Wendell Pierce as a man of God wrestling with some demons in "Burning Cane."
BY VW
TWO questions will confront viewers of Phillip Youmans’ feature premiere, "Burning Cane."
The film is having its world debut run at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. Its final screening is on Saturday (4 May). But to the questions Who was killed and Who was shot?
The director leaves the answers firmly in the hands of the viewer. Because some things, he seems to be conveying, do not need to be spelled out. If you really think about it, you will know. If you are really watching; if you can really see; if you will look beyond the surface. PY appears to be challenging the viewer to go deeper; to think and feel it out.
"Burning Cane" is one of the festival's most talked about films mainly because 19-year-old New York University film student PY is the youngest director to have a work accepted. He actually finished the film when he was in high school in South Louisiana.
There is not much dialogue in the film, nor does there need to be. Indeed, the dim light and darkness in which it is shot says a great deal. It lends it a depth that would be lacking if it were shot in brighter light. It's as if the dimness speaks to the pervasive anguish. The dimness adds layers of complexity to the lives of simple people.
For those who are not unfamiliar with these characters - I am such a one - there is beauty in their laconic natures. The light or lack of light also becomes lyrical and musical. It provides insights that words cannot.
Another film on its world premiere run at 2019 Tribeca is Ani Simon-Kennedy's "The Short History of the Long Road." It's a road film and follows the adventures of Nola (portrayed tenderly by Sabrina Carpenter) as she makes her way across country all on her own. Her road dog was her free-spirited father (Steven Ogg), until he was not. Plucky Nola, sensing that she must step up or be swept up, does what she has to do. She sets out.
Along the way, she meets a variety of characters, none of whom are out to do her harm (lucky her!). The closest call she has is with house-breaking, pool-draining skateboarders. It turns out, though, that they really are interested in boards, not broads.
Fortuitously, she encounters a foster mother who give her some sage advice: "get your act together(meaning her lying-through-your-teeth spiel). The most poignant meeting is with her estranged mother who discloses some information that will probably keep Nola out of trouble and out of counseling.
"The Short History of the Long Road" is a guileless film that touches the heartstrings quite without endeavoring to do so.
Other screenings and events on today's schedule: "Maiden" VIRTUAL ARCADE, Tribeca CINEMA360 "Shorts: Funhouse" "Sublime" "Dreamland" "Skin" "Stray Dolls" "Charlie Says" "Blow the Man Down" "Other Music" "Buffaloed" "Swallow" "Georgetown" "Good Posture" "In Fabric" "Wild Rose."
IMAGES FROM DAY 6
Gay Chorus Deep South
Members of the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus perform during the world premiere of "Gay Chorus Deep South. Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival.
Inna De Yard: The Soul of Jamaica
Ken Boothe performs some of his greatest hits following the world premiere of "Inna De Yard: The Soul of Jamaica. Photo by Astrid Stawiartz/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival.
Visit http://www.tribecafilm.com/festival to learn more about the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, including tickets and schedule.
ONCE upon a time as a teen, I would have sold my soul to the devil to have a certain body type.
Who am I kidding? As a young adult, I would have sold my soul to the devil to have a certain body type. I won't disclose precisely what the body type is/was. Suffice it to say that I was willing to pay that high price.
I kept this in mind as I was watching "Flawless." The film, from Sharon Maymon and Tal Granit, has its international premiere this evening at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. It was necessary to remember these follies of my youth and young adulthood to prevent me from passing judgment on three high school girls prepared to part with far less than their soul - but way too much - to achieve what they perceive as perfection.
The three are portrayed engagingly by Netsanet Zenaneh Mekonnen,Noam Lugasy and Israeli trans model Stav Strashko. "Flawless" is not an atypical teen, coming-of-age film, including all of the snobbery, bullying, clicks and insecurity that are seemingly part of teen life around the world. This Israeli high school can be plopped down in New Jersey or Texas, losing virtually nothing in translation.
More than anything, "Flawless" is a cautionary tale about the quest for beauty and perfection at any cost. It will remind viewers that some people really are willing to do anything. Of course, the boon that is the plastic surgery industry is proof positive.
Many will reflect on their younger selves - as I did - to comprehend the addled minds of these three young people. Their chosen course will send parents in to paroxysms of worry and anxiety about what their offspring are up to in the perfection quest.
"Flawless" is a film that rightly asks us all what we are willing to sacrifice for something so fleeting as beauty. It also reminds us that the price may be too great.
Other screenings and events on today's schedule: "What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali" "Low Tide" VIRTUAL ARCADE, Tribeca CINEMA360 "A Kid From Coney Island" "Halston" "Dreamland" "Clementine" "Good Posture" "Only" "Knives and Skin" "Other Music" "Buffaloed" "Shorts: On Tour" "Georgetown" "David O. Russell with Jennifer Lawrence" "A Day in the Life of America."
IMAGES FROM DAY 4
In Living Color
Tommy Davidson, Shawn Wayans, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Kim Wayans and David Alan Grier before a screening of the pilot episode of "In Living Color." The sketch comedy premiered 25 years ago on Fox.Photo by Gary Gershoff/Wire Image.
A Day in the Life of America
Director Jared Leto kicks up his heel on the red carpet before the world premiere of "A Day in the Life of America." Photo by Nicholas Hunt for Getty Images for the Tribeca Film Festival.
