Barry Jenkins’ 10-episode limited series “The Underground Railroad” is a modern masterpiece. Many said as much when it first debuted, back in May 2021, and many more have discovered its incomparable beauty, power, and grace in the years since. On June 25, The Criterion Collection will recognize the series by releasing a four-disc Blu-ray set — marking its physical media debut — complete with audio commentary by Jenkins, his companion film “The Gaze,” deleted scenes, making-of featurettes, a graphic novel adaptation of an unfilmed episode, and more.
Being featured in a collection as prestigious as Criterion’s — which Jenkins himself compared to the Library of Congress, saying, “This is where films go to live forever” — will undoubtedly introduce “The Underground Railroad” to even more viewers. It deserves them, just as it deserves to join the exclusive collection featuring heralded titles (with ties to TV) like “Dekalog,” “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me,” and “Small Axe.
Being featured in a collection as prestigious as Criterion’s — which Jenkins himself compared to the Library of Congress, saying, “This is where films go to live forever” — will undoubtedly introduce “The Underground Railroad” to even more viewers. It deserves them, just as it deserves to join the exclusive collection featuring heralded titles (with ties to TV) like “Dekalog,” “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me,” and “Small Axe.
- 6/25/2024
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Mads Mikkelsen’s name is synonymous to the greatest movie villains of all time. The Danish actor is notorious for his captivating and terrifying portrayals of unhinged yet sophisticated characters that stop at nothing to achieve their goals. Mikkelsen indulges in heavy topics and hard-to-watch films, but sometimes, a picture can be too much even for him — that’s how he knows it’s brilliant.
Mads Mikkelsen’s Unlikely Movie of Choice
People are always curious what their favorite movie stars’ favorite movies are, and Mads Mikkelsen shared his Top 5 with A.frame. Most of the Hannibal actor’s selections are well-familiar to the American audience: Taxi Driver (1976), Singin' in the Rain (1952), Dekalog (1989), and Apocalypse Now (1979). Okay, Dekalog is also quite niche, but you get the picture.
Yet Mads Mikkelsen’s fifth all-time favorite picture is a criminally overlooked war movie coming straight from the Soviet Union. This 1985 film is...
Mads Mikkelsen’s Unlikely Movie of Choice
People are always curious what their favorite movie stars’ favorite movies are, and Mads Mikkelsen shared his Top 5 with A.frame. Most of the Hannibal actor’s selections are well-familiar to the American audience: Taxi Driver (1976), Singin' in the Rain (1952), Dekalog (1989), and Apocalypse Now (1979). Okay, Dekalog is also quite niche, but you get the picture.
Yet Mads Mikkelsen’s fifth all-time favorite picture is a criminally overlooked war movie coming straight from the Soviet Union. This 1985 film is...
- 4/30/2024
- by dean-black@startefacts.com (Dean Black)
- STartefacts.com
Unless you’re Quentin Tarantino, if you’re a really intensely celebrated filmmaker, sometimes you just don’t praise anything because it sometimes draws attention away from less work or becomes reductive absorbed. The great Stanley Kubrick once famously said, “I am always reluctant to single out some particular feature of the work of a major filmmaker because it tends inevitably to simplify and reduce the work,” when deciding to praise Krzysztof Kieslowski’s “The Decalogue,” regardless. Christopher Nolan is another one who kind of plays his cards close to the vest, heaping tons of praise on classic films, but is relatively sparing when discussing contemporary movies
Read More: The 21 Best Films Of 2023
But maybe Nolan is changing slightly in this regard.
Continue reading Christopher Nolan’s Favorite Recent Films Include ‘Past Lives & ‘Aftersun’ at The Playlist.
Read More: The 21 Best Films Of 2023
But maybe Nolan is changing slightly in this regard.
Continue reading Christopher Nolan’s Favorite Recent Films Include ‘Past Lives & ‘Aftersun’ at The Playlist.
- 1/31/2024
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
Nicole Kidman has revealed that she felt unable to film one particular scene in her forthcoming Amazon Video drama set in the expatriate world of Hong Kong.
Speaking to the UK’s Guardian newspaper about her role in Expats, in which she plays Margaret who loses her young son early in the piece, Kidman recalled of shooting the scene, “I said, I cannot, cannot do this.’ It was like when a donkey just goes, ‘I’m not going.’”
She explained why she felt particularly vulnerable during shooting in Hong Kong:
“I was alone in Hong Kong without my family, which was a terrible mistake. I couldn’t just get on a plane and get to them. And they couldn’t get to me. That affected the performance, to the degree that it also affected my psyche.
“But it was like the domestic violence storyline in Big Little Lies. I think: people go through this,...
Speaking to the UK’s Guardian newspaper about her role in Expats, in which she plays Margaret who loses her young son early in the piece, Kidman recalled of shooting the scene, “I said, I cannot, cannot do this.’ It was like when a donkey just goes, ‘I’m not going.’”
She explained why she felt particularly vulnerable during shooting in Hong Kong:
“I was alone in Hong Kong without my family, which was a terrible mistake. I couldn’t just get on a plane and get to them. And they couldn’t get to me. That affected the performance, to the degree that it also affected my psyche.
“But it was like the domestic violence storyline in Big Little Lies. I think: people go through this,...
- 1/20/2024
- by Caroline Frost
- Deadline Film + TV
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission.
It was only a few days ago that the Criterion Collection had a surprise flash sale. The home video company’s entire catalog was slashed down to 50% off list prices. While that sale only lasted for 24 hours, there are a number of titles that are still on sale for half-off at Amazon.
We rounded up the best deals on Criterion Collection releases, including Spike Lee’s “Do The Right Thing,” Dennis Hopper’s “Easy Rider,” Whit Stillman’s “The Last Days of Disco” and much more. In fact, even a few boxed sets are half off, such as Krzysztof Kieślowski’s “The Dekalog” and Steve McQueen’s “Small Axe” anthology.
Ahead, check out the best Criterion Blu-ray discs currently on sale for 50% off at Amazon:
‘Do the Right Thing...
It was only a few days ago that the Criterion Collection had a surprise flash sale. The home video company’s entire catalog was slashed down to 50% off list prices. While that sale only lasted for 24 hours, there are a number of titles that are still on sale for half-off at Amazon.
We rounded up the best deals on Criterion Collection releases, including Spike Lee’s “Do The Right Thing,” Dennis Hopper’s “Easy Rider,” Whit Stillman’s “The Last Days of Disco” and much more. In fact, even a few boxed sets are half off, such as Krzysztof Kieślowski’s “The Dekalog” and Steve McQueen’s “Small Axe” anthology.
Ahead, check out the best Criterion Blu-ray discs currently on sale for 50% off at Amazon:
‘Do the Right Thing...
