The Plaid Silhouette: December 2014

Monday, December 15, 2014

2015 Golden Globe Nominations

Best Motion Picture, Drama

Boyhood

Foxcatcher

The Imitation Game

Selma

The Theory of Everything

Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

Birdman

Grand Budapest Hotel

Into the Woods

Pride

St. Vincent

PHOTOS: The riskiest Golden Globes looks ever

Disney

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

Steve Carell, "Foxcatcher"
Benedict Cumberbatch, "The Imitation Game"
Jake Gyllenhaal, "Nightcrawler"
Michael Keaton, "Birdman"
Eddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

Jennifer Aniston, "Cake"
Felicity Jones, "The Theory of Everything"
Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"
Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"
Reese Witherspoon, "Wild"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

Robert Duvall, "The Judge"
Ethan Hawke, "Boyhood"
Edward Norton, "Birdman"
Mark Ruffalo, "Foxcatcher"
J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"

U.S. NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS

"Actresses" / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jeremy Hersh) — The film follows the relationship between a young, aspiring actress and an established off-Broadway star.

"A.D. 1363, The End of Chivalry" / U.S.A., New Zealand (Director and screenwriter: Jake Mahaffy) — A little-known historical catastrophe leads to the definitive end of the era of chivalry and questing.

"Color Neutral" / U.S.A. (Director: Jennifer Reeves) — A color explosion sparkles, bubbles, and fractures in this handcrafted 16mm film. Jennifer Reeves utilizes an array of mediums and direct-on-film techniques to create this exuberant, psychedelic morsel of cinema as material.

"Dog Bowl" / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Gordy Hoffman) — A heartbroken girl spiraling through life stumbles upon the true nature of her existence after stealing the vest off of a service dog.

"Hugh the Hunter" / U.S.A. (Director: Zachary Heinzerling, Screenwriters: Zachary Heinzerling, Jesse Soursourian) — This fable, inspired by the artwork of Hugh Hayden, follows a fictitious hunter of the Scottish Highlands on a daylong quest to capture the elusive red grouse.

Premieres Lineup

"Brooklyn"
United Kingdom (Director: John Crowley, Screenwriter: Nick Hornby, based on the book by Colm Tóibín) — 1950s Ireland: Eilis must confront a terrible dilemma — a heartbreaking choice between two men and two countries, between duty and true love. Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Emory Cohen, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent.

"Digging for Fire"
U.S.A. (Director: Joe Swanberg, Screenwriters: Jake Johnson, Joe Swanberg) — The discovery of a bone and a gun sends a husband and wife on separate adventures over the course of a weekend. Cast: Jake Johnson, Rosemarie Dewitt, Orlando Bloom, Brie Larson, Sam Rockwell, Anna Kendrick.

"Don Verdean"
U.S.A. (Director: Jared Hess, Screenwriters: Jared Hess, Jerusha Hess) — Biblical archaeologist Don Verdean is hired by a local church pastor to find faith-promoting relics in the Holy Land. But after a fruitless expedition he is forced to get creative in this comedy of faith and fraud. Cast: Sam Rockwell, Jemaine Clement, Amy Ryan, Danny McBride, Leslie Bibb, Will Forte.

"The End of the Tour"
U.S.A. (Director: James Ponsoldt, Screenwriter: Donald Margulies) — This story of the five-day 1996 interview between Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky and acclaimed novelist David Foster Wallace explores the tenuous yet intense relationship that develops between journalist and subject. The two men bob and weave, sharing laughs and also concealing and revealing their hidden vulnerabilities. Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Jason Segel, Anna Chlumsky, Joan Cusack, Mamie Gummer, Ron Livingston.

New Frontier Films
"The Forbidden Room"
Canada (Directors: Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Screenwriters: Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Robert Kotyk) — A submarine crew, a feared pack of forest bandits, a famous surgeon, and a battalion of child soldiers all get more than they bargained for as they wend their way toward progressive ideas on life and love. Cast: Geraldine Chaplin, Caroline Dhavernas, Roy Dupuis, Udo Kier, Charlotte Rampling, Karine Vanasse. World Premiere.

"Liveforever"
Colombia, Mexico (Director: Carlos Moreno, Screenwriters: Alberto Ferreras, Alonso Torres, Carlos Moreno) ¬— Driven by the music and dancing she finds along the way, a teenager leaves home willing to try anything her provocative and tolerant city has to offer, even if she burns out in the process. Inspired by the best-selling novel "Que viva la música" by Andres Caicedo. Cast: Paulina Davila, Alejandra Avila, Luis Arrieta, Juan Pablo Barragan, Nelson Camayo, Christian Tappan. World Premiere.

