselthwaite.  This film is enjoyable although perhaps a little too long (it seems lately the running time of each film has to be a minimum of 2 hours).  A thinking man's/woman's action/adventure!

http://charisse-movierevue.blogspot.com/