Visit http://www.tribecafilm.com/festival to learn more about the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, including tickets and schedule.
Stefanie Qiu Hua Mei is not happy about the notion of marriage in "Leftover Women."
BY VW
IN the United States, an old maid is a woman who has not married by a certain age.
Once upon a time it was 30 but may be older now, since over the last 50 years or so, more women have gotten college degrees and entered the workforce. Plus, the Women's Liberation Movement removed some of the stigma, but not all of it.
Currently in China, an old maid is a woman who has not married by the time she is 27. They are also called sheng nu or leftover ladies. It is this group of women that is the focus of Shosh Shlam and Hilla Medalia's documentary, "Leftover Women." It has its world premiere this evening at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival.
Watching this unsettling film, Western audiences must be careful not to look at the state and fate of these women through the prism of their more liberal-minded cultures. Those in the United States must be particularly careful. These audiences must remember that China has not had a women's civil rights movement. Further, that China is not a democracy.
The state has decreed that these women must be married and married they will be, lest they suffer ostracism or worse. At this juncture, it should be noted that there is a strong correlation between the singleness of these women and China's 36-year One Child Policy.
Another documentary in the festival, Nanfu Wang's "One Child Nation," addresses the repercussions of this controversial edict and is a strong companion piece to "Leftover Women." It has its New York premiere at the festival on Tuesday (30 April).
In "Leftover Women," the three ladies featured are Kelly Xu Min, a 28-year-old journalist; 34-year-old attorney Stefanie Qiu Hua Mei, and Iris Gai Qi, a 36-year-old college professor. The viewer's heart will go out to all three because they will commit social suicide if they refuse to tow the line. This is particularly true of Stefanie, the defiant one.
Her situation is complicated by the fact that she simply does not wish to marry. At least, not now. Yet, she gives it the old college try, if for no other reason than to get her family off of her back. Some members essentially throw temper tantrums, tossing around the S word (shame) and other inducements they think might break Stefanie's iron will.
The camera follows her going out on a date, visiting a nightclub, surfing dating sites and attending a parents' marriage mart. At the latter, parents shop for potential spouses for their children. Intimidated, one parent beseeches Stefanie to go away. Stefanie's case is the most hopeful because she has another plan.
Kelly is totally prepared to conform. Her efforts, however, are hampered by her mother. No young man Kelly has presented to her parents can stand up under the weight of her mother's rather exacting standards. In one of the documentary's most explosive scenes, Kelly confronts her mother. It is cathartic, if also a bit histrionic.
And then there is Iris. She does not really wish to marry, yet she acquiesces. It is so much easier to take the road of least resistance. To be a lamb for the slaughter. No ridicule. No shunning. No shaming. She is involved with a younger man whose family she is certain will not approve of her. Yet, they do marry and in due time she gives birth.
Of course, there is no happily-ever-after for Iris. She went along to get along; she did what she had to do. There is both nobility and utter sadness in her choice.
In watching "Leftover Women," I was often reflecting on how fortunate I am to be a U.S. American. To live in a culture where one is generally left alone to do what she pleases. There may be a little familial and societal grousing at nonconformity, but nothing close to the outcast status that awaits recalcitrant leftover ladies in China.
"One Child Nation" director Nanfu Wang and her son.
Until there is a change in state policy or successful pushback, the only option for a measure of peace for other reluctant women is to follow Stefanie's example. However, it involves a sacrifice many won't be willing or able to make.
"Leftover Women" is a reminder of the dangers and damage of state-forced and coerced social engineering, as well as the necessity of female empowerment in most corners of the world.
Other screenings and events on today's schedule: "Flesh Out" VIRTUAL ARCADE, Tribeca CINEMA360 "17 Blocks" "The Short History of the Long Road" "Stray Dolls" "Shorts: WTF" "Clementine" "A Regular Woman" "Scheme Birds" "The Apollo" "White As Snow" "Buffaloed" "A Day in the Life of America" "Shorts: Down to Earth" "In Living Color" and "Ask Dr Ruth."
Visit http://www.tribecafilm.com/festival to learn more about the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, including tickets and schedule.
In "the bomb," footage of parts of Japan after the atomic bomb was dropped. Photos by V.W.
BY V.W.
GOD help us all if any of the club members have a meltdown moment. We’d all be ... melted down or suffer some similar, awful fate.
Here to remind us of this outcome is “the bomb.” The closing film of the "15th annual Tribeca Film Festival" continues its world premiere run tonight with showings at 7 and 10. From Kevin Ford, Smriti Keshari and Eric Schlosser, “the bomb” addresses the nuclear threat.
The Nuclear Club, the so-called name for the countries that admit to or are known to have nuclear weapons, is a motley crew: China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, United Kingdom and, of course, the United States. Do note that these are the countries that have come clean about their nuclear possessions.
Anyone with the remotest knowledge of geopolitics is aware that there exists a massive amount of tension among members of the club, heightening the relevance of “the bomb.”
It is a multimedia work by virtue of being projected on a series of large screens that surround the main show space at Gotham Hall. In the center, playing live, is the band, The Acid. It can be inferred from the 360-degree view of the film that it's a metaphor for the reality that the nuclear threat surrounds us.
