film festival review

Movie Review: EXIT RIGHT (Award Winning Short Film) 2015

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EXIT RIGHT was awarded best film at the November 2015 FEEDBACK Film Festival.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video from the Festival:

MOVIE POSTEREXIT RIGHT, 5min, Germany, Drama
Directed by Bernhard Wenger & Rupert Holler

Look away or intervene? When a black man is victim of unfounded, racial abuse in a packed bus, there is only one passenger who won’t ignore the situation like everyone else.

Review of the Short Film by Amanda Lomonaco:

In Exit Right Bernhard Wenger & Rupert Holler take a light hearted approach to an unfortunately all too common situation. With the current discussion about Syrian refugees, as well as the Paris bombings, this film is incredibly relevant to the issues we face today, and yet still manages to permeate through time with it’s gentle, comedic approach to the topic. It’s comforting to see that even tragic and disturbing issues can be given a lighter tone.

Those of us who use public transport frequently are well accustomed to witnessing awkward, messy, and at times even violent situations while riding the bus, or sitting in the subway car. On these occasions most of us will look away and pretend we don’t hear or see anything, however every once in a while a brave samaritan will stand up and do something about it. Wenger and Holler decided precisely to portray one such situation in their short film, and with it demonstrate that standing up to bullies doesn’t always need to result in aggression, or negativity.

It’s a lesson that we all learned in school, but often needs to be repeated throughout our lives. Many different cultures have similar stories that you may have heard before in different manners, but no matter how many times it is told or portrayed, the result is always heartwarming. By bringing this anecdotal tale to life within modern day Europe, Wenger and Holler also emphasize how this lesson persists through time periods, cultures, and locations.

Exit Right is definitely a great film to watch when you feel like you’re starting to lose your faith in humanity a little, but it’s also a fun short to enjoy on any day of the week. The directors did miss a slight opportunity for a fun extended ending that could have shown what happens to the man after he has been kicked off the bus, but that itself did not leave the film lacking in anything. This one is worth a few repeated watches, whenever you feel like you need a reminder that standing up to bullies and racists is always the right thing to do, so long as you don’t stoop to their level and respond with equal aggression.

 

 

Movie Review: OUR LAST TANGO (UN TANGO MAS) (Argentina/Germany 2015) ***

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Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival:http://www.wildsound.ca

our_last_tango_posterOUR LAST TANGO (UN TANGO MAS) (Argentina/Germany 2015) ***
Directed by German Kral

Review by Gilbert Seah

This documentary tells the story of love between the two most famous dancers in tango’s history – María Nieves Rego (aged 81) and Juan Carlos Copes (aged 84).

When the film begins, a closeup of Maria has her say that if she was given the chance to do it all again, she would not change a thing – for tango. The only thing is to do it without Juan. The camera moves back to show Maria and Juan standing very close, face to face. They begin to tango. This is a powerful start. Why did Maria make that statement about Juan. Did she bare that much hatred fro him? Or did she love him too much that she cannot handle it? The doc goes on to reveal the reason.

The film would naturally have a slow feel with two aged subjects. Director Kral (who got his film experience working as assistant to Wim Wenders) tries to counteract this by animating his film as much as possible. This is most evident in one scene where Maria’s two interviewers more than act out their surprise at Maria’s answers to their questions.

OUR LAST TANGO is less a film about the tango than about the relationship between Marian and Juan. And it is not a love but more a hate relationship. It becomes a bit tedious, with each complaining about the other, from start to finish of the film. Director Kral offers two sides of the story, so that the audience takes no sides. Often each would complain about the other at great length. Maria loves Juan too much but not unconditionally. Her pride is terribly broken she Juan bears a child with another woman. On the other hand, one can sympathize with Juan when he says he cannot stand Maria. It is not easy to live with someone whom one cannot stand despite the fact that that someone loves you.

The film has quite a lot of tango dances but not many shown in great detail or to great length. Rather many different types are shown during the different stages of their lives. The duo exported their dance to Broadway with ‘Tango Argentino’.

One wishes that there be more archive footage of Maria and Juan dancing together. Young dancers perform too many re-enactments so the film has too much of a made-up feel.
There is little said in the film of how the two became so famous and how rich or successful they became. Their dances on display in the film reveal very little of their talent as well.

