These are my top 10 films of 2019.
For all annual top films lists from 2002 to the present, click on the “Annual Top Films Lists” tab above.
Category Archives: Foreign Film
Short Film: “Alike”
Creativity matters. Don’t let society make you lose your color. What a beautiful sentiment.
Short Film: “We Can’t Live Without Cosmos”
Nominated for this year’s Academy Award for Best Short Film, Animated, “We Can’t Live Without Cosmos” is a beautiful film about friendship and dreams. This is Russian filmmaker Konstantin Bronzit’s second Oscar nomination in this category; his previous nomination came in 2009 for his animated short “Lavatory Lovestory.”
Short Film: “Doodlebug” by Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan’s first IMDb credit came for writing, directing, shooting, editing, and set designing his 3-minute short film, “Doodlebug” (1997). The black-and-white, noirish film was made while Nolan (then credited as “Chris”) was studying English literature at university. Its lone performer, Jeremy Theobald, later starred in Nolan’s feature debut, Following (1998), another black-and-white noir just a year later.
It doesn’t take much to notice the early stages of Nolan’s evolving “film mind” in this brief piece. The various levels of reality at play here are fully on display in a greater form in Nolan’s 2010 film, Inception.
Now, see how it all began for the modern master…
New York Film Festival Recap
As the 53rd New York Film Festival wrapped with Closing Night selection Miles Ahead, a bio-drama on “social music” (don’t call it jazz) legend Miles Davis, starring and helmed by Don Cheadle in his directorial debut, it’s time to look back on some of the Festival’s best offerings.
BRIDGE OF SPIES
In Steven Spielberg’s Cold War-era drama, Tom Hanks plays a Brooklyn insurance lawyer who must broker a sensitive prisoner exchange with the USSR. Once again, Spielberg proves he’s at the top of his craft. Hanks turns in a solid performance, but it’s supporting player Mark Rylance who steals his scenes as a Soviet spy with his too-cool-it’s-unnerving performance.
In Theaters: October 16
The Hamptons Goes Cinematic
The 23rd edition of the Hamptons International Film Festival launched its five-day run last Thursday with Opening Night selection Truth, the true newsroom drama starring Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford. With a healthy selection of world premieres and Oscar hopefuls (including nine foreign language submissions), the festival is primed to bring some of the world’s best cinema to Long Island. Here’s a small sampling of what’s on the slate.
Revisiting My Interview with Portuguese Filmmaker Miguel Gomes
Nearly three years ago, I was offered the opportunity to interview Portuguese filmmaker Miguel Gomes about his new film, Tabu. As a Portuguese film buff and sometimes filmmaker, myself, I leaped at the chance. Now, Gomes has been making waves with his new three-part film, Arabian Nights, ever since its world premiere this past May at the Cannes Film Festival. The 381-minute epic will bow to US audiences beginning September 30 at the New York Film Festival. But before that happens, I thought it would be a good idea to reflect on my interview with him from December 2012.
Continue reading Revisiting My Interview with Portuguese Filmmaker Miguel Gomes
Oscar-Nominated Films on Netflix
This morning, the nominations for the 87th Academy Awards were announced. View all nominees here.
If you’re like me, you watch as many of the nominated films as possible before the ceremony (on February 22 this year). Got some catching up to do? Watch 11 of the nominated films, currently on Netflix.
Available Via Streaming
- Best Foreign Language Film (Poland)
- Best Cinematography
- Best Documentary
Available Via Netflix DVD
- Best Original Song
- Best Picture
- Best Director
- Best Original Screenplay
- Best Supporting Actor
- Best Supporting Actress
- Best Film Editing
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
- Best Visual Effects
- Best Documentary
- Best Picture
- Best Director
- Best Original Screenplay
- Best Cinematography
- Best Original Score
- Best Film Editing
- Best Makeup and Hairstyling
- Best Costume Design
- Best Production Design
- Best Makeup and Hairstyling
- Best Visual Effects
- Best Original Song
- Best Costume Design
- Best Visual Effects
New York Film Festival Review: Clouds of Sils Maria
(Re-posted from LimitéMagazine.com)
Series: Main Slate (US Premiere)
Set in the breathtaking Swiss Alps, veteran actress Maria Enders (Juliette Binoche) prepares to star in the revival of a play that made her famous many years earlier. The role that catapulted her into stardom, that of Sigrid, a savvy vixen who engages in a power struggle with her older boss, Helena, will be played by troubled “it girl” Jo-Ann Ellis (a mesmerizing Chloë Grace Moretz). Enders will be taking on the role of Helena, one that she is not mentally prepared to play. With the help of her loyal assistant, Valentine (Kristen Stewart), Maria reluctantly faces the challenge head on, and in the process must come to grips with themes of aging—both in terms of the play and in her own life.
Continue reading New York Film Festival Review: Clouds of Sils Maria
Los Tres Amigos: The Men Behind GRAVITY, BABEL, and PAN’S LABYRINTH
NOTE: I edited and partly wrote the following feature for LimitéMagazine.com.
(Re-posted from LimitéMagazine.com)
The three filmmakers have been nominated for a combined nine Academy Awards, and their most recent directorial achievements include Gravity (Cuarón, 2013), Biutiful (Iñárritu, 2010), and Pacific Rim (del Toro, 2013).
Continue reading Los Tres Amigos: The Men Behind GRAVITY, BABEL, and PAN’S LABYRINTH
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