Translated material
Anton Dolin. What and where to watch
Anton Dolin
Date of publication: September 26, 2000
This column does not talk about all new or box-office films, but exclusively about those that, in the opinion of the column’s author, should be seen. In other words, only good or at least interesting films are annotated here.
WEEK 26.09 - 01.10
NEW FILMS
"Dancer in the Dark" by Lars von Trier. The main film of the year, and perhaps the decade. The audience applauds and weeps - whether they are neophytes who accidentally entered the cinema or seasoned film fans. A tragedy comparable in power to the ancient one, in the form of a stylized musical. Added to von Trier's strong personality is Björk's personality - an explosive mixture. As a curiosity, Catherine Deneuve is in a major supporting role. Filming with a video camera is interspersed with an innovative clip technique invented by von Trier. There is no mercy for either the heroes or the audience.
"Pushkinsky" :
28.09 - 19:30;
29.09-30.09 - 20:00.
"Karo-film" :
28.09-01.10 - 11:00, 13:40, 16:20, 19:00, 21:40.
"Drummer" :
29.09-01.10 - 11:00, 16:30, 21:30.
"Roland" :
29.09-01.10 - 17:00, 19:45.
"American House of Cinema" :
30.09 - 16:00, 20:40;
01.10 - 16:00, 20:30.
"In vino veritas" The latest opus of a common favorite (at first they loved him here, then he went to France, and they fell in love there, now the whole of Europe carries him in their arms) Otar Ioseliani. He himself played not the main, but a key role in this latest nostalgic tragicomedy. The entire film is about the unlucky scion of a wealthy family, who hobnobs with clochards and leads a cheerful youth life in the city of Paris, while the head of the family, a smart old man (Otar himself), finds his only solace in a bottle on his family estate. In the end, the young man will settle down, and the old man will run away from home and sail off with a friend somewhere on his yacht. Not too deep, but a very high quality movie.
"Roland" :
29.09-01.10 - 14:15, 18:45, 23:15.
"Cinema Museum" :
30.09 - 21:00;
01.10 - 20:30.
"Beauty salon "Venus" . New French cinema, and again, after "Romance" (although this time not on an erotic basis), - a film made by women about women and for women. The beauty salon is a place of action in which numerous (now this is fashionable) storylines. The selection of actors is curious: not only the star of “The Pornographic Connection” Natalie Bay, but also Robert Hossein - remember “Angelique”?
"35 mm" :
29.09 - 22:00;
30.09-01.10 - 09:00, 11:00, 15:00, 17:00, 19:00, 21:00.
"Yu-571" . It’s scary to say, but objective circumstances made this completely normative military adventure film relevant, because it tells the story of the hunt of positive Americans and negative fascists for a secret encryption system hidden on a German (!) submarine. The producer is the legend of American cinema Dino de Laurentiis, which in itself is a sign of quality.
"Prague" :
27.09 - 19:30, 00:00;
28.09-01.10 - 09:00, 11:30, 14:00, 16:30, 19:00, 21:30, 00:00.
"Arrow" :
09.29-01.10 - 09:30, 12:00, 14:30, 17:00, 19:30, 22:00, 00:30, 02:30.
"Vityaz" :
28.09-01.10 - 09:00, 11:00, 13:30, 16:00, 18:30, 21:00.
"Horizon" :
09.28-01.10 - 09:00, 11:00, 13:30, 16:00, 18:30, 21:00, 23:30, 01:30.
"Dream" :
28.09-01.10 - 09:00, 11:00, 13:30, 16:00, 18:30, 21:00, 23:30.
"American House of Cinema" :
30.09 - 14:00, 18:30, 23:10;
01.10 - 14:00, 18:30.
"Lie" . A scandalous and at the same time not at all vulgar Korean “soft porn” drama, mixed with sadomasochism and precocious nymphets. However, there is practically no “strawberry” in the European-American sense. The paradoxical lack of plot and meditative immersion in the main theme - love as violence - turn the film into an original eastern treatise: either erotic or philosophical.
