Category Archives: Venice International Film Festival

Venice hit ‘In the City of Sylvia’ to open in the UK

By Ray Bennett Thanks to Axiom Films, a terrific film titled “In the City of Sylvia”, which I reviewed in Venice in 2007, is finally to open in the UK from March 13. You can see details of London screenings at … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Reviews, Venice International Film Festival | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Venice hit ‘In the City of Sylvia’ to open in the UK

VENICE: Guillermo Arriaga worries about ‘The Burning Plain’

By Ray Bennett VENICE – Veteran screenwriter and first-time director Guillermo Arriaga sat by the pool at a hotel on the Venice Lido and confessed that he was not calm, not calm at all. He completed his film “The Burning … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Interviews, Venice International Film Festival | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on VENICE: Guillermo Arriaga worries about ‘The Burning Plain’

VENICE: ‘The Wrestler’ wins the Golden Lion

By Ray Bennett U.S. movie “The Wrestler” won the Golden Lion for best picture at the Venice International Film Festival on Saturday at the close of the 11-day competition on the Lido. The film stars Mickey Rourke as an ageing … Continue reading

Posted in Film, News, Venice International Film Festival | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on VENICE: ‘The Wrestler’ wins the Golden Lion

VENICE FILM REVIEW: Gerardo Naranjo’s ‘I’m Gonna Explode’

By Ray Bennett VENICE – Two restless teenagers decide to run away together but do it by camping out on the roof of the boy’s rich father’s hilltop villa in Mexican filmmaker Gerardo Naranjo’s effervescent thriller “I’m Gonna Explode.” Engaging … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Reviews, Venice International Film Festival | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on VENICE FILM REVIEW: Gerardo Naranjo’s ‘I’m Gonna Explode’

VENICE FILM REVIEW: Bohdan Slama’s ‘A Country Teacher’

By Ray Bennett VENICE – A big-city natural history teacher arrives at a small rural Czech school and makes a great impression until his unresolved emotions about being homosexual threaten to ruin his life in Bohdan Slama’s absorbing drama. An … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Reviews, Venice International Film Festival | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on VENICE FILM REVIEW: Bohdan Slama’s ‘A Country Teacher’

VENICE FILM REVIEW: Sallie Aprahamian’s ‘Broken Lines’

By Ray Bennett VENICE – Sallie Aprahamian’s film is a dour romance involving a man conflicted following the death of his domineering father and a woman who feels trapped having to look after a disabled partner. Written by leads Dan … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Reviews, Venice International Film Festival | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on VENICE FILM REVIEW: Sallie Aprahamian’s ‘Broken Lines’

VENICE FILM REVIEW: Coen Bros’ ‘Burn After Reading’

By Ray Bennett VENICE – When Randy Newman was writing the score for the Mel Gibson western “Maverick,” director Richard Donner asked him if he could write some funny music. “Funny music? What’s funny music?” asked Newman. “I could stick … Continue reading

Posted in Comment, Film, Music, TIFF Toronto International Film Festival, Venice International Film Festival | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on VENICE FILM REVIEW: Coen Bros’ ‘Burn After Reading’

VENICE FILM REVIEW: Werner Schroeter’s ‘Nuit de chien’

By Ray Bennett VENICE – Noir doesn’t get any darker than in Werner Schroeter’s film version of Uruguayan novelist Juan Carlos Onetti’s “Nuit de chien” (Tonight), a grim tale set in a state-controlled South American city torn apart by competing … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Reviews, Venice International Film Festival | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on VENICE FILM REVIEW: Werner Schroeter’s ‘Nuit de chien’

VENICE FILM REVIEW: Haile Gerima’s ‘Teza’

By Ray Bennett VENICE – An idealistic doctor returns from years in Western Europe to help his African nation fight poverty and hunger and is caught between a criminal military regime and an implacable resistance movement in Haile Gerima’s film … Continue reading

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

VENICE FILM REVIEW: Semih Kaplanoglu’s ‘Milk’

By Ray Bennett VENICE – Turkish director Semih Kaplanoglu’s slow and perplexing feature “Milk” has something to do with how hard it is for young men in rural Central Anatolia to leave their mothers, but its point is obscured in … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Reviews, Venice International Film Festival | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on VENICE FILM REVIEW: Semih Kaplanoglu’s ‘Milk’