Vonarstræti [Life in a Fishbowl] (2014)

Slo naslov: -  

Drugi naslovi: Life in a Fishbowl

Država: Islandija 

Leto: 2014

Dolžina: 129', Imdb

Žanri: Drama 

Slo recenzija: - 

Režija: Baldvin Zophoníasson

Scenarij: Birgir Örn Steinarsson, Baldvin Zophoníasson

Igrajo: Thorsteinn Bachmann, Hera Hilmarsdottir, Thor Kristjansson, Valur Freyr Gunnarsson, Kristin Lea Sigridardottir, Sveinn Olafur Gunnarsson

[ENG]

Baldvin Zophoniasson's multi-character drama Life In a Fishbowl focuses on a handful of modern Icelanders whose lives intersect in unexpected ways. A successful but severely alcoholic poet befriends a single mother who works at a children's school during the day, but picks up extra cash at night as a call girl. Other characters include a former soccer player trying to find success in big business while staying true to his wife, the retired athlete's cynical mentor, and the parents of the teacher who are unaware of their daughter's moonlighting activities. Life In a Fishbowl screened at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.

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The lives of three characters intertwine in “Life in a Fishbowl,” a strongly acted, sensitively directed drama that reps a big step forward for Icelandic director Baldvin Zophoniasson after his 2010 teen meller, “Jitters.” This naturalistic portrait of fraught lifestyles in Reykjavik on the eve of the country’s 2008 economic meltdown touched a nerve on home turf, outdrawing Hollywood blockbusters to become one of the island’s biggest-ever domestic hits. Niche arthouse sales and further fest dates are in the offing for this probable foreign-language Oscar entry. (Alissa Simon, Variety)

Ocena

Yi ge ren de wu lin [Kung Fu Jungle] (2014)

Slo naslov: -

Drugi naslovi: Kung Fu Jungle

Država: Kitajska, Hong Kong

Leto: 2014 

Dolžina: 100' ,  Imdb

Žanri: Akcija, Triler  

Slo recenzija: -

Režija: Teddy Chan

Scenarij: David Chan, Teddy Chan, Ho Leung Lau

Igrajo: Donnie Yen, Charlie Yeung, Baoqiang Wang, Bing Bai, Deep Ng, Alex Fong, Kang Yu, Xing Yu

[ENG]

A vicious killer named Fung goes around Hong Kong killing top martial arts exponents and leaving a secret weapon called the Moonshadow as his calling card. When a convicted killer and kung fu expert named Ha - formerly working as a martial arts instructor before accidentally killing a man and being imprisoned and convicted for the crime he didn't intend to do - hears of this, he offers to help the police catch the killer in return for his freedom. With Ha's help, the police realize from the chronological order of the victims that the killer is targeting his victims, all top masters in their respective martial arts style, and following a martial code of training. After a close encounter with Fung, Ha suddenly disappears and the police begin to suspect the worse: that the two are accomplices and Fung was the bait to help spring Ha from jail. But Ha has actually gone back to his home in Foshan to find out more about the mysterious calling card. While doing so, he discovers the killer's ...

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Fans of Hong Kong martial arts will delight at the number of stars from past and present who litter the screen during Kung Fu Jungle. From contemporary fighting performers like Xing Yu and Fan Siu Wong, to past masters including Yuen Cheung Yan and even Lau Kar Leung (albeit on TV). But the film's desire to acknowledge and pay respect to the accomplished artists of Hong Kong Cinema extends way beyond martial artists, with everyone from Andrew Lau and Soi Cheang to Bruce Law and Derek Kwok popping up in blink-and-you'll-miss-em cameos throughout the film. And don't worry if you don't spot them all, as they are all name-checked - even those who failed to make the final cut - in the film's closing credits.