- 10/20/2023
- by Anna Tingley and Rudie Obias
- Variety Film + TV
Spoiler Alert: This review contains spoilers from the series finale of “Ted Lasso,” now streaming on Apple TV+.
Here’s a scoop: There will be a fourth season of “Ted Lasso.” Actually, it has already aired, and it was not great.
“Ted Lasso” grew out a character created by Jason Sudekis and friends for NBC Premier League promos, a Kansas City-based football coach who somehow finds himself coaching the other football in London for AFC Richmond, a chronically downtrodden franchise. It’s a typical fish-out-of water premise, which is a classic comedy trope, but comes with some limitations — namely, when the fish becomes an amphibian and begins to love land life. Mindful of those constraints, “Lasso” debuted in 2020 to acclaim, with critics lauding its cock-eyed optimism as the world struggled with a deadly pandemic. Season 1’s 10 episodes ran an average of 30 minutes apiece, totaling 299 minutes for the season.
Now quarantine is long gone,...
Here’s a scoop: There will be a fourth season of “Ted Lasso.” Actually, it has already aired, and it was not great.
“Ted Lasso” grew out a character created by Jason Sudekis and friends for NBC Premier League promos, a Kansas City-based football coach who somehow finds himself coaching the other football in London for AFC Richmond, a chronically downtrodden franchise. It’s a typical fish-out-of water premise, which is a classic comedy trope, but comes with some limitations — namely, when the fish becomes an amphibian and begins to love land life. Mindful of those constraints, “Lasso” debuted in 2020 to acclaim, with critics lauding its cock-eyed optimism as the world struggled with a deadly pandemic. Season 1’s 10 episodes ran an average of 30 minutes apiece, totaling 299 minutes for the season.
Now quarantine is long gone,...
- 5/31/2023
- by Stephen Rodrick
- Variety Film + TV
It's hard to imagine the animation landscape as it is today without the 2008 release of "Wall-e." Even if you aren't a big fan of Disney's domination of the medium, you can't deny that it is a tender love story that deals with heavy themes such as environmental decay and consumerism. If you ever once thought that animation was just for kids, "Wall-e" proves you wrong.
This is likely why "Wall-e" was selected as the Criterion Collection's first-ever entry from Disney, and while you may have mixed emotions about a Disney movie getting inducted, there are few movies that deserve it more than Andrew Stanton's. /Film's Josh Spiegel interviewed the longtime Pixar director ahead of his film's Criterion release, which will arrive in stores on November 22, and Stanton revealed that he has a few releases from the prestigious label, revealing his favorite releases along the way:
"Top of the list...
This is likely why "Wall-e" was selected as the Criterion Collection's first-ever entry from Disney, and while you may have mixed emotions about a Disney movie getting inducted, there are few movies that deserve it more than Andrew Stanton's. /Film's Josh Spiegel interviewed the longtime Pixar director ahead of his film's Criterion release, which will arrive in stores on November 22, and Stanton revealed that he has a few releases from the prestigious label, revealing his favorite releases along the way:
"Top of the list...
- 11/7/2022
- by Erin Brady
- Slash Film
Mubi, the global curated film streaming service, production company and film distributor, has announced the introduction of its one-of-a-kind curator model in the country in partnership with critically acclaimed Director, Al Jafree Md Yusop. As part of the collaboration, Al Jafree has carefully handpicked a selection of ten diverse films for the platform, giving film enthusiasts looking for distinct content an opportunity to experience these films through the lens of the director. This maiden curated selection will be available to viewers under the ‘Hand-picked by Al Jafree Md Yusop’ spotlight starting March 18, 2022.
From Krzysztof Kieślowski’s The Double Life of Veronique, to Wong Kar Wai’s multi award-winning In The Mood For Love and Agnes Varda’s Vagabond, to Abbas Kiarostami’s Taste of Cherry, the curation boasts of gems from Asian and global classics, to all-time favourites catering to distinct cinematic sensibilities. Other notable titles from the curation include...
From Krzysztof Kieślowski’s The Double Life of Veronique, to Wong Kar Wai’s multi award-winning In The Mood For Love and Agnes Varda’s Vagabond, to Abbas Kiarostami’s Taste of Cherry, the curation boasts of gems from Asian and global classics, to all-time favourites catering to distinct cinematic sensibilities. Other notable titles from the curation include...
- 3/22/2022
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
MangroveFor many, the entrance of Steve McQueen into television was expected—his mercurial career has encompassed video-art installations, music videos, shorts and award-winning feature films. Before the critical success of Small Axe (2020) and Uprising (2021), twin anthology series that navigate the lives and passions of London’s Caribbean and West Indian communities, McQueen had already directed the pilot episode of HBO’s TV series Codes of Conduct, and his fourth feature, Widows (2018), smartly transplanted Lynda La Plante’s 1980s mini-drama into present-day Chicago.McQueen is one of many working directors—David Fincher, Jane Campion, and Andrea Arnold, of recent years—whose careers have migrated from cinema to small-screen television. Switch between your streaming channels, and the volume of director-driven programs is extensive—and growing. In the past, the director-led format of television was far less common and expected, with the groundbreaking prestige series of Rainer Fassbinder, Krzysztof Kieślowski (Dekalog), and David Lynch...
- 11/8/2021
- MUBI
Nicole Kidman has admitted that she stayed in character as wellness resort director Masha for five months shooting Hulu limited drama series Nine Perfect Strangers.
During a TCA panel, she joked that she was “batshit crazy”, repeating a line from her character in the series, which is based on Liane Moriarty’s book.
“I’d only respond as Masha,” she said. “I wanted a very calm healing energy to emanate all the time so I remember going over to people and sort of putting my hand on their heart, holding their hand, they would talk to me or use my name Nicole when I would completely ignore them.”
“The only way I could actually relate to people was that way because I felt like otherwise I would be doing a performance and I didn’t want to feel that way,” she added.
Co-written by Kelley, John Henry Butterworth and Samantha Strauss...
During a TCA panel, she joked that she was “batshit crazy”, repeating a line from her character in the series, which is based on Liane Moriarty’s book.
“I’d only respond as Masha,” she said. “I wanted a very calm healing energy to emanate all the time so I remember going over to people and sort of putting my hand on their heart, holding their hand, they would talk to me or use my name Nicole when I would completely ignore them.”
“The only way I could actually relate to people was that way because I felt like otherwise I would be doing a performance and I didn’t want to feel that way,” she added.
Co-written by Kelley, John Henry Butterworth and Samantha Strauss...