"The Royal Road"
U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jenni Olson) — This cinematic essay, a defense of remembering, offers up a primer on the Spanish colonization of California and the Mexican American War alongside intimate reflections on nostalgia, butch identity and Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo — all against a contemplative backdrop of 16mm urban California landscapes. Cast: Jenni Olson, Tony Kushner. World Premiere.

"Sam Klemke's Time Machine"
Australia (Director: Matthew Bate) — Sam Klemke has filmed and narrated 50 years of his life, creating a strange and intimate portrait of what it means to be human. World Premiere.

"Station to Station"
U.S.A. (Director: Doug Aitken) — Station to Station is composed of 60 individual one-minute films featuring different artists, musicians, places, and perspectives. This revolutionary feature-length film reveals a larger narrative about modern creativity. World Premiere.

"Things of the Aimless Wanderer"
Rwanda, United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Kivu Ruhorahoza) — A white man meets a black girl, then she disappears. The white man tries to understand what happened to her while also trying to finish a travelogue. Things of the Aimless Wanderer is a film about the sensitive topic of relations between "locals " and Westerners, about paranoia, mistrust, and misunderstandings. Cast: Justin Mullikin, Grace Nikuze, Ramadhan Bizimana, Eliane Umuhire, Wesley Ruzibiza, Matt Ray Brown. World Premiere.

"1979 Revolution Game"
Artists: Navid Khonsari, Vassiliki Khonsari1979 Revolution Game presents an innovative approach to non-fiction storytelling. Designed to engage players with an immersive "on the ground" experience of the Iranian Revolution, the game integrates an emotionally impactful narrative with interactive moral choices and intuitive touchscreen gameplay while remaining true to history.

The 2015 Sundance Film Festival today revealed the films playing in the U.S. Dramatic, U.S. Documentary, World Dramatic, World Documentary Competitions, in addition to its Next <=> lineup.

The U.S. Documentary Competition

"3 1/2 MINUTES"

U.S.A. (Director: Marc Silver) — On November 23, 2012, unarmed 17-year-old Jordan Russell Davis was shot at a Jacksonville gas station by Michael David Dunn. "3 1/2 MINUTES" explores the aftermath of Jordan's tragic death, the latent and often unseen effects of racism, and the contradictions of the American criminal justice system.

"Being Evel"

U.S.A. (Director: Daniel Junge) — An unprecedented, candid portrait of American icon Robert "Evel" Knievel and his legacy.

"Best of Enemies"

U.S.A. (Directors: Morgan Neville, Robert Gordon) — Best of Enemies is a behind-the-scenes account of the explosive 1968 televised debates between the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr., and their rancorous disagreements about politics, God, and sex.

"Call Me Lucky"

U.S.A. (Director: Bobcat Goldthwait) — Barry Crimmins was a volatile but brilliant bar comic who became an honored peace activist and influential political satirist. Famous comedians and others build a picture of a man who underwent an incredible transformation.

"Cartel Land"

U.S.A., Mexico (Director: Matthew Heineman) — In this classic Western set in the 21st century, vigilantes on both sides of the border fight the vicious Mexican drug cartels. With unprecedented access, this character-driven film provokes deep questions about lawlessness, the breakdown of order, and whether citizens should fight violence with violence.

"City of Gold"

U.S.A. (Director: Laura Gabbert) — Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Jonathan Gold casts his light upon a vibrant and growing cultural movement in which he plays the dual roles of high-low priest and culinary geographer of his beloved Los Angeles.

"Finders Keepers"

U.S.A. (Directors: Bryan Carberry, Clay Tweel) — Recovering addict and amputee John Wood finds himself in a stranger-than-fiction battle to reclaim his mummified leg from Southern entrepreneur Shannon Whisnant, who found it in a grill he bought at an auction and believes it to therefore be his rightful property.

"Hot Girls Wanted"

U.S.A. (Directors: Jill Bauer, Ronna Gradus) — Hot Girls Wanted is a first-ever look at the realities inside the world of the amateur porn industry and the steady stream of 18- and 19-year-old girls entering into it.

"How to Dance in Ohio"

U.S.A. (Director: Alexandra Shiva) — In Columbus, Ohio, a group of teenagers and young adults on the autism spectrum prepare for an iconic American rite of passage -- a Spring Formal. They spend 12 weeks practicing their social skills in preparation for the dance at a local nightclub.

"Larry Kramer in Love and Anger"

U.S.A. (Director: Jean Carlomusto) — Author, activist, and playwright Larry Kramer is one of the most important and controversial figures in contemporary gay America, a political firebrand who gave voice to the outrage and grief that inspired gay men and lesbians to fight for their lives. At 78, this complicated man still commands our attention.

"Meru"

U.S.A. (Directors: Jimmy Chin, E. Chai Vasarhelyi) — Three elite mountain climbers sacrifice everything but their friendship as they struggle through heartbreaking loss and nature's harshest elements to attempt the never-before-completed Shark's Fin on Mount Meru, the most coveted first ascent in the dangerous game of Himalayan big wall climbing.