Yen does a decent job of carrying the drama in a mostly non-physical role, portraying a proficient yet peaceful man thrown into perilous circumstances seemingly beyond his control. We will likely see him take on many more similar roles in the future - formerly violent men struggling to live out their lives peacefully - and here he seems more comfortable when not fighting than he's ever been. (James Marsh, Twitch)

Ocena

Sayonara kabukicho [Kabukicho Love Hotel] (2014)

Slo naslov: -  

Drugi naslovi: Kabukicho Love Hotel 

Država: Japonska

Leto: 2014

Dolžina: 135' ,  Imdb

Žanri: Drama, Romantični

Slo recenzija: -

Režija: Ryuichi Hiroki

Scenarij: Haruhiko Arai, Futoshi Nakano

Igrajo:  Shôta Sometani, Atsuko Maeda, Aoba Kawai, Roy 5tion, Lee Eun-Woo, Shugo Oshinari 

[ENG]

Movie follows the lives of various people connected by a love hotel in Kabukicho, Tokyo. Characters include Toru (Shota Sometani), Saya (Atsuko Maeda), the cleaning woman for the love hotel (Kaho Minami), the cleaning woman’s husband (Yutaka Matsushige), music producer (Nao Omori), salaryman (Jun Murakami), prostitute scout (Shugo Oshinari) and the manager of a call girl business (Tomorowo Taguchi).

Toru dreamed of working at a 5 star hotel, but he now works as the manager of the short stay love hotel in Kabukicho, Tokyo. Meanwhile, his girlfriend Saya struggles to become a famous musician. Toru and Saya become bored of living together.

Film Festivals

• 2014, Toronto International Film Festival 
• 2014, Busan International Film Festival 
• 2014, Hawaii International Film Festival 
• 2014, Singapore International Film Festival
• 2015, Udine Far East Film 
• 2015, Nippon Connection 
• 2015, New York Asian Film Festival 

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A lot less raunchy than its title might suggest, but not without a few racy interludes, “Kabukicho Love Hotel” is a mostly successful multi-strand drama set over the course of a single night in Tokyo’s red-light district. Although the outcomes of some stories are a little too sentimental, the film is populated by interesting characters involved in intriguing situations. Directed with a knowing eye by former “pink film” kingpin Ryuichi Hiroki, this lengthy but never dull riff on the “Grand Hotel” formula is ideal fest fare and ought to click with domestic auds when it’s released locally in January 2015. (Richard Kuipers, Variety)

Ocena

Haganenet [The Kindergarten Teacher] (2014)

Slo naslov: - 

Drugi naslovi: The Kindergarten Teacher

Država: Izrael, Francija

Leto: 2014

Dolžina: 119',  Imdb

Žanri: Drama   

Slo recenzija: -

Režija: Nadav Lapid

Scenarij: Nadav Lapid

Igrajo: Sarit Larry, Avi Shnaidman, Lior Raz, Hamuchtar, Ester Rada, Guy Oren, Yehezkel Lazarov, Dan Toren, Avishag Kahalani

[ENG]

In a world that does not appreciate artists, where sensitive souls don't stand a chance, a poetry-loving kindergarten teacher discovers a child poet and decides to take it upon herself to nurture him. To save his greatness from the world, to salvage him from the banal, the mediocre and the crude - to save him from life itself. It is the story of a female Don Quixote, who strives to save the world through the poetry of a child, and of a pensive child who has no desire to be saved.

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Opinions will be sharply divided on Nadav Lapid’s “The Kindergarten Teacher,” a mannered story about the titular character and her obsession with a 5-year-old, poetry-spouting wunderkind. Precisely lensed in an intriguing style that often makes the camera an additional protag, the pic is more artificial than the helmer’s debut, “Policeman,” and has a much narrower focus, being a cool-headed denunciation of crass contempo life and its inability to value the poetic. Always engrossing but also perplexing and offering little deeper than the obvious, “Teacher” still reps a new development in a striking, idiosyncratic director and will see strong fest rotation. (Jay Weissberg, Variety)

Ocena

Macondo (2014)

Slo naslov: - 

Država: Avstrija

Leto: 2014

Dolžina: 98',  Imdb

Žanri: Drama   

Slo recenzija: -

Režija: Sudabeh Mortezai

Scenarij: Sudabeh Mortezai

Igrajo: Ramasan Minkailov, Aslan Elbiev, Kheda Gazieva, Rosa Minkailova, Iman Nasuhanowa, Askhab Umaev, Hamsat Nasuhanov, Champascha Sadulajev

[ENG]

Ramasan has a lot of responsibility for an 11-year-old. In traditional Chechen society, he is now considered the man of the house in charge of his mother and two younger sisters. His world is now centered in Macondo, a tough ethnic neighborhood in the industrial suburbs of Vienna.

