Haven't done one of these in quite a while. The mood has struck.
The Itsamadmadblog Film Festival, July 2017 edition
Day 1
Opening Night Premier: "A Ghost Story" (2017), directed by Texas native David Lowery
Regional Filmmaking Feature: "Bomb City" (2017), directed by Jameson Brooks
The Auteur Series, Japanese Master edition featuring Yoshitaro Nomura: "Castle of Sand" (1974)
Midnight Madness feature: "Family Portraits" (2003), directed by Douglas Buck
Day 2
Quasi science fiction from Europe series: "Deathwatch" (1980), directed by Bertrand Tavernier
Premiers day:
"Wind River" (2017), directed by Taylor Sheridan
"GoodTime" (2017), directed by the Safdie Brothers
"You Were Never Really Here" (2017), directed by Lynn Ramsey
Regional Filmmaking feature: "A Teacher" (2013), directed by Hannah Fidell
The Auteur Series, Japanese Master edition featuring Yoshitaro Nomura: "Writthing Tongue" (1982)
Quasi science fiction from Europe series: "Until the End of the World" (1991), by Wim Wenders
Midnight Madness: "Inside" (2007), directed by Julian Maury and Alexandro Bustillo
Day 3
The Auteur Series, Japanese Master edition featuring Yoshitaro Nomura: "Village of 8 Gravestones"
"In the Fade" (2017), directed by Fatih Akin
Quasi science fiction from Europe series: "France, Inc" (1973), directed by Alain Corneau
The Auteur Series, Japanese Master edition featuring Yoshitaro Nomura: "The Incident" (1978)
Quasi science fiction from Europe series: "On the Silver Globe" (1988), restored edition directed by Andrzej Zulawski
"Call Me By Your Name" (2017), directed by Luca Guadagnino
"Radiance" (2017), directed by Naomi Kawase
Closing Night Film: 70 MM presentation of "Dunkirk" (2017) with Christopher Nolan in attendance
Showing posts with label film festival. Show all posts
Showing posts with label film festival. Show all posts
Thursday, July 06, 2017
Saturday, June 15, 2013
If I Programmed a Film Festival #4
Time for another edition of this fun idea. It's been too long, and with the opening of another Alamo Drafthouse here in Dallas, what better time to celebrate the vagaries of what's possible in the dark.
Day 1
****The Very Dry Spy showcase, spotlighting the more cerebral spy films out there
Harry Palmer double feature:
"Funeral In Berlin" and "The Ipcress File"
****US Premier, Texas Filmmaker Showcase Panel
"Aint Them Bodies Saints", dir. by David Lowery
**** Midnight Madness event
"Vicious Lips". dir. by Albert Pyun
Day 2
****US Premier, Texas Filmmaker Showcase
"The Retrieval", dir. by Chris Eska
****The Very Dry Spy showcase, spotlighting the more cerebral spy films out there
Alfred Hitchcock's "Topaz"
"The Spy Who Came In From the Cold", dir. by Martin Ritt
****World Premier special event with director Q&A
"Only God Forgives", dir. by Nicolas Wending Refn
****Texas Filmmaker showcase
Shane Carruth appreciation, special screenings and roundtable with cast/crew of "Upstream Color" and "Primer"
****Midnight Madness event
"100 Years of Adolf Hitler", dir. by Christophe Schlingensief.... yes a real thing starring Udo Kier
Day 3
Saturday Premier day/closing festivities
"Fruitvale Station", dir. by Ryan Coogler
"Call Girl", dir. by Mikael Marcimain
"The Grandmaster", dir. by Wong Kar Wai
"The Immigrant", dir. by James Gray
"The Past", dir. by Asghar Farhadi
****Midnight Madness event
"Threads", dir. by Mick Jackson
Day 1
****The Very Dry Spy showcase, spotlighting the more cerebral spy films out there
Harry Palmer double feature:
"Funeral In Berlin" and "The Ipcress File"
****US Premier, Texas Filmmaker Showcase Panel
"Aint Them Bodies Saints", dir. by David Lowery