Like a typical documentary, “the bomb” uses archival footage to take the viewer back and forth in time to various points of development of nuclear weaponry.
Disturbing business all around such as footage of animals being carted and taken away to be guinea pigs for scientists to test the effects of nuclear energy on living beings that will have similar reactions to humans .
The busy work of J. Robert Oppenheimer’s The Manhattan Project, the piece of nastiness that started the nuclear arms race and crushed a society, is cited. Back then, it all seemed so simple and innocent. Today, it is obvious that it spawned menaces to society.
Scene of the aftermath of a bomb attack in "the bomb."
In truly satirical moments, “the bomb” uses clips from propaganda films of the 40s designed to allay the fears that a wary, but trusting U. S public had about radiation poisoning. Of course, the effects of the atomic bomb on Japanese citizens would give lie to those assurances.
As comic as it is alarming is the PSA instructing children to duck and hide in the event of a bomb attack. Downright sinister is the Lockheed Martin manifesto.
Fast forward to today and “the bomb” shines the spotlight on certain members of the Nuclear Club saber-rattling under the guise of the harmless testing of their nuclear weapons. Or bragging about their capabilities.
“the bomb,” occasionally obtuse and too enamored with mushroom clouds, does not offer solutions. Rather, it seems to illustrate the problem ,and in doing so, exhorts us to remember the lessons of the past. To not forget what was wrought when The Bomb was dropped.
It quietly beseeches us to undertake the necessary course to avoid another catastrophe, one that will likely take us all out next time.
We’d do well to heed this counsel.
Other films/events on today's TFF2016 schedule: “Win,” “Children of the Mountain,” “Do Not Resist,” “Keepers of the Game,” “The Tenth Man,” “Here Alone,” “Adult Life Skills,” “Junction 48,” “Midsummer in Newtown,” “Untouchable,” “Dean,” “The Fixer,” “Kicks,” “Little Boxes,” “Women Who Kill,” “Madly,” “Check It,” “Between Us,” “Fear, Inc.,” “The Ride,” “Prison Dogs,” “Life, Animated,” “Almost Paris,” “Strike a Pose,” “SHORTS: New York Now, “Nerdland,” “Custody,” “Geezer,” “Mr. Church,” “King Cobra
Visit http://www.tribecafilm.com/festival to learn more about it and the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival, including tickets and schedule.
Colin Hanks, Kevin Spacey and Michael Shannon in "Elivs & Nixon." Photos by Steve Dietl/Amazon Studios & Bleecker Street.
By V.W.
HERE'S a trivia question for you: What rock ’n’ roll star had a meeting with then-President Richard Nixon in the Oval Office? …
If you said Jerry Lee Lewis you are … wrong It was none other than The King! You know the one.
That fateful rendezvous is chronicled in “Elvis & Nixon.” Director Liza Johnson's film is in its world premiere run at the 15th annual Tribeca Film Festival. It screens this evening and tomorrow afternoon. It opens widely in the United States on 22 April on Amazon and in theaters.
A brief, impromptu meeting is a flimsy premise on which to hang a film. However, writers Joey Sagal, Hanala Sagal and Cary Elwes bring it off with aplomb. In the mouths of the actors, their dialogue snaps, crackles and pops.
"Elvis & Nixon" is an occasion to enjoy the journey. Along the way we see both men preparing for their respective day. Elvis, played with an intense reserve by Michael Shannon, is in a Los Angeles hotel room not liking what he is watching on TV (protests, drug-using young people, Communist marches and various governmental denunciations, etc.).
Consequently, he turns the TV off. That is, he shoots the TV with one of the handguns he is legally licensed to carry. Elvis is armed to the teeth, or is that the feet? Meanwhile, in the nation's capitol, POUS is cheerlessly getting his day organized.
Because the meeting is going to happen on this day, titles on the screen keep viewers apprised of the time.
After sorting out the TV, a disgusted Elvis and his weapons take themselves off to LAX. He is met by his friend, Jerry Schilling (Alex Pettier) and off they go to the nation's capitol to take an unscheduled, unplanned meeting with the most powerful man in the world.
There are many laughs in "Elvis & Nixon" and many of them revolve around the reactions of ordinary people to Elvis.
Invariably, the people whom Elvis encounters are initially unsure whether they can believe their eyes. He is out of context. One should see him on the movie screen or concert stage, not walking alone into the airport with no luggage. Or walking into a diner unaccompanied. Where is this man's entourage? He cannot be allowed to walk around as if he were a nobody. Two of the funniest encounters take place in the airport with an Elvis impersonator and at a black diner in Washington, D. C.
Each scene in "Elvis & Nixon" advances the viewer closer to the meeting. It's akin to watching a chess match. Strategy is key in almost every encounter, starting with Elvis dropping by the White House with a letter for the president.
As Richard Nixon, Kevin Spacey is by turns spot-on and the veriest caricature. Always, however, he is hilarious, deftly capturing that chip-on-his-shoulder, inferiority-complex mien that defined Nixon much of his life.
Elvis Presley (Michael Shannon) and flygirls in "Elvis & Nixon."