Ramasan speaks German much better than his mother Aminat, and he often translates for her regarding school and government welfare matters. Aminat is still coping with having lost her husband, fleeing Chechnya and trying to make ends meet as a single mother and foreigner in a new society.

Ramasan's confined world is disrupted when Isa, his father's war buddy, moves into the low-income housing complex. Isa pays his respects to Aminat and her children, giving them the watch and a family photo his dead friend always carried with him.

This encounter awakens Ramasan's interest in his father. He seeks Isa's company, but the outsider remains secretive about the past. Isa gradually opens up and a bond evolves between them that helps young Ramasan face and overcome his worst fear. Isa could become a new, much more human, father figure than the boy's abstract memory of the war hero at the family altar. But when Aminat begins to warm up to Isa, conflicted Ramasan feels the need to protect the image of his dead father…

[Press Comments]

...a wonderfully engaging, absorbing coming of age/culture clash tale ... an absolutely astonishing performance from its young, effortlessly natural lead Ramasan Minkailov...superb performances, authentic context and impressive filmmaking…

(Jenny Kiang, Indiewire)

Sudabeh Mortezai's first narrative feature is modest in scope yet entirely captivating in the docu-style humanism of its approach, enriched by unsentimental compassion for its characters.

(David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter)

This sensitive Austrian social drama from docu helmer Sudabeh Mortezai focuses on a refugee settlement outside Vienna ... a deeply humanist perspective well suited to international festival travel.

(Peter Debruge, Variety)

Ocena

Pawn Sacrifice (2014)

Slo naslov: Dvoboj stoletja

Država: ZDA

Leto: 2014

Dolžina: 115',  Imdb

Žanri: Biografija, Drama  

Slo recenzija: Mladina, Delo

Režija: Edward Zwick

Scenarij: Steven Knight, Stephen J. Rivele, Christopher Wilkinson

Igrajo: Tobey Maguire, Liev Schreiber, Peter Sarsgaard,  Lily Rabe, Sophie Nélisse, Robin Weigert, Michael Stuhlbarg, Evelyne Brochu, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick

[SLO]

Via Kolosej

Dvoboj stoletja je pretresljiva zgodba iz časa, ko je bila hladna vojna na vrhuncu in se je šahovski genij Bobby Fisher znašel v primežu dveh velesil. Izzval je Sovjetsko zvezo in na koncu z igro, ki ni pomenila le premikanja figur na šahovnici, pač pa tudi na svetovni šahovnici, končal 24-letno sovjetsko prevlado v šahovskem vrhu z zmago proti svetovnemu šahovskemu prvaku Borisu Spaskimu. Čeprav je vrhunec filma šahovski dvoboj stoletja, pa se biografska drama prvenstveno ukvarja z notranjo borbo briljantnega fanta iz Brooklyna, z njegovo genialnostjo in norostjo, med katerima je še enkrat več zelo tanka črta.

[ENG]

In a gripping true story set during the height of the Cold War, American chess prodigy Bobby Fischer (Tobey Maguire) finds himself caught between two superpowers when he challenges the Soviet Empire. Also starring Liev Schreiber and Peter Sarsgaard, PAWN SACRIFICE chronicles Fischer's terrifying struggles with genius and madness, and the rise and fall of a kid from Brooklyn who captured the imagination of the world. (C) Bleecker Street

[RT Critics Consensus]

Anchored by a sensitive performance from Tobey Maguire, Pawn Sacrifice adds another solidly gripping drama to the list of films inspired by chess wiz Bobby Fischer.