**** Midnight Madness event
"Vicious Lips". dir. by Albert Pyun
Day 2
****US Premier, Texas Filmmaker Showcase
"The Retrieval", dir. by Chris Eska
****The Very Dry Spy showcase, spotlighting the more cerebral spy films out there
Alfred Hitchcock's "Topaz"
"The Spy Who Came In From the Cold", dir. by Martin Ritt
****World Premier special event with director Q&A
"Only God Forgives", dir. by Nicolas Wending Refn
****Texas Filmmaker showcase
Shane Carruth appreciation, special screenings and roundtable with cast/crew of "Upstream Color" and "Primer"
****Midnight Madness event
"100 Years of Adolf Hitler", dir. by Christophe Schlingensief.... yes a real thing starring Udo Kier
Day 3
Saturday Premier day/closing festivities
"Fruitvale Station", dir. by Ryan Coogler
"Call Girl", dir. by Mikael Marcimain
"The Grandmaster", dir. by Wong Kar Wai
"The Immigrant", dir. by James Gray
"The Past", dir. by Asghar Farhadi
****Midnight Madness event
"Threads", dir. by Mick Jackson
Thursday, August 18, 2011
If I Programmed a Film Festival #3
Day 1:
**** Euro Crime Series
1. The Last Round (1975)- Italian version of "Yojimbo" as a drifter pits two warring families against each other.
2. Magnet of Doom (1963)- Unreleased Jean Pierre Melville road movie starring Jean Paul Belmondo as he high tails it to the deep U.S. South. Wonderful, oddly observed Americana from Melville. Review coming soon.
****World Premier
1. Once Upon A Time In Anatolia (2010)- Because everything I've read about it sounds terrific. From Film Comment, "Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Grand Jury prize co- winner is an intoxicatingly strange, oblique police procedural..."
**** Auteuristic Western series
1. Duck You Sucker (1971)- Probably Sergio Leone's least known western is a fun romp with Rod Steiger and James Coburn.
2. The Claim (2000)- Michael Winterbottom's lush and beautiful western that grows better on each viewing.
3. The Long Riders (1980)- Walter Hill made some incredible movies, and this one with a gimmick of starring real life brothers, imbues the viewer with terrific atmosphere and mood.
**** 70's Bonanza Faves
1. Man On A Swing- Frank Perry's deliriously good (and hugely unknown) film about a police detective (Cliff Robertson) wading through real life murder and possible psychic tomfoolery.
Day 2:
**** Auteuristic Western Series Part 2
1. Rancho Notorious (1952)- Possibly my very favorite Fritz Lang film... a western that inverts the genre into something more like his noir films. It just teems with great stuff.
2. The Train Robbers (1972)- Burt Kennedy's AARP western is a good time, with John Wayne leading a group of men on the hunt for stolen gold. And it features what is probably the best final line in any Wayne western.
3. Open Range (2003)- I can forgive Kevin Costner for his rambling "Wyatt Earp" with this vicious, tightly constructed actioner. One of the best westerns of the past 20 years IMO.
**** World Premier 2
1. Drive (2011)- I can always dream right.
**** Euro Crime continuation tickets half price for these two movies!
1. The Master Touch (1972)- Kirk Douglas is stealthy and stellar as an aging safecracker doing one last job. Terrific heist and great double crosses abound!
2. The American Friend (1977)- Wim Wender's real 70's masterpiece with Bruno Ganz sucked into a plot of murder and deception with art thief Dennis Hopper.
****70's Bonanza Faves
1. The Black Windmill (1974)- Don Siegel's tough as nails film about a man (Michael Caine) who takes matters into his own hands when his son is kidnapped.