Among the funniest moments in the film are the scenes in which the handlers of each man are setting the parameters of the meeting, which was ultimately brought to pass by a certain persuasive young woman. During their chat the two men discover that they have a few things in common. By its conclusion they are new BFFs.
It was a good meeting — for Elvis, anyway; he got his badge. Not so sure about Nixon.
It is hard not to leave "Elvis & Nixon" with a smile on your face and a laugh in your belly.
Other films/events on today's TFF2016 schedule: Virtual Arcade, "Little Boxes," Don't Look Down," "Abortion: Stories Women Tell," Shorts: Pressure Points," "Keepers of the Game," "Kicks," "Untouchable," "The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea," "Children of the Mountain," Betting on Zero," "After Spring," "Team Foxcatcher," "Tickling Giants," "Equals," "Live Cargo," "The Human Thing," "Vincent N Roxxy," "The Meddler," "Robert Klein Still Can't Stop His Leg," "Equity," "Do Not Resist," "Haveababy," "Lavender," "Nerdland," "A Kind of Murder," "Midsummer in Newtown, "Don't Think Twice," "The Banksy Job," "Dreamland," "Between Us"
Visit http://www.tribecafilm.com/festival to learn more about it and the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival, including tickets and schedule.
In "Intersection of I," Hadley and other millennials discuss the impact that identifying as white has on their lives. Photo by V.W.
BY V.W.
VERY casually, Connor discloses that he has been arrested more than 20 times. Selling drugs, is one of his offenses. "I did what I wanted to do knowing there would be no consequences," he confesses without a trace of shame.
Welcome to the engaging and provocative “Intersection of I," a multimedia installation in which 23 part-white and white millennials speak candidly about the impact of "whiteness" on their lives.
"There have been plenty of times where I have taken advantage of it," Connor says of his white privilege.
“Intersection of I” is making its world debut today through 17 April in the virtual reality and installation space, Storyscapes, at the 15th annual Tribeca Film Festival.
From Whitney Dow, it is the second series in his “The Whiteness Project.” During a brief chat at a press preview yesterday, the award-winning filmmaker says he conceived the work as he became aware that as a white person he was bringing the racial experiences of others to the fore without having examined his own, specifically his white male privilege.
Of “The Whiteness Project,” WD says wanted to present work in which white participants could have a “transformational experience.” It was not his desire, however, to present an “argumental thesis” in defense of whiteness. Further, he had in mind an interactive experience.
“Intersection of I” is situated in what’s called the 5th Floor Hub at Spring Street Studios, command central of Tribeca. Before visitors enter the space, they are asked to allow a photo of a part of their skin to be taken. It will be immediately added to a digital skin color storyboard within the exhibit that looks like a collection of fabric swatches.
In addition to the storyboard, the installation includes a world map that shows in real-time where people are watching. Their comments appear on a screen above the world map. On a huge projected screen, across from visitor bleacher-style seating, are photos and names of the 23 people featured in “Intersection of I.”
The questions they have been asked about whiteness have been recorded. Visitors can hear their remarks by speaking their names into a microphone. The mic acts as a mouse.
Say “Lena” and her image fills the screen; she explains why she alters her appearance to appear less Arab and more white.
Alfredo is Hispanic, too, and proud of it. But when he identifies as white, “I have more freedom to be who I am.”
Carson wonders how much he has actually accomplished on true merit. He is discomfited because he doesn’t know what he has earned by hard work and what has been handed to him because he is white.
No black males appear in "Intersection of I," an obvious oversight. Nor is there anyone who is part black, but who can pass for white yet does not do so. Moreover, no Native Americans.
Though forthright, WD's explanation to the effect that it was not possible, owing to the constraints of time and budget, is tepid. He is contrite, however, which mitigates these omissions.
"I am eventually hoping to have 1,000 interviews altogether. And once I do that, then you will be able to go into it and pick from a greater number of interviews," he explains. "...The project is in pilot stage. It is absolutely not fully representational of the way I'd like to have this conversation."
For “Intersection of I,” WD chose millennials aged 15-27 in part because “they have much stronger language skills around talking about identity” than Gen Xers and Baby Boomers.
"Intersection of I" participants live in Greater Dallas. In part one of "The Whiteness Project," "Inside the White/Caucasian Box," WD spoke about their whiteness with residents of Buffalo, NY between the ages of 24 and 75.
Of millennials, he continues, their perspective is that ‘the world has to take me on my terms.’
“I also thought it would be interesting to talk to people who are also in this place of forming their own identities, that they’re still in the process of not being like this codified thing.”
Other films/events on today's TFF2016 schedule: “Kicks,” “30 for 30: The Magic Moment,” “Nerdland,” “As I Open My Eyes,” “Dreamland,” “Keep Quiet,” “After Spring,” “Haveababy,” “Holidays,” “Madly,” “Tickling Giants,” “Win!,” “All this Panic,” “Do Not Resist,” “Mother,” “First Monday in May,” “Shorts: New York Then,” “The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.”
Visit http://www.tribecafilm.com/festival to learn more about it and the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival, including tickets and schedule.
Roseanne Barr for president campaign button. Photo from Roseanne for President! Facebook page.
AMONG her many accomplishments, Roseanne Barr has been a candidate for the presidency of the United States.