Ocena

Catch Me Daddy (2014)

Slo naslov: - 

Država: VB

Leto: 2014

Dolžina: 112',  Imdb

Žanri: Drama, Triler   

Slo recenzija: -

Režija: Daniel Wolfe, Matthew Wolfe

Scenarij: Daniel Wolfe, Matthew Wolfe

Igrajo: Sameena Jabeen Ahmed, Conor McCarron, Gary Lewis, Wasim Zakir, Ali Ahmad, Shahid Ahmed, Anwar Hussain

[ENG]

CATCH ME DADDY, Daniel Wolfe's first feature, written and created with his brother Matthew, follows Laila, a teenager from a ruthless criminal family as she flees home with her boyfriend, Aaron. Laila's family, who disapprove of the relationship on the grounds of religious principles, decide to hire a couple of mercenary thugs to chase them down - a pursuit that takes them deep into the muck of the Yorkshire Moors. Described by the Wolfe brothers as a "modern-day Western," the film is a tough, atmospheric, all-together riveting experience, which also received very strong reviews upon its Cannes premiere before heading to the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, The London Film Festival, and International Film Festival Rotterdam. (C) Oscilloscope

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Musicvideo helmer Daniel Wolfe and his brother Matthew confirm that style and content need not be mutually exclusive with their impressive feature debut, “Catch Me Daddy,” which tracks the doomed attempts of a British Asian teen runaway to escape the long arm of her violently protective family. Beautifully shot on 35mm by justly garlanded lenser Robbie Ryan, and performed with affecting naturalism by a cast that mixes trained thesps with non-professionals, the pic looks certain for further fest action following its Cannes Directors’ Fortnight berth, before niche theatrical outings. But the bleak storyline will likely discourage broader audiences from joining the pursuit. (Charles Gant, Variety)

[RT Critics Consensus]

Stylish and intense, Catch Me Daddy serves as an effective calling card for debuting British directors Daniel and Matthew Wolfe.

Ocena

Deadpool (2016)

Slo naslov: Deadpool

Država: ZDA, Kanada

Leto: 2016 

Dolžina: 108',  Imdb

Žanri: Akcija, Avantura, Komedija   

Slo recenzija: Filmoljub, Mladina, Siol

Režija: Tim Miller

Scenarij: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick 

Igrajo: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T.J. Miller, Gina Carano, Brianna Hildebrand

[SLO]

Via Kolosej

Zgodba, ki sloni na najbolj nenavadnem stripovskem junaku založbe Marvel Comics, govori o tem, kako je nekdanji operativec posebnih enot in nato plačani morilec Wade Wilson podvrženo neodobrenim preizkusom, zaradi katerih pridobi pospešene sposobnosti celjenja in ozdravitve ter se tako prelevi v svoj drugi jaz – v junaka z imenom Deadpool. Oborožen z novimi sposobnostmi in smislom za črn, sprevržen humor se poda na lov za možakarjem, ki mu je skoraj uničil življenje.

Deadpool je v vesolju likov matične založbe naravnost edinstven; Fabian Nicieza in Rob Liefeld sta ga ustvarila z mislijo na junaka, ki se pogosto ne obnaša, kot se spodobi za nadnaravne junake. Je prezirljiva plat sicer nadvse svetih junakov in zlikovcev, ki polnijo strani drugih stripov založbe Marvel Comics, kar naprej stresa šale in nenehno naslavlja občinstvo.

[ENG]

Based upon Marvel Comics' most unconventional anti-hero, DEADPOOL tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life. (C) Fox

[RT Critics Consensus]

Fast, funny, and gleefully profane, the fourth-wall-busting Deadpool subverts superhero film formula with wildly entertaining -- and decidedly non-family-friendly -- results.

Ocena

11 minut [11 Minutes] (2015)

Slo naslov: 11 minut

Drugi naslovi: 11 Minutes 

Država: Poljska, Irska

Leto: 2015

Dolžina: 81',  Imdb

Žanri: Drama, Triler

Slo recenzija: -

Režija: Jerzy Skolimowski

Scenarij: Jerzy Skolimowski

Igrajo: Richard Dormer, Wojciech Mecwaldowski, Andrzej Chyra, Dawid Ogrodnik, Paulina Chapko

[ENG]

Polish master Jerzy Skolimowski (Four Nights with Anna, Essential Killing) shuttles between the stories of several characters over the course of eleven minutes on a single day in Warsaw.