"MDM-cinema" :
25.09-27.09 - 02:15;
28.09 - 02:00;
29.09-01.10 - 04:00.
"Five Senses" Canadian-produced lyrical drama. Partly for all fans of Atom Egoyan ("Glorious Future", "Exotica"), because the producer is the same, but only partly. A fairly standard movie for the 90s (considering that the 2000s have already arrived) - intersecting stories about lonely people, each of whom is trying to find at least someone for dialogue. Decent acting, very traditional directorial decision. A film for those over 40 - which, however, is not bad at all.
"35 mm" :
09.25-28.09 - 09:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00, 17:00, 19:00, 21:00, 23:00, 01:00;
29.09 - 09:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00, 17:00;
30.09-01.10 - 13:00, 23:00.
"Romeo Must Die" An action film built on the mixed aesthetics of Hong Kong action and hip-hop culture. It has virtually nothing to do with Shakespeare. Good music. Fashionable cinema.
"Karo-film" :
25.09-27.09 - 11:00, 15:00, 19:00, 22:50;
28.09-01.10 - 17:00, 19:15, 21:30.
"MDM-cinema" :
28.09 - 11:30, 14:00, 16:30, 19:00;
29.09-01.10 - 14:00, 16:30, 19:00, 02:00.
"Orion" :
25.09-28.09 - 10:00, 15:00, 18:00, 22:30.
"Artistic" :
25.09-30.09 - 11:00, 13:30, 21:00;
01.10 - 11:00, 21:00.
"Cinema Center" :
29.09 - 11:20;
01.10 - 11:40.
"The Virgin Suicides" . Debut of Sofia Coppola, daughter of F.F. Coppola. A nostalgic and enchantingly beautiful, gentle film in a retro spirit about teenagers of the 70s, for whom suicide was the only way to gain unattainable freedom.
"Cinema Center" :
25.09, 27.09 - 15:25;
26.09 - 10:00, 15:25;
28.09 - 11:20, 21:30;
29.09 - 15:20;
30.09 - 14:50;
01.10 - 10:00, 15:45.
"Just Blood" Debut film of the Coen brothers, 1984. Reworked by the authors taking into account the changed context. At first glance, the film is a pure cut of quotes. Only later do you begin to understand that the quotes are from films taken much later. The cradle of Jarmusch, Lynch, Van Sant, Hartley and others.
"Cinema Center" :
29.09 - 21:30.
"Patriot" . The most successful film to date by Roland Emmerich, the author of the disastrous "Godzilla" and "Independence Day". An epic on the theme of war - again, for independence (America from England, not Earth from aliens). Mel Gibson reminds me of himself in Braveheart. Nothing unexpected. Good spreading cranberries.
"Zaryadye" :
25.09-01.10 - 13:30, 16:30, 19:30.
"MDM-cinema" :
25.09-27.09 - 13:00, 19:00.
"The Perfect Storm" . Wolfgang Petersen is a very smart and talented Hollywood professional. The cinema is powerful and, most importantly, beautiful: computer waves are reminiscent of Aivazovsky and Moby Dick. Manly George Clooney is as wooden as ever, but still handsome. Dialogues are straightforward to the point of horror. What do you want - the genre is this: a production drama about the harsh life of ordinary fishermen.
"Cinema Center" :
25.09 - 11:00;
26.09, 29.09, 01.10 - 19:00;
27.09 - 11:00, 19:00;
28.09 - 21:20;
30.09 - 21:40.
NOT VERY NEW MOVIES
"Raindrops on Hot Rocks"
"Cinema Museum" :
25.09 - 21:00.
"Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai" . The latest masterpiece from the crown prince of American independent cinema, Jim Jarmusch. A game on the theme of marginality - “black” aesthetics plus a mafia quotation book, a brooding soundtrack, and all together - a new “Don Quixote”. A touching, funny, thoughtful film about how books can turn a trivial killer into a knight. Or even a samurai.
