Comments on: Venice 2006: THE QUEEN, THE MISSING STAR, CHILDREN OF MEN http://www.altfg.com/blog/film-festivals/a-few-films-at-the-2006-venice-film-festival/ The Oscars, film awards, new releases, Los Angeles screenings, movie classics, gay movies, film festivals, box office, foreign and independent films Sat, 11 Feb 2012 05:29:46 +0000 hourly 1 By: Boydhttp://www.altfg.com/blog/film-festivals/a-few-films-at-the-2006-venice-film-festival/#comment-71683 Boyd Mon, 07 Aug 2006 06:46:28 +0000 http://www.altfg.com/blog/archives/2006/07/31/a-few-films-at-the-2006-venice-film-festival/#comment-71683 I'm looking forward to see La stella che non c'è, even though I did not like Amelio's overpraised Le chiavi di casa (which contains a wonderful performance from Rampling but the worst recent work of Kim Rossi Stuart - an actor I normally admire). I doubt he will take home the gold, because he has already won in the past (For Così ridevano in 1998) and his win is probably too recent to warrant another win, unless the film is a real stunner and everything else is pretty drab. I'm not at all excited about the Children of Men; the trailer that excited so many seems like a made-for-TV project at least in terms of the story, though trailers for multi-layered stories are notoriously difficult to make. The Verhoeven should be interesting but is not likely to win (maybe Best Actress, though Van Houten is probably not famous enough) and Resnais has strayed since his Last Year days... The American titles all seem fairly standard fare (maybe De Palma will hit the jackpot again with The Black Dahlia?), with the more interesting stuff coming from Asia; the Weerasethakul, the Tsai Ming-Liang, the To. The more exciting European films seem to be out of competition this year: the Amigorena and the De Oliveira especially have me intrigued, as have some titles in the Settimana Internazionale della Critica and the Giornate degli Autori. We'll see... I'm looking forward to see La stella che non c'è, even though I did not like Amelio's overpraised Le chiavi di casa (which contains a wonderful performance from Rampling but the worst recent work of Kim Rossi Stuart – an actor I normally admire). I doubt he will take home the gold, because he has already won in the past (For Così ridevano in 1998) and his win is probably too recent to warrant another win, unless the film is a real stunner and everything else is pretty drab.

I'm not at all excited about the Children of Men; the trailer that excited so many seems like a made-for-TV project at least in terms of the story, though trailers for multi-layered stories are notoriously difficult to make.

The Verhoeven should be interesting but is not likely to win (maybe Best Actress, though Van Houten is probably not famous enough) and Resnais has strayed since his Last Year days… The American titles all seem fairly standard fare (maybe De Palma will hit the jackpot again with The Black Dahlia?), with the more interesting stuff coming from Asia; the Weerasethakul, the Tsai Ming-Liang, the To.

The more exciting European films seem to be out of competition this year: the Amigorena and the De Oliveira especially have me intrigued, as have some titles in the Settimana Internazionale della Critica and the Giornate degli Autori. We'll see…

]]> By: Marcus Tuckerhttp://www.altfg.com/blog/film-festivals/a-few-films-at-the-2006-venice-film-festival/#comment-71460 Marcus Tucker Sat, 05 Aug 2006 19:55:07 +0000 http://www.altfg.com/blog/archives/2006/07/31/a-few-films-at-the-2006-venice-film-festival/#comment-71460 DePalma is very von Stroheim or more accurately Von Sternberg. Everything is beautiful and stunning but no real story. Easy to get away with when Sissy Spacek, Nancy Allen, and Angie Dickinson are the lead but not Rebecca Romijn. I think Femme Fatale is his most visually brilliant thriller. But he used a great deal of silence in that film, the may be 30 minutes or more without dialogue altogether. Ellroy was definately not joking. He has one of the grandest egos in the literary world. He might be a good actor though, if you have seen him on camera it's actually sort of captivating until one realizes that he speaks out of his other end. DePalma is very von Stroheim or more accurately Von Sternberg. Everything is beautiful and stunning but no real story. Easy to get away with when Sissy Spacek, Nancy Allen, and Angie Dickinson are the lead but not Rebecca Romijn. I think Femme Fatale is his most visually brilliant thriller. But he used a great deal of silence in that film, the may be 30 minutes or more without dialogue altogether. Ellroy was definately not joking. He has one of the grandest egos in the literary world. He might be a good actor though, if you have seen him on camera it's actually sort of captivating until one realizes that he speaks out of his other end.