After a seventeen-year break from filmmaking in the 1990s and 2000s, one of the major figures of Polish cinema returned to his native country and emerged with 2008's wonderful Four Nights with Anna, heralding the resurrection of a protean artist. Firmly ensconced back in Poland, his rebellious instincts intact, Jerzy Skolimowski pushes into new cinematic territory with this highly provocative, multi-narrative film.

With 11 Minutes, Skolimowski gathers inspiration from an increasingly fragmented and decentralized post-9/​​11 society. His camera prowls through the Warsaw hotel rooms, offices, and homes of a handful of characters, following each of them individually over the course of the same brief passage of time. He uses several small, seemingly unconnected stories to form a larger net that captures the mood of a major metropolis: an American film producer plays cat-and-mouse with a young actress while her husband tries frantically to reach her in the hotel room where the "audition" is taking place; a hot-dog vendor sells sausages in the street; a motorcycle courier pulls off near-miracles trying to dodge another jealous husband; a young man plans to break into a pawnshop. As each story develops, the veneer of each character's behaviour is stripped away until Skolimowski ties all the plot threads together in a breathtaking climax.

11 Minutes feels like a roller coaster ride, as our attention moves rapidly amongst the various stories. The film is kinetic, frantic at times, contemplative at others, all in the service of a work that reflects the fragmented nature of our modern world. (Piers Handling, TIFF)

Ocena

Cha-i-na-ta-un [Coin Locker Girl] (2015)

Slo naslov: - 

Drugi naslovi: Coin Locker Girl

Država: Južna Koreja

Leto: 2015

Dolžina: 110' ,  Imdb

Žanri: Drama, Krimi, Triler  

Slo recenzija: -

Režija: Han Jun-Hee

Scenarij: Han Jun-Hee 

Igrajo: Kim Go-Eun, Kim Hye-Soo, Um Tae-Goo, Park Bo-Gum, Ko Gyung-Pyo, Lee Soo-Kyung

[ENG]

Via Wikipedia

A baby is found abandoned inside a coin locker at Western Seoul train station in 1996. A beggar takes her and names her Il-young, then when she turns 10, she is sold off to a woman referred to simply as Mother. Mother is the boss of a loan shark and organ trafficking crime ring in Chinatown, Incheon; she has held on to her position of power by being dispassionate and calculating, and by keeping by her side only those of use to her. Mother raises the young child, eventually grooming her for a position in her organization. By the time Il-young is 18 years old, she has become Mother's trusted right hand. One day, Il-young is given a task: to get close to Suk-hyun, the son of a debtor. Over the course of a few days, she becomes friends with the boy and is exposed to a world she never knew existed. She envies the normalcy that other teenage girls enjoy and opens her heart to Suk-hyun. But when his father flees, Mother orders her to kill Suk-hyun. Il-young cannot go through with it and by making that single choice, she must now flee from the only family she has ever known.

[Festivals, awards]

2015, Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival 
2015, Giffoni Film Festival
2015, Korean Association of Film Critics Awards - Best Actress (Kim Hye-Soo) 

Ocena

Racing Extinction (2015)

Slo naslov: - 

Država: ZDA, Kitajska, Mehika

Leto: 2015 

Dolžina: 90',  Imdb

Žanri: Dokumentarni   

Slo recenzija: -

Režija: Louie Psihoyos

Scenarij: Mark Monroe

Igrajo: Elon Musk, Joel Sartore, Louie Psihoyos, Leilani Münter

[ENG]

Scientists predict we may lose half the species on the planet by the end of the century. They believe we have entered the sixth major extinction event in Earth's history. Number five took out the dinosaurs. This era is called the Anthropocene, or 'Age of Man', because the evidence shows that humanity has sparked this catastrophic loss. We are the only ones who can stop it as well. The Oceanic Preservation Society, the group behind the Academy Award (R) winning film THE COVE, is back for "6". Along with some new innovators, OPS will bring a voice to the thousands of species on the very edge of life. An unlikely team of activists is out to expose the two worlds endangering species across the globe. The first threat to the wild comes from the international trade of wildlife. Bogus markets are being created at the expense of creatures who have survived on this planet for millions of years. The other threat is all around us, hiding in plain sight.

