MAGIA, ESPADA Y FANTASÍA (VI)

La segunda parte de la monumental adaptación a la pantalla de la obra de J.R.R. Tolkien por Peter Jackson y su equipo da comienzo en el punto en que la Comunidad del Anillo se disuelve: Frodo y Sam siguen su camino hacia Mordor, Merry y Pipin han caído prisioneros de los orcos de Sauron, y Aragorn, Legolas y Gimli, dejando a los pequeños portadores del anillo que encuentren su propio destino, van tras los cautivos para liberarlos, mientras Sauron y su aliado Saruman siguen acumulando fuerzas con las que aplastar a las razas libres de la Tierra Media, desunidas y parapetadas tras sus débiles defensas…

Tras el impactante efecto sorpresa de la primera entrega, Las dos torres ofrece más de lo mismo (pero peor) en la forma, aunque empieza la decadencia en cuanto al fondo. Como dijimos en su momento en esta misma sección, a medida que la trilogía avanza, sus grandes virtudes se van poco a poco diluyendo y los pequeños inconvenientes del primer capítulo, minimizados ante la grandiosidad del conjunto, van creciendo hasta poco a poco adueñarse de este puente hacia la conclusión. El problema, precisamente, es la entrega incondicional a la espectacularidad de las formas y el paulatino descuido de unas, ya de por sí, demasiado elementales, lineales, esquemáticas cuestiones de fondo (personajes, psicología, motivaciones, reacciones ante los hechos…) siguiendo, obviamente, las pautas marcadas por Tolkien pero haciendo que la película, exactamente igual que su antecesora y su continuación, dependa en exclusiva de los conocimientos previos del espectador sobre la obra literaria a fin de que pueda entender la lógica de acontecimientos y personajes, sin que se trate de un producto cinematográfico autónomo. A ello no es ajena la introducción de las grandes batallas y de las escenas de acción propias de la historia en las que la entrega a la espectacularidad es total, y en las que se desvirtúan algunos logros de la primera parte. Por ejemplo, donde hay un ingente esfuerzo por utilizar el maquillaje y la caracterización para la construcción de las diversas criaturas “no humanas” y de ambientación y dirección artística para los espacios, comienza a haber demasiada labor de computadora a fin de recrear enormes ejércitos en movimiento, espacios abiertos o decorados en los que transcurran los combates, auténticamente de videojuego por más espectaculares que sean, y también en el momento de provocar un buen número de efectos de la violencia sobre individuos y objetos. La batalla principal es tan grandiosa como artificiosa, con algún que otro guiño que supera lo humorístico para adentrarse en lo ridículo, completamente fuera del tono general de la historia, y las múltiples y complejas tramas paralelas que como un mosaico van salpicando la narración y cambiando el punto de interés y de tensión a cada momento, unidas a la excesiva duración del film, hacen que el ritmo vaya desde la lentitud más extrema al servicio del crecimiento de una tensión no siempre lograda (porque hay que entender que al igual que se depende del libro para presuponer aspectos de los personajes el espectador ya conoce el desenlace de los hechos sobre los que se pretende cargar emoción) hasta la vertiginosa sucesión de acontecimientos acelerados que siembran la película de altibajos y lagunas de emoción.

El problema es que la ingenuidad y expectación del discurso de la primera parte se torna aquí en una oda a las imágenes animadas desprovistas de discurso de cualquier tipo o, lo que es peor, intentando alcanzar la sublimidad de ciertos mensajes a través de la mera repetición de frases y situaciones pretendidamente trascendentes y decisivas (cuando, insistimos, el lector de Tolkien, espectador a quien va dirigida la película, no como intención, pero sí como construcción, ya sabe qué va a pasar y qué no) pero que, a través de ese culto a lo entendido como modernidad e innovación visuales, son en el fondo de una emotividad vacía, de una emoción nula, sin una aventura real, sin un riesgo o un peligro que realmente cruce al otro lado de la pantalla, sin unos personajes vivos por los que podamos sentir una empatía que vaya más allá de lo que los personajes dicen representar, sin llegar a sentir algo por los personajes en sí.

La película acumula historias que transcurren de manera paralela pero no por ello gana en solidez, muy al contrario, es una forma de perder pulso, de deshilvanar un puzzle que en la primera entrega había quedado ensamblado de manera aceptable. Se vuelve facilona, vulgar, reiterativa, simple y lineal, por más que visualmente pretenda todo lo contrario, resultar majestuosa, abigarrada, rica, espectacular; busca enganchar por la belleza y el impacto de imágenes grandilocuentes, olvidándose de atraparnos por el cariz de los acontecimientos que cuenta, y es ahí donde, a pesar de que engancha y obliga a seguirla, apuesta por explotar los elementos más pobres y simplones del lenguaje cinematográfico y busca convencer a través de algo, en el fondo, tan fácil como es apabullar, embaucar por aplastamiento.

Habiendo alcanzado así la trilogía la cúspide de lo que podía ofrecer, buena parte de esta segunda entrega y toda la tercera parte son un lento caer hacia la superficialidad en el discurso y el tributo a las formas animadas por ordenador en detrimento de la historia misma, al metraje excesivo en la creencia de que la mejor adaptación es la que cuenta todo (ya dijo Voltaire que el secreto de aburrir consiste en decirlo todo), de que a más, siempre es mejor. Y el cine nos ha dado gran cantidad de muestras, seguramente las mejores, de que lo mejor suele ser siempre lo contrario.

Il curioso caso di Benjamin Button è un film del 2008 diretto da David Fincher, adattamento cinematografico dell’omonimo breve racconto di Francis Scott Fitzgerald.

Leggi altre notizie su: | Drammatico | Sentimentale | David Fincher | Brad Pitt | Cate Blanchett | Julia Ormond

Today’s factoid will again be building off the revelation of my former days of cutting the movie ads out of the newspaper and plastering them across my wall. I recently discarded over 5 years of ads, leaving only one. I opened it up to guesses, and since no one replied, I’ll just go ahead and tell you.

The ad was from the day after Oscar nominations were announced this January. It was from “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” and it showcased all the laurels that the cast and crew had been nominated for or awarded. The ad is in color and has a small shot of Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt riding on a motorcycle.