**** Euro Crime Series
1. The Last Round (1975)- Italian version of "Yojimbo" as a drifter pits two warring families against each other.
2. Magnet of Doom (1963)- Unreleased Jean Pierre Melville road movie starring Jean Paul Belmondo as he high tails it to the deep U.S. South. Wonderful, oddly observed Americana from Melville. Review coming soon.
****World Premier
1. Once Upon A Time In Anatolia (2010)- Because everything I've read about it sounds terrific. From Film Comment, "Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Grand Jury prize co- winner is an intoxicatingly strange, oblique police procedural..."
**** Auteuristic Western series
1. Duck You Sucker (1971)- Probably Sergio Leone's least known western is a fun romp with Rod Steiger and James Coburn.
2. The Claim (2000)- Michael Winterbottom's lush and beautiful western that grows better on each viewing.
3. The Long Riders (1980)- Walter Hill made some incredible movies, and this one with a gimmick of starring real life brothers, imbues the viewer with terrific atmosphere and mood.
**** 70's Bonanza Faves
1. Man On A Swing- Frank Perry's deliriously good (and hugely unknown) film about a police detective (Cliff Robertson) wading through real life murder and possible psychic tomfoolery.
Day 2:
**** Auteuristic Western Series Part 2
1. Rancho Notorious (1952)- Possibly my very favorite Fritz Lang film... a western that inverts the genre into something more like his noir films. It just teems with great stuff.
2. The Train Robbers (1972)- Burt Kennedy's AARP western is a good time, with John Wayne leading a group of men on the hunt for stolen gold. And it features what is probably the best final line in any Wayne western.
3. Open Range (2003)- I can forgive Kevin Costner for his rambling "Wyatt Earp" with this vicious, tightly constructed actioner. One of the best westerns of the past 20 years IMO.
**** World Premier 2
1. Drive (2011)- I can always dream right.
**** Euro Crime continuation tickets half price for these two movies!
1. The Master Touch (1972)- Kirk Douglas is stealthy and stellar as an aging safecracker doing one last job. Terrific heist and great double crosses abound!
2. The American Friend (1977)- Wim Wender's real 70's masterpiece with Bruno Ganz sucked into a plot of murder and deception with art thief Dennis Hopper.
****70's Bonanza Faves
1. The Black Windmill (1974)- Don Siegel's tough as nails film about a man (Michael Caine) who takes matters into his own hands when his son is kidnapped.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
If I Programmed a Film Festival #2
Day 1
****A Vengeful Man Marathon Part 1:
1. Rolling Thunder (1977)- William Devane as a Vietnam vet kicking ass and taking names after the murder of his family.
2. Dead Man's Shoes (2004)- Shane Meadows' hugely under appreciated revenge flick about a soldier returning home to England and taking revenge on the gang of thugs who hurt his mentally challenged brother. Gritty anomaly timed to some shoe gazing music.
3. Sitting Target (1972)- Hard to find and violent revenge flick with Oliver Reed going after his wife and her lover.
Creep (2004)- ****Subterranean horror triple feature DTV auteur Christopher Smith's eerie horror masterpiece has to be seen to be believed. It goes to some extreme places.
Marebito (2005)- ****Subterranean horror triple feature K horror film about a photographer who finds something not human in the subway (or is it hell) and brings it back to his apartment.
Day 2:
Raw Meat (1972)- ****Subterranean horror film triple feature Rounding out the triple feature is the ultimate underground horror movie. Not for the squeamish.
****A Vengeful Man Marathon Part 2:
1. Hennessey (1975)- Rod Steiger as an Irishman hellbent on revenge after his family is caught up and killed in an IRA squabble on the streets. A bit uneven at times, but it does the genre justice.
2. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (2003)- Another underrated British masterpiece by old schooler Mike Hodges. Clive Owen is aces as the quiet killer on the track of his brother's killers.