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"Everybody on the OPS team is a little bit odd. They have something going for them in an interesting way, but they've been able to adapt their talent to this bigger cause. My feeling is that everybody out there has a special skill like the OPS team."

- Louie Psihoyos

Whereas marine activist Louie Psihoyos’ “The Cove” took an environmental crisis — specifically, the slaughter and sale of dolphins off the coast of Japan — and turned it into a white-knuckle suspense thriller, his even higher-stakes follow-up, “Racing Extinction,” feels disappointingly conventional by comparison, like something junior-high kids might watch on a slow day in science class. Though extremely well produced and loaded with even more covert save-the-world stunts, the film doesn’t engage in quite the same way, perhaps because Psihoyos’ squad has been so good about getting the word out along the way. Still, he’s right to recognize that a documentary will have a wider reach than his National Geographic and other old-media contributions do, bound to be amplified when Discovery Channel puts its muscle behind a worldwide broadcast premiere later this year. (Peter Debruge, Variety)

Ocena

Hiljadarka (2015)

Slo naslov: Hiljadarka

Država: BiH

Leto: 2015

Dolžina: 93',  Imdb

Žanri: Komedija, Drama   

Slo recenzija: Mladina

Režija: Nenad Djurić

Scenarij: Zilhad Ključanin

Igrajo: Branislav Trifunović, Aida Bukva, Nikola Kojo, Moamer Kasumović, Željko Pervan

[ENG]

A young man by the name of Atif Kurtovic goes into a mine for the first time in his life to become a miner and to continue exactly where his now retired grandfather had left off. However, his fate is soon completely changed when he is picked as the face for the most valuable banknote in the country, the bill in the amount of one thousand dinars. Because of this, Atif soon finds himself on his way to Belgrade where Tito's personal photographer takes his picture and thus allows Atif to become a part of history. Into this story enters a young girl whose nickname, "Hiljadarka / A Thousand", is no accident and with whom Atif falls in love. When Tito announces his personal visit to Atif's hometown, there begins an adventure that they will all remember for the rest of their lives.

[SLO]

Zabavna anekdota o življenju v Jugoslaviji prikazuje neperspektivno življenje mladega rudarja Atifa, ki sledi težkemu poklicu upokojenega očeta. Toda že po prvem dnevu v rudniku se mu življenje postavi na glavo, saj ga izberejo, da bo njegova podoba odtisnjena na novem bankovcu za 1000 dinarjev. Na poti na slikanje v Beograd spozna predsednika Tita, kar mu odpre vsa vrata v državi. Toda mladenič se zagleda v prostitutko Hiljadarko, ponoven prihod Tita v njegov rojstni kraj pa v ironičnem preobratu usode znova premeša življenja vseh vpletenih. (Vir: Voyo.si)  

Ocena

Gangnam 1970 [Gangnam Blues] (2015)

Slo naslov: - 

Drugi naslovi: Gangnam Blues 

Država: Južna Koreja

Leto: 2015

Dolžina: 135' ,  Imdb

Žanri: Akcija, Krimi, Drama  

Slo recenzija:-

Režija: Yoo Ha

Scenarij: Yoo Ha 

Igrajo: Lee Min-Ho, Kim Rae-Won, Jung Jin-Young, Seol Hyun, Kim Ji-Su, Lee Yeon-Doo, Yoo Seung-Mok

[ENG]

Jong-Dae (Lee Min-Ho) and Yong-Ki (Kim Rae-Won) grew up in an orphanage like real brothers. After they leave the orphanage, they make a living by picking up paper and empty bottles. Jong-Dae then becomes involved in a struggle of interests over development in Gangnam, Seoul. In the process, he lives with Gil-Soo (Jung Jin-Young) and Sun-Hye (Seol Hyun) as they accept Jong-Dae like a family member. Jong-Dae also becomes a gang member.