Surprisingly, many are unawares, but in 2012 the comedian-mogul ran for the highest office in the land against incumbent Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, Dr. Jill Stein and others.
Eric Weinrib chronicles this chapter in her life in the documentary “Roseanne for President!.” It continues its world premiere run at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival this afternoon and Saturday (25 April.)
Meanwhile, friendships are fragile things. They are difficult to build, and maintaining them can be as tricky as keeping a house of cards from collapsing.
Why then, is human nature such that we too often endanger these very special bonds. For instance, if one has a perfectly good friendship, is it not madness to burden it with a complication such as a romantic kiss – even if it is only for research?
Of course, it is. Yet, Daniel (Roberto Cavazos) and Ale (Ana Gonzalez Bello) go down this slippery slope in “The Kiss” (“El Beso”). The film by Carlos G. Davila is also on the Tribeca schedule today and Saturday in its U.S. premiere.
During an impromptu chat in the Lincoln Black Label Filmmaker Lounge, at the impressive new Spring Studios CGD discloses that he was attracted to the project because of its universal theme. In fact, co-producer and star RC asked him to help produce the film. “I told him that I would produce it if he would let me direct.”
The Monterrey, Mexico native is also an architect. Alas, his heart was elsewhere. He'd go on to study film – "I said it was now or never" – and has directed commercials, music videos and TV shows. “There are many similarities between architecture and filmmaking,” he says.
Of course, he prefers film, but which is the less difficult of these tough trades? Without skipping a beat: “Architecture is easier and it's easier to make money.”
"The Kiss" of death between Daniel (Roberto Cavazos) and Ale (Ana Gonzalez Bello)? Photo from "The Kiss" Facebook page.
“The Kiss,” CGD's filmmaker debut, has been well-received around the world, garnering a Best Short Film award at the Monterrey International Film Festival and as Best Film and Best Audience Film at the Wimbledon International Short Film Festival
This delightful amuse bouche is slapstick funny at times as Daniel and Ale try to perfect the kiss. Ana – acting as a kinder, but no less exacting Henry Higgins – gives instant critiques and makes arch observations. “... passion … not velocity.” / “top notes of peppermint.”
How the players keep a straight face during these proceedings is a testament to their acting abilities. Cocooned in CGD's hovering, in-your-face lens, their reactions and interactions are utterly authentic.
But when they finally seal the deal with the perfect kiss ...
“I had a similar experience,” CGD confides, “and after it the relationship was weird.”
Let this be a lesson to us all.
Films/events on today's TFF2015 schedule: "Tribeca Talks Master Class: Dolby Institute The Sound of the Coens," "The Armor of Light," “Far From Men,” “Steak (R)Evolution,” “Shorts: Gallery Opening,” “Roseanne for President,” “Orion: The Man Who Would Be King,” “The Driftless Area,” “Sunrise,” “Stranded in Canton,” “Among the Believers,” “Havana Motor Club,” “All Eyes and Ears,” “Song of Lahore,” “Shorts: Tightrope,” “On the Town,” “Apple Store Panel: Far From Men,” “Sworn Virgin,” “The Overnight,” “Havana Motor Club.” and “Lucifer.” (See video above).
Visit http://www.tribecafilm.com/festival to learn more about it and the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival, including tickets and schedule.
Ethan Hawke works remotely in "Good Kill." Photo courtesy of IFM Films.
So often in thrillers, characters speak in inanities. Albeit, harmless conversation that is a harbinger of bad things to come
Such is the case with Thomas Ikimi's “Nostradamus.”
The short film, ensconced in the “Shorts: Interference" section, is having its world premiere at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. Screenings continue tonight, as well as Friday and Satruday (24 and 25 April).
At a dreary diner in the middle of a California nowhere, drone pilot Harry Fisher (Austin Nichols) and Silas (Amy Sloan), a woman he has just met, are chatting amiably enough, until Silas brings him to the point: He has to kill the man he has come to meet or she is going to blow up the whole friggin’ diner, the state and possibly the world.
In the director's note, TI says “Nostradamus” is inspired by “Strangers on a Train.” Whether the reference is to Hitchcock's film or its source material, the novel by Patricia Highsmith, it matters not. Essentially, murder most foul will happen. In “Nostradamus,” there is actually a twist: You will murder one and I will not murder many.
As has been noted (http://www.bit.ly/1O8QtCg), there are numerous films in TFF2015 that might run as companion pieces because of their subject matter. In this case, “Good Kill,” would be a natural complement to “Nostradamus." The Andrew Niccol film stars Ethan Hawke as a put-upon drone pilot who does his killer job from a Nevada trailer. It's having its U.S. premiere and screenings continue Wednesday and Thursday, 22 and 23 April, respectively.
Meanwhile in “Nostradamus,” Harry and Silas are very attractive people – with all-American looks and appeal – the kind most people would welcome as a neighbor. However, they are among the most dangerous people on earth – the last any should wish to live near.
As it becomes clear in “Nostradamus” what is at stake, the faces of AN and AS take on increasingly disturbing expressions, registering doom minute by minute. In the wake of this clear and present danger, Harry maintains a calm exterior and a clear mind, owing to years of military training.
Similarly, Silas — military, herself — is as serene as you please, munching on bacon as if she has not just threatened Armageddon. Look closely and see fleeting light from TI’s camera capture a glint of insanity about her latter expressions.
The tension is real and palpable, pushing one to the edge of his seat as befits any good thriller. The surprise ending is gravy.
TI and co-screenwriter Joshua Banta deliver spare and engaging dialogue well-suited to the subject matter.
Films/events on today's TFF2015 schedule: ”Man Up,” "Fastball,” “Ashby,” “Wondrous Boccaccio,” “Shorts: Interference,” “The Wolfpack,” “Tribeca Talks: David Rockwell & Danny Meyer, How Does a Space Tell a Story” “Bad Hurt,” “Being 14, “Dixieland,” “Peggy Guggenheim - Art Addict,” “Havana Motor Club” and ”All Eyes and Ears."
Visit http://www.tribecafilm.com/festival to learn more about it and the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival, including tickets and schedule.
The Sachal Jazz Ensemble and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in "Song of Lahore." Photo by Frank Stewart.
THE sound of the tabla drum is once again – albeit quietly – resounding in the former cultural mecca of Lahore, Pakistan.
In “Song of Lahore,” Oscar winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Andy Schocken, chronicle a group of master musicians who started to play again, nearly 30 years after a draconian form of Islam was imposed on all of Pakistan.
In this new world order, music was frowned upon. War, ethnic divisions and corruption also muted the sounds of the tabla, flute, violin and other instruments.
The film continues its world premiere run at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival this evening. (Other screenings are scheduled for 21 April and 23 April).
Fast forward to 2004 when Izzat Majeed founded Sachal Studios and the artists – under pain of severe censure – would be coaxed into picking up their instruments, producing music combining traditional music with Western forms, including jazz.
This engaging sound caught the attention of Wynton Marsalis, among others outside of Pakistan, and an invitation to the Sachal Jazz Ensemble to perform in New York with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
Part master class and subversive treatise, “Song of Lahore” reveals a triumph and a travesty: the Sachal Jazz Ensemble should take a bow, but few in Pakistan are aware that the musicians are making this beautiful, exotic-sounding music. One can only hope that this film and other international appearances will help change this.
Yet, reason for celebration is that these rebels are defying edicts and allowing long-dormant art reflourish.
Films/events on today's TFF2015 schedule: "Shut Up and Drive," "Roseanne for President," “Very Semi-Serious,” “Five Star,” “A Ballerina's Tale,” “Good Kill,” “Tribeca Talks Script & Screen Hosted by Barnes and Noble: This Is the Real Life” “In Transit,” “Man Up, “Bare,” “Virgin Mountain,” “Havana Motor Club” and "Toto and His Sisters." (See video above).
Visit http://www.tribecafilm.com/festival to learn more about it and the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival, including tickets and schedule.
GoodFellas: Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Paul Sorvino and Joe Pesci. Archive photo.
FOR the first time in its history, the Tribeca Film Festival seems to be less an extension of the Hollywood moviemaking machine and more like … well … a film festival.
Much attention is being paid to the fact that the festival opens Wednesday (15 April, through 26 April) with Bao Nguyen's “Live From New York!,” a documentary about the creation, evolution and cultural significance of the starmaking comedy-variety show, “Saturday Night Live.” (See video below).
The atmosphere this year is of a true marketplace where more esoteric and interesting films can attract the attention of distributors if they have not already done so. And an audience that may not likely see them elsewhere.
One hopes this is not a fate that will befall “Lucifer from “Gust Van den Berghe. He gets a director and writer's credit for this tale based on the bible story. Apparently, hell breaks loose when the fallen angel crash lands in a Mexican village.
Another writer and director effort is David Oelhoffen's “Far From Men (Loin des Hommes).” In this period western set during the Algerian War, a surprising alliance is formed between two men (Viggo Mortensen and Reda Kateb) on opposite sides of the conflict.
Like the aforesaid, “Grandma” holds promise. In the Paul Weitz film, grandmother (Lily Tomlin) and granddaughter (Julia Garner) hit the road and make some important familial discoveries. It is one of several roadtrip films in TFF2015.
Other features that sound good … on paper: “Hyena” (from Peter Ferdinando); “Scherzo Diabolico” (from Adrian Garcia Bogliano); “The Driftless Area” (from Zachary Sluser); “Windrous Boccaccio” (“Maraviglioso Boccaccio,” from Paolo Taviani and Vittorio Taviani); "Shut Up and Drive" (from Melanie Shaw); “Franny” (from Andrew Renzi); “The Survivalist” (from Stephen Fingleton); “Bare,” (from Natalia Leite) “Being 14” (“À 14 ans,” from Hélène Zimmer) “Crocodile Gennadiy” (from Steve Hoover), and so on.
Of course, love is a subject that always looms, with expected complications, even through the prism of autism as “Autism in Love” observes. Matt Fuller follows the relationship of four adult sufferers of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Lavished with just as much attention as the Tribeca opener is its closer (25 April), a 25th anniversary salute to Martin Scorsese's critically-acclaimed and Oscar-winning, “GoodFellas,” now remastered. Co-starring Tribeca co-founder Robert DeNiro, it is based on Nichola Pileggi's nonfiction book about the rise and fall of Henry Hillon, a soldier in the Lucchese crime family. Scorsese and cast talk about it after the screening.