The US editions of Vogue have been super boring lately, and this is no exception. Cate Blanchett poses for the December edition, and all I can say is that at least it’s not as bad as last months cover!

cate blanchett rocks donna karan resort 2010 on the cover of american vogue.
i’ve already discussed the issue with actresses on american covers & this is evidence.
though i disagree with actresses on fashion covers, i love this dress & cate is a dope actress.
this cover is very signature american vogue, i guess i could appreciate it.
cate graces the cover of the magazine’s december issue.
photographic credit to annie lebovitz.

imagesource | fashionzag

Filme que assisti quinta:

O procurado

Engraçado… me lembro de quando esse filme saiu. Fiquei louca porque eu AMO a Angelina Jolie e o James McAvoy. Assim que saiu a versão em boa qualidade na internet, eu baixei. Tomei o maior susto da minha vida. Tah, eu sabia que seria filme de ação e já estava esperando algo ao mesmo patamar que Tomb Raider. Afinal de contas, a Angelina adora essas porcarias. Quer a verdade? Achei pior. O filme é chato. Não tenho nada contra ação, gosto de alguns filmes até, mas esse ai… Pior que o James McAvoy decidiu fazer isso? Gente! Ele é o JAMES MCAVOY. Ele não precisa disso, a arte corre nas veias dele. As vezes ele precisava de satisfazer um desejo de menino ou sei lá o que… OK… estou tentando achar uma desculpa para justificar a presença dele no filme… não consegui. Com a Angelina eu até me acostumei. Ela faz 3 filmes horríveis para  fazer um bom. Infelizmente… ela é tão talentosa… acho que poderia aproveitar mais seu talento. Este dai, tirando algumas partes beeeem hilárias, não presta nenhum pouco. Recomendo para quem gosta de filmes como Star Wars e esses filmes com bons efeitos gráficos. (Aliás, esse dai realmente neste ponto é show de bola!)

Título original: “The wanted” (2008)

Filmes que assisti sexta:

Ressaca de amor

Ok… não dava nada por este filme. Na verdade, ele não é lá essas coisas. Mas a história é até legal. Me critiquem, mas eu acho o hilário! E não o acho hilário só por causa do filme. Ele tem uma cara de maluquinho e quando mistura aquele sotaque britânico com aquela vozinha dele. Eu me mato de tanto rir. Reparei também em como a Mila Kunis é bonita. Gente, é de dar inveja. Acho que o ponto alto do filme (e eu me leembro de teram comentado isso na net até mesmo antes de lançamento) é o Jason Segel. Na verdade, não é bem ele e sim os predicados dele! Isso mesmo! Ele mostrou tuuuuudoooo. Bem dotado o garoto, eu diria. Bom, pra quem gosta de comédia, tá aí um filme legal e sem besteirol… Não é do tipo de filme que amo, mas também não é do tipo que odeio!

Título original: “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” (2008)

Elizabeth: a era de ouro

Confesso que não gostava da Cate Blanchett, mas aprendi a respeitá-la. Ela é realmente uma excelente atriz. O filme tem Clive Owen, que é bom ator, mas eu, sei lá… toda vez que olho pra ele acho que´ele está sujo. Hahahahah…. coisas da minha cabeça! Alguém dê banho neeeeleeee!!!!  Ok… voltando para o filme, não pe tão bom quanto o primeiro. Nele tem informações que poderiam conter em 2 filmes! Eu adoro história e fiquei muito empolgada para assistir, e, como já sei esta história de cabo a rabo, já esperava me decepcionar… sabe aquela história de “o livro ser sempre melhor que o filme?”. Eu acho que, neste caso, o diretor tentou colocar tudo da história e, como disse, muita informação para um filme só. Recomendo o filme  e também recomendo que se informem sobre a era  de ouro da rainha Elizabeth I (wikipédia está de bom tamanho) e que assistam o filme de 1998 (este sim, muuuuuiiiiitoooo bom!) antes de assistir este.

Título original: “Elizabeth: the golden age” (2007)

Sometimes there are movies that because of high expectations, don’t quite live up to the hype, therefore people and critics shrug it off as a failure. There are also some movies that people just pan or shrug off based on it’s cast or premise. Although there are some occassions where I’ve had such thoughts, I like to give every movie a chance. There are times when I regret it but there are times when there is a true gem that most people just don’t care for without even seeing it, or they just don’t like it for the reasons I’ve mentioned.

My list is compiled of movies that “failed” due to high expectations as well as those that most think are truly horrible. I love all of these movies and I don’t feel ashamed for doing so.

Here are my top 10 most underrated movies of the decade.

10. Australia

Baz Luhrman | 2008

I guess that after the greatness of Moulin Rouge! there were high expectations for Lurhrman’s next project (mine were definitely like that). When it was announced that he would do an epic romance, I guess people thought that he was going to try to bring back the sub-genre, when in fact it was just an homage to those movies. Most people didn’t see it as the latter, which is why they hated it. However, there were a few of us who saw it for what it was and we loved it. The romance is great, the cinematography is amazing, the score fits the story, and the performances are great. Yes, the script had problems, but they can be easily forgiven thanks to the rest of the production.

9. The Fall

Tarsem | 2008

This movie originally played in the Toronto International Film Festival in 2006 and it was panned, with most critics calling it an inferior copy of anther festival darling from that year, Pan’s Labyrinth. Two year later, it was released independently to bad reviews. There were a few critics like Roger Ebert who actually saw it for what it was, a visual treat supported by a small story. It is a gorgeous movie filled with  remarkable images and featuring great performances by Lee Pace and Catinka Untaru. It may not have a very deep and thought provoking story, but the story confined with the magnificent production makes for a great experience.

8. Across the Universe

Julie Taymor | 2007

Most people who dislike this mostly complain about how “misused” the songs by The Beatles were, about how little story there is to support those historic lyrics. I guess their love for the songs did not allow them to see the beautiful production, the great direction, the great performances, the good arrangements of the songs. They missed out on all the fun.

7. Knowing

Alex Proyas | 2009

Nicolas Cage had not had a good decade. For every Lord of War ,The Weatherman, and Adaptation there are two National Treasures, one Next, one Bangkok Dangerous, one Ghost Rider, and one The Wicker Man. So I guess that when this came out the presence of Cage made most people dismiss it as another one of his attempts to become an action star so late in his career. However, the movie is not just Nicolas Cage. It was directed by one of the most interesting directors out there, the script, despite it’s huge flaws, had some interesting ideas that Proyas takes the most advatage of, and it also features Cage’s best performances since 2005 when he had both Lord of War and The Weatherman

6. Memoirs of a Geisha

Rob Marshall | 2005

The book on which this is based is amazing, so there is no way that the movie was going to live up to it. Despite that, I believe Rob Marshall did a great job in translating the story visually into the screen it is one of the best produced movies of the decade. Yes, the script is rather bad, but the behind-the-scenes people and the actors rise above the material. Should you expect a fast-paced movie? No, you should expect a slow-burning experience and take everything in to enjoy the great ending.

5. The Life Aquatic With Steve Zizzou

Wes Anderson | 2004

It may not be Wes Anderson’s best, but I’d say that it is his most interesting, visually, and it has some really funny moments, as well as plenty of heart felt ones. Plus, it sports Bill Murray’s best post-Lost in Translation performance, Angelica Houston, Owen Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Cate Blanchett, and a song by Sigur Ros. What more can you ask for?

