Nick's Flick Picks: The 2004 Venice Film Festival

<BODY text="#000000" bgcolor="#FFFFCC" link="#003399" vlink="#003399" leftmargin="35" rightmargin="35"> <table width=680><tr><td> <br> <TABLE cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0> <TR><TD width=480 valign=center><Font Face=Garamond Color="#003399" Size=+3><b>Venice Film Festival 2004</b></Font><br> <B><Font Color="#660066">Jury President:</Font> John Boorman</b><br> <Font Color="#660066">Other Jurors:</Font> Wolfgang Becker, Mimmo Calopresti, Scarlett Johansson, Spike Lee, Dusan Makavejev, Helen Mirren, Pietro Scalia, Xu Feng</TD> <TD align=right valign=center><img src=venice04tab.jpg width=200></TD></TR></TABLE> <hr> <br> <TABLE cellpadding=3> <TR><TD width=230><Font Color="#003399"><b>Golden Lion:</b></Font></TD><TD width=450><a href=veradrak.html><b>Vera Drake</b></a>, UK, dir. Mike Leigh</TD></TR> <TR><TD width=230><Font Color="#003399"><b>Special Jury Prize:</b></Font></TD><TD width=450><a href=seainsid.html><i>The Sea Inside</i></a>, Spain, dir. Alejandro Amen&#225bar</TD></TR> <TR><TD width=230><Font Color="#003399"><b>Best Director:</b></Font></TD><TD width=450><a href=3iron.html><i>3-Iron</i></a>, South Korea, Kim Ki-duk</TD></TR> <TR><TD width=230><Font Color="#003399"><b>Best Actress:</b></Font></TD><TD width=450><a href=veradrak.html><i>Vera Drake</i></a>, Imelda Staunton</TD></TR> <TR><TD width=230><Font Color="#003399"><b>Best Actor:</b></Font></TD><TD width=450><a href=seainsid.html><i>The Sea Inside</i></a>, Javier Bardem</TD></TR> <TR><TD width=230><Font Color="#003399"><b>Technical Contribution:</b></Font></TD><TD width=450><a href=howlsmov.html><i>Howl's Moving Castle</i></a>, Studio Ghibli (production company)</TD></TR> <TR><TD width=230><Font Color="#003399"><b>FIPRESCI/International<br>     Critics Prize:</b></Font></TD><TD width=450><a href=3iron.html><i>3-Iron</i></a>, South Korea, dir. Kim Ki-duk</TD></TR> <TR><TD width=230><Font Color="#003399"><b>SIGNIS Award:</b></Font></TD><TD width=450><Font Color="#003399"><i>All Winter Without Fire</i></Font>, Canada, dir. Greg Zglinski</TD></TR> </TABLE> <hr> <br> <img src=venice04birth.jpg align=right width=200><Font Face=Garamond Color="#660066"><b>Competition Films I Have Seen:</b></Font><br> <Font Size=-1 Face=Garamond><b>Ranked in order of preference</b></Font><br> <Font Size=-2>  <br></Font> <Font Color="#003399"><b>My Golden Lion</b></Font>:<br> <a href=birth.html><i>Birth</i></a> <Font Face="Arial Narrow">(USA, dir. Jonathan Glazer)</Font> - The thrill and obscenity of passionate attachment, framed by pearly but perverse wealth; Kidman, Savides, Desplat are a heroic trio (<a href=favfilmsbirth.html target="_top">favorites review</a>) </Font><br> <br> <a href=palndrom.html><i>Palindromes</i></a> <Font Face="Arial Narrow">(USA, dir. Todd Solondz)</Font> - Solondz finally spits it out: pedophiles suck but so do lots of other ways we over-invest in kids; very precise mood and tension </Font><br> <br> <a href=kingsqun.html><i>Kings and Queen</i></a> <Font Face="Arial Narrow">(France, dir. Arnaud Desplechin)</Font> - Desplechin pours melodramatic and farcical elements into stylistic centrifuge, releasing great energy, just short of spinning apart </Font><br> <br> <a href=veradrak.html><i>Vera Drake</i></a> <Font Face="Arial Narrow">(UK, dir. Mike Leigh)</Font> - Defers big, aching plot reveal without seeming jerry-rigged, because communal portrait is evocative and detailed; great acting, lensing (<a href=veradrak.html>full review</a>) </Font><br> <br> <a href=howlsmov.html><i>Howl's Moving Castle</i></a> <Font Face="Arial Narrow">(Japan, dir. Hayao Miyazaki)</Font> - Hard not to equate with the castle: awfully busy and a little rickety, yet it holds together, even enthralls, and is fully its own thing </Font><br> <br> <a href=3iron.html><i>3-Iron</i></a> <Font Face="Arial Narrow">(South Korea, dir. Kim Ki-duk)</Font> - Uncanny, prowling POV camera unlinked to any character, yet film feels composited from ideas not fresh enough to linger or fully cohere </Font><br> <br> <a href=5x2.html><i>5x2</i></a> <Font Face="Arial Narrow">(France, dir. Fran&#231ois Ozon)</Font> - Ozon's sketchbook cinema continues: another diaphanous idea for a feature, but filming has grace, and Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi has more </Font><br> <br> <a href=vanityfr.html><i>Vanity Fair</i></a> <Font Face="Arial Narrow">(UK/USA, dir. Mira Nair)</Font> - Nair has two ideas: Becky as plucky pre-feminist, England awash in faux Indianness; both can feel shaky, but it's something to look at </Font><br> <br> <a href=seainsid.html><i>The Sea Inside</i></a> <Font Face="Arial Narrow">(Spain, dir. Alejandro Amen&#225bar)</Font> - I just couldn't find the movie; flat camera setups and story structure; begs for maudlin reactions while acting as if it's above them </Font><br> <br> <hr> <br> <Font Face=Garamond Color="#660066"><b>Competition Films I'm Curious to See:</b></Font><br> <Font Size=-1 Face=Garamond><b>Ranked in order of interest; full lineup available <a href="http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000681/2004" target="_new">here</a></b> (opens in a new window)</Font><br> <Font Size=-2>  <br></Font> <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0422491/"><i>The Intruder</i></a>, France, dir. Claire Denis; <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0423176/"><i>The World</i></a>, China, dir. Jia Zhangke; <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0412596/"><i>Caf&#233 Lumi&#232re</i></a>, Taiwan, dir. Hou Hsiao-hsien; <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0345032/"><i>The Keys to the House</i></a>, Italy, dir. Gianni Amelio; <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0423277/"><i>Stray Dogs</i></a>, Iran, dir. Marziyeh Meshkini; <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0382357/"><i>Land of Plenty</i></a>, USA/Germany/Canada, dir. Wim Wenders; <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0424365/"><i>Promised Land</i></a>, Israel, dir. Amos Gita&#239<br> </td></tr></table><hr> <Font Face=Garamond> <table cellpadding=12><tr> <td>Trackbacks:</b></td> <td><b><a href=venice04.html target="_top">Permalink</a></b></td> <td><b><a href=venice.html target="_top">Venice Page</a></b></td> <td><b><a href=movies04.html target="_top">2004</a></b></td> <td><b><a href=movarchs.html target="_top">Home</a></b></td> <td><b><a href="http://blog.nicksflickpicks.com" target="_new">Blog</a></b></td> <td><b><a href=email.html target="_top">E-Mail</a></b></td> </tr></table> </Font> </center> </body>