3. Point Blank (1967)- After watching the imitators, it's time to see the one that started it all.
The Good, The Bad and the Weird (2009)- Insane and kinetic South Korean action/western/crime/fantasy film that blends so many genres and has such fun that this selection will surely stir up the audience.
****A Vengeful Man Marathon Part 1:
1. Rolling Thunder (1977)- William Devane as a Vietnam vet kicking ass and taking names after the murder of his family.
2. Dead Man's Shoes (2004)- Shane Meadows' hugely under appreciated revenge flick about a soldier returning home to England and taking revenge on the gang of thugs who hurt his mentally challenged brother. Gritty anomaly timed to some shoe gazing music.
3. Sitting Target (1972)- Hard to find and violent revenge flick with Oliver Reed going after his wife and her lover.
Creep (2004)- ****Subterranean horror triple feature DTV auteur Christopher Smith's eerie horror masterpiece has to be seen to be believed. It goes to some extreme places.
Marebito (2005)- ****Subterranean horror triple feature K horror film about a photographer who finds something not human in the subway (or is it hell) and brings it back to his apartment.
Day 2:
Raw Meat (1972)- ****Subterranean horror film triple feature Rounding out the triple feature is the ultimate underground horror movie. Not for the squeamish.
****A Vengeful Man Marathon Part 2:
1. Hennessey (1975)- Rod Steiger as an Irishman hellbent on revenge after his family is caught up and killed in an IRA squabble on the streets. A bit uneven at times, but it does the genre justice.
2. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (2003)- Another underrated British masterpiece by old schooler Mike Hodges. Clive Owen is aces as the quiet killer on the track of his brother's killers.
3. Point Blank (1967)- After watching the imitators, it's time to see the one that started it all.
The Good, The Bad and the Weird (2009)- Insane and kinetic South Korean action/western/crime/fantasy film that blends so many genres and has such fun that this selection will surely stir up the audience.
Monday, July 19, 2010
If I Programmed A Film Festival
Day 1:
The Last Run (1971)- **** Euro Crime Pic Selection- Part 1 of a selection of grossly overlooked 60’s and 70’s Euro crime pics… starring George C Scott and written about here.
One Deadly Summer (1983)- Part 1 of that lovely genre known as sexy-young-French-girl-revenge-drama with a stunningly beautiful Isabella Adjani on the sexual warpath to make up for past transgressions.
The Addiction (1994)- **** Double Feature Post Modern Vampires- The vampire genre given an introspective and almost poetic spin by bad-boy auteur Abel Ferrera and sadly hard to find anywhere.
Rabid Dogs (1971)- **** Euro Crime Pic Selection- Hugely entertaining Mario Bava tale of a kidnapped couple by criminals on the run. Sweaty, nasty and with one chilling ending.
Smile (1975)- Brilliant Michael Ritchie flick about, of all things, a beauty pageant. In all its skewed humor, it rivals “Nashville” for its mood and precise view of early 70’s California.
The Fixer (1968)- An exercise in punishment of a Jewish man during the early days of Czarist Russia, creatively brought to life by John Frankenheimer. Should play well with another persecution film on this bill.
Go, Go Second Time Virgin (1969)- As the closing film of day 1, if people are having a hard time staying awake, then this perverse obscurity from Koji Wakamatsu will certainly keep everyone awake.
Day 2:
A Real Young Girl (1976)- Second entry in the French revenge drama category, helmed to suffocating tension by Catherine Breillat.
Breaking In (1989)- Something to brighten the mood a bit, and this late 80’s Bill Forsyth comedy about an aging burglar (Burt Reynolds) who takes on an apprentice (Casey Siemasko!) is right on the money. See it for the watchdog scene alone.
Daybreakers (2010)- **** Double Feature Post Modern Vampires- Neat little film with an interesting take on a well tread genre. It’s not the best movie of 2010, but its certainly one of the most gory and the one where I’ve had the most fun.