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Gangnam Blues also proves to be a great showcase for director Yoo’s vision and talent. Although it requires some concentration to follow its complex plot, the film imparts an impressive depth to the violence and deception shown on screen, as if it were all a part of a tense chess match. At the same time he devotes considerable attention to the surface: the look and energy of the film is thrilling, and the crowd fights in particular are as painful to watch as they are impressively choreographed and executed. The end result, as with his previous films, is that Gangnam Blues addresses the topic of violence in a sophisticated way, but never fully de-glamorizes it either. You could flag this as one of the work’s faults, or you could argue that the contradictory feelings that the film gives you – of being simultaneously repelled and seduced by violence – is what makes it interesting. (Darcy Paquet, Udine Far East Film Festival)

On a technical level, this is Yoo’s most accomplished film to date with a number of outstanding set-pieces using an array of camera angles and locations while masterfully exploiting lighting, colour and choreography giving it a rich noir touch. (Jason Bechervaise, Screen Daily)

Ocena

Prins [Prince] (2015)

Slo naslov: -

Drugi naslovi: Prince

Država: Nizozemska

Leto: 2015

Dolžina: 79',  Imdb

Žanri: Drama  

Slo recenzija: -

Režija: Sam de Jong

Scenarij: Sam de Jong

Igrajo:  Ayoub Elasri, Oussama Addi, Elsie de Brauw, Olivia Lonsdale, Achraf Meziani, Jorik Scholten 

[ENG]

It is summer in the estate on the edge of town that provides the location for Sam de Jong’s feature debut Prins. And it is hot. Any lad who has money here has got to be a wide boy. And if you are driving a Lamborghini you will definitely earn respect. The film’s young director unfolds his story with ease, infusing it with a good dose of irony and grotesque exaggeration. The boys hang out on the street, cracking pumpkin seeds, talking about motorbikes, Rolex watches and how to kiss a girl. One of them is 17-year-old Ayoub. He is head over heels in love with pretty Laura who may smile at him invitingly when she passes by, but later sends him packing with a withering look. Her boyfriend is one of the really tough guys. How on earth can Ayoub compete? He has hardly any money, shares a tiny room with his sister at home; his mother is careworn and his father lives on the streets. He has to do something. Cue the guy in the pastel-hued violet Lamborghini – a complete nut that everyone says you should just stay away from. It is going to be a long, nightmarish night for Ayoub.

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Teenage traumas in the hood, with gangstas hovering, inaccessible love objects to be won and the odd pair of luxury sneakers – it all adds up to an increasingly familiar format in European urban realism. But we’re not used to seeing it in a Dutch context, nor with the kind of skewed comic approach of Prince, an enjoyably idiosyncratic debut feature from Sam de Jong. (Jonathan Romney, Screendaily)

Ocena

Suffragette (2015)

Slo naslov: Sufražetke

Država: VB

Leto: 2015

Dolžina:106',  Imdb

Žanri: Biografija, Drama, Zgodovinski  

Slo recenzija: Mladina, Delo

Režija: Sarah Gavron

Scenarij: Abi Morgan

Igrajo: Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Brendan Gleeson, Anne-Marie Duff, Ben Whishaw, Meryl Streep

[SLO]

Zgodba, ki so jo navdihnile resnične sufražetke - prve borke za enakopravnost žensk, prikazuje turobno življenje mlade Maud, ki poleg skrbi za revno družino doživlja vsakodnevna ponižanja na delu v pralnici. Čeprav ni izobražena, jo navdihnejo govori odločne Emmeline, ki se zavzema za pravice žensk. Toda patriarhalna družba ostaja gluha, zato se Maud pridruži skupini ženk, ki načrtujejo nasilen upor proti oblasti, s tem pa na kocko postavijo svoja življenja, kot tudi ugled in prihodnost lastnih družin.

