Category Archives: Film

LOCARNO FILM REVIEW: Denis Rebaglia’s ‘Marcello, Marcello’

Posted on August 13, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett LOCARNO, Switzerland – Swiss director Denis Rebaglia’s romantic comedy “Marcello, Marcello” has a terminal case of the cutes as it relates the fable of a young man wooing his beloved on a Neapolitan island in the 1950s. … Continue reading →

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LOCARNO FILM REVIEW: Alessandro Baricco’s ‘Lecture 21’

Posted on August 12, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett LOCARNO, Switzerland – Italian director Alessandro Baricco’s English-language “Lecture 21” is a treat for lovers of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and filmgoers who enjoy sumptuous images accompanied by splendid music. The film explores the substance of a fictional … Continue reading →

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LOCARNO FILM REVIEW: Josue Mendez’s ‘Dioses (Gods)’

Posted on August 12, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett LOCARNO, Switzerland – Peruvian director Josue Mendez offers a pungent essay on the spoiled rich of his native land in “Dioses,” which tells of two restless siblings dealing with their stern industrialist father and his sexy new … Continue reading →

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LOCARNO FILM REVIEW: Noh Young-Seok’s ‘Daytime Drinking’

Posted on August 11, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett LOCARNO, Switzerland – The title of Korean newcomer Noh Young-Seok’s first feature, “Daytime Drinking,” clunks like a cracked glass but it’s a spirited concoction full of surprises and dry rewards. It’s a wry tale about the perils … Continue reading →

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FILM REVIEW: ‘Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging’

Posted on July 25, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON — British movies have a history of exporting incorrigibly phony portraits of life in the country from village green coppers to plucky wartime Cockneys to country house families. Gurinder Chadha’s “Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging” adds … Continue reading →

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Orson Welles would applaud this ‘Mad Detective’

Posted on July 18, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett It’s already available on DVD, but I’ve been waiting for a chance to see “Mad Detective” on the big screen again since it was the surprise entry at the Venice International Film Festival last year. The picture … Continue reading →

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KVIFF AWARDS: ‘Terribly Happy’ night for festival winners

Posted on July 14, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett KARLOVY  VARY, Czech Republic – “We have a saying in England,” said Christopher Lee, ” Always take a woman by the waist and a bottle by the neck.” Lee spoke as he clutched a Crystal Globe – a trophy in … Continue reading →

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KVIFF FILM REVIEW: Zhang Chi’s “The Shaft”

Posted on July 13, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett KARLOVY VARY, Czech Republic – In three bittersweet episodes, Chinese filmmaker Zhang Chi’s “The Shaft” observes the monotony and frustration of workers whose lives are defined by the coalmines that offer the only local employment. Education alone … Continue reading →

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KVIFF FILM REVIEW: Michaela Pavlatova’s ‘Night Owls”

Posted on July 13, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett KARLOVY VARY, Czech Republic – Czech filmmaker Michaela Pavlatova’s “Night Owls” (Deti noci) tells of a young woman who works the late shift at her family’s convenience store in Prague but dreams of a better life. A … Continue reading →

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KVIFF FILM REVIEW: ‘The Investigator’

Posted on July 13, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett KARLOVY VARY, Czech Republic – Talky, quirky and full of inventive moments, Hungarian director Gigor Attila’s noir send-up “The Investigator” pitches a hired killer into a quest to discover the identity of the man he was paid … Continue reading →

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