Monika’s Pensieve

{FILM DIARY}
Fixer: The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi (USA, 2009)
Seen: Sunday, 18th October 2009 (cinema, WFF)
Runtime: 84′
Director: Ian Olds
Plot: (from imdb)
In 2007, the Taliban kidnapped 24-year-old Ajmal Naqshbandi and an Italian journalist. Naqshbandi was one of Afghanistan’s best “fixers” — someone hired by foreign journalists to facilitate, translate, and gain access for their stories.
Trailer

Impressions In Short
There [...]

{FILM DIARY}
The Girlfriend Experience (USA, 2009)
Seen: Saturday, 17th October 2009 (cinema, WFF)
Runtime: 77′
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: Sasha Grey
Production House: 2929 Productions, Extension 765, HDNet Films
Plot: The story of a sophisticated escort, who gives men a “girlfriend experience” - as in an evening out during which she behaves exactly like their girlfriend rather than a girl they [...]

{FILM DIARY}
Mammoth (Sweden/Denmark/Germany, 2009)
Seen: Friday, 16th October 2009 (cinema, WFF)
Runtime: 125′
Director: Lukas Moodysson
Cast: Gael García Bernal, Marife Necesito, Jan David G. Nicdao, Sophie Nyweide, Martin Delos Santos, Natthamonkarn Srinikornchot, Michelle Williams
Production House: Memfis Film, Film i Väst, Pain Unlimited GmbH Filmproduktion, Sveriges Television (SVT), TV2 Danmark, Zentropa Entertainments, Zentropa International Berlin
Plot: (from imdb)
While on a [...]

So this was the last day of the festival for me this year…
Pärnography
Impressions In Short
It probably wasn’t the best of ideas to come in late for the film :] I felt a bit lost for about half of it. Would have helped also if I had known a bit more about Estonia’s history - other [...]

Friday was a busy day (4 films), but a good one - no major disappointments :)
Secrecy
Impressions In Short
Very professionally made documentary. Some excellent interviews.
Some Details
It’s a very well-made documentary. Mainly it consists of interviews with people who were at one time or other involved with government policies to do with keeping certain information classified. There [...]

American Military Intelligence and You!
Impressions In Short
Small, funny, sarcastic film.
Some Details
Basically, the director took the style used in films made during World War II to train US soldiers and made his own propaganda film of a totally different nature. It’s not the most amazing film ever, but there are some wonderful, very sarcastic lines which [...]

In the end I didn’t go to see Donkey in Lahore today, was just too tired and too busy *sigh* Not that I should lament too much about it - having bought 12 tickets I won’t exactly be film deprived this week :]
Anyway, Saturday reviews…
Be Like Others
Impressions In Short
Fascinating topic, average film.
Some Details
I don’t think [...]

Belated post, I know :] As planned, I saw three films on Friday…
Full Battle Rattle
Impressions In Short
I thought it was excellent :) A very clever way of approaching the subject matter of the war on terror.
One of the biggest strengths of the film IMO is that it’s very difficult to suss what the directors’ opinion [...]

{FILM SPOTTING}
The Warsaw Film Festival starts on Friday, so it’s high time I looked into what they’re showing and choose something - a task which is not as easy as it sounds (on top of which I’m feeling a little guilty right now - I should be correcting the documentation of my degree project rather [...]