OUR LAST TANGO is also a film about ageing, though not much is said of the subject. But one can see on the faces of both Juan and Maria – their past glories and regrets. Maria is also suffering from some nerve problem, evident in her old age. She cannot stop shaking her head.

It is difficult to imagine OUR LAST TANGO being interesting to those with little to do with dance, for the love/hate relationship of the couple is also not something that audiences will flock to.

Also, Free logline submissions. The Writing Festival network averages over 95,000 unique visitors a day.
Great way to get your story out: http://www.wildsound.ca/logline.html

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival:http://www.wildsound.ca

Watch recent Writing Festival Videos. At least 15 winning videos a month:http://www.wildsoundfestival.com

Top 10 Films of 2015 by Gilbert Seah

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TOP 10 FILMS OF 2015

The end of the year arrives with the best 10 lists of everything.  As for films, it is always the same each year.  For the first 11 months of the year – nada.  Almost nothing good is screened and come December, a host of excellent, inventive and entertaining films arrive.  Guess it is Santa’s reward for filmgoers pumping good old fashioned money into the economy.

My best 10 films are listed below (in alphabetical order).

TOP 10 (in alphabetical order):

ANOMALISA (USA 2015) ***** 

Directed by Charlie Kauffman

Animated feature about a lone soul (voice of David Thewlis) who finally finds the love of his life.  The entire film is narrated by only three actors because there are only three people in Michael Stone’s life.  Himself,  Anomalisa (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and the rest of the world (Tom Noonan).  A most interesting film about the most boring person on the planet.

THE BIG SHORT (USA 2015) *****

Directed by Adam McKay

A smart, hilarious look at the housing mortgage bubble burst in the U.S. and the few people that benefited from it.  An all-star cast joins in the fun with cameos from Salena Gomez and Robbie Margot who help explain some financial jargon.  

CAROL (USA 2015) *****

Directed by Todd Haynes

Openly gay director Todd Haynes delivers another first class gay drama about the love affair between an older wealthy woman (Cate Blanchett) and a  struggling store clerk, Carol (Rooney Mara).  Set in the 50’s when gay relationships were taboo, CAROL is nevertheless moving, disturbing and ultimately still relevant.

THE FORBIDDEN ROOM (Canada 2015) ****

Directed by Guy Maddin

The Best Canadian film of the year and another weird and wonderful film by Guy Maddin with co-creator Evan Johnson – and one of Maddin’s best and most structured, which is not saying much.  And the film is in colour instead of black and white.  The film begins, humorously with a man in a bathrobe giving lessons on how to draw a bath.  This vignette is linked to another concerning a submarine crew in dire distress.  The captain is missing and the air supply is running out.  They chew on flapjacks to utilize the oxygen bubbles in the batter.  Does not make sense?  It does not matter.  All this is part of the weird pleasure that is abundant in a Maddin film. 

THE HATEFUL EIGHT (USA 2015) *****
Directed by Quentin Traction

Shit-disturber Tarrantino’s latest film, a western is another winner.  Bounty hunters and an assortment of characters are put up at Minnie’s Haberdashery during a winter blizzard.  They do not come here without a reason.  Chaos ensues.  The film runs 3 hours with a 6-minute longer version in 70mm, complete with overture and intermission.

HOUSEBOUND (New Zealand 2014) ***** Top 10

Directed by Gerard Johnstone

HOUSEBOUND is my guilty pleasure.  The film came out of nowhere turning out to be the biggest surprise of the year.  This is the story of story of Kylie Bucknell (Morgana O’Reilly), an ill-tempered delinquent forced to return to the house she grew up in when the court places her on home detention.  Her punishment is made all the more unbearable by the fact she has to live there with her crazed mother Miriam (Rima Te Wiata) – a well- intentioned blabbermouth who’s convinced that the house is haunted.   Horror comedy at its best, all neatly explained at the end.

JOY (USA 2015) *****
Directed by David O. Russell

Joy is indeed a great joy!  David O. Russell’s latest family/business drama sees desperate housewife Joy (Jennifer Lawrence) take on the business world with her invention, the miracle mop with the help of her immediate and extended family.  Hilariously satirical at times, this movie belongs to both Russell and Lawrence who delivers the best performance this year.