]]> By: Andre Soareshttp://www.altfg.com/blog/film-festivals/a-few-films-at-the-2006-venice-film-festival/#comment-67942 Andre Soares Wed, 02 Aug 2006 03:05:57 +0000 http://www.altfg.com/blog/archives/2006/07/31/a-few-films-at-the-2006-venice-film-festival/#comment-67942 Marcus, Indeed. Brian DePalma is a great stylist. Too bad he can't find someone who can write to work on his films. My favorite DePalma - perhaps the *only* DePalma film I've really liked - is "The Phantom of the Paradise." A musical - quite different from his other films. I haven't seen "Aeon Flux." However, I have seen both "L.A. Confidential" and "Chinatown." Perhaps Ellroy's comment comparing "L.A." to "Chinatown" was a joke? Marcus,

Indeed. Brian DePalma is a great stylist. Too bad he can't find someone who can write to work on his films. My favorite DePalma – perhaps the *only* DePalma film I've really liked – is "The Phantom of the Paradise." A musical – quite different from his other films.

I haven't seen "Aeon Flux." However, I have seen both "L.A. Confidential" and "Chinatown." Perhaps Ellroy's comment comparing "L.A." to "Chinatown" was a joke?

]]> By: Marcus Tuckerhttp://www.altfg.com/blog/film-festivals/a-few-films-at-the-2006-venice-film-festival/#comment-67928 Marcus Tucker Wed, 02 Aug 2006 02:33:09 +0000 http://www.altfg.com/blog/archives/2006/07/31/a-few-films-at-the-2006-venice-film-festival/#comment-67928 The Children of Men has a similar theme to last year's sci-fi flick Aeon Flux which I enjoyed very even though it had little to do with the brilliant animated series it was based upon. I am eager to see the Black Dahlia but not eager to see the boastful and overrated James Ellroy give interviews about it, oy. I one of the few who will admit to not liking L. A. Confidential which I didn't really like other than the Lana Turner scene. Ellroy had the audacity to say that L.A. Confidential was better that Chinatown. I would have been mad had his statement not been so laughable. I am also eager to see if DePalma has finally managed to come up with good dialogue, with images he is unmatchable, words is another story. That last line of Femme Fatale "Only in my dreams" delivered by the very green but likable Romijn was almost as laughable as the last line in Sliver (though not from DePalma) from Sharon Stone "Get a life." It makes Gladys George's famous "He used to be a big shot,"seem all the more ingenious. The Children of Men has a similar theme to last year's sci-fi flick Aeon Flux which I enjoyed very even though it had little to do with the brilliant animated series it was based upon. I am eager to see the Black Dahlia but not eager to see the boastful and overrated James Ellroy give interviews about it, oy. I one of the few who will admit to not liking L. A. Confidential which I didn't really like other than the Lana Turner scene. Ellroy had the audacity to say that L.A. Confidential was better that Chinatown. I would have been mad had his statement not been so laughable. I am also eager to see if DePalma has finally managed to come up with good dialogue, with images he is unmatchable, words is another story. That last line of Femme Fatale "Only in my dreams" delivered by the very green but likable Romijn was almost as laughable as the last line in Sliver (though not from DePalma) from Sharon Stone "Get a life." It makes Gladys George's famous "He used to be a big shot,"seem all the more ingenious.

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