4. Monster-in-Law

Robert Luketic | 2005

Does it have the most original story? No. Is It well written and directed? No. So why do I think it is underrated? Well, it is because of the actresses. Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez have great chemistry together, and that alone makes almost every joke work. Plus, there is the always-reliable Wanda Sykes and the always reliable assistant ready with a one liner for every situation.

3. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Garth Jennings | 2005

Based on the books by Douglas Adams, I think the movies does a great job of translating the humor, which is not the humor that most people are used to. I does not have jokes that give you belly laughs, but the kind of humor that makes you go, “that’s funny.” Martin Freeman, Mos Def, Zooey Deschanel, and Sam Rockwell are perfectly cast and make everything work.

2. Speed Racer

The Wachowskis | 2008

“It looks like a videogame and it has no story” was the biggest complaint I heard about this movie. This was never supposed to be the next Matrix, it was supposed to be a movie for the whole family to enjoy. And that was what we got. It has a simple good vs. evil, family always sticks together story, combined with great, groundbreaking visual effects, and good performances to boot.

1. The Fountain

Darren Aronofsky | 2005

I guess the main reason why most people don’t like it is because of it’s non-linear narrative. I loved it from the first time I saw it, and has only gotten better with repeat viewings. Hugh Jackman gives what is his best performance to date, and Rachel Weiz is also quite good. Some parts are off-putting and you do wonder what part is actually happening, but that is only part of the beauty of it. This is definitely one of the best movies of the decade.

There are my 10 most underrated movies of the decade. Feel free to offer your opinion in the comments section.

Evan Rachel Wood (right) is the best candidate to play Lady Gaga in a movie

PREVIEW: Cate Blanchett’s Bob Dylan Performance in I’m Not There.

Let’s face it, it’s only a matter of time until there’s a Lady Gaga movie, seeing as she already owns the face of pop music. The dilemma however is finding an actress who could accurately portray the enigma that is Lady Gaga.

The actress needs to be young, sexy, strut with serious attitude, and has to be a little weird. It crossed my mind several times that maybe the only person who fits the role is herself, but ever since 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2005), I learned it’s not fun watching celebrities play themselves. Even some of the best actresses in the world would see the challenge of becoming Lady Gaga, and that’s why making a list of candidates was so damn hard.

1) Evan Rachel Wood

Ever since her tour-de-force performance in Thirteen (2003), Wood has secretly solidified herself as one of the most talented young actresses out there today. Not only does Wood have the talent to pull off the role, she’s also pretty weird–she dated Marilyn Manson, for crying out loud! They also semi-look alike, and I’m not going to knock Wood or any other actress for not having Lady Gaga’s honker–that’s what good makeup is for. And sex appeal? Check.

2) Sienna Miller

Sienna Miller is another talented actress who too often doesn’t receive her due. Not only is Miller talented as hell, like when she played Edie Sedgewick in Factory Girl (2006), but she also evokes sex and attitude. Rachel McAdams is talented too, but she doesn’t have the personality to pull off Lady Gaga—that’s the difference.

3) Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman is probably too cute to play Lady Gaga but her body of work shows versatility, like Alice in Closer (2004) and Evey in V for Vendetta (2005). Also, if you ever saw her role in Hotel Chevalier (2007), Wes Anderson’s short film, you know how bold and sexy she can be.

4) Keira Knightley

Ever since the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, I’ve lost complete respect for this woman. However, she has similar facial features and best of all–she’s English. And we all know how much Lady Gaga likes pretending she’s English.

5) Cate Blanchett

I know this is a stretch since Blanchett is a good 20 years older than Gaga, but in my mind, if you can play Bob Dylan like she did in I’m Not There (2007), you can play anyone. She got robbed at the Oscars, in my opinion, and with enough CGI, she could look like a 23-year old. She’s quite possibly one of the best actresses of our time, so it’s wrong to leave her out of the conversation.

What are your thoughts? DEBATE!

– Jett Wells, Assistant Multimedia Editor

I’m a huge fan of kitsch references to bogan and Australian culture – things I chastised in my adolescence but have come to appreciate again for reasons of nostalgia and authenticity.

My hand knitted Twisties Jumper and my friend Chicken’s Ritz Jumper (complete with Nabisco logo and gold polka dots on the sleeves) really are as good as it gets as far as I’m concerned. Whole friendships can be sustained by a shared love of aesthetics – the more peculiar and specific our whimsies, the more special the friendship. These jumpers are like handknitted trophies awarded to the every day and the common. They are a testament to enduring icons of Australian upbringings everywhere. Andy Warhol and that horrid infomercial lady on tv are right: brand power is a powerful thing.

I've always wanted to stay at the Ritz...

I’d also love to get my hands on one of Libby Peacock’s 80s Vegemite jumpers (as show ponied by INXS) or Jenny Kee’s child-like Blinky Bill jumper that was sported by Princess Diana on her 1982 tour of Australia. There’s nothing like acknowledgment from Royalty to bring kudos to your  designs. I love this quote from Jenny Kee, where she reminisces about meeting Di in Sydney:

‘It was a funny night. At the Governor General’s residence Michael and I lined up with the other guests, who included Bob and Hazel Hawke, Sir Mark Oliphant and Sir Donald Bradman, to be briefed on royal etiquette. We practiced our curtseys while we waited for Charles and Di. Then cocktails were served – and served and served. By the time we sat down to dinner we were plastered. My peas shot across the table to Nell Schofield opposite, who was giggling, and when I was finally introduced to the Princess I called her Di – a terrible faux pas. I apologized profusely, but she was all warmth and grace. No, please call me Di, she said, and went on to explain she’d put my name on the guest list herself because she loved my jumpers. I knew Manolo (Blahnik) designed her shoes and when I mentioned his name her face lit up. Suddenly we weren’t guests at a formal dinner; we were just two gals talking about our favourite shoe designer.’ (A Big Life by Jenny Kee, Penguin/Lantern, 2006)

Princess Di sporting her 'thoroughly modern' Blinky knit

Kee’s dalliance with royalty is echoed by Romance was Born’s success with their chimerical one-shoulder crocheted dress - a wonderfully playful reference to that most comforting of wanky blankies – the Nanna rug.  Cate Blanchett took it for a magic carpet test spin at ACMI’s  Screen Worlds opening in September. You don’t need lots of money to afford this look. Just see what treasures you can find lurking in the back of your Aunty’s cupboard at her holiday house – it will be all the better for it if it’s been there since the 80s.

Cate Blankett

Cate Blanchett Image by Newsmedia.