Grand Slam (1967)- **** Euro Crime Pic Selection- This one with an all star cast all vying for the heart (and bank key) of sexy Viven Leigh as an uptight bank manager. Feels like a Jules Dassin film, expertly paced and wholly involving.
The Messenger (1999)- I’ll never understand the bile for this Luc Besson film. Milla Jovovich suffers like the best of ‘em and the opening battle sequences are sweeping. One of the year’s best in a very crowded ‘99 and along with “The Fixer”, it makes one pine for maximum security prisons today.
Le Cercle Rouge (1970)- **** Euro Crime Pick Selection- There are a lot of Jean Pierre Melville, masterpieces, but this color entry in his silent, tough guy criminal exercise is especially good.
Greaser’s Palace (1969)- Nothing quite like this Robert Downey oddity to send everyone off on a high note. I’m not much of a fan, but its impossible to watch this film without your jaw dropping to the floor.
p.s. donations and a movie theater are now being accepted to help me begin my own film festivals…..
The Last Run (1971)- **** Euro Crime Pic Selection- Part 1 of a selection of grossly overlooked 60’s and 70’s Euro crime pics… starring George C Scott and written about here.
One Deadly Summer (1983)- Part 1 of that lovely genre known as sexy-young-French-girl-revenge-drama with a stunningly beautiful Isabella Adjani on the sexual warpath to make up for past transgressions.
The Addiction (1994)- **** Double Feature Post Modern Vampires- The vampire genre given an introspective and almost poetic spin by bad-boy auteur Abel Ferrera and sadly hard to find anywhere.
Rabid Dogs (1971)- **** Euro Crime Pic Selection- Hugely entertaining Mario Bava tale of a kidnapped couple by criminals on the run. Sweaty, nasty and with one chilling ending.
Smile (1975)- Brilliant Michael Ritchie flick about, of all things, a beauty pageant. In all its skewed humor, it rivals “Nashville” for its mood and precise view of early 70’s California.
The Fixer (1968)- An exercise in punishment of a Jewish man during the early days of Czarist Russia, creatively brought to life by John Frankenheimer. Should play well with another persecution film on this bill.
Go, Go Second Time Virgin (1969)- As the closing film of day 1, if people are having a hard time staying awake, then this perverse obscurity from Koji Wakamatsu will certainly keep everyone awake.
Day 2:
A Real Young Girl (1976)- Second entry in the French revenge drama category, helmed to suffocating tension by Catherine Breillat.
Breaking In (1989)- Something to brighten the mood a bit, and this late 80’s Bill Forsyth comedy about an aging burglar (Burt Reynolds) who takes on an apprentice (Casey Siemasko!) is right on the money. See it for the watchdog scene alone.
Daybreakers (2010)- **** Double Feature Post Modern Vampires- Neat little film with an interesting take on a well tread genre. It’s not the best movie of 2010, but its certainly one of the most gory and the one where I’ve had the most fun.
Grand Slam (1967)- **** Euro Crime Pic Selection- This one with an all star cast all vying for the heart (and bank key) of sexy Viven Leigh as an uptight bank manager. Feels like a Jules Dassin film, expertly paced and wholly involving.
The Messenger (1999)- I’ll never understand the bile for this Luc Besson film. Milla Jovovich suffers like the best of ‘em and the opening battle sequences are sweeping. One of the year’s best in a very crowded ‘99 and along with “The Fixer”, it makes one pine for maximum security prisons today.
Le Cercle Rouge (1970)- **** Euro Crime Pick Selection- There are a lot of Jean Pierre Melville, masterpieces, but this color entry in his silent, tough guy criminal exercise is especially good.
Greaser’s Palace (1969)- Nothing quite like this Robert Downey oddity to send everyone off on a high note. I’m not much of a fan, but its impossible to watch this film without your jaw dropping to the floor.
p.s. donations and a movie theater are now being accepted to help me begin my own film festivals…..
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)