Politična drama se osredotoča na žensko gibanje sufražetk v poznem 19. stoletju. Carey Mulligan igra glavni lik, mlado politično aktivistko. Medtem ko njen lik ne temelji na določeni resnični osebnosti, Meryl Streep igra Emmeline Pankhurst, vodjo gibanja. Ta je ustanovila skupino, nekaj časa preživela v zaporu zaradi napada na policista ter igrala veliko vlogo pri Representation of the People Act iz leta 1918, ki je reformiral volilni sistem. Umrla je nekaj tednov pred potrditvijo volilne pravice za ženske, starejše od 21 let. (Vir: Kolosej)

[ENG]

Academy Award nominees Carey Mulligan and Helena Bonham Carter, and three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep, lead the cast of a powerful drama about the women who were willing to lose everything in their fight for equality in early-20th-century Britain. The stirring story centers on Maud (played by Carey Mulligan), a working wife and mother whose life is forever changed when she is secretly recruited to join the U.K.'s growing suffragette movement. Galvanized by the outlaw fugitive Emmeline Pankhurst (Meryl Streep), Maud becomes an activist for the cause alongside women from all walks of life. When increasingly aggressive police action forces Maud and her dedicated fellow suffragettes underground, they engage in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with the authorities, who are shocked as the women's civil disobedience escalates and sparks debate across the nation. Inspired by true events, SUFFRAGETTE is a moving drama exploring the passion and heartbreak of those who risked all they had for women's right to vote - their jobs, their homes, their children, and even their lives. The film also stars Ben Whishaw, Anne-Marie Duff, Brendan Gleeson, Romola Garai, and Natalie Press. SUFFRAGETTE is directed by BAFTA Award winner Sarah Gavron from an original screenplay by Emmy Award winner Abi Morgan. (C) Focus Features

[RT Critics Consensus]

Suffragette dramatizes an important -- and still painfully relevant -- fact-based story with more than enough craft and sincerity to overcome its flaws.

Ocena

Emrouz [Today] (2014)

Drugi naslovi: Today

Slo naslov: -  

Država: Iran

Leto: 2014

Dolžina: 88' ,  Imdb

Žanri: Drama  

Slo recenzija: -

Režija: Reza Mirkarimi

Scenarij: Reza Mirkarimi, Shadmehr Rastin

Igrajo: Parviz Parastui, Soheila Golestani, Shabnam Moghadami, Roozbeh Hesari

[ENG]

A Tehran taxi driver becomes the impromptu protector of a desperate young pregnant woman after he rushes her to hospital, in this delicate, deceptively small-scale drama from award-winning Iranian director Reza Mirkarimi.

In Iranian cinema's classic tradition of character-driven, deceptively small-scale drama, award-winning director Reza Mirkarimi's Today chronicles a brief but stirring encounter between two strangers.

In the middle of a bustling Tehran afternoon, as taxi driver Youness (Parviz Parastui) quietly ends his shift, he is accosted by a desperate new fare: a frantic young woman named Sedigheh (Soheila Golestani, in a delicate debut performance), begging to be taken to the hospital. A man of few words, Youness retains his stoic composure despite the young woman's visible distress. Upon their arrival at the hospital he reluctantly escorts her inside in the absence of accompanying family members. As personal secrets are revealed throughout the night, his silent compassion and Sedigheh's timid dependence will entwine.

Intimate and understated, Today is a profound testament to the enduring power of empathy and fellow feeling in an increasingly cruel and prejudicial world. With a pair of absorbing performances, Parastui and Golestani draw the viewer gradually in, painting a highly sympathetic portrait of suffering in the context of a seemingly uncaring environment. Mirkarimi structures his narrative with a balanced, emotional rhythm, slowly and skilfully disclosing his characters' backstories as he observes them with the objectivity for which contemporary Iranian filmmaking is renowned. Today is a magnificent example of the power of film, suffused with the deeply penetrating insight of a compassionate and exceptionally talented filmmaker. (Review by Dimitri Eipides, TIFF.net)

Director’s Statement

I wanted to make a film about people who help others without knowing them and whose anonymity remains once help has been rendered; an anonymity which also exists for the cinema audience. Such a dimension is built on a minimum of dialogue, as speech is often a source of misunderstanding. Saint-Exupéry feared war, but for me it’s my society’s moral crisis I fear the most. If  Night Flight‘s pilot ever became a taxi driver in Tehran’s megapolis, would he be able to remain silent confronted by all the slings and arrows of an exasperated society? Would he be able to take a pretty little flower to his world of solitude?

Ocena