- 8/6/2021
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Ramin Bahrani, Oscar-nominated writer/director of The White Tiger, discusses a few of his favorite movies with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The White Tiger (2021)
Man Push Cart (2005)
Chop Shop (2007)
99 Homes (2015)
The Boys From Fengkuei (1983)
The Time To Live And The Time To Die (1985)
The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie (1976)
Bicycle Thieves (1948)
La Terra Trema (1948)
Umberto D (1952)
Where Is The Friend’s Home? (1987)
Nomadland (2020)
The Runner (1984)
Bashu, the Little Stranger (1989)
A Moment Of Innocence a.k.a. Bread And Flower Pot (1996)
The House Is Black (1963)
The Conversation (1974)
Mean Streets (1973)
Nashville (1975)
Aguirre, The Wrath Of God (1972)
The Enigma Of Kaspar Hauser (1974)
Paris, Texas (1984)
Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962)
Vagabond (1985)
Luzzu (2021)
Bait (2019)
Sweet Sixteen (2002)
Abigail’s Party (1977)
Meantime (1983)
Fish Tank (2009)
Do The Right Thing (1989)
Malcolm X (1992)
Nothing But A Man (1964)
Goodbye Solo (2008)
The Spook Who Sat By The Door (1973)
Dekalog (1989)
The Double Life Of Veronique...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The White Tiger (2021)
Man Push Cart (2005)
Chop Shop (2007)
99 Homes (2015)
The Boys From Fengkuei (1983)
The Time To Live And The Time To Die (1985)
The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie (1976)
Bicycle Thieves (1948)
La Terra Trema (1948)
Umberto D (1952)
Where Is The Friend’s Home? (1987)
Nomadland (2020)
The Runner (1984)
Bashu, the Little Stranger (1989)
A Moment Of Innocence a.k.a. Bread And Flower Pot (1996)
The House Is Black (1963)
The Conversation (1974)
Mean Streets (1973)
Nashville (1975)
Aguirre, The Wrath Of God (1972)
The Enigma Of Kaspar Hauser (1974)
Paris, Texas (1984)
Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962)
Vagabond (1985)
Luzzu (2021)
Bait (2019)
Sweet Sixteen (2002)
Abigail’s Party (1977)
Meantime (1983)
Fish Tank (2009)
Do The Right Thing (1989)
Malcolm X (1992)
Nothing But A Man (1964)
Goodbye Solo (2008)
The Spook Who Sat By The Door (1973)
Dekalog (1989)
The Double Life Of Veronique...
- 4/20/2021
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Cinemas in Korea are trying to adapt to new straitened circumstances as the autumn box office recovery peters out. The Korean market, in normal years the world’s fourth largest theatrical territory, saw aggregate revenues of just $1.44 million over the weekend, according to data from the Korean Film Council’s Kobis service.
The top of the chart was a rerun of the previous weekend, with Korean “Best Friend” taking top place, ahead of local adventure drama “Collectors” and U.S. mystery thriller “Run.” But numbers were down in each case. “Best Friend” grossed $526,000, down from $1.03 million in its opening, for a $2.60 million cumulative. “Collectors” earned just $221,000 for a cumulative of $12.0 million. “Run” has $1.99 million earned since Nov. 20.
Weekend numbers dropped for the fourth frame in succession as audiences react to Korea’s coronavirus undulations and film releases dry up. Previous weekends had been worth $2.29 million, $3.77 million and $4.98 million.
Nationwide grosses in November fell to $29.7 million,...
The top of the chart was a rerun of the previous weekend, with Korean “Best Friend” taking top place, ahead of local adventure drama “Collectors” and U.S. mystery thriller “Run.” But numbers were down in each case. “Best Friend” grossed $526,000, down from $1.03 million in its opening, for a $2.60 million cumulative. “Collectors” earned just $221,000 for a cumulative of $12.0 million. “Run” has $1.99 million earned since Nov. 20.
Weekend numbers dropped for the fourth frame in succession as audiences react to Korea’s coronavirus undulations and film releases dry up. Previous weekends had been worth $2.29 million, $3.77 million and $4.98 million.
Nationwide grosses in November fell to $29.7 million,...
- 12/7/2020
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Cracking the surreal visual code of the Simon Stålenhag paintings that inspired “Tales from the Loop” was hard enough for veteran cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth. Their strange aura of a picnic tableau with discarded robots in barren landscapes had to somehow connect with showrunner Nathaniel Halpern’s sci-fi series about restoring humanity in a community deprived of love and intimacy. But the Emmy-nominated Cronenweth made a breakthrough while on location in Winnipeg by shooting exterior night scenes… in subzero temperatures… during Magic Hour.
“It was a problem that we were dealt from the very beginning because of the way the script’s written and the way time passes and having so little time at night to shoot with minors,” Cronenweth said. “But I was amazed at the amount of time we had at dusk once the sun shadows had become soft enough or dropped below the horizon line.”
He proposed turning...
“It was a problem that we were dealt from the very beginning because of the way the script’s written and the way time passes and having so little time at night to shoot with minors,” Cronenweth said. “But I was amazed at the amount of time we had at dusk once the sun shadows had become soft enough or dropped below the horizon line.”
He proposed turning...
- 8/28/2020
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Sufjan Stevens meets TikTok in the video for his new song “Video Game,” starring the “Renegade” dance creator Jalaiah Harmon. In the visual, directed by Nicole Ginelli, Harmon dances her signature “Renegade” moves in front of a changing CGI backdrop.
“I don’t wanna be your personal Jesus/I don’t wanna live inside of that flame,” Stevens sings repeatedly in the background. “In a way I wanna be my own believer/I don’t wanna play your video game.”
“Video Game” will be featured on Stevens’ upcoming album The Ascension,...
“I don’t wanna be your personal Jesus/I don’t wanna live inside of that flame,” Stevens sings repeatedly in the background. “In a way I wanna be my own believer/I don’t wanna play your video game.”
“Video Game” will be featured on Stevens’ upcoming album The Ascension,...
- 8/13/2020
- by Claire Shaffer
- Rollingstone.com
Sufjan Stevens has released a sprawling new song, “America,” aptly in time for the country’s birthday weekend. The 12-minute track is the lead single to his upcoming album, The Ascension, which will arrive on September 25th via Asthmatic Kitty.
“America” opens in a swirl of electronics and harmonized, processed voices, with Stevens pleading on the chorus, “Don’t do to me what you did to America.” The arrangement, which recalls the symphonic-sized electronic barrage of 2010’s The Age of Adz, builds with twists and turns, adding live drums, synths and gusts of ambient sound.
“America” opens in a swirl of electronics and harmonized, processed voices, with Stevens pleading on the chorus, “Don’t do to me what you did to America.” The arrangement, which recalls the symphonic-sized electronic barrage of 2010’s The Age of Adz, builds with twists and turns, adding live drums, synths and gusts of ambient sound.
- 7/3/2020
- by Althea Legaspi and Ryan Reed
- Rollingstone.com
Sufjan Stevens has announced a new solo album, The Ascension, his first since 2015’s Carrie and Lowell. The LP is due out September 25th and follows on the heels of Aporia, an ambient record Stevens made with his stepfather and Asthmatic Kitty co-founder Lowell Brams that was released earlier this year.
The first single from the new album, “America,” isn’t out until July 3rd, but you can view the album art and the full tracklist below, which looks as though it features a few references to other artists: “Run Away With Me...
The first single from the new album, “America,” isn’t out until July 3rd, but you can view the album art and the full tracklist below, which looks as though it features a few references to other artists: “Run Away With Me...
- 6/30/2020
- by Claire Shaffer
- Rollingstone.com
Back when Matt Reeves was a film student, the young Angeleno trekked to his local cinema to watch Krzysztof Kieślowski’s, “Dekalog.” And then he went back again, and again, for five consecutive nights.
Reeves’ devotion wasn’t based entirely in cinematic obsession. Kieślowski’s acclaimed epic is nearly 10 hours long, and the theater only screened two entries per night, so Reeves had to come back if he wanted to finish the journey. But that wasn’t how the movie was made to be seen because “Dekalog” isn’t a movie at all. It is, in fact, a television show — a television show that audiences, primarily American audiences, didn’t know how to describe.
More from IndieWireMatt Reeves Opens Up on Death of 'Batman' Crew Member to CoronavirusMatt Reeves Shot 25 Percent of 'The Batman' Before Production Shutdown
“There is something about each of them being these separate ruminations on the commandments,...
Reeves’ devotion wasn’t based entirely in cinematic obsession. Kieślowski’s acclaimed epic is nearly 10 hours long, and the theater only screened two entries per night, so Reeves had to come back if he wanted to finish the journey. But that wasn’t how the movie was made to be seen because “Dekalog” isn’t a movie at all. It is, in fact, a television show — a television show that audiences, primarily American audiences, didn’t know how to describe.
More from IndieWireMatt Reeves Opens Up on Death of 'Batman' Crew Member to CoronavirusMatt Reeves Shot 25 Percent of 'The Batman' Before Production Shutdown
“There is something about each of them being these separate ruminations on the commandments,...
- 4/16/2020
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Sufjan Stevens and his stepfather Lowell Brams have released another teaser track from their upcoming instrumental album Aporia.
The LP was inspired by Enya and other new-age music, and you can definitely hear it on this newest song, “Climb That Mountain,” a peaceful three-minute tune that could soundtrack a steady climb up a hillside.
Aporia is due out on March 27th via Stevens’ label Asthmatic Kitty. The duo previously shared the track “The Runaround” along with a music video featuring the Bike Life riders. Stevens and Brams previously collaborated on...
The LP was inspired by Enya and other new-age music, and you can definitely hear it on this newest song, “Climb That Mountain,” a peaceful three-minute tune that could soundtrack a steady climb up a hillside.
Aporia is due out on March 27th via Stevens’ label Asthmatic Kitty. The duo previously shared the track “The Runaround” along with a music video featuring the Bike Life riders. Stevens and Brams previously collaborated on...
- 3/11/2020
- by Claire Shaffer
- Rollingstone.com
Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof won Cannes’s Un Certain Regard award in 2017 with his bruising, brilliant drama A Man of Integrity, which explored how an oppressive regime crushes independent thought. On his return to his home nation, he was arrested, thrown in prison for a year, banned from leaving Iran, and forbidden from filmmaking for life. Not that it stopped him. Just three years later, he’s made a major work of recent Iranian cinema. Not since A Short Film About Killing has a filmmaker produced such a thrilling case against capital punishment, an enraging, enthralling, enduring testament to the oppressed.
With There is No Evil, Rasoulof has secretly filmed an anthology film of four stories–apparently because Iranian authorities are less concerned with short films than features. And yet even with those difficulties, the director has produced a work of clarity that should rank him alongside Golden Bear winner...
With There is No Evil, Rasoulof has secretly filmed an anthology film of four stories–apparently because Iranian authorities are less concerned with short films than features. And yet even with those difficulties, the director has produced a work of clarity that should rank him alongside Golden Bear winner...
- 2/29/2020
- by Ed Frankl
- The Film Stage
Sufjan Stevens and his stepfather Lowell Brams (yes, of Carrie and Lowell fame) have collaborated on a new album called Aporia, out March 27th via Asthmatic Kitty. On Wednesday, the pair shared their latest track from the album, “The Runaround.”
The New Age-y, semi-instrumental track comes with a music video featuring slow-motion footage of Bike Life riders, cruising and popping wheelies on ATVs and dirt bikes. It’s not the most conventional activity to be soundtracked by Sufjan Stevens, but the video looks great nonetheless.
Stevens and Brams previously shared another Aporia track,...
The New Age-y, semi-instrumental track comes with a music video featuring slow-motion footage of Bike Life riders, cruising and popping wheelies on ATVs and dirt bikes. It’s not the most conventional activity to be soundtracked by Sufjan Stevens, but the video looks great nonetheless.
Stevens and Brams previously shared another Aporia track,...
- 2/19/2020
- by Claire Shaffer
- Rollingstone.com
Sufjan Stevens and his long-time collaborator/stepfather, Lowell Brams, unveiled a new song, “The Unlimited,” from their upcoming New Age-inspired album, Aporia, out March 27th via their label Asthmatic Kitty.
“The Unlimited” finds Stevens and Brams crafting an enthralling soundscape that keeps a serene synth at its core while still venturing into murkier, more ominous spaces. With the introduction of thumping drums halfway through, the song builds steadily to a euphoric peak before tapering into a peaceful echo.
Aporia has been in the works for a few years now, with...
“The Unlimited” finds Stevens and Brams crafting an enthralling soundscape that keeps a serene synth at its core while still venturing into murkier, more ominous spaces. With the introduction of thumping drums halfway through, the song builds steadily to a euphoric peak before tapering into a peaceful echo.
Aporia has been in the works for a few years now, with...
- 2/5/2020
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
The shoot for the director’s second feature, a thriller toplined by the star of Palm Trees in the Snow and being produced by Filmax, wrapped in Barcelona in early July. Bearing the same Spanish title ("No matarás") as an episode of Dekalog by Krzysztof Kieslowski, Cross the Line will be the name of the second feature by David Victori, the Manresa, Barcelona-born filmmaker who won a YouTube competition in 2010 with his short film The Guilt and managed to get sponsorship from Ridley Scott and Michael Fassbender for his subsequent short, Zero. Then, one year ago, he released his eagerly awaited feature debut, The Pact, a drama-horror toplined by Belén Rueda, which grossed more than €1.5 million in Spain and even secured a release in the USA. Now, after a six-week...
French filmmakers Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh met at university while studying political science before diverging towards separate careers. Trouilh trained in documentary filmmaking; Liatard worked on urban artistic projects in Lebanon and France. They eventually joined back up to film three shorts: “Gagarine,” a Sundance Channel Shorts Competition Jury Prize winner in 2016; “The Republic of Enchanters”; and their latest, “Blue Dog,” which is in competition at UniFrance’s MyFrenchFilmFestival, available on VOD platforms around the world.
In “Blue Dog” the pair weaves a story of inclusion along with one rooted in a father-and-son relationship, all in a mixed tone of realism and fable. “The movie enlightens the strength of the community against isolation, especially in the kind of neighborhood we are filming,” they say.
Can you talk a bit about the story in “Blue Dog”?
It’s the story of Emile, a 60-year-old man, living in a social housing...
In “Blue Dog” the pair weaves a story of inclusion along with one rooted in a father-and-son relationship, all in a mixed tone of realism and fable. “The movie enlightens the strength of the community against isolation, especially in the kind of neighborhood we are filming,” they say.
Can you talk a bit about the story in “Blue Dog”?
It’s the story of Emile, a 60-year-old man, living in a social housing...
- 1/19/2019
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film and TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)
This week’s question: In honor of “The Trip to Spain,” what is the best movie trilogy?
Richard Brody (@tnyfrontrow), The New Yorker
Far be it from me to choose between Antonioni’s non-trilogy “L’Avventura,” “La Notte,” and “L’Eclisse” and Kiarostami’s explicitly-denied “Koker” trilogy of “Where Is the Friend’s Home?,” “Life and Nothing More,” and “Through the Olive Trees” (and I’m tempted to make a trilogy of trilogies with Carl Theodor Dreyer’s “Day of Wrath,” “Ordet,” and “Gertrud”), but if I put Kiarostami’s films first, it’s because he puts their very creation into the action. Reflexivity isn’t a...
This week’s question: In honor of “The Trip to Spain,” what is the best movie trilogy?
Richard Brody (@tnyfrontrow), The New Yorker
Far be it from me to choose between Antonioni’s non-trilogy “L’Avventura,” “La Notte,” and “L’Eclisse” and Kiarostami’s explicitly-denied “Koker” trilogy of “Where Is the Friend’s Home?,” “Life and Nothing More,” and “Through the Olive Trees” (and I’m tempted to make a trilogy of trilogies with Carl Theodor Dreyer’s “Day of Wrath,” “Ordet,” and “Gertrud”), but if I put Kiarostami’s films first, it’s because he puts their very creation into the action. Reflexivity isn’t a...
- 8/14/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Any list of the greatest foreign directors currently working today has to include Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. The directors first rose to prominence in the mid 1990s with efforts like “The Promise” and “Rosetta,” and they’ve continued to excel in the 21st century with titles such as “The Kid With A Bike” and “Two Days One Night,” which earned Marion Cotillard a Best Actress Oscar nomination.
Read MoreThe Dardenne Brothers’ Next Film Will Be a Terrorism Drama
The directors will be back in U.S. theaters with the release of “The Unknown Girl” on September 8, which is a long time coming considering the film first premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016. While you continue to wait for their new movie, the brothers have provided their definitive list of 79 movies from the 20th century that you must see. La Cinetek published the list in full and is hosting many...
Read MoreThe Dardenne Brothers’ Next Film Will Be a Terrorism Drama
The directors will be back in U.S. theaters with the release of “The Unknown Girl” on September 8, which is a long time coming considering the film first premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016. While you continue to wait for their new movie, the brothers have provided their definitive list of 79 movies from the 20th century that you must see. La Cinetek published the list in full and is hosting many...
- 8/7/2017
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
1. CosmosAdam Maida’s silent scream for Andrzej Zulawski’s swansong Cosmos is a poster that cries out to be noticed. Channeling the starkest of Polish poster design—think Mieczyslaw Wasilewski or Andrzej Pagowski—Maida’s design is as deceptively crude as it is beautifully executed. I love everything about this poster, down to its hand-lettering, that tiny hanged bird and the even tinier—nice if you can get away with it—billing block. Maida’s witty, diagrammatic work has already graced Criterion covers for Nagisa Oshima’s Death by Hanging, John Frankenheimer’s The Manchurian Candidate, and Costa-Gavras’s The Confession and State of Siege, but it is his eye-catching black-and-white editorial illustration/montages for the New York Times that this most reminds me of. You can see more of his work here.2. The HandmaidenTrees and a hanging also feature heavily in my second favorite poster of the year: an...
- 12/23/2016
- MUBI
Pablo Larraín is having a prolific year few filmmakers could imagine. On December 16, “Neruda” will become his third film to be released in the 2016 calendar year, following “The Club” and the recently premiered “Jackie.”
Read More: Watch: ‘Jackie’ Director Pablo Larraín Discusses ‘Movies That Inspire Me’ in New IndieWire Video Series Presented by FilmStruck
Another filmmaker who knew something about films coming in threes: Krzysztof Kieslowski. Along with “Dekalog,” his “Three Colors” trilogy stands out in the master filmmaker’s body of work as his most enduring thematic pieces.
As part of our ongoing partnership with FilmStruck on the “Movies That Inspire Me” conversation series, we spoke to Larraín about “Blue,” the opening “Three Colors” installment. Larraín discusses how Kieslowski uses the film’s musical compositions to illuminate the questions of authorship and grief nested within its story.
(On FilmStruck, you can also watch “Blue,” along with a number of...
Read More: Watch: ‘Jackie’ Director Pablo Larraín Discusses ‘Movies That Inspire Me’ in New IndieWire Video Series Presented by FilmStruck
Another filmmaker who knew something about films coming in threes: Krzysztof Kieslowski. Along with “Dekalog,” his “Three Colors” trilogy stands out in the master filmmaker’s body of work as his most enduring thematic pieces.
As part of our ongoing partnership with FilmStruck on the “Movies That Inspire Me” conversation series, we spoke to Larraín about “Blue,” the opening “Three Colors” installment. Larraín discusses how Kieslowski uses the film’s musical compositions to illuminate the questions of authorship and grief nested within its story.
(On FilmStruck, you can also watch “Blue,” along with a number of...
- 12/7/2016
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Last year gave us Jacques Rivette’s Out 1, and this year has given us Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Dekalog—two works that until their recent releases, Out 1 by Arrow and Dekalog by The Criterion Collection, have been extremely difficult to see on account of their length, which suited them to European television rather than theatrical distribution. It’s fitting that each film’s re-release comes in an era in which on-demand or day-and-date video releases are common distribution models, streaming services rather than cinemas are seen as the primary viewing platforms for so many, and the television season—many of which arrive all at once—and not film is the dominant moving image medium. If all this is true, is there anything challenging or even unusual about a 10 or 12 hour moving image work designed for us to watch all at once from the comfort of our homes, preferably in a small number of binges?...
- 11/29/2016
- MUBI
(is it a Criterion? Is it a Eureka MoC? No, it's...Arrow Academy again!) Blimey, the good people of Arrow Academy are on a roll this year, what with their release of Kobayashi Masaki's The Human Condition and now this, a giant boxset of Krzysztof Kieslowski's television work, including his legendary Dekalog. Again we're not talking about some fringe art-house director here either: Kieslowski is widely recognized as one of the best European directors ever, and the arrival of his films on Blu-ray are a much-anticipated event. Indeed, over in the United States, Criterion has released a similar Dekalog boxset a month ago, making collectors worldwide wonder in despair which of the two to get. And that's not an easy question to answer either. Two of...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 11/5/2016
- Screen Anarchy
Krzysztof Kieślowski's magnum opus for Polish Television is a transcendent 'cycle' of moral tales, each based on one of the Ten Commandments. But sometimes it's difficult to get the connection -- these brilliant mini-movies are pretty tricky. Dekalog Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 837 1988 / Color / 1:33 flat full frame; 1:70 widescreen / 583 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date September 27, 2016 / 99.95 Starring Aleksander Bardini, Janusz Gajos, Krystyna Janda, Bugoslaw Linda, Daniel Olbrychski many others. Cinematography Witold Adamek, Jacek Blawut, Slavomir Idziak, Andrzej Jaroszewicz, Edward Klosinski, Dariusz Kuc, Krzysztof Pakulski, Piotr Sobocinski, Wieslaw Zdort Film Editor Ewa Smal Original Music Zbigniew Preisner Written by Krzysztof Kieślowski, Krzysztof Plesiewicz Produced by Ryszard Chutkowski Directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Back in the early 1990s I believe my first access to Polish director Krzystof Kieślowski was a laserdisc of his film The Double Life of Veronique. I also remember a big reaction in 1996 when...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Back in the early 1990s I believe my first access to Polish director Krzystof Kieślowski was a laserdisc of his film The Double Life of Veronique. I also remember a big reaction in 1996 when...
- 10/17/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“Some Short Films About Commandments”
By Raymond Benson
Much has been written and said about director Krzysztof Kieślowski’s ten-hour mini-series originally broadcast on Polish television in 1988. The late Stanley Kubrick, who rarely commented on other filmmakers’ works, wrote in a foreword to the published screenplays of Dekalog that Kieślowski and his co-writer Krzysztof Piesiewicz had dramatized their ideas with “dazzling skill.” Many critics have called Dekalog one of the greatest television mini-series ever made.
Although Dekalog has been previously released on home video, The Criterion Collection has seen fit to present on DVD and Blu-ray a new, restored 4K digital transfer that has also been recently playing in select art house cinemas around the U.S. Even though all but two episodes are in an analog television aspect ratio (4:3), there is no question that this is cinematic material. Kieślowski’s mise-en-scene is subtle and beckons to be seen...
By Raymond Benson
Much has been written and said about director Krzysztof Kieślowski’s ten-hour mini-series originally broadcast on Polish television in 1988. The late Stanley Kubrick, who rarely commented on other filmmakers’ works, wrote in a foreword to the published screenplays of Dekalog that Kieślowski and his co-writer Krzysztof Piesiewicz had dramatized their ideas with “dazzling skill.” Many critics have called Dekalog one of the greatest television mini-series ever made.
Although Dekalog has been previously released on home video, The Criterion Collection has seen fit to present on DVD and Blu-ray a new, restored 4K digital transfer that has also been recently playing in select art house cinemas around the U.S. Even though all but two episodes are in an analog television aspect ratio (4:3), there is no question that this is cinematic material. Kieślowski’s mise-en-scene is subtle and beckons to be seen...
- 10/11/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
You don’t have to live in New York City to appreciate the charms of the Museum of the Moving Image’s new, career-spanning trailer chronicling the works of Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieslowski. Kicking off later this week and running a full month, MoMI is set to play home to the most comprehensive retrospective of the director to ever hit American shores. Best known for the features “The Double Life of Veronique” and the “Three Colors” Trilogy (Blue, White and Red) and the boundary-busting television mini-series “Dekalog” (“The Decalogue”), the director was one of the most important European filmmakers of the 1990s.
Read More: ‘Dekalog’ Review: The Best 10 Hours You Will Ever Spend At The Movies
The new retrospective will include all of the Polish director’s features, short films, early documentary work and a marathon viewing of the “Dekalog,” from October 7 through November 6, 2016. The series will also include four...
Read More: ‘Dekalog’ Review: The Best 10 Hours You Will Ever Spend At The Movies
The new retrospective will include all of the Polish director’s features, short films, early documentary work and a marathon viewing of the “Dekalog,” from October 7 through November 6, 2016. The series will also include four...
- 10/5/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Criterion’s been on a bit of a Krzysztof Kieślowski tear as of late, having just given his towering Dekalog a Blu-ray release. One doesn’t need much of an excuse to pay the Polish great some attention, however, so take the following post as an all-purpose sharing of material — after all, you can’t go wrong with some Zbigniew Preisner, whose gentle, flowing musical compositions were the perfect complement to Kieślowski’s gentle, flowing tales of moral quandary and self-discovery. Want to soundtrack your own moral quandaries and self-discoveries? Your ultimate Spotify playlist is here!
Shared below is a 27-track Preisner collection, as well as a video of Kieślowski on the Dekalog set. It’s brief, sure, but a rather direct discussion of his strange project’s plurality of tones, as well as the question of it being or not being a television production. (What a debate that would’ve sparked if made today!
Shared below is a 27-track Preisner collection, as well as a video of Kieślowski on the Dekalog set. It’s brief, sure, but a rather direct discussion of his strange project’s plurality of tones, as well as the question of it being or not being a television production. (What a debate that would’ve sparked if made today!
- 10/3/2016
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Krzysztof Kieślowski’s criminally underseen (yet still critically beloved) ten-part series of philosophical films, ”Dekalog,” has been receiving a lot of well-desreverd attention lately. It’s currently back in select theaters for the first time in fifteen years, got the enviable Criterion Collection treatment just this week and NBC is reportedly planning a remake. With all that in mind, we’ve dug up a classic interview with Kieślowski in which he describes his perception of the films and the different styles and genres that each of them possess.
Read More: Watch: 77-Minute Tribute Documentary To The Great Krzysztof Kieslowski
Kieślowski was a master at telling complex stories with layered characters and interconnected plots. With the current rediscovery of his series, he continues to garner posthumous appreciation (he passed away in 1996) as his films seem to resonate more and more with audiences with each passing year. We hope that this trend continues.
Read More: Watch: 77-Minute Tribute Documentary To The Great Krzysztof Kieslowski
Kieślowski was a master at telling complex stories with layered characters and interconnected plots. With the current rediscovery of his series, he continues to garner posthumous appreciation (he passed away in 1996) as his films seem to resonate more and more with audiences with each passing year. We hope that this trend continues.
- 9/30/2016
- by Casey Coit
- Indiewire
While you likely already saved your money to buy The Criterion Collection‘s boxset for Krzysztof Kieslowski‘s masterpiece “Dekalog“ this month, the boutique label doesn’t make it easy to be a cinephile on a budget. And their December lineup certainly looks poised to break a few wallets (while randomly revealing one title for February).
Kicking things off is Federico Fellini‘s “Roma,” with the master filmmaker’s 1972 movie newly-restored, to provide an even more breathtaking look at his love letter to the city.
Continue reading Federico Fellini’s ‘Roma,’ John Huston’s ‘Asphalt Jungle’ & More Coming To Criterion In December at The Playlist.
Kicking things off is Federico Fellini‘s “Roma,” with the master filmmaker’s 1972 movie newly-restored, to provide an even more breathtaking look at his love letter to the city.
Continue reading Federico Fellini’s ‘Roma,’ John Huston’s ‘Asphalt Jungle’ & More Coming To Criterion In December at The Playlist.
- 9/15/2016
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Ten commandments. 10 episodes. 10 hours. When it first aired on Polish television in 1989, decades before long-form filmmaking would come to be regarded as the last bastion of auteurism, Krzysztof Kieślowski’s “Dekalog” was one of the most immense undertakings the cinema had ever seen. There had been longer works, and more lavishly financed ones — even when accounting for inflation, “Dekalog” would qualify as a micro-budget project — but the existential girth of Kieślowski’s magnum opus immediately made it feel like a monolith among molehills.
Even in the age of Netflix and “The Knick,” when directors are often responsible for delivering 600 minutes of footage at a time, Kieślowski’s epic still towers above the rest, and still seems somehow fuller than any of the similarly ambitious projects that have sprung up in its wake. It may not be the tallest building on the block, but — crammed with sex, death, love, murder, regret,...
Even in the age of Netflix and “The Knick,” when directors are often responsible for delivering 600 minutes of footage at a time, Kieślowski’s epic still towers above the rest, and still seems somehow fuller than any of the similarly ambitious projects that have sprung up in its wake. It may not be the tallest building on the block, but — crammed with sex, death, love, murder, regret,...
- 8/31/2016
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Twenty years after it originally played U.S. theaters, Krzysztof Kieslowski’s insanely ambitious Dekalog is back to toss a gasoline-soaked rag onto the constantly raging film versus TV debate. Kieslowski (who died in 1996) was primarily a movie director, best known here for The Double Life Of Véronique and his cosmopolitan Three Colors trilogy (Blue, White, and Red). Back in the late ’80s, however, he and his regular screenwriting partner, Krzysztof Piesiewicz, created a miniseries consisting of 10 hour-long films, each of which riffs on one of the Ten Commandments. The result ranks among the greatest achievements in television history—but it also produced two feature films, expanded from two of the episodes. One of them, A Short Film About Killing, won the Jury Prize at Cannes in 1988, over 18 months before the miniseries first aired. And the whole damn thing has since been released theatrically in various ...
- 8/31/2016
- by Mike D'Angelo
- avclub.com
"It's wrong to ask for everything at once." Janus Films has debuted a trailer for the upcoming theatrical re-release of Krzysztof Kieslowski's acclaimed series Dekalog, or Decalogue. It's best to refer to the official description to explain this one: "Originally made for Polish television, Dekalog focuses on the residents of a housing complex in late-Communist Poland, whose lives become subtly intertwined as they face emotional dilemmas that are at once deeply personal and universally human. Its ten hour-long films, drawing from the Ten Commandments for thematic inspiration and an overarching structure, grapple deftly with complex moral and existential questions concerning life, death, love, hate, truth, and the passage of time." Janus is putting out a 4K version of the film series in theaters this fall in the Us, for those interested in watching it. Here's the trailer for the theatrical re-release of Krzysztof Kieslowski's Dekalog, on Facebook (via...
- 8/16/2016
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
There are few cinematic experiences that you’ll have in your lifetime that will equal Krzysztof Kieslowski‘s “Dekalog.” It’s ten hours of some of the finest filmmaking you’ll ever see, and with its return to the big screen, it’s not to be missed. Spread across ten chapters, “Dekalog” tackles the ten commandants in a series of loosely […]
The post Experience A Masterpiece With The New Re-Release Trailer For Krzysztof Kieślowski’s ‘Dekalog’ appeared first on The Playlist.
The post Experience A Masterpiece With The New Re-Release Trailer For Krzysztof Kieślowski’s ‘Dekalog’ appeared first on The Playlist.
- 8/12/2016
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Dailies is a round-up of essential film writing, news bits, videos, and other highlights from across the Internet. If you’d like to submit a piece for consideration, get in touch with us in the comments below or on Twitter at @TheFilmStage.
It doesn’t quite measure up to the incredible set photos, but above, see the first official look at Tilda Swinton (Nancy Mirando) and Giancarlo Esposito (Frank Dawson) in Bong Joon-ho‘s Okja, arriving on Netflix in 2017.
Park Chan-wook‘s The Handmaiden will hit theaters on October 14. See our Cannes review.
Ahead of a Criterion release, Krzysztof Kieślowski‘s Decalogue will hit theaters nationwide thanks to Janus Films:
The complete 10-part epic, newly-restored on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Kieślowski’s death, will begin its Us theatrical run at the IFC Center in New York on September 2nd, Los Angeles on September 17th at Cinefamily,...
It doesn’t quite measure up to the incredible set photos, but above, see the first official look at Tilda Swinton (Nancy Mirando) and Giancarlo Esposito (Frank Dawson) in Bong Joon-ho‘s Okja, arriving on Netflix in 2017.
Park Chan-wook‘s The Handmaiden will hit theaters on October 14. See our Cannes review.
Ahead of a Criterion release, Krzysztof Kieślowski‘s Decalogue will hit theaters nationwide thanks to Janus Films:
The complete 10-part epic, newly-restored on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Kieślowski’s death, will begin its Us theatrical run at the IFC Center in New York on September 2nd, Los Angeles on September 17th at Cinefamily,...
- 7/19/2016
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
September tends to be the time of year that movie studios start busting out the big guns, and 2016 finds the Criterion Collection following suit, as the boutique home video label will be releasing one of the most significant cinematic landmarks on which they’ve yet to put their stamp.
Krzysztof Kieślowski’s mammoth “Dekalog” makes the company’s September lineup something of a bumper crop in and of itself, but — lucky for us — it’ll be accompanied by an essential Kenji Mizoguchi classic, two ample doses of Jacqueline Susann-inspired campiness, some old school Coen brothers and much more. Check out the full release slate below, listed in rough order of our excitement for each title.
1.) “Dekalog” (dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, 1988), Spine #837
This would be at the very top of the list regardless of what else Criterion is releasing in September. One of the greatest achievements in all of film (though...