"Racing Extinction"

U.S.A. (Director: Louie Psihoyos) — Academy Award-winner Louie Psihoyos ("The Cove") assembles a unique team to show the world never-before-seen images that expose issues surrounding endangered species and mass extinction. Whether infiltrating notorious black markets or exploring humans' effect on the environment, Racing Extinction will change the way you see the world.

"(T)ERROR"

U.S.A. (Directors: Lyric R. Cabral, David Felix Sutcliffe) — "(T)ERROR" is the first film to document on camera a covert counterterrorism sting as it unfolds. Through the perspective of *******, a 63-year-old Black revolutionary turned FBI informant, viewers are given an unprecedented glimpse of the government's counterterrorism tactics, and the murky justifications behind them.

"Welcome to Leith"

U.S.A. (Directors: Michael Beach Nichols, Christopher K. Walker) — A white supremacist attempts to take over a small town in North Dakota. Western / U.S.A., Mexico (Directors: Bill Ross, Turner Ross) — For generations, all that distinguished Eagle Pass, Texas, from Piedras Negras, Mexico, was the Rio Grande. But when darkness descends upon these harmonious border towns, a cowboy and lawman face a new reality that threatens their way of life. Western portrays timeless American figures in the grip of unforgiving change.

"Western"

U.S.A., Mexico (Directors: Bill Ross, Turner Ross) — For generations, all that distinguished Eagle Pass, Texas, from Piedras Negras, Mexico, was the Rio Grande. But when darkness descends upon these harmonious border towns, a cowboy and lawman face a new reality that threatens their way of life. Western portrays timeless American figures in the grip of unforgiving change.

"The Wolfpack"

U.S.A. (Director: Crystal Moselle) — Six bright teenage brothers have spent their entire lives locked away from society in a Manhattan housing project. All they know of the outside is gleaned from the movies they watch obsessively (and recreate meticulously). Yet as adolescence looms, they dream of escape, ever more urgently, into the beckoning world.

Laughing at the pain of two siblings who unknowingly attempt to kill themselves at the same time, reunite due to this tragedy after ten years of non-communication. With Kristen Wig in the movie, I was expecting to laugh, but I think the best laughs came from Bill Hader. His role as Milo, A gay actor who's life is know where near what he expected in high school, sets us on a whirlwind of emotions as he tries to cope with being back home after being away for so long.

Knowing this was a Drama with comedic talent left me hopeful but skeptical that it would not be a fish out of water (watch the film to see why I use that analogy) The movie was great. Kristin Wiig was the star she is. Bill Hader was strong in his first dramatic role and the chemistry between these two successful comedians paid off in spades. I believe Luke Wilson will not get his deserved credit in the film due to the role of the leading players, but he was fabulous.

While there isn't much slapstick excitement happening in The Skeleton Twins that would initially get fans of both stars into the theatre, the real comedy comes from the comedic genius and masterminds on the page; screenwriters Mark Heyman and Craig Johnson, who has double duty as director. Offering emotionally wrenching scenes that provide a full dose of clarity to our characters and heart-breaking scenes that could easily be a glimpse into each and every one of our lives, the writing duo opt for a more realistic and fresh look at the troubles plaguing two siblings familial life.

Having read, and enjoyed, Ron Rash's novel I am not sure what I saw on the screen. I don't know who is to blame -- the director, the editor or the screen writer. They did not stick to the book so if you liked the book, this film is not it. The story tries to focus on a seldom exposed setting of the time frame and place combination. There are quite many movies about the depression era, but most of them are movies about mobsters, bootleggers, or at least there is a significant crime and violence portion within them. There are also movies about mountainous country sides and or the logging and timber companies or industries, but none of them takes the specific depression era time setting.

Nevertheless, I think that the story's interesting starting point doesn't really give any warranty that developed story lives up to it. Although the first few minutes of the movie is nicely unpredictable, especially on how the main characters meet and marry, but the rest of the rest becomes very much so right after.

Bier's Serena is the same story boiled down into an unmemorable soap opera fluff cash-grab buddy flick oddly devoid of any chemistry. Not unlike the "expendables" franchise, one gets the impressions that the films main stars are never actually in the same room together. The "surprises" Bier plants aren't surprises if you're familiar with the novel.

Magic in the Moonlight has been largely unnoticed by majority of the general movie-going audience. Yet from the trailers it peeked my interest enough to get me to watch it in the cinema. I expected it to be a good time pass and it was exactly that. I left satisfied but I have the feeling that in time I will not remember much about this movie. It's no surprise that Colin Firth and Emma Stone were the highlight. They have proved themselves time and time again that they are excellent actors, and they continue to be so in their roles.

