Venue: Francesca Beale Theater, Lincoln Center, NYC
Series: NYFF50: Cinema Reflected
Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl. Boy and girl get married. Girl gets pregnant. Boy and girl split up. Etc. Etc. It’s a rather simple tale, but this reviewer can guarantee you’ve never seen it done quite like this. In Final Cut – Ladies and Gentlemen, Hungarian filmmaker Pálfi György uses brief scenes from nearly 500 films (and some TV shows) to tell this plain story. It’s a remarkable achievement and is the greatest celebration of cinema to hit the big screen in a long time. This is the ultimate movie about movies.
Employing a hodgepodge of scenes from films ranging from The Birth of a Nation (1915) to Avatar (2009), from live-action to animation, from comedy to drama—and everything in between—Final Cut amazingly tells a cohesive narrative from start to finish—one that could have been easily ruined in the hands of a less-skilled filmmaker. The amount of visual and auditory texture in this “epic” is staggering, and yet this visual collage does not strain the eye and is not distracting. Recognizing that so much of what makes a great movie great are the little moments on screen—waking up in bed, a loving stare, an expression of joy—György embroidered a fine tapestry that highlights these singular moments, and in doing so he tells a story of love and loss, of happiness and sorrow—a simple story with great depth, as told through the voice of cinema through the ages.
Limité Rating: 4/5
Director: Pálfi György
Genres: Experimental, Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Hungary
Language: Mostly silent with some lines in English
Runtime: 85 min.
The 50th New York Film Festival runs from September 28 – October 14, 2012.
Follow Limité Executive Editor/Film Editor Daniel Quitério on Twitter (@suddenlydog) and check out his film blog, the170.com.
Thursday, October 11, 3:30pm (Howard Gilman Theater)
Venue: Lincoln Center, NYC
Series: NYFF50: Main Slate
Voichita and Alina, childhood friends who were raised in the same orphanage, are reunited in the hills of Romania after years of separation. Voichita is a nun in training, living in a pious monastery in the hills without electricity or any other conveniences of modern life. Alina is returning from Germany, where she’s spent the last several years. Feeling anxious and alone, Alina is determined to convince her best friend to return to Germany with her, but Voichita is not the same girl. She’s found God and is under the watchful eye of the resident priest and patriarch of the monastery, simply known as Papa. Alina decides to stay, in hopes that she will be able to persuade her friend to leave the monastery. Things go awry for everyone there once Alina begins to display erratic behaviors, threatening the resident nuns and priest and forcing them to take action.
Venue: Francesca Beale Theater, Lincoln Center, NYC
Series: NYFF50: Cinema Reflected
There are many champions of film out there—people all over the world who work tirelessly to ensure that cinema is appreciated and preserved in its truest form. To call P.K. Nair one of those people is an understatement, as he is the founder and patron saint of the National Film Archive of India. Yes, India, a country that turns out almost 1,000 films per year—and he believes every one of them deserve preservation. Because of Nair, whose fascination with cinema began at the age of eight when he sat nestled on the (as he describes) shimmering white sand floor of a movie house watching movie after movie, many of India’s most treasured films—and yes, even some clunkers—have been saved, including nine of the 1,700 silent films that were made before “talkies” existed.
Friday, September 28, 6:15pm (Walter Reade Theater)
Friday, September 28, 6:30pm (Howard Gilman Theater)
Friday, September 28, 6:45pm (Francesca Beale Theater)
Friday, September 28, 9pm (Alice Tully Hall)
Friday, September 28, 9:15pm (Walter Reade Theater)
Friday, September 28, 9:30pm (Howard Gilman Theater)
Friday, September 28, 9:45pm (Francesca Beale Theater)
Venue: Lincoln Center, NYC
Series: NYFF50: Gala Tributes
*WORLD PREMIERE*
Based on the best-selling book of the same title, Life of Pi tells the story of young Pi, a spirited Indian teenager whose faith and endurance are put to the ultimate test when he must fight for survival in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with only a lifeboat and a ferocious Bengal tiger to keep him company. Pi’s father must sell his family-owned zoo and plans to relocate his family to Canada by way of a Japanese ship. There, he will sell the many exotic animals he’s taken into his custody. After the ship sinks during a terrible storm, Pi is the lone (human) survivor and must find a way to survive on the mighty Pacific for more than 200 days.
This autumn Dutch menswear label OntFront carefully enters the realm of footwear for the very first time. It presents a hand crafted Wing Tip Boot. It’s made of a black soft brushed nubuck with smooth braided leather on the ankles. Finished with a firm pig skin lining and waxed laces. The OntFront wing tip boot is a limited edition of only 150 pairs worldwide. It costs 195,- EU (about 250,- US dollars) and is available exclusively at the OntFront store in Amsterdam, or at their webstore from October 1st 2012.
