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Scenes From a Marriage: Troell’s Latest an Engrossing Character Study

Swedish auteur Jan Troell, at 81, is thankfully still making films, and his latest, The Last Sentence, is a period piece centered on a somewhat obscure historical figure, more in the vein of Hamsun (1996) than the immigrant or social change narratives that Troell is perhaps most famed for, such as his last effort, a 2008 masterpiece, Everlasting Moments. Beginning his directorial career in the mid 60’s, Troell was not only a contemporary of Ingmar Bergman but has often showcased many of Bergman’s troupe, like Max Von Sydow and Liv Ullman (Sydow was purportedly first choice for this latest as well). Here, he assembles a distinct cast and digital black and white cinematography to offset this from his larger body of work, and the pay off his decidedly worthwhile.

Featuring the announcement of Hitler as Germany’s Chancellor in 1932 via newsreel,...

If you’re in New York or Los Angeles this weekend, run don’t walk to James Ward Byrkit’s dizzying metaphysical horror film “Coherence,” or Roman Polanski’s elegant pas-de-deux “Venus in Fur.” But think twice before heading to Clint Eastwood’s 1960s musical biopic “Jersey Boys,” meeting a mixed critical response, or Paul Haggis’ awful collage of interlocking soap operas “Third Person,” currently crashing with reviewers.

On the indie side of the spectrum, you can catch Brit Joanna Hogg’s “Exhibition,” starring Tom Hiddleston, which Indiewire says has shades of Michael Haneke by way of Miranda July; Filipino helmer Lav Diaz’s latest multi-hour epic, “Norte, The End of History,” will hold court at NY’s Lincoln Center after a long festival tour dating back to Cannes 2013, where “Venus in Fur” also bowed; and Jan Troell’s austere WWII-era psychodrama “The Last Sentence” hits select markets too.

The...

The Last Sentence (Dom över död man) Box Office Films Reviewed for Shockya by Harvey Karten. Data-based on Rotten Tomatoes Grade:  B+ Director:  Jan Troell Screenplay: Jan Troell, Klaus Rifbjerb book by Kenne Fant Cast:  Jesper Christensen, Ulla Skoog, Pernilla August, Björn Granath Screened at:  Review 2, NYC, 6/12/14 Opens:  June 20, 2014 In November 2001, President George W. Bush issued this manifesto.  There is no room for neutrality in international politics. You are with us or against us.  A nation need not contribute troops, but all moral countries must take an active role in some way in the war against terrorism.   Such advice would have gone over like a  [ Read More ]

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Click here for complete coverage of the Chicago International Film Festival (Ciff 2012)

France, Germany, Hungary, Canada, Israel And The United States

Take Home The Gold

The 48th Chicago International Festival announces the winners of its competitions

news release

Chicago (October 19, 2012) – Michael Kutza, Founder and Artistic Director, Mimi Plauché, Programming Director, and Programmers Alex Kopecky and Penny Bartlett proudly announce the winners of the 48th Chicago International Film Festival Competitions.

French filmmaker Leos Carax’s exuberant and euphoric Holy Motors leads this extraordinary group of films with three awards. Carax’s first film, Boy Meets Girl, premiered in Chicago in 1984 as part of the 20th Chicago International Film Festival’s International Competition.

Many of the winners will be showcased during the Festival’s Best of the Fest program, Wednesday, October 24 at the AMC River East 21 (322 E. Illinois St.). The Festival runs until Thursday October 25 when Closing Night film Flight (our review...

Chicago – The 2012 48th Annual Chicago International Film Festival and Michael Kutza, Founder and Artistic Director, announced the competition award winners at a ceremony in the ballroom of the Renaissance Blackstone Hotel on October 19th, 2012. The Gold Hugo for Best Film went to “Holy Motors,” from France and Germany.

Kutza made the announcements along with Mimi Plauché, Head of Programming, Programmers Alex Kopecky and Penny Bartlett, plus members of the various juries who worked evaluating the competition. The historic Renaissance Blackstone Hotel was built on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue in the early 20th Century, and the ballroom was used in the film “The Untouchables” (1987). The Festival’s highest honor is the Gold Hugo, named for the mythical God of Discovery.

International Feature Film Competition

’Holy Motors’

Photo Credit: © Chicago International Film Festival

The Gold Hugo for Best Film: “Holy Motors” (France/Germany), directed by Leos Carax

The Silver Hugo: “After Lucia...