Category Archives: Berlin International Film Festival

BERLIN FILM REVIEW: Lucia Puenzo’s ‘The Fish Child’

Posted on February 7, 2009 by admin

By Ray Bennett BERLIN – Argentinean writer-director Lucia Puenzo has followed up her successful first film, 2007 Cannes Critics Week winner “XXY,” with “The Fish Child” (El nino pez), which, despite its unfortunate title, is a satisfying noirish tale that … Continue reading →

Posted in Berlin International Film Festival, Film, Reviews | Tagged , , | Comments Off on BERLIN FILM REVIEW: Lucia Puenzo’s ‘The Fish Child’

BERLIN FILM REVIEW: Yoav Shamir’s ‘Defamation’

Posted on February 7, 2009 by admin

By Ray Bennett BERLIN – Israeli filmmaker Yoav Shamir tackles the thorny and provocative issue of anti-Semitism in his documentary “Defamation” and finds a deep divide between Jews who see it everywhere and Jews who find it nowhere, least of … Continue reading →

Posted in Berlin International Film Festival, Film, Reviews | Tagged , , | Comments Off on BERLIN FILM REVIEW: Yoav Shamir’s ‘Defamation’

BERLIN FILM REVIEW: ‘The Other Boleyn Girl’

Posted on February 15, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett BERLIN – Anne Boleyn was the one who managed to stay alive married to England’s King Henry VIII for 1000 days but her sister Mary in “The Other Boleyn Girl” would have been his queen if only … Continue reading →

Posted in Berlin International Film Festival, Film, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on BERLIN FILM REVIEW: ‘The Other Boleyn Girl’

BERLIN FILM REVIEW: Madonna’s ‘Filth and Wisdom’

Posted on February 13, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett BERLIN — The message in pop star Madonna’s first outing as feature film director, “Filth and Wisdom,” is that all of us can find peace of mind and happiness if we just get in touch with our … Continue reading →

Posted in Berlin International Film Festival, Film, Reviews | Tagged , , | Comments Off on BERLIN FILM REVIEW: Madonna’s ‘Filth and Wisdom’

BERLIN FILM REVIEW: ‘Heavy Metal in Baghdad’

Posted on February 12, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett BERLIN – The fate of four would-be head-bangers in the crazy world of Iraq may not add up to a hill of beans but it’s fodder for an engaging documentary by Canadian filmmakers Eddy Moretti and Suroosh … Continue reading →

Posted in Berlin International Film Festival, Film, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on BERLIN FILM REVIEW: ‘Heavy Metal in Baghdad’

BERLIN FILM REVIEW: Penelope Cruz in ‘Elegy’

Posted on February 11, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett BERLIN – With some fine naturalistic acting, Penelope Cruz just about saves Isabel Coixet’s gloomy drama “Elegy” from drowning in the drippy male fantasies of author Philip Roth, on whose short novel the film is based. Cruz … Continue reading →

Posted in Berlin International Film Festival, Film, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on BERLIN FILM REVIEW: Penelope Cruz in ‘Elegy’

BERLIN FILM REVIEW: ‘Lemon Tree’ by Eran Riklis

Posted on February 9, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett BERLIN – Taking its cue from the old song, the fruit of Eran Riklis’ wise and poignant film “Lemon Tree” is as unpalatable as the age-old and relentless friction between Israel and the West Bank. It’s a … Continue reading →

Posted in Berlin International Film Festival, Film, Reviews | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on BERLIN FILM REVIEW: ‘Lemon Tree’ by Eran Riklis

Berlin 2008: Too much moss on Scorsese’s Stones

Posted on February 7, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett BERLIN – The Rolling Stones’ concert documentary “Shine a Light,” which had its world premiere tonight at the Berlin International Film Festival, is a major disappointment for anyone who hopes to see a film that captures the … Continue reading →

Posted in Berlin International Film Festival, Comment, Film, Music | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Berlin 2008: Too much moss on Scorsese’s Stones

FILM REVIEW: ‘Scott Walker – 30 Century Man’

Posted on April 25, 2007 by admin

By Ray Bennett BERLIN – “Scott Walker — 30 Century Man” is presented as a straight documentary about an American pop singer who had a couple of U.K. hits in the 1960s as a member of a boy band and … Continue reading →

Posted in Berlin International Film Festival, Film, Music, Reviews | Comments Off on FILM REVIEW: ‘Scott Walker – 30 Century Man’

BERLIN FILM REVIEW: ‘I Served the King of England’

Posted on February 25, 2007 by admin

By Ray Bennett BERLIN – Forty years after their “Closely Watched Trains” won the Oscar for best foreign-language film, director Jiri Menzel has adapted another novel by the late Bohumil Hrabal, and history could well repeat itself when Academy members … Continue reading →

Posted in Berlin International Film Festival, Film, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment