| Watch from April 6 on Moscow screens “Wall of Fire” (USA, 2006, Richard Loncraine). A cunning and ruthless crook (Paul Bettany - Dogville, Master of the Seas, Wimbledon) takes the family of a prominent computer security specialist (Harrison Ford) hostage and forces him to take part in a carefully planned heist. A solid, but somehow completely predictable thriller, whose secondary nature cannot be passed off as adherence to tradition, even if one wants to. It would have looked more or less adequate in the early 90s, but today anyone who even slightly closely follows the film process can watch the wall of fire with their eyes closed and the sound turned off - and will still absolutely accurately guess when Ford's hero will stop being nervous and will begin to dictate his own rules of the game to the kidnappers. Also starring Virginia Madsen, Robert Patrick, Robert Forster, Alan Arkin and Jimmy Bennett.
“The Witness at the Wedding” (UK, 2005, Stefan Schwartz). In the history of world cinema, this is at least the twelfth film with this title, and the plot is not particularly original: a lifelong weakling and loser (Stuart Townsend - “24 Hours”, “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”, “Head in the Clouds”) suffers from inattention to him from the opposite sex and finds nothing better than to fall in love with a girl (Emmy Smart - "The Butterfly Effect", "Starsky and Hitch", "Just Friends"), to whom his best friend is already engaged (Seth Green - "Club Mania", "The Italian Job", "Three in a Canoe"). However, unlike a romantic comedy thriller, such predictability is much less harmful, so watching the screen is pleasant and not tiring. Also starring Jane Howe, Simon Callow, George Mandeol and Kylie Minogue.
"Antibodies" (Germany, 2005, Christian Alvart). A brilliant German response to brutal Hollywood thrillers like “Seven” and “The Silence of the Lambs”, which took quite a long time to reach our cinemas. But even with a slight delay, watching it is much more entertaining than the latest productions. A policeman from a provincial town, where a little girl was brutally murdered a year ago, learns that the killer has apparently been caught and has confessed to everything. However, after talking with the criminal, the policeman realizes that everything is not so simple and it is too early to close the case. And his own investigation leads him to monstrous discoveries that almost change his whole life. A powerful picture in which sharp visual cruelty paradoxically coexists with biblical allusions - and by the end, willy-nilly, one has to remember such a concept as “catharsis”. Starring Wotan Wilke Mohring, Heinz Henig, Andre Hennicke, Ulrike Krumbiegel, Nina Proll and Norman Reedus.
Mrs Henderson Presents (UK, 2005, Stephen Frears). The story of a wealthy widow (Judi Dench - "Iris", "The Chronicles of Riddick", "Pride and Prejudice") who, during the Second World War, bought an abandoned cinema and came up with the idea of raising the morale of British soldiers with the help of shows featuring nude models. The film was nominated for two Oscars (Best Actress and Best Costumes), four BAFTA Awards and as many as eight British Independent Film Awards - but did not receive a single award. Also starring Bob Hoskins, Will Young, Kelly Riley, Christopher Guest and Thelma Barlow. Watch it on April 7 at the Roland cinema as part of the Spring Euphoria festival.
“Breakfast on Pluto” (UK-Ireland, 2005, Neil Jordan). Growing up in the Irish countryside, the son of a parish priest and a housekeeper, Patrick Braden, whom everyone calls Kitten (Cillian Murphy - "Disco Pigs", "Batman Begins", "Night Flight"), becomes a transvestite and moves to London to perform in the corresponding cabaret. An inventive and sensual retro drama based on the novel by Pat McCabe (author of Butcher Boy, filmed by the same Jordan), for which Murphy was nominated for a Golden Globe. Also starring Liem Neeson, Stephen Rea, Brendan Gleeson, Ian Hart and Gavin Friday. Watch it on April 8 at the Roland cinema as part of the Spring Euphoria festival.
“The White Countess” (UK - USA - Germany - China, 2005, James Ivory). A multicultural melodrama by a famous British director with a script by Japanese Kazuya Ishiguro (“The Remains of the Day,” “The Saddest Music in the World”) about a blind American diplomat (Ralph Fiennes — “Spider,” “The Avengers,” “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”), who fell in love with a Russian aristocrat (Natasha Richardson - A Month in the Country, Widow's Peak, The Parent Trap) in 1930s Shanghai. Also starring Vanessa Redgrave, Lynn Redgrave, Hiroyuki Sanada and John Wood. Watch it on April 9 at the Roland cinema as part of the Spring Euphoria festival. Stanislav F. ROSTOTSKY |
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