Logo na orelha do livro Anotações sobre um escândalo, de Zoë Heller, a escritora Livia Garcia-Roza afirma que “provavelmente, em algum momento de suas vidas, as mulheres já se sentiram como a protagonista deste romance”. Eu não excluiria os exemplares do sexo masculino desta afirmação. Ao ler essa pequena obra-prima senti que todos nós, independente de gênero, podemos nos identificar com Barbara Covett, a professora solitária que se torna confidente de Sheba Hart, mulher de meia-idade que começa um affair com um de seus alunos adolescentes. O livro, de 2003, ganhou sua versão cinematográfica em 2006, sob o título Notas sobre um escândalo. Na fita, Barbara ganha forma com a interpretação libertadora da dama Judi Dench, auxiliada por uma igualmente talentosa Cate Blanchett.





Relatada em primeira pessoa como num diário (uma das coisas que mais gosto na literatura), a obra, a princípio, pode parecer pesada por tratar de um tema verídico e bastante controverso. O que surpreende mesmo é a leveza, até certo ponto, claro, da escrita de Zoë Heller. Podemos julgar Barbara como apenas uma velhota mal amada com aguçado senso de sarcasmo e ironia. Porém, conforme devoram-se as páginas, é possível criar uma afeição quase pessoal. Neste relato do tempo que passou com Sheba Hart, Barbara destila emoções que muitos de nós não ousamos admitir para nossos próprios analistas – medo do abandono, desilusão com a cretinice constante do ser humano e a inveja da felicidade alheia em todos os seus nefastos tons. Anotações sobre um escândalo é o relato sincero e vil de uma mulher amargurada. Mas, afinal, quem disse que podemos ser bons todos os dias?





ANOTAÇÕES SOBRE UM ESCÂNDALO
De Zoë Heller (2003). Tradução de Léa Viveiros de Castro. 1ª Edição. Editora Record. 315 páginas.
]]> http://joseaponte.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/cate-blanchettvogue-us/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:37:08 +0000 Jo http://joseaponte.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/cate-blanchettvogue-us/

Cate Blanchett+Vogue US

December 2009

It is not a secret that I am obsessed with Cate Blanchett, she is the most perfect woman in the world the best and most stylish actress you could ever find. So, when I found out that the amazing an ultra chic Cate was gracing the cover of Vogue Us for the december issue, wearing a beautiful Donna Karan gown and photographed by Annie Leibovitz, I got super excited, this is just perfect. Inside the magazine, you can find… Who cares? Cate who takes center stage for “Every night Is Dangerous”,  Is on the Cover and has an amazing editorial by none other than Annie Leibovitz. Definitely a must.

At the height of her movie stardom, Cate Blanchett puts her commitment to the theater center stage—and, writes Adam Green, takes on one of the great dramatic roles of all time.

Photographed by Annie Leibovitz.

Cate Blanchett may have her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and appear on a postage stamp as one of four “Australian Legends of the Screen,” but she remains a creature of the stage. In an era when movie stars try to prove their credibility with brief flights on Broadway, she has made a nest on the end of a wharf in Sydney, Australia, performing Ibsen and Shakespeare, directing Pinter, and, as of last year, serving with her husband, the playwright Andrew Upton, as co-artistic director of the Sydney Theatre Company. Since then, she has also played Maid Marian opposite Russell Crowe in Ridley Scott’s upcoming Robin Hood, given birth to her third son, turned 40, and taken on one of the most demanding stage roles of all time. Now, after a sold-out run in Sydney, she is bringing her acclaimed performance as Blanche DuBois in Tennessee Williams’s A Streetcar Named Desire to the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Harvey Theater.

Full article: http://www.style.com/vogue/feature/2009_December_Truth_or_Dare/

Oggi esce nelle sale New Moon, il secondo film tratto dalla saga di Twilight, e per l’occasione, Vanity Fair Italia dedica altro spazio alla saga dei vampiri. Dopo Kristen Stewart e qualche intervista al cast, un’intervista completa a Robert Pattinson, ora è il turno di Taylor Lautner. Lui, che interpreta il Jacob, licantropo innamorato di Bella in New Moon, ha rilasciato una lunga intervista, con tanto di foto che avevamo già visto in giro per il web nei mesi scorsi. Infatti, non più Robert e Kristen o tutto il cast nelle foto di Vanity, ma solo Kristen e Taylor. Chi ha letto la saga, però, non si preoccupa, conoscendo nei minimi dettagli come finirà questo tormentato “triangolo amoroso”. Ma Vanity Fair non si ferma qui, infatti trovate un servizio completo su Forks, con foto e  racconto dei luoghi narrati nei libri. Chi avrebbe mai pensato che un giorno Forks, piovosa cittadina del northwest degli USA, sarebbe finita persino sulle riviste di moda? Altra chicca, un articolo sulla Toscana, vista come regione cinematografica, dove molti film e serie tv vengono girate e, chiaramente, si parla di Montepulciano e le riprese di New Moon, con tanto di foto delle famose “comparse rosse” e di Kristen. Per la serie, se volete indirizzi dei luoghi dove hanno soggiornato e mangiato le star del film, lì le trovate. L’ultimo accenno a Twilight viene fatto nello spazio dedicato ai libri, per parlare di Nightlight, parodia del libro scritta da alcuni studenti di Harvard, con tanto di mela morsicata in copertina. Il secondo libro di cui si parla è l’ennessima biografia dedicata a Robert Pattinson, sottotitolata “Amore al primo morso”, di Virginia Blackburn. Ma cosa dobbiamo sapere ancora di Robert, dopo che esistono già innumerevoli biografie ed ogni giornale e sito web spia e scava nella sua vita?

Quindi altro appuntamento impredibile con la rivista per i fans della saga. Un appunto, non disperate se non trovate un Vanity con in copertina Taylor, infatti è solo all’interno, la copertina è tutta per la splendida Cate Blanchett.

Martin Marcantonio Luciano Scorsese (born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. He is the founder of the World Cinema Foundation, a recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award for his contributions to the cinema and has won awards from the Oscars, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Directors Guild of America. Scorsese is president of the Film Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to film preservation and the prevention of the decaying of motion picture film stock.

Scorsese’s body of work addresses such themes as Italian American identity, Roman Catholic concepts of guilt and redemption, machismo, and violence. Scorsese is widely considered to be one of the most significant and influential American filmmakers of his era, directing landmark films such as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Goodfellas; all of which he collaborated on with actor Robert De Niro. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for The Departed and earned an MFA in film directing from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

Trivia:

Listed as one of 50 people barred from entering Tibet. Disney clashed with Chinese officials over the film Kundun (1997), which Scorsese directed. [19 December 1996]

Awarded third annual John Huston Award for Artists Rights by the Artists Rights Foundation. [1995]

Presented with a special tribute at the 1976 Telluride Film Festival. It was presented by Michael Powell. [1976]

He is a longtime friend and was once a housemate of The Band’s Robbie Robertson. He directed The Last Waltz (1978), the documentary of their supposedly last gig which Robertson produced. Robertson later produced the soundtrack for Scorsese’s The Color of Money (1986).

Good friends with editor Thelma Schoonmaker & cinematographer Michael Ballhaus. Scorsese introduced Thelma to her husband Michael Powell and he often quotes Powell as an influence.

His name is pronounced “Scor-sez-see”.

He directed Michael Jackson’s Bad (1987) (V) music video. The full length video runs 16 minutes and is in both black & white and color. It is usually shortened down to just the color segment for television.

He appears as attached to his pet white Bichon Frise Zoe as he was to his beloved parents – except Zoe is right beside Marty every day in the office.

Daughter Francesca Scorsese born. [16 November 1999]

John Woo dedicated his action film Dip huet seung hung (1989) (“The Killer”) to Scorsese on a commentary he did for the movie’s DVD.

Daughter Domenica Cameron-Scorsese with Julia Cameron.

Taught both Oliver Stone and Spike Lee at NYU.

Was at one point going to make a movie about the life of comedian Richard Pryor.

He was an altar boy at Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which was used in his early films I Call First (1967) and Mean Streets (1973). Old St. Patrick’s is also where the baptism scene in The Godfather (1972) took place.

Was at one point slated to direct Clockers (1995), but for reasons that are not entirely clear, handed the directing chores to his onetime NYU student Spike Lee, while staying on as producer. He was also at one point going to direct Little Shop of Horrors (1986) for David Geffen, with Steven Spielberg as the executive producer. He was ultimately uninvolved, but claims that he wanted to shoot the movie in 3-D. It no doubt would have been a loving homage to Roger Corman, for whom he directed Boxcar Bertha (1972).

He took a cameo in his film Taxi Driver (1976) (as a man about to kill his wife) only because the actor who was supposed to play the role was sick on the day the scene was to be shot. Says he is generally uncomfortable in front of the camera.

Has a dog named Silas.

Is the subject of the song “Martin Scorsese” by alternative band King Missile.

Father of actress Cathy Scorsese from his first marriage.

Is of Italian-Sicilian descent.

Has asthma.

Of the three films he’s been trying to make since the mid-1970s, he has done two: The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and Gangs of New York (2002). The third film, a biopic of Dean Martin called “Dino”, has been on hiatus at Warner Brothers since the late 1990s. Scorsese has a very specific all A-list cast in mind, probably why it has yet to be produced. He wants Tom Hanks to star as Martin, Jim Carrey to play Jerry Lewis, John Travolta to play Frank Sinatra, Hugh Grant to play Peter Lawford, and Adam Sandler to play Joey Bishop.

Was voted the 4th greatest director of all time by Entertainment Weekly, making him the only living person in the top 5 and the only working film director in the top 10 (Ingmar Bergman being retired as a filmmaker).

Appeared on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (2000) as a shrill version of himself who comes to regret his decision to cast Larry David as a violent gangster in a movie after David repeatedly ruins the suit he needs to wear as the character.

Several characters in his films refer to the legendary (noir) actor John Garfield, star of the original The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), which is also mentioned.

He was one of three major directors to have been offered the opportunity to direct Schindler’s List (1993) by producer Steven Spielberg, the other two being Roman Polanski and Billy Wilder. Scorsese thought a Jewish filmmaker should direct it; Polanski wasn’t yet ready to deal with the painful subject (having lost his mother in the Holocaust); and Wilder (who was retired and who lost his mother and grandmother in the Holocaust) finally told Spielberg that he should do it himself.

Because so many of his actors win or are nominated for awards, actors are dying to work with him. The film With Friends Like These… (1998) pokes fun at this very real desire.

Both The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and Gangs of New York (2002) were personal passions of his that he had wanted to make since the 1970s. When he first starting considering them, Robert De Niro was in his mind to play the lead characters in both (Jesus Christ in “Temptation” and Bill Cutting in “Gangs”). De Niro ultimately turned down the part in “Temptation” and it was decided he was too old to play Cutting by the time that “Gangs” finally went into production.

He has famously collaborated with Robert De Niro in 8 films. Scorsese has said that his creative collaboration with De Niro is very deep and that they can often understand each other without even talking. Their collaboration has had many dry spells (including recently), but Scorsese says he shows almost every script he writes or considers directing to De Niro to see what the actor’s thoughts on them are even when De Niro ultimately has no involvement the film.

Appeared in an “American Express” ad where he goes to pick up photos of his nephew’s birthday party at a drug store, and then proceeds to nervously pick through what’s wrong with each picture while trying to get the clueless photo-lab clerk’s opinion on them. He proceeds to buy more film with an American Express card and calls the people on the pictures saying they need to reshoot. Scorsese says this funny ad is probably the closest he’s come to accurately “playing” himself.

Apart from his legendary work as a filmmaker, he has been a vocal supporter of film preservation for almost three decades. His efforts to create a strong public awareness for the work of film archives include The Film Foundation, a non-profit organisation which he started together with other filmmakers. The Film Foundation regularly partners with the American film archives on the restoration of “lost” or endangered films. With this background he has agreed to serve as Honorary President of the Austrian Film Museum in Vienna.

Personally spurns the notion of the “director’s cut” feeling that once a film has been completed, it should not be further altered in any way.

He lost three best director – and best picture – Oscars to leading-man actors turned directors: Robert Redford, Kevin Costner, and Clint Eastwood (Raging Bull (1980) lost to Redford’s Ordinary People (1980); Goodfellas (1990) to Costner’s Dances with Wolves (1990); The Aviator (2004) to Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby (2004)). On the only two occasions when he was Oscar-nominated as Best Director in years ending in zero, he was beaten by actors making their directorial debuts (Redford and Costner).

In 1975, he accepted the Oscar for “Best Actress in a Leading Role” on behalf of Ellen Burstyn, who wasn’t present at the awards ceremony. She won for her performance in Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974)

President of jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1998.

Has mentioned that he thought Robert De Niro’s best performance under his direction was as Rupert Pupkin in The King of Comedy (1982).

Ranked #3 in Empire (UK) magazine’s “The Greatest directors ever!” [2005]

His favorite films include: Citizen Kane (1941), The Red Shoes (1948) and Il gattopardo (1963) (“The Leopard”).

Was friend, protégé, and employee of actor-director John Cassavetes.

When asked where audiences would find the next Martin Scorsese, he said to look to Wes Anderson, the young director of Rushmore (1998).

Has directed, as of 2008, 6 biopics: Raging Bull (1980), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995), Kundun (1997) and The Aviator (2004).

He received a Degree ad honorem in “Cinema, TV and Multimedia Production” from the University of Bologna on 26 November 2005.

Served as mentor to Georgia Lee and invited her to apprentice for Gangs of New York (2002) in Europe.

The 1912 American Mutoscope & Biograph Company short The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912) heavily influenced Scorsese in the making of his own gangster films Goodfellas (1990), and Gangs of New York (2002). The film was picked by Scorcese for his 2005 tribute at Beaubourg, centre d’art et de culture Georges Pompidou (1977) in Paris, France. Biograph is the oldest movie company in America and in existence today, headed by producer/director Thomas R. Bond II.

Scorsese and Taxi Driver (1976) are, among others, named as inspiration for the Massive Attack debut “Blue Lines”.

He signed a four-year, first-look deal to develop projects with studio executives of Paramount. [November 2006]

The Departed (2006) is the highest-grossing movie of his 40-year career ($132,373,442 (USA)).

The Aviator (2004) was his first movie to gross over $100 million in the U.S.

He has worked with big names of music business: Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, ‘Michael Jackson (I)’ and David Bowie.

Directed 17 different actors in Oscar nominated performances: Jodie Foster, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis , Cate Blanchett, Winona Ryder, Ellen Burstyn, Sharon Stone, Diane Ladd,Cathy Moriarty, Juliette Lewis, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Newman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Alan Alda and Mark Wahlberg. (Burstyn, De Niro, Newman, Pesci and Blanchett won Oscars for their roles in one of Scorsese’s movies).

When he won his Best Director Oscar for The Departed (2006), he received the award from legendary directors, George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, and Steven Spielberg. The four were part of the “New Hollywood” movement of the 1970s and combined have 9 Academy Awards and 38 Nominations.

As a teenager in the Bronx, Scorsese frequently rented Michael Powell’s The Tales of Hoffmann (1951) from a store that only had one copy of the reels. When it wasn’t available the owner told him, “that Romero kid has it,” referring to George A. Romero who was also a big fan of the film. Today, both directors cite the film as a major influence.

Says he was happy with the fact that it took so long for him to win Best Director, because if he had won it earlier, it would have affected his directing and films.

Recipient of the 2007 Kennedy Center Honors. Other recipients that year were Leon Fleisher, Steve Martin, Diana Ross, and Brian Wilson.

Says the only thing he regrets in his career is that he was only able to make The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) on a small budget although he imagined it to be a grand version.

Was originally going to direct The Honeymoon Killers (1969), but was replaced after a week of shooting.

Served as a guest critic on “Siskel & Ebert & the Movies” (1986) following the death of ‘Gene Siskel’. The episode was “The Best Films of the 90s” in which Roger Ebert cited Scorsese’s Goodfellas (1990) as one of the best films of the 90s (#3). Scorsese’s full list of his favorite films of the 1990s: 10.) Tie: Malcolm X (1992) and Heat (1995), 9.) Fargo (1996), 8.) Crash (1996), 7.) Bottle Rocket (1994), 6.) Breaking the Waves (1996), 5.) Bad Lieutenant (1992), 4.) Eyes Wide Shut (1999), 3.) Duo sang (1994) (“A Borrowed Life”), 2.) The Thin Red Line (1998), 1.) Dao ma zei (1986) (“Horse Thief”).

He was made a Fellow of the British Film Institute in recognition of his outstanding contribution to film culture.

Resides in New York City. His production offices are located on W. 57th Street in Manhattan.

Attended Cardinal Hayes high school in the Bronx as a young man. Fellow alumni included George Carlin, George Dzundza, Regis Philbin and Jamal Mashburn.

Is a fan of the British Hammer Films series.

A huge fan of Fawlty Towers (1975). He describes the episode “The Germans” as “so tasteless, its hilarious.”.

In the 5th edition of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (edited by Steven Jay Schneider), 7 of Scorsese’s films are listed: Mean Streets (1973), Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), The King of Comedy (1982), Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995) and The Departed (2006).

Haig Manoogian was Scorsese’s mentor at NYU. He eventually produced Scorsese’s first film (I Call First (1967)) and when he died in 1980, Scorsese dedicated Raging Bull (1980) to Manoogian.

Roger Ebert is a great admirer of Scorsese’s work. 14 of Scorsese’s films were given four stars by Ebert (Mean Streets (1973), Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), After Hours (1985), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Goodfellas (1990), The Age of Innocence (1993), Casino (1995), Kundun (1997), Bringing Out the Dead (1999), The Aviator (2004), The Departed (2006), Shine a Light (2008)), seven of his films are in Ebert’s Great Movies list (“Mean Streets”, “Taxi Driver”, “Raging Bull”, “After Hours”, “The Last Temptation Of Christ”, “Goodfellas”, and “The Age of Innocence”), and Ebert has written an entire book of his reviews, interviews and essays on Scorsese’s work simply titled “Scorsese By Ebert”.

As of November 10th 2009, five of his films are on the IMDb’s Top 250 Films list: Goodfellas (1990), Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), The Departed (2006), and Casino (1995).

Amazon Specials!

I’m Not There is a 2007 biographical/musical film directed by Todd Haynes, inspired by iconic American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Six actors depict different facets of Dylan’s life and public persona: Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, and Ben Whishaw. At the start of the film, a caption reads: “Inspired by the music and the many lives of Bob Dylan”. This is the only time Dylan’s name appears in the film.

Mai multe despre Cate Blanchette în rolul lui Bob Dylan:

Cate Blanchett has said that performing in stage productions has worked like glue in keeping her family together.

In an interview with US Vogue, the ‘Elizabeth’ actress said that theatre brings stability and regular working hours to her life.

“There are so few experiences in our manicured, nanny-stated existence that have the quality of circus. Theatre still does,” the Daily Telegraph quoted her as saying.

“And so, when the boys aren”t playing with friends, they can usually be found playing backstage.

“They”re always engaged in the family business, so to speak,” she added.

A wily fox uses his formidable cunning to outsmart three feeble-minded farmers, who resort to extreme tactics to protect their chickens in director Wes Anderson’s animated adaptation of the popular Roald Dahl children’s book. For 12 years, Mr. and Mrs. Fox (voices of George Clooney and Meryl Streep) have lived a peaceful life in the wilderness with their son, Ash (voice of Jason Schwartzman). Shortly after their young nephew Kristofferson (voice of Eric Anderson) arrives for a visit, Mr. Fox’s long-suppressed animal instincts begin to take over and the faithful family man resorts back to his old ways as a cunning chicken thief, endangering not only his family but the entire animal community as well. When evil farmers Boggis, Bunce, and Bean force the animals underground in a desperate attempt to capture the audacious Mr. Fox, dwindling food supplies force the frightened animals to band together in one last attempt to fight for the land that is rightfully theirs. Bill Murray, Michael Gambon, Willem Dafoe, and Owen Wilson provide additional voices.

- por Bernardo Brum

Depois de mais de quarenta anos de carreira, Bob Dylan alçou seu nome, álbuns e canções ao posto de um dos artistas mais importantes e influentes do século vinte. Na música, foi responsável por levar a onda inglesa de música pop adiante e torna-la mais séria, adulta e compromissada, a fim de levar o rock and roll ao posto de mais artística e consciente, influenciando algumas das principais bandas e artistas contemporâneos e posteriores. Liricamente, trouxe as preocupações, linguagem e estilo de gente como T.S. Eliott, Walt Withman, Dylan Thomas e a literatura beat para cantá-las sobre um estilo único, mistura de folk, blues, country e rock and roll.

Muitas vezes criticado abertamente pela crítica, o público e até mesmo por companheiros de profissão por deixar de fazer o que já era consagrado para arriscar-se em novos universos, Dylan não olhou para trás e fez sua fama como cantor engajado, como poeta marginalizado pelos seus, como excêntrico e até mesmo como pregador religioso. Recusou todos os rótulos impostos a ele e construiu uma carreira complexa e ambígua como o artista sensível e pessoa difícil que sempre aparentou ser aos olhos do público – seja por suas músicas e letras, seja por sua vida pessoal atribulada. O homem por trás do mito sempre provou ser alguém tão cheio de ambivalências e longe do alcance de maniqueísmos, assim como a sua música.

Todd Haynes, realizador de um dos mais cultuados filmes alternativos da década de noventa, Velvet Goldmine, no qual abordava a história do movimento glam rock, realizou com rara maestria este filme sobre o homem que é uma das figuras mais conhecidas e ao mesmo tempo mais misteriosas da música popular mundial. Desde o início, parece ter uma proposta muito difícil: a de retratar um homem que tanto mudou com o passar dos anos. E para tal, Haynes teve uma sacada exótica que se revelou extremamente funcional: a de dividir a história em seis segmentos, e em cada um deles, um ator diferente interpreta Bob Dylan.

Marcus Carl Franklin é “Woody Guthrie”, o Bob Dylan impostor e viajante, que cruzava o país de vagão em vagão antes da fama tocando violão para trabalhadores interioranos dos Estados Unidos, escondendo sua identidade verdadeira e atravessando o país em busca de conhecer seu ídolo, o verdadeiro Guthrie (um dos compositores de música folk mais influentes do século vinte). Ben Wishaw é Arthur Rimbaud, o Dylan poeta e anônimo que serve de ponte entre todas as facetas, que é anti-social, não quer ser reconhecido de jeito algum e passa todo o seu segmento dando uma entrevista sobre sua vida, demonstrando suas inquietações e parecendo ser uma espécie de “cérebro” para todas as outras encarnações Dylanescas.

Christian Bale é Jack Rollins, antigo cantor de folk que após anos de excesso converteu-se ao protestantismo. Richard Gere é Billy The Kid, o Dylan fora-da-lei (uma referência direto a uma das incursões de Bob no cinema – Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid, de Sam Peckinpah) que foge de todos. Heath Ledger é Robbie, ator despontando em início de carreira após interpretar em um filme o personagem de Christian Bale, que vive um tempestuoso relacionamento com sua namorada . E por último, mas não menos importante, a mais falada de todas as interpretações: Cate Blanchett, como Jude Quinn, o cantor que trocou a música folk politicamente engajada pelo blues-rock poeticamente desajustado. Um fantasma em vida, que vive de lançar sua sombra sobre o mundo da cultura de massa e assombrando os mais próximos pela seu desajuste social, sua dependência em drogas, sua alucinada vida de músico de estrada sem vida própria e sentindo que todos à volta estão o espremendo até não sobrar suco nenhum.

O mais surpreendente é que Não Estou Lá, é perfeitamente inteligível, e o melhor de tudo, sem nunca deixar de ser complexo – o tipo de filme para ser sentido – por mais caos que exista, o diálogo com o espectador sempre existe. Com a premissa de aproximar o mundo do universo de Bob Dylan, Todd Haynes nunca peca por falta de ousadia; o filme mergulha corajoso no objetivo de desvendar a lenda que se construiu em torno de uma só pessoa.

Pouco a pouco vamos entrando em sintonia com a história de um homem que, de início um completo desconhecido, foi catapultado em largos saltos para uma fama opressiva que progressivamente foi minando-o de relacionamentos, de contato físico, de uma vida saudável, de qualquer oportunidade de lazer, sendo sufocado cada vez mais por crítica e público que exigiam que cada assobiada que desse fosse genial e ao mesmo tempo não queria que ele evoluísse como artista, até que um dia não agüentou mais, refugiou-se de tudo e de todos e renasceu como alguém mais espiritual e que vê o tempo passar e as pessoas agirem de outra forma, em um período que pode ser reconhecido como o início dos anos sessenta até o fim dos setenta, construindo a cruzada solitária e excêntrica de um homem em busca de transcendência não econômica ou popular, mas, acima de tudo, pessoal. Uma estrada dura e realista de decadência e glória muitas vezes misturadas uma com a outra que deu ao mundo da música não o que ele queria, mas o que ele precisava ouvir.

A habilidade técnica de Haynes se sobressai especialmente no segmento interpretado por Cate Blanchett, em que pipocam referências em matéria de enquadramento, fotografia, história e concepção ao clássico Oito e Meio de Fellini, onde um diretor sufocado pela fama não consegue encontrar vazão suficiente às suas angústias interiores, mas quer de qualquer jeito fazer um filme que consiga fazer com que as pessoas revejam seus conceitos de vida através de sua arte – o mesmo dilema vivido pelo músico à época. Cate, soberba, oferece uma das melhores interpretações dos últimos tempos como um Dylan atordoado irônico, perdido e consumido por show business, álcool, anfetaminas e poesia.  Christian Bale também segura muitas bem as pontas, com o seu segmento narrado em forma de documentário que trata sobre as mudanças de vida do artista que interpreta. A aparência já desgastada e velha, a voz amargurada e já meio rouca, e o jeito de andar já meio desajeitado e de sobrevivente de dias frenéticos convencem muito bem.

Não só nesse segmento, o talento do realizador empolga por coordenar seu filme tão bem, e pode-se dizer que ele nunca foi tão feliz quanto aí, em que seu cinema pulsa como a vida do músico que o retrata – a fúria suicida de Ballad of a Thin Man, a solidão de One More Cup of Coffee, o idealismo político dos áureos tempos, a inocência dos primeiros dias, as experiências de quase morte que sempre fizeram de Dylan uma espécie de Jó roqueiro… O final é a própria anti-catarse cinematográfica. Sem clímax, seco e direto, sem orgasmo. Apenas a sinceridade e contemplação que parecem as mais apropriadas do mundo à uma obra que nem essa.