"Cinema Museum" :
26.09, 27.09, 29.09 - 21:00.
28.09 - 20:30.
"All About My Mother" by Pedro Almodóvar. The best of melodramas. Funny, but not parody; touching, but not sentimental. A film for those who are not shy about their emotions. In addition, the masterly performance of the favorite actresses of the best Spanish director (Penelope Cruz, Marisa Paredes, Cecilia Roth) and the extremely strong visual side - color and light. The music is great too.
"Cinema Center" :
26.09 - 13:35;
28.09, 01.10 - 17:20;
29.09 - 13:30.
"Magnolia" "Golden Berlin Bear" Deserved. Abnormal avant-garde tempo and rhythm, virtuosic editing and the best soundtrack of the year (song, not instrumental). The idea is simple and has been used in dozens of films before and since: several intertwined stories from the lives of very unhappy people (see the film "Happiness", the main character of which plays a very good role in "Magnolia"). The best role in the acting biography of Tom Cruise. Very good translation - subtitles. The plot is about life around television (not outside, but inside - many of the film's characters lead the life of TV stars) and show business in general. The only negative (maybe a plus?) is more than three hours of running time. Sometimes it loads too much.
"Cinema Center" :
25.09, 27.09 - 12:10;
30.09 - 20:50.
"American Beauty" . The most unexpected Oscar in recent years. That is, expected, since this is the best of all the nominated films, but the appearance on the official Hollywood stage of typologically European cinema, created taking into account theatrical production techniques, is both surprising and pleasing. A film about freedom, internal and external. Starring the amazing and unforgettable Kevin Spacey; Best role since The Usual Suspects.
"Cinema Center" :
25.09 - 10:00, 21:10;
26.09, 29.09 - 17:00;
27.09 - 10:00, 21:30;
28.09 - 13:10;
30.09 - 12:40;
01.10 - 21:30.
"Matrix" . Cool movie. Dull, like all American box office blockbusters, but bright and fashionable. Deliberately, although not forced. Keanu Reeves doesn't play anything special, moves his beautiful skull and flies through the air. When the mochilovo begins (in the finale), you immediately forget about the intellectual background. It's for the better.
"Cinema Center" :
30.09 - 10:15.
NOSTALGIA
"The Big Lebowski" One of the funniest and smartest films in recent cinema history. The heroes of the stunning Coen brothers this time are sixties (a former Vietnam veteran and a former hippie), who, by an absurd accident, find themselves in the cycle of Tarantino-criminal events of the 90s. A touching and witty parody of the entire cinema as a whole.
"Cinema Center" :
30.09 - 16:30.
"Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace" . The relatively new film solemnly moves into the nostalgic category. A film a priori made for those who yearn for their chivalrous-cosmic childhood (youth). Today's youth are mostly indifferent. Thirty- and forty-year-old spectators are dying of delight. Overall, a beautiful and dynamic tale with very high-quality visual effects. Teaches reasonable, kind, eternal.
"Cinema Center" :
01.10 - 12:10.
"The French Lieutenant's Woman" . A controversial but very interesting film adaptation of the novel of the same name by D. Fowles. The director transferred literary interactivity to the screen, making the action parallel - Victorian history and the filming of a film about it. It's worth watching if only for the lead actors - Jeremy Irons and Meryl Streep.
"Cinema Museum" :
26.09 - 18:15.
"Skeleton Dance" One of Walt Disney's oldest cartoons, in which ghosts, skeletons and toothy pumpkins dance and sing to classical music. At the piano there is Mickey Mouse (same as before). For 29, it’s simply a masterpiece.
"Cinema Museum" :
28.09 - 19:00.
"The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie" . One of the last - according to critics, the most mature and best - films of Luis Buñuel, filmed in France in 1972 from a script by Jean-Claude Carrère. A merciless satirical and absurdist analysis of modern society, in which good-natured bourgeois turn out to be adulterers, murderers and cannibals.
"Illusion" :
01.10 - 15:00, 17:00, 19:00.