In honor of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s legendary basketball career and to celebrate the anticipated statue that will be unveiled by the Los Angeles Lakers in-front of the Staples Center Star Plaza on November 16th, comedian George Lopez, will host a celebrity roast on Saturday, November 17th at the JW Marriott L.A. On hand to join Lopez for the honors will be a Who’s Who of sports icons and celebrity guests, presenters and performers including Earvin “Magic” Johnson, the “Showtime” Lakers and many more.
This is the first time the basketball icon, best-selling author, humanitarian and cultural ambassador will be roasted. Since his retirement as a player, Mr. Abdul-Jabbar has devoted himself to projects focused on African American history and education.
The Celebrity Roast will also serve as the kick-off to a national multi-city tour called the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Experience. Presented by The Skyhook Foundation will feature a never-before-seen 300+ piece traveling exhibit of memorabilia from all segments of Abdul-Jabbar’s life and professional career and will benefit the Skyhook Foundation and STEM Education (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics). Generous support provided by Wells Fargo. Additional information about the event can be found at www.skyhookfoundation.org/kaj
Wednesday, October 10, 4pm (Francesca Beale Theater)
Venue: Lincoln Center, NYC
Series: NYFF50: Main Slate
She breaks up with her boyfriend and begins to lose her newly engaged best friend. Things are not looking up for Frances, a struggling dancer in her late 20s who finds herself practically couch surfing throughout New York City. Her life didn’t turn out quite the way she expected, and as a result, she’s forced to face the challenges of just plain living. In his directorial follow-up to 2010′s Greenberg, Noah Baumbach once again collaborates with lead actress Greta Gerwig (who also wrote the script with Baumbach) in Frances Ha. Where this coming-of-age tale falls flat on story, it more than makes up for in character. No doubt, the film’s black-and-white cinematography adds a touch of quirkiness to complement the dynamic characters of Frances and her best friend Sophie (played by Mickey Sumner). Frances’s hopes, dreams, and disappointments play out in a relatable fashion that isn’t too heavy. It is easy to see ourselves in her position, struggling to reconcile our dreams with our reality. The film is heavy on dialogue with little quiet time, setting off the pace at which Frances’s life unravels—and it does so to the point where she finds herself working and living at her old college for a summer, illustrating a very clear regression. Frances Ha is a delightful movie with memorable performances by both Gerwig and Sumner. Following Baumbach’s terrific showing with Oscar-nominated The Squid and the Whale (2005), the writer/director lost his footing a bit with Margot at the Wedding (2007) and to a lesser degree with Greenberg. Thankfully, he’s back in peak form with Frances Ha.
Limité Rating: 4/5
Director: Noah Baumbach
Genres: Narrative, Comedy
Country: USA
Language: English
Runtime: 86 min.
Note: Greta Gerwig and Mickey Sumner will be participating in a free conversation, courtesy of NYFF Live on Monday, October 1 at 7pm in the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center Amphitheater, located in Lincoln Center at 144 W. 65th St., NYC.
The 50th New York Film Festival runs from September 28 – October 14, 2012.
Follow Limité Executive Editor/Film Editor Daniel Quitério on Twitter (@suddenlydog) and check out his film blog, the170.com.
Thursday, October 11, 3:15pm (Francesca Beale Theater)
Venue: Lincoln Center, NYC
Series: NYFF50: Main Slate
In the highly competitive world of advertising, Christine (Rachel McAdams) takes credit for an idea had by her underling Isabelle (Noomi Rapace), which results in a downward (and deadly) spiral for all involved. Passionis adapted from the 2010 French film Love Crime (dir. Alain Corneau). Directed by Brian De Palma—the same man who birthed such gritty and violent films as Carrie (1976), Scarface (1983), and The Untouchables (1987)—this movie will not live up to the “classic” status of its siblings. Upon watching Passion, one immediate question comes to mind: Mr. De Palma, what the hell were you thinking?
Ben Harper has selected his favorite ballads for a career-spanning retrospective titled By My Side, to be released October 16. The collection features 12 of Harper’s most unforgettable songs, including “Forever,” “Diamonds On The Inside,” and “Waiting On An Angel,” and also introduces a new ballad, “Crazy Amazing,” which is exclusive to this release. By My Side also includes a rare studio version of “Not Fire Not Ice,” previously unreleased in the U.S., which until now was available only on the international single for “Ground On Down.”
Property Of… has been keeping busy over the last few weeks and months with releases showcasing their latest bag offerings. This time they present the Rafe Boston bag made from waxed cotton that features cotton web and leather top handles, leather accents, your necessary adjustable shoulder strap and outer and inner storage pockets. If you’re looking for a new durable weekend or gym for the Fall, this is the property you wanna have.
Screening: Monday, October 1, 9pm
