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Tag archives for Play

Stockholm Film Festival. The highs and lows

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These ticket vouchers were my best friend during the festival.

The festival is now long gone. Left is only ticket stubs, memories and half eaten popcorn boxes that could probably feed Norway for 2 days.

I’ve given this festival a lot of time and thought and what better way can we say goodbye than a “Best of” post here on the blog.

First I want to tip my hat to the festival workers. This year was smooth as silk with very few delays. Most of these delays were because of a surprise Q&A or Face2Face and how can you be mad at that? That’s like being pissed off for coming late to work because you found a bag of money on your way.

So what was my favorite film? I thought this was going to be a close call but the more I think of it the more I loved 50/50. This film also won The Audience Award so I’m not alone on this one. The way director Jonathan Levine balances humor and drama in this film about a 27 year old guy who gets a 50% chance of survival is truly masterful.

Mark my words, within 5 years Joseph Gordon-Levitt will win an Oscar. If not, I will be the guy that storms the stage and steals it from Rusell Crowe after he’s won his 17th.

Favorite documentary goes to How To Die In Oregon. This HBO produced film is about death. Plain and simple. Oregon was the first state to legalize physician-assisted suicide and we get to follow a couple of people that has chosen that path. Let me tell you, I’ve never been in such a quiet movie theater as this one. This film sucks you right in and definitely leaves its mark.

Best looking film for me was easily Simon & The Oaks. This is a film I’ve already written about so if you’ve missed it, you can read more about it here.

The actress that stood out the most for me was the lead in Martha Marcy May Marlene, Elizabeth Olsen. Not only is she stunning but her role as a woman that tries to break out of a cult left me wanting more. But let’s all forget the fact that she’s the little sister to The Olsen twins.

For best actor I have to go with Michael Fassbender. I know, safe bet, but his role in Shame was just incredible. Personally I didn’t think Shame lived up to its own hype but the acting in the film was a symphony.

Best director for me was hard. I truly think Ruben Östlund did a fantastic job directing young kid actors in Play but Tomas Alfredson’s work in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is just pure gold. On the other hand with actors like Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong and Colin Firth the question is how much do you really need to direct? More on this film soon.

And now the lows. It’s always fun to end with the bad stuff. The absolute biggest thing I think the festival missed was an easy one, language. They had seminars that were marked “In English” but was presented in Swedish and they showed Swedish films without English subtitles. I understand the fact that the majority of festival visitors are Swedes but how will the foreign cinema lovers experience Swedish film? And isn’t film always best at festivals?

Chris Gardner - Film

November 29, 2011

A look at Ruben Östlund’s latest film – Play

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Ruben Östlund directing his cast. PHOTO ©Film i Väst

I was lucky enough to catch the red carpet premiere of Play. And even if the champagne was nice and the company even better this is possibly one of the hardest reviews I’ve had to write to date. It’s not the actual text that’s difficult, it’s the subject matter and the execution of it that I don’t want to show in the wrong light. One wrong step and it’s ruined. So here’s my souffle review of Play.

It’s easy to see why during its Cannes premiere people asked Ruben Östlund if he was a racist. It’s because on the surface Play is about 5 black immigrant kids that rob 3 Swedish kids from upper middle class. But as soon as you scratch the skin of Play you’ll see that it’s about much, much more.

The clip above doesn’t have subtitles but it’s a little peak into the world Ruben Östlund invites you into. With a steady camera and most shots lasting several minutes this style adds to the realism of his stories. Not only is it based on true events but Play also isn’t just a film that you just sit back and relax to. It’s a film that hopefully provokes you and raises questions within yourself and your view on racism.

In an interview Östlund points out that while researching this film he not only read the court reports, but also met the police, victims and perpetrators of these events. And even if these black kids only were between 12 and 14, they still knew that they could use the race issue to their advantage while robbing kids. This is something that fascinated him and that’s how Play came to life.

I used to say truth is duller than fiction but if Ruben is going to continue his slice of life filmmaking I might need to reconsider. Souffle anyone?

 

Chris Gardner - Film

November 12, 2011

5 films you don’t want to miss during Stockholm Film Festival

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First off I want to point out that these are not in any particular order. These are just 5 films I want to shine some extra light on. The festival is absolutely packed with great cinema enjoyment and it’s easy to miss some of the highlights.

50/50 by Jonathan Levine
Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a 27 year old who gets cancer and has a 50/50 chance of beating it. I’m a huge fan of JGL and this film is getting great reviews so this is a must.

Drive by Nicolas Winding Refn
Okay, I’m cheating a little bit here. I’ve already seen Drive but the Danish director has really made a uniqe film. He has created an homage to 80′s films but in a very stylish and confident way. Mind you that this is a pretty brutal film but if you’ve got the stomach, you have to check it out.

Play by Ruben Östlund
Östlund was the talk of the town last year during Uppsala Short Film Festival with his one-shot short film Incident by a Bank (Händelse vid bank). Before that his 2008 feature Involuntary (De ofrivilliga) was considered one of Sweden’s best films that year. In other words, he has some pretty huge shoes to fill, his own. Did he fill them? A review of Play will be online before the weekend.

Bill Skarsgård as Simon.

Simon and the Oaks by Lisa Ohlin
The film takes place during the 1940’s and is a depiction of the Jewish people’s situation during World War II here in Sweden. The film is based on the bestselling book by the same name, written by Marianne Fredriksson.

The Lady by Luc Besson
I think the festival itself wrote it best so I will let them tell you why you need to see this film. “Luc Besson has often depicted strong women, but this is the first time since »Jeanne D’Arc« that his heroine is based on a real person. »The Lady« is the daunting, exciting and tragically absurd story of Aung San Suu Kyi and her road to power”

I’ll be back with more lists soon.

P.S. I want to share the great news that Swedish actor Ola Rapace is under discussion for a role in the upcoming James Bond movie, Skyfall. Read more about it here.

Chris Gardner - Film

November 9, 2011