LEGEND (UK 2015) ****
Directed by Brian Helgeland

LEGEND is about the notorious Krays, the gangster twins that terrorized London the 50’s and 60’s.  The Kray twins in LEGEND are both played by Tom Hardy.  Written and directed by Brian Helgeland (L.A. CONFIDENTIAL his best film) and based on the book The Profession of Violence: The Rise and Fall of the Kray Twins by John Pearson, the film is told from the point of view as well as narrated by Frances Shea (Emily Browning) the wife of Reggie Kray, making it part crime and part love story.

THE REVENANT (USA 2015) ****
Directed by Alejandro Inarratu

A tracker (Leonardo DiCaprio) is mauled by a bear and left for dead by his fellow travellers.  The man survives and after a long track, gets his revenge.  A great wilderness adventure with a very strong performance by DiCaprio, this violent  \film might not be for everyone but it is quite the unforgettable movie.

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (USA 2015) *****
Directed by J.J. Abrams

The most anticipated film of the year lives up to the hype and expectations.  Abrams pumps new blood into the series with characters like Rey, Poe and Finn joining the legendary Star Wars characters Hans Solo, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia in taking down the Dark Side.  Great special effects, action sequences and musical score add to the the best that this series has to offer.  The Force has awakened and is here to stay!

Movie Review: The Hateful Eight (2015)

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THE HATEFUL EIGHT (USA 2015) Top 10 *****
Directed by Quentin Tarrantino
Starring: Channing Tatum, Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kurt Russell, Walton Goggins, Tim Roth, Zoe Bell, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern

Review by Gilbert Seah

Review now embargoed until Dec. 24th
 

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnRbXn4-Yis

Movie Review of the short poetry film “Hammer”

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“Hammer” played at the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film Festival, part of its October 2015 best of horror/thriller short films from around the word event. 

First off, watch the Poetry Film NOW:

Read Movie Review of HAMMER by Amanda Lomonaco:

While Hammer lacked a lot of the excitement and action that went along with the other films of the night, I still can’t deny how interesting the concept was. Like all experimental films, there will probably be a strong love/hate split between anyone who see sthis film, but I’ve always been a big proponent of experimental filmmaking.

Pushing the boundaries of any medium is incredibly important to highlighting and understanding its limitations, as well as helping us understand our own psyche. That might seem like a bit of a snobbish reason to justify experimental films, which can be pretty snobbish themselves sometimes, but its something many people don’t consider. Our reactions to new things can teach us a lot about ourselves, and about those around us, so it can be fun sometimes to give these films a try.

The poem that is narrated in Hammer is beautiful and original on its own; taking the perspective of a murder weapon as the narrator. The pictures that acompany the narration, superimposed, blurry, and dark, help emphasize the eeriness of the words. The closeups, forced perspective, and lack of clarity of the images also highlight the narrator’s perspective as an object, rather than a living thing. The merger between both mediums enhances both mediums equally, and puts you in an interesting space, both as an audience member, and as a listener, or reader.

Here is where I admit my massive bias; I am a Halloween freak. I love horror films, gore, SPFX make-up, dressing up, getting scared, gorging on candy, all of it. Naturally, I would always be more inclined to like this kind of film, regardless of the subject matter. Of course not ALL horror films pass the test, but the uniqueness of this one stood out to me. I wouldn’t recommend this film to everyone, but if you’re a fan of the gothic, Poe, melancholic style of horror, you’ll definitely appreciate this one.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK of HAMMER:

Movie Review of the short film “Redemption”

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“Redemption” is a thriller/prison drama that played at the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film Festival, part of it’s best of horror/thriller short films event in October 2015. 

REDEMPTION, Australia, 7min, Thriller/Prison
Directed by Tom Vogel

A man in jail finds God and asks his son for forgiveness but is karma about to catch up with him before he can seek redemption.

Read the movie review of REDEMPTION by Amanda Lomonaco

One more point scored by the Aussies for proving that simple stage design, just a few characters, and not much equipment can still make for a good horror film. What’s more – they didn’t even pull out the fake blood! You could argue that the very fact that the cheapness of the production was noticeable makes it a bad film, but I guarantee you many a Blair Witch fan would disagree.

Most of the shots in this film were quite tight, and close-up.The wider two shots were mostly in dark spaces, where little to no background could be seen. This really drew a lot of focus on the acting, which definitely lived up to expectations. It’s a gamble to bank so much of your film on the actors themselves, but I would say Tom Vogel made some good casting calls in this case.