Gunnar Jonsson in "Virgin Mountain." Photo from Bac films.
Other potentially interesting conversations with industry folk (actors, costumers, directors, producers, etc.) fall under the “Tribeca Talks” rubric. Among those jawing at TFF2015 are trending director Ava DuVernay (“Selma”), Eva Longoria, George Lucas, Oscar-winning costumer Catherine Martin and Harvey Weinstein.
In its 14th year, Tribeca is truly coming into its own as a film festival to be uttered in the same breath as New York, Sundance, Cannes, Toronto. Diehard film buffs will have difficulty carping about the lack of depth this year, particularly in feature films – historically a weak field at this festival.
Incidentally, there are several TFF2015 films with overlapping themes. Fitting almost like a glove with “GoodFellas” is “The Wannabe.” It, too, has an MS connection (executive producer). Newly minted Oscar winner Patricia Arquette stars in this drama, based on true events, about a husband and wife (Vincent Piazza) whose celebrity worship (John Gotti crime family) is disturbing and dangerous.
A 40-something man (Gunnar Jónsson) is roused out of his somnambulance by a certain member of the opposite sex in Dagur Kari's “Virgin Mountain. Meanwhile, a young Albanian woman ( Vergine Giurata) gets her wish to live as a man in Laura Bispuri's “Sworn Virgin.” The rub: she must remain chaste – a challenge for “Mark.”
Common threads are also visible in the documentary category – often a strength of Tribeca. Under the finance rubric are “Requiem for the American Dream” and “The Emperor's New Clothes. The former is from Peter Hutchison, Kelly Nyks and Jared P. Scott. Behind the latter are Michael Winterbottom and Russell Brand. Both explore how the little people have gotten poorer and the fat cats have gotten richer.
Speaking of documentaries, the subjects are utterly engaging, fascinating; entertaining, illuminating. Imagine Roseanne Barr as the country's chief executive. Eric Weinrib does in “Roseanne for President!,” chronicling the comedian's 2012 presidential bid. Christians and fire (guns) power are explored in “Armor of Light” directed by Abigail Disney, while a portrait of Misty Copeland emerges in Nelson George's “A Ballerina's Tale. One other hard job is the one performed by those in David Darg's “Body Team 12.” Team members retrieve the bodies of those felled by the Ebola virus. Yikes!
How to make it faster, quicker, better is the challenge of the age in “A Faster Horse.” David Gelb's entry looks at the making of the Ford Mustang in time for its 50 anniversary. Perhaps a master class in how to make an album is “Mary J. Blige – The London Sessions,” from Sam Wrench.
An insider look also comes courtesy of “Democrats” from Camilla Nielsson. Explored here is the relationship of two opposing members of a constitutional committee tasked with providing a roadmap to democracy for Zimbabwe circa 2008. And how many times must Antonio Barrera be paid the mean addresses of a bull before he stops fighting? Is 23 enough, Ido Mizahy wonders in “GORED.”
Vincent Piazza and Patricia Arquette want into a certain club in “The Wannabe. Photo from Traction Media / Electric Entertainment.
Elsewhere at TFF2015 AT&T signs up for a sophomore year of the intensely successful Film for All Friday. It goes down on 24 April when numerous films will have free screenings, including opener, “Live From New York!” (visit http://www.tribecafilm.com to learn about ticket availability.)
Also back and popular are the Tribeca signature freebies: Family Festival Street Fair (25 April); Tribeca Drive-In (16-18 April); Tribeca Kids Access reporter program back after an absence (all festival); Tribeca/ESPN Sports Day (25 April) and Tribeca Family Screenings (19, 25 April).
Visit http://www.tribecafilm.com/festival to learn more about it and the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival, including tickets and schedule.
Justin Kauflin and Clark Terry at the piano in "Keep on Keepin' On. "Photo from "Keep on Keepin' On."
“KEEP on Keepin' On” is both a labor of love and testament to the fact that if you believe you can achieve.
The documentary from Alan Hicks follows over a four-year-period the teacher-student relationship between jazz master Clark Terry and blind piano prodigy Justin Kauflin. It makes its world premiere today at the 13th Annual Tribeca Film Festival.
“Keep on Keepin' On" is a love letter, master class and ode to current and future greatness all rolled into one. AH, a former student and band member of CT's, has confessed to knowing nothing about filmmaking when he decided to capture the special relationship between an old lion and a young club. Well done.
Other films/events on today's TFF2014 schedule: “5 to 7,” “Gabriel,” “Life Partners,” “Super Duper Alice Cooper,” “Point and Shoot,” “Regarding Susan Sontag” and “Ballet 422” (see video at right).
Visit http://www.tribecafilm.com/festival to learn more about it and the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival, including tickets and schedule.
Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi and Fabrizio Gifuni in “Human Capital.” Photo by Loris Zampelli.
IMAGINE reading the end of a novel first and the beginning last.
Knowing the end does not necessarily have to be a spoiler. A case in point is “Human Capital” starring Valeria Golino, Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi and Fabrizio Gifuni. It makes its international premiere today at the 13th Annual Tribeca Film Festival.
Paolo Virzì's film, based on the Stephen Amidon best-seller about an actual case, is further proof that all human life is not created equal. Someone dies but who should be/will be held accountable? Muddying the already murky waters, "Human Capital" is told from three different perspectives.
