Abbas Kiarostami Articles
Josephine Baker, Abbas Kiarostami, THE BAND'S VISIT, THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS: Arabs & Muslims on TCM
Gillo Pontecorvo's The Battle of Algiers On July 22, 76 people were killed at a couple of terrorist attacks in Norway. Immediately, Arab/Muslim groups were suspected/accused of the mass murder. Imagine the shock and horror of those clamoring for the expulsion of the Muslim Menace from Europe when the death and mayhem turned out to be the carefully planned acts of a white European nationalist, [...]
CLOSE-UP Review Pt.2 – Unusual Spot in the Pantheon of Quasi-Documentaries
Abbas Kiarostami's Close-Up CLOSE-UP Review Part I Something else worth noting is that although Close-Up was made almost two decades ago, there is an odd feeling one gets while watching Sabzian, for, albeit radically different in nature and demeanor, he looks very much like Iran’s current wacko president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Not that this was apparent at the time, when Sabzian had his moment in the [...]
CLOSE-UP Review d: Abbas Kiarostami
NEMA-YE NAZDIK / CLOSE-UP (1990) Direction and Screenplay: Abbas Kiarostami Cast: Hossain Sabzian, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Abbas Kiarostami Abbas Kiarostami's Close-Up By Dan Schneider of Cosmoetica: Abbas Kiarostami is one of those "name" non-American directors who is looked to as a god. The low-budget Nema-ye Nazdik / Close-Up is the second Kiarostami effort I have seen and it is an excellent film. [Note: spoilers ahead] Close-Up [...]
Juliette Binoche vs. Gerard Depardieu: Round 2
William Shimell, Juliette Binoche in Abbas Kiarostami's Certified Copy "Please can you explain to me what the secret of this actress is meant to be? I would really like to know why she has been so esteemed for so many years. She has nothing. Absolutely nothing!" "She is nothing. Compared with her, Isabelle Adjani is great even if she's totally nuts. Or Fanny Ardant – [...]