Vogel could have done just a tad better in the make-up department, though. Giving his main, most vicious character, what looked very obviously like a stamp-on temporary tattoo on the neck distracted a little from that character’s brutality. Everything else about the film compensates for this minor mishap, however. Particularly when that same character proceeds to kill someone in an incredibly aggressive and violent manner.

Once again the implication of violence proves more effective than the use of violence itself. It might have begun a little slowly, but Redemption‘s pace picked up quickly enough to not leave you bored or confused for too long. The finale was definitely a very satisfying climax for those of us who love vengeful justice (whether we admit to it or not). I would call this one a good film for cathartic viewing.

Today’s Twitter Posts: Sunday November 29 2015

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Today’s Twitter Posts: Submit to Various Festivals via Film Freeway

Best of Festival Tweets for Today

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Read the best of Twitter Tweets from Festivals from around the world:

Today’s Best of Tweets in the Festival World

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Read the best of Twitter Tweets from Festivals from around the world:

CIMM Fest – Chicago International Movies and Music Fest

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This is CIMMfest, the Chicago International Movies & Music Festival—a four-day showcase of outstanding films, energetic concerts, visually stunning VJ/DJ sets, lively Q&A’s, daring live score performances, industry panels and presentations…anything to show just what movies and music mean to each other.

CIMMfest was imagined and brought to life by musician Josh Chicoine (Cloudbirds, The M’s) and filmmaker Ilko Davidov (BulletProof Film). Neither knew what he was getting into at the start, but hundreds of films, thousands of attendees and countless incredible experiences later, CIMMfest is a respected Chicago fixture.

CIMMfest No.7 will take place April 16-19, 2015.

Go to the website and learn more about the upcoming 2015 festival: http://www.cimmfest.org/

Matthew Toffolo recently chatted with the Festival Director CARMINE CERVI

MT: What is the goal of your film festival?

Carmine: Our goal is to create a home for great music-themed films and visually exciting concerts, where fans and industry alike can come together for a long weekend- have a great time, network, learn and possibly do some business. With Chicago being the center of the Midwest, we hope to grow to have a regional presence for the industry and fans. This year we have the City of Chicago partnering with us in this effort by adding a major arts convergence event aligned on CIMMfest’s dates April 16-19.

MT: How has the festival changed since is began until now?

Carmine: When co-founders and original directors, Ilko Davidov and Josh Chicoine (filmmaker and musician, respectfully) and I started out– we knew nothing about running a festival. We only did what was fun for us– and tried to create an experience for both filmmakers and audiences that we would appreciate ourselves. We were punk. We were street-level. Despite all the attention we’ve received, we strive to maintain that street-level experience– and the punk attitude. Two years ago we initiated CIMMcon, a conference component that brings industry professionals together to discuss trends, resources and strategies. It’s a great opportunity for networking and relationship building. We’ve also expanded our outreach and relationships with other festivals and organizations both in Chicago and around the world. In 2013 we created the CIMMfest Baadasssss Award by honoring the man for whom the award was named, Mr. Melvin Van Peebles. Last year we presented it to SXSW founder and CIMMfest board member, Louis Black.

Perhaps our most exciting change this year is the addition of Sundance Film Festival programmer,Adam Montgomery, who last year served on our jury.

One thing that has not changed– our entire staff is comprised of filmmakers, musicians and artists. Our goal continues to keep the artists and audiences as our primary focus.

MT: How many films are you showcasing at your Film Festival?

Carmine: Typically we screen 40-50 feature films (docs, fiction, concert films) and as many shorts and music videos. We try to pair shorts and music videos with like-themed features, as well as shorts programs, and our HQ (CIMMcity) always includes a Music Video Lounge.

A signature feature of our festival is our live scored films. Last year we did 6 in our four-day run. Often these are one-off events created just for CIMMfest. Last year one highlight was Mary Shelly (Members of Smashing Pumpkins and Local H) performing a live score to Battleship Potemkin. Additionally we featured concerts by over 75 bands, as well as 25 Industry related panels, workshops and interviews.

MT: Can you give us a sneak peak of what to except for the 2015 Festival?