At the center of “I Won't Come Back” is an unlikely duo. A young woman (Polina Pushkaruk) and a girl (Victoria Lobacheva.) Leaving behind them painful episodes and in search of something better, they warily throw in together.
Ilmar Raag's, latest in its world premiere, is a buddy movie played out against the backdrop of an unforgiving Russian landscape. Hitchhiking adds another level of danger and derring-do.
Anya (Polina Pushkaruk) and Kristina (Vika Lobacheva) hit the road in "I Won't Come Back." Photo from Visit Films.
Other films/events on today's TFF2014 schedule: “Ice Poison,” “Beneath the Harvest Sky,” “Life Partners” and “Loitering With Intent.” At the TFF2014 Drive-In is “Splash.” And also making a world premiere is “All About Ann: Governor Richards of the Lone Star State” (stay tuned for more about it ahead of its premiere on HBO on 28 April).
Visit http://www.tribecafilm.com/festival to learn more about it and the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival, including tickets and schedule.
Footage from "Carol Channing: Larger Than Life" of Carol Channing and the "Dolly Boys" at "Gypsy of the Year" program on Broadway. Photo by Peter James Zielinski.
TWO of several icons – Carol Channing and Yves Saint Laurent – get the documentary treatment at the 10th Annual Tribeca Film Festival.
“Carol Channing: Larger Than Life” is director/screenwriter/producer Dori Berinstein’s very reverential tribute to the Broadway legend. It was love at first sight, DB, said during a Q&A after the world premiere a few days ago, when her mother took her to see “Hello Dolly” on Broadway. More later ...
Whereas “Carol Channing: Larger Than Life” is a love letter, “L’amour fou (Mad Love)” is a postcard – a delightful one, with a few throwaway bits.
Carol Channing shows off her "Hello Dolly" headdress in "Carol Channing: Larger Than Life." Photo from Dramatic Forces.
The documentary hangs on a flimsy premise: the sale of the uber impressive art collection of business and life partners, YSL and Pierre Berge. It is a lot to hang 100 minutes on, and director Pierre Thoretton making his feature film debut, wisely does not do so.
L’amour fou” is nominally about the art, and what a collection amassed over more than 50 years. Who knew it would start with a Mondrian painting? PB gives brief bios of various arts and objects as they are being packed and and prepared to ship for auction at Christie’s.
Partners Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge in "L'amour fou." Photo from 2011 Alice Springs/IFC Films.
The film also provides a backstage tour into the life of one of the world’s greatest designers, as well as a window into the life of PB. The latter is not so interesting and seems like filler. PB is an engaging and informative tour guide. However, a little of him goes a long way. The homes, though, oh la!
The biggest treat in L’amour fou” is the archival footage. There is a young, gangly YSL when he was tapped out of obscurity to design for the House of Dior after the death of Christian Dior. Fooling around in front of the camera, he agrees to be the interview subject of a mock serious PB. In answer to the query about what makes him happy and what make him sad – a full bed and not a full bed.
Included, too, is footage of the exquisite and elaborate wedding gowns over the years, the standing ovations after the shows, the spectacular show at a stadium featuring 300 models from five continents. YSL’s last walk down the runway at his retirement. Much of this is goosebump-producing.
Yves Saint Laurent relaxing at home during the off season. Photo from 2011 IFC Films.
Not an insignificant amount of time in “L’amour fou” is spent on YSL’s struggles with drugs and alcohol. It’s more titillation than edification. The film could have done nicely without it. Another 20 minutes could have been saved, too, had there been less focus on PB analyses of YSL’s state of mind and PB’s close association with Francois Mitterrand. And while PB’s work in the cause of AIDS is admirable, mentioning it seemed a tad self-aggrandizing.
The last frame in “L’amour fou” is of PB starring blankly back at the camera, presumably after the art has been sold. Incidentally, the collection sold for millions; one piece sold for 22 million euros. The final tally: Who knows.
Yves Saint Laurent with mannequins. Photo from 2011 Pierre Boulat/IFC Films.
Additional screenings of “Carol Channing: Larger Than Life”: Wednesday, 27 April at 12:15 p.m. at SVA-1 Friday, 29 April at 6 p.m. at Clearview Chelsea Cinemas Saturday, 30 April at 11:30 a.m. at Clearview Chelsea Cinemas
"L’amour fou": Tuesday, 26 April at 9 p.m. at SVA-1 Thursday, 28 April at 2:30 p.m. at Clearview Chelsea Cinemas Friday, 29 April at 9:45 p.m. at Clearview Chelsea Cinemas
Wendell Pierce as a man of God wrestling with some demons in "Burning Cane."
The director leaves the answers firmly in the hands of the viewer. Because some things, he seems to be conveying, do not need to be spelled out. If you really think about it, you will know. If you are really watching; if you can really see; if you will look beyond the surface. PY appears to be challenging the viewer to go deeper; to think and feel it out.
Members of the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus perform during the world premiere of "Gay Chorus Deep South. Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival.
Ken Boothe performs some of his greatest hits following the world premiere of "Inna De Yard: The Soul of Jamaica. Photo by Astrid Stawiartz/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival.
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