Happy Monday evening all! Hope everyone had a good weekend. I decided to take a couple of days off blogging and cinema going (call it post-TFF syndrome).
I am now refreshed and looking forward to another fun-filled movie week.
In the meantime, I would like to round out my Tribeca 2012 coverage by taking a look at the films in the narrative category.
Overall there were quite a few hits, one or two ‘misses’ and an equal amount of surprises.
Please read my brief assessments below …
Lola Versus
I thought this film was even-keeled alternative romcom that was worth a few chuckles on my part. It had a NY-hipster touch to it; generally this is not a cuppa, but an effective performance from current indie queen Greta Gerwig just about makes up for it. Fox Searchlight financed this film and it will hit cinemas on June 8.
Cheerful Weather for the Wedding
I wanted to like this film a lot more than I did. It had all the elements that I usually LOVE – a Brit period piece with a talented cast including Felicity Jones. But I left the film thinking that something was missing … possibly a better script? Even with some time and distance from the film, I still cannot make an absolute determination.
Death of a Superhero
Standout performances from Thomas Sangster (little kid from Love Actually) and Andy Serkis make this potentially maudlin and mawkish film worth watching.
Una Noche
This film was definitely chatted about at the TFF. Shot in Havana, Cuba, it gave the audience an unflinching glimpse into the life of this communist country. While Una Noche made headlines away from the camera, I think it was a good a solid effort from filmmaker Lucy Mulloy. But by the end of the film, I felt a little manipulated in the emotions it evoked.
Trishna
First of all, it is unfair how pretty Freida Pinto is – it really is. That said, Trishna is beautifully shot, with some fine lead performances. However, Michael Winterbottom’s Bollywood-styled adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s tragedy Tess of D’Urbervilles left me with quite a few questions. The answer may be simply this: IBA, READ THE BOOK! A side note: I was particularly disturbed by the transformation of the Riz Ahmed character, Jay.
Caroline and Jackie
Unfortunately this (melo)drama had people in my screening laughing. Now I know what you are thinking, “Some dramas have bits of humor in them … ” While this may be true, I would add that the laughter was definitely in places not intended. For my part, I just felt quite detached from the characters and in the end, I gave up on caring about their respective fates.
While We Were Here
I attended the World Premier, which was a fun, but had to wait a few days to actually park it and see the film in its entirety. What I saw surprised me – in a very positive way. In fact I would go as far as to say that this was my favorite film of the festival. The black and white cinematography is absolutely stunning and the performances all around were top-notch. It is amazing that such a beautiful, romantic landscape, Southern Italy, can yield such an anti-romantic tale. My hats off to writer-director Kat Coiro.
Graceland
This crime drama/thriller from the Philippines is not usually something that I would flock to the theater for but it was an effective story that was very disturbing in its raw look at human trafficking and child exploitation.
As Luck Would Have It
Despite the tragic undertone of this movie (and interesting title translation), I was entertained by the story of someone’s having a very bad day … It is also a satire that critiques our overly saturated modern media machine.
Supporting Characters
At a certain point, I did not even care what the plot was about; I was just that entertained with the banter and back-and-forth between the two main characters, Nick (Alex Karpovsky) and Darryl (co-writer Tarik Lowe).
Elles
My final opinion about this film is still being formed. Elles is an exploration of female sexuality and liberation as seen through the eyes of chief protagonist Anne (Juliet Binoche). Anne is an editor examining the lives of young students who support themselves by working as escorts.
What I Missed …
Bloody hell that’s a lot of interesting sounding movies. Most intrigued by…
Death of a Superhero
Una Noche
Graceland
Supporting Characters
Pete recently posted..Meeting an Oscar Winner: Peter Lamont
I was exhausted!
Is that Kate Bosworth in ‘While We Were Here’? That’s cool that you attended the world premiere!
ruth recently posted..The year of ensemble-cast movies – which one is your favorite?
Yeah. She was not at the World Premier Red Carpet. I only stayed for the arrivals but had to leave soon after. So I had to wait a couple of days to see the film.
I was a bit skeptical because she is not a lead I usually run to the theater to see. But she was perfectly okay in this film. I think the location is so awesome and it is a well developed story is why I liked it so much.