Carmine: It’s a little early to make any announcements, those will begin in January. But we will feature music docs and features from a wide variety of genres and countries, plus a multi-venue concert series, industry events and lots of great parties for the musicians, filmmakers and attendees alike. And of course, our partnership with the City of Chicago in the first “Lake FX Summit and Expo”, which will run concurrently with CIMMfest. It is a creative industries conference that brings together the film/media, music, fashion and culinary arts for showcases, keynotes, panels and exhibitions. It is an exciting expansion of what CIMMfest is all about and a great opportunity for expanding the audience for our filmmakers and musical artists.

MT: What type of music do you like to showcase at your festival? Is there a genre theme?

Carmine: One of my favorite things about our programming is that we span the globe of musical genres. Last year our Best Feature Fiction award-winner was a great film from Iceland called Metalhead, and our Best Feature Doc was an American film about a brass band festival in Serbia. We expect more of the same this year with lots of rock-centric films and then a bunch of films featuring music form all over the world.

MT: Is there going to be an overall theme for the 2015 festival?

Carmine: Last year our dates included May 1st, so we were all about revolution and power to the people. This year’s theme is about taking action. One of Chicago’s mottos is “The City That Works”. Creatives are all about the hustle. In 2015 CIMMfest is about Getting It Done!

MT: Where do you see your festival in 5 years?

Carmine: We see CIMMfest as a regional hub for the film and music industry to gather, celebrate, and create. CIMMcon will grow to be the premier center for resources and education for the creative industries. We’re on the leading edge of helping filmmakers and musicians to collaborate and succeed.

MT: What’s the current status of the Film Scene in your city?

Carmine: Chicago has always been a film city– from Essanay Studios and Charlie Chaplin, to John Hughes, the Wachowski’s and Steve James. Chicago is long established as a documentary town– and today is one of the busiest cities in the country for feature film and television production. Independent productions are stronger than ever in Chicago, which is also the home of one of the most successful independent distributors, Music Box Films, which again this year will have multiple titles nominated for the Independent Spirit Awards– and an Oscar nomination.

MT: What film have you seen the most in your life?

Carmine: You’ve cleverly sidestepped asking a filmmaker what his favorite movie is– but the question is still not easy to answer. Ilko Davidov and I have made many music-themed films before creating CIMMfest. I feel I should restrict my answer to a music-based film (or can I name 5?) Stop Making Sense and Spinal Tap are always go-to movies. Amadeus is one of my all-time favorites. But I’ve also lost count of how many times I’ve seen the Chicago-produced films, The Blues Brothers and John Cusack’s High Fidelity. Now, watching films and programming for CIMMfest, that list continues to grow; always discovering new, great music-centric movies, like The Winding Stream about the Carter and Cash families, Player Hating: A Love Story, a candid, insightful look at a Brooklyn housing project rapper on the verge of stardom, and Control Tower a universal story from Japan about disaffected youth connecting through music.

CARMINE CERVI, has produced and directed documentaries and short fiction films in both the United States and Italy. A professional actor since the age ten, and alumnus of Chicago’s improv scene, Cervi graduated from Columbia College before relocating to Rome. In Italy he co-wrote and starred in a weekly TV series, as well as appearing in commercials and voice work at the famed Cinecittà. He went on to produce and edit short background docs for DueA Film and directed his first feature documentary, Sacred Sounds, in Morocco. Upon returning to Chicago, he partnered with Ilko Davidov at BulletProof Film to produce and direct fiction and non-fiction films. BulletProof Film’s William S. Burroughs: A Man Within was shown on Independent Lens, enjoyed world-wide theatrical release and is available on home video. Their forthcoming feature documentary, Nelson Algren: The End is Nothing, the Road is All will be released in 2015. Cervi co-founded CIMMfest in 2008 with Ilko Davidov and Josh Chicoine.

Matthew Toffolo, Interviewer BIO

Matthew Toffolo is the current CEO of the WILDsound Film and Writing Festival . He had worked for the organization since its inception in 2007 serving as the Short Film Festival’s moderator during the Audience Feedback sessions.

Filmmaker of over 20 short films and TV episodes. Took over full reins of the WILDsound Festival in May 2013. From then to the end of 2014, he’s presented over 90 movies at the monthly FEEDBACK Film Festival in Toronto, plus has had over 60 screenplays and stories performed by professional actors at the bi-monthly Writing Festival.