FILM SPOTTING: November 2009 in Polish cinemas
Before I get to the spotting part of the post, I wanted to recommend Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired. It’s coming in on the 13th of November 2009. I saw it at the Planete Doc Review and reviewed it here. It’s even more poignant now after Polanski’s arrest in Switzerland.
{FILM SPOTTING}
The Tibetan Book of the Dead: A Way of Life (Canada, 1994)
Release Date (Poland): 6th November 2009
Director: Barrie McLean
Production House: Mistral Films, NHK, National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
Plot: A documentary about well… the Tibetan Book of the Dead ;) I presume this means a lot of information about Buddhism and Tibetan culture.
Scene From The Film
A clip from the film can be seen here.
The sceptical part of me thinks that…
I’m not sure the Tibet and Buddhist angle is enough to keep my attention really. I mean I like finding out more about their culture, but I’ve never been attracted to the topic in the way I have to Afghanistan for example.
The excited part of me thinks that…
The fact that they were filming in Ladakh, India kind of intrigues me. It’s a pretty politically sensitive region. And Canada tends to have very good TV productions (this was originally meant for TV AFAIK), so the standard of the film may be quite high.
(500) Days of Summer (USA, 2009)
Release Date (Poland): 13th November 2009
Release Date (worldwide): 17th January 2009
Runtime: 95′
Director: Marc Webb
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel
Production House: Sneak Preview Entertainment, Watermark
Plot: (from imdb)
An offbeat romantic comedy about a woman who doesn’t believe true love exists, and the young man who falls for her.
Trailer
The sceptical part of me thinks that…
This could be just another romantic comedy. Maybe slightly more stylish, but still with not much more to offer.
The excited part of me thinks that…
I have this odd feeling about it, which is based on nothing in particular. It took me a lot of time to decide whether I want to spot this or not cause on the surface it doesn’t look like there should be anything about it that attracts me.
But clearly there is something in the trailer that appeals to me or I wouldn’t be struggling with making up my mind about whether I want to see it or not ;)
The Twilight Saga: New Moon (USA, 2009)
Release Date (Poland): 20th November 2009
Release Date (worldwide): 16th November 2009
This is one of my most awaited films this year, so I’ve already spotted it here. Since then, they’ve released a slightly less crappy looking trailer, which is here. I’ve also read the book recently and IMO it’s by far the best book of the series, so I’m quite excited for that :)
Das weisse Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte (Austria/Germany/France/Italy, 2009)
Release Date (Poland): 20th November 2009
Release Date (worldwide): 21st May 2009
Runtime: 144′
Director: Michael Haneke
Production House: Wega Film, X-Filme Creative Pool, Les Films du Losange, Lucky Red, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (MDM), German Federal Film Board, Mini-Traité Franco-Canadien, Deutsche Filmförderfonds (DFFF), Austrian Film Institute, Vienna Film Financing Fund, Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication, Eurimages
Plot: (from imdb)
Strange events happen in a small village in the north of Germany during the years just before World War I, which seem to be ritual punishment. The abused and suppressed children of the villagers seem to be at the heart of this mystery.
Trailer
The sceptical part of me thinks that…
This may be one hell of a pretentious art film :] There’s been a little bit of controversy surrounding its win in Cannes AFAIK.
The excited part of me thinks that…
It’s Michael Haneke with a film that has turned some heads, so it should be worth a look…
The Yes Men Fix the World (France/UK/USA, 2009)
Release Date (Poland): 20th November 2009
Release Date (worldwide): 18th January 2009
Runtime: 87′
Directors: Mike Bonanno, Andy Bichlbaum
Production House: Arte France, Article Z, Renegade Pictures, Channel 4 Britdoc Foundation
Plot: (from imdb)
Troublemaking duo Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno, posing as their industrious alter-egos, expose the people profiting from Hurricane Katrina, the faces behind the environmental disaster in Bhopal, and other shocking events.
Trailer
The sceptical part of me thinks that…
It might be a bit like Michael Moore’s films. Not that they’re bad, but he so tries to manipulate the viewer into his own point of view that it can get a bit annoying.
The excited part of me thinks that…
Well, it just looks pretty amusing *grin* Also, this got some good reviews when it was shown at the Planete Doc Review festival.