There is no credible tension or conflict between the leads nor any emotional contact with the cinema goer and they didn't make us laugh either. So, instead of a standard rom-com, we are hit (according to reviewers here)with the "deep question" that was so "deep" it left a bump on my head. What do you expect from a Director/Writer from a country where many consider atheism and atheists to be to be evil. Whatever Woody was saying he said it with a hammer.

Without revealing anything about the plot, the fabrication does have a purpose in the storyline, but it is not working for me. So this feels like the director (who is also the scriptwriter) and actors have been struggling with the script. They were rushing through scenes like when the one guy asks Colin Firth to come with him to unmask this medium, he's like: hey wanna do something for me? Firth: yeah sure. Guy: come to another country with me to unmask this random woman you don't know. Firth: yeah i'm so angry, i'm going to unmask her!

We always knew that "Mr Turner" would not be a conventional costume picture any more than it would be a conventional biopic. It is, after all, a Mike Leigh film and Mr Leigh doesn't do 'conventional'. Of course, he normally concerns himself with the vagaries of contemporary middle-class culture, poking fun at, and then finding the bleeding heart of, the little people who inhabit his very personal world. (Leigh is, perhaps, the only writer/director who can crack us up and break our hearts simultaneously).

"Mr Turner" isn't the first time he has looked to the past nor to real historical figures for his material. With "Topsy-Turvy" he created the world of Gilbert and Sullivan and 'The Mikado'. As musical biopics go it is, perhaps, unique. Now with "Mr Turner" he takes us deep into the life of William Turner, arguably the first great 'modern' painter and almost certainly the greatest of all English painters, and in doing so has created the least stuffy costume picture I have ever seen. Of the several masterpieces Leigh has given us "Mr Turner" may be the finest.

Again, Julianne Moore did a great job to portray a career-minded ambitious woman who suffered the fatal gene inherited from her father, a disease that nothing can be done to stop or cure the dementia, the nickname of the Alzheimer's disease. She got that, then one of her daughter got it past down from her. This year, we got two movies in the same genre, the other one; an also a very good one, "You Are Not You". Both focused on an unlucky, highly educated, very successful woman who suddenly encountered a fatal disease.

This great film has some weak and/or flawed characters development and wrong casting job. Alec Baldwin is the one that definitely a miscast. The role he played got no chemistry with his wife and their children. The role he played to those three children only gave an impression of a step father, a guy who had divorced his first wife then married Alice with three children.

This film is about a woman named Alice played by the great Julianne Moore who has spent most of her life building a successful career as a linguist professor at Columbia while also maintaining a loving marriage and raising three children. The main child that we get to know is Lydia, played very well by Kristen Stewart. She is the youngest child who has moved across the country to Los Angeles in order to pursue a career as an actress.

this movie was a big hit in Cannes maybe because they have Juliette Binoche (as much as I know she is France sweetheart) Kristen Stewart and Chloe Moretz who have their own fandom, and big big fandom. So I got this special opportunity to watch this movie on film festival last week. I was so happy since I can't wait to see it with my own eyes. As a fan of Stewart, hearing good reviews about her in this movie made me want to see it even more.

This was a good movie, to a large extent because of its lead actors. I expected Juliette Binoche and Kristen Stewart to make a great team, and they did; there was never a moment when I thought one of them was out-acting the other, or drawing attention from the other. They worked in perfect tandem as far as I could see. But the movie is too long. I like the cinematography, Sils Maria is such a beautiful place.

I love Juliette when plays as a desperate woman. Well she does everything great. In this movie she played as a veteran actress with her own personal problem, and then new director asked her to do a remake based on a movie that made her famous. but as the opposite character. The base is great, I mean Maria had their own problems and it would make a strong story but they add more conflict in to it that included Chloe Moretz's character, Joanne Ellis.

2014 Festival Film Indonesia Winners

Festival Film Indonesia 2014 adalah Festival Film Indonesia yang ke-36. Pada tahun ini, penyelenggaraan FFI 2014 mengambil tema Bangga Film Indonesia.Tema tersebut dipilih karena dinilai mampu mewakili semangat perubahan menuju iklim perfilman nasional yang lebih baik.

Pada tahun ini, total keseluruhan film peserta FFI 2014 mencapai angka 386 judul yang terbagi atas lima kategori yakni, Film Bioskop sebanyak 50 judul, Film Televisi sebanyak 81 judul, Film Pendek sebanyak 138 judul, Film Animasi sebanyak 32 judul, Film Dokumenter sebanyak 85 judul. Malam Puncak Festival Film Indonesia 2014 digelar pada 6 Desember 2014 di Palembang. Untuk para pemenang Piala Vidia FFI 2014 malam penganugerahan akan digelar di Palembang, Sumatra Selatan pada 5 Desember 2014, sehari sebelum penganugerahan Piala Citra.