Enfim, literalmente um dos melhores filmes dos últimos anos,  fugindo da direção convencional e um tanto covarde de outras cinebiografias como Johnny e June e Ray e convergindo tudo em um necessário cinema autoral. Assim como Dylan, Todd Haynes sabe que a rollin’ stone gathers no moss, ou em bom português, uma pedra que rola não cria limo, e criou esta pérola que, por sua ousadia, dificilmente irá tornar-se datada ou rapidamente esquecida. Não Estou Lá cutuca, questiona e nos joga no inferno pessoal de um indivíduo o tempo inteiro, sem concessões.

Crítica escrita ao som da obra-prima de Bob, o disco Highway 61 Revisited. Essencial para qualquer um que queira se inteirar, filme e música, Todd Haynes e Bob Dylan.

“Eu aceito o caos. Só não sei se ele me aceita”.

5/5

Ficha técnica: Não Estou Lá (I’m Not There) – 2007, EUA. Dir.: Todd Haynes. Elenco: Ben Wishaw, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Heath Ledger, Marcus Carl Franklin, Kris Kristofferson, Julianne Moore.

By Nickie Wang

There have been debates whether the Australian film industry still needs the control and support of the government or not. The cinema of Australia can thrive without any assistance and the industry can do more in terms of global competitiveness if it is not controlled by the government’s funding body, Screen Australia.

The Black Balloon director Elissa Down

The films from Down Under have done more in making people around the world become aware of the country, thanks mainly to the success of actors like Nicole Kidman, Mel Gibson, Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman, Eric Bana, Geoffrey Rush, Guy Pearce, Naomi Watts and Cate Blanchett who have become synonymous to modern filmmaking.

Australia’s world-class facilities, state-of-the art digital and visual effects production services, acclaimed cast and crew and spectacular locations also make it a sought-after location for foreign films including Superman Returns, Matrix Trilogy, Charlotte’s Web, Ghost Rider and The Ruins. It is, of course, something that our local cinema lacks.

This month, six critically-acclaimed films from Australia are going the rounds of cinemas in Manila and Cebu as the Australian Embassy presents the 7th Australian Film Festival. It runs until Nov. 14, and the last leg is the Ayala Centre Cebu.

“The embassy is pleased to continue its tradition of providing Filipino moviegoers the opportunity to experience Australian film excellence and learn more about Australian popular culture, history and contemporary values,” Australian ambassador to the Philippines Rod Smith said at the opening of the festival.

The festival is opened by visiting Australian director Elissa Down with the premiere of her film The Black Balloon. The Los Angeles-based director arrived in Manila for the screening of the film and to conduct master classes at the University of the Philippines Film Institute and Mowelfund Institute.

“Down’s visit will further strengthen ties between the Australian and Filipino film industries which have developed through the film festival and Cinemanila during the past few years, through workshops for student film producers and directors conducted by visiting Australian actors and directors,” Ambassador Smith said.

The Black Balloon, starring Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning actress Toni Collette (Sixth Sense, About A Boy), follows the story of 15-year-old Thomas (Rhys Wakefield) who tries to fit in his new life as his family moves to a new home while taking care of his autistic older brother Charlie (Luke Ford, The Mummy-Tomb of the Dragon Emperor) and nurturing a budding romance with new girlfriend Jackie (Australian supermodel and actress Gemma Ward). Charlie takes Thomas on an emotional journey in a story that is funny, confronting and ultimately heart-warming.

“This film is about unconditional love. It’s a dramady [drama-comedy] inspired from the story of my own family,” Down told Standard Today. “I’ve got two brothers who have autism so if you could imagine, growing up with them was a little crazy. Making this movie was really a therapy on my part.”

Down, who also co-wrote and co-produced The Black Balloon, said that the film was awarded by the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival Crystal Bear for Best Feature-Length film last year. Back in her hometown, it received the Australian Film Institute awards for Best Direction, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Film, Best Screenplay, and Best Editing.

“It won numerous awards abroad and it’s inspiring in a way that it motivates me to write stories and make more films that talk about families, real people. The Black Balloon, as I’ve said, talks about love that knows no limit and everyone can relate most especially to the lead character,” the director said.

Also featured in this year’s festival are Unfinished Sky, a romantic drama about the nature of loss and the language of love; The Bank, a political thriller set in the world of high finance; the romantic comedy Danny Deckchair; Garage Days, a story about a teenager’s dream to be a rock star; and The Hard Word starring Guy Pearce (Memento, The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, LA Confidential) and Golden Globe winner Rachel Griffiths (Six Feet Under, Brothers and Sisters).

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

!!!!!

Regizor: David Fincher
Actori principali:

• Cate Blanchett (Daisy)
• Brad Pitt (Benjamin)

mai merită menţionaţi:

• Charles Henry Wyson / Peter Donald Badalamenti II (Benjamin 1928-31)
• Robert Towers (Benjamin 1932-34)
• Tom Everett (Benjamin 1935-37)

…

Ai văzut Forest Gump? Dar Memento? Twilight Zone?

…

Ţi-ai băut cafeaua?

Te-ai uitat vreodată în ochii unui nou-născut, şi să ai senzaţia că dacă ar putea vorbi, ţi-ar spune care este rostul vieţii? Te-ai uitat vreodată la un pensionar bolnav, dependent de alţii, dar care nu mai poate fi ajutat de nimeni să gândească coerent … şi merge la vot?

Te-ai gândit la diversitatea de oameni pe care o cunoşti şi cu care ai contact direct în fiecare zi? Te-ai gândit vreodată la un şir de evenimente (aparent independente unele de altele) care toate se potenţează între ele şi duc la aceeaşi finalitate tragică?

Te-ai gândit că orice egoist furios care pe moment îţi fute viaţa din motive care pe tine personal te depăşesc de fapt ar putea ajunge mâine în aceeaşi groapă din cimitir care astăzi ţie ţi-o sapă?

Foarte probabil, te-ai gândit la toate astea. Însă nici un film (care de fapt este ecranizarea unei poveşti, scrisă de F. Scott Fitzgerald în 1921), nu a reuşit să te facă să le simţi pe toate, la acest nivel, până acum.

…

Multe elemente din film m-au dus cu gândul la Forest Gump.

…

Azi noapte am revăzut de trei ori ultimele 10 minute din film. Singur.

Astăzi încerc să îmi adun gândurile şi să merg mai departe cu ce mi-am propus.

Mâine îmi cumpăr cartea în engleză prin Amazon.com.

…

Life is a box of chocolates. The End.