14 May, 2010
Seattle International Film Festival 2010 - Brief Reviews
A brief look at this week's press screenings:
Soul Kitchen, directed by Fatih Akin (Germany, 2009) 99 min. - Entertaining, somewhat lighthearted drama/romance of a struggling restaurant owner. Sounds like No Reservations, but very different with some unbelievable deux ex machinas.
Father of My Children, directed by Mia Hansen-Løve (France, 2009) 110 min. - Boring, seemingly pointless movie around a family coping with financial difficulty of their movie studio and loss.
The Freebie, directed by Katie Aselton (USA, 2010) 78 min. - Somewhat disturbing movie about a couple planning a night of infidelity. Really just grating and irritating without any empathy or sympathy for the main characters.
The Concert, directed by Radu Mihaileanu (France, 2009) 119 min. - Entertaining movie about redemption of a group of musicians disbanded with the fall of Communism brought together in a somewhat comical way.
Bus Palladium, directed by Christopher Thompson (France, 2010) 100 min. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE - Fun rock and roll, relationship (band of brothers and romance) movie. I would find it brilliant were it not for Almost Famous.
Restrepo, directed by Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington (USA, 2010) 96 min. - Very thoughtful and engaging look at one group of soldiers' 15 month deployment in Afghanistan. Even more poignant if you know what has happend since. See the book War.
Skeletons, directed by Nick Whitfield (United Kingdom, 2009) 95 min. - Dark and whimsical fantasy film. Slow build up but worth it when things kind of tie together in the end. The quirky performances are both engaging and endearing.
The Hedgehog, directed by Mona Achache (France, 2009) 98 min. - Very engaging drama about the residents of a luxury apartment complex and their janitor. Coming of age for both a young girl and middle-age woman.
Prince of Tears, directed by Yonfan (Hong Kong, 2009) 122 min. - Beautiful and fascinating movie covering the the early part of the Nationalist relocation to Taiwan and their anti-communist fervor. A movie that really makes you think what the heck happend, I think deliberately but many of us SIFFers ended up debating.
Amer, directed by Hélène Cattet (Belgium, 2009) 90 min. - Just plain weird and disturbing... Hyper reality, terrifying look at the life of a woman. Not sure of whether it was intended to be horror or not. Lots of folks walked out...