Krzysztof Kieślowski’s mammoth “Dekalog” makes the company’s September lineup something of a bumper crop in and of itself, but — lucky for us — it’ll be accompanied by an essential Kenji Mizoguchi classic, two ample doses of Jacqueline Susann-inspired campiness, some old school Coen brothers and much more. Check out the full release slate below, listed in rough order of our excitement for each title.
1.) “Dekalog” (dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, 1988), Spine #837
This would be at the very top of the list regardless of what else Criterion is releasing in September. One of the greatest achievements in all of film (though...
- 6/16/2016
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Well, it turns out cinephile Christmas is arriving early this year. The long-awaited masterpiece “The Dekalog” from polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieslowski is finally joining the Criterion Collection in an elaborate box-set. A 10-part series that originally aired on Polish TV, “The Dekalog” is essentially ten hour long films (Kieslowski eventually lengthened entries “A Short Film About […]
The post Criterion Adds ‘The Dekalog,’ The Coens’ ‘Blood Simple’ & ‘Valley Of The Dolls’ For September appeared first on The Playlist.
The post Criterion Adds ‘The Dekalog,’ The Coens’ ‘Blood Simple’ & ‘Valley Of The Dolls’ For September appeared first on The Playlist.
- 6/16/2016
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
In a career with no shortage of grand cinematic works — the “Three Colors” trilogy, “The Double Life Of Veronique” — there are few who would argue that Krzysztof Kieslowski‘s “The Decalogue” isn’t his crowning achievement. And while it is currently available in a decent DVD box set from Facets, a release from The Criterion Collection has […]
The post Revisit A Masterpiece With The International Trailer For Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Newly Restored ‘The Decalogue’ appeared first on The Playlist.
The post Revisit A Masterpiece With The International Trailer For Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Newly Restored ‘The Decalogue’ appeared first on The Playlist.
- 6/7/2016
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Each week, the fine folks at Fandor add a number of films to their Criterion Picks area, which will then be available to subscribers for the following twelve days. This week, the Criterion Picks focus on ten films from Krzysztof Kieślowski.
One of Europe’s most prolific and influential directors, whose films wield significant artistic, emotional and political weight.
For those keeping score, Criterion has only officially released five films from Kieślowski so far on home video, but today’s additions to their Fandor picks (which will end up on Hulu soon) shows that we have a lot more to be excited about. Let’s hope the Decalogue is in the works as well!
Don’t have a Fandor subscription? They offer a free trial membership.
Blind Chance
Before he stunned the cinematic world with the epic series The Decalogue and the Three Colors trilogy, the great Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieslowski...
One of Europe’s most prolific and influential directors, whose films wield significant artistic, emotional and political weight.
For those keeping score, Criterion has only officially released five films from Kieślowski so far on home video, but today’s additions to their Fandor picks (which will end up on Hulu soon) shows that we have a lot more to be excited about. Let’s hope the Decalogue is in the works as well!
Don’t have a Fandor subscription? They offer a free trial membership.
Blind Chance
Before he stunned the cinematic world with the epic series The Decalogue and the Three Colors trilogy, the great Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieslowski...
- 11/17/2015
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
Blind Chance
Written and directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski
Poland, 1987
Blind Chance could very well be the title of nearly every Krzysztof Kieslowski film. Throughout his relatively brief but nonetheless extraordinary career, a number of his films—some connected in a larger opus, some standalone titles—would explore the ways in which our lives intertwine with, or run parallel to, those around us: those we encounter, those we elude, those we know intimately, and those we have never met. Witek (Boguslaw Linda), the main character of Blind Chance, is like so many Kieslowski protagonists; he is, in fact, like so many of all of us. He is variably in the right or wrong place at the right or wrong time, and that contingency ultimately determines, one way or another, the precariously irreversible actions that dictate the direction of his life. How much of that, the film then questions, is mere chance?...
Written and directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski
Poland, 1987
Blind Chance could very well be the title of nearly every Krzysztof Kieslowski film. Throughout his relatively brief but nonetheless extraordinary career, a number of his films—some connected in a larger opus, some standalone titles—would explore the ways in which our lives intertwine with, or run parallel to, those around us: those we encounter, those we elude, those we know intimately, and those we have never met. Witek (Boguslaw Linda), the main character of Blind Chance, is like so many Kieslowski protagonists; he is, in fact, like so many of all of us. He is variably in the right or wrong place at the right or wrong time, and that contingency ultimately determines, one way or another, the precariously irreversible actions that dictate the direction of his life. How much of that, the film then questions, is mere chance?...
- 9/23/2015
- by Jeremy Carr
- SoundOnSight
Polish auteur Krzysztof Kieslowski’s fascination with allegorical intersections took full flight with his 1987 title Blind Chance, a three tiered narrative metaphor for Poland’s options following the accession of Communist Party suppression in 1981. Filmed in 1982, the film was censored and withheld from release by Polish authorities for five years, premiering in January of 1987 shortly before it appeared at Cannes that year in Un Certain Regard. Denied the same reputation as the titles from the auteur’s notable period working in French cinema, such as 1991’s The Double Life of Veronique and the Three Colours Trilogy: Blue, White, Red, it’s a fascinating exploration of the psychological and experimental cinematic techniques Kieslowski would go on to develop. Though significantly informed by the political climate of Poland, it’s also a unique narrative from Kieslowski in that it remains in the perspective of a central male character.
Witek (Boguslaw Linda) is...
Witek (Boguslaw Linda) is...
- 9/15/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
This past June, the Criterion Collection unveiled their September line-up, revealing their plans to release another film from Krzysztof Kieślowski. Previously available on DVD from Kino, Kieślowski’s 1981 film: Blind Chance, is now available to purchase from Criterion on DVD and Blu-ray, and is availalble to download from their iTunes channel.
Before he stunned the cinematic world with the epic series The Decalogue and the Three Colors trilogy, the great Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieślowski made his first work of metaphysical genius, Blind Chance, a compelling drama about the difficulty of reconciling political ideals with personal happiness.
I’ve rounded up a handful of reviews of the Blu-ray release, from a few of my favorite sites.
It will be very interesting to see which of the other films from Kieślowski, the Criterion Collection releases next.
Order the Blu-ray from Amazon, or download the film on iTunes.
Blu-ray.com (Svet Atanasov)
The film looks strikingly healthy.
Before he stunned the cinematic world with the epic series The Decalogue and the Three Colors trilogy, the great Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieślowski made his first work of metaphysical genius, Blind Chance, a compelling drama about the difficulty of reconciling political ideals with personal happiness.
I’ve rounded up a handful of reviews of the Blu-ray release, from a few of my favorite sites.
It will be very interesting to see which of the other films from Kieślowski, the Criterion Collection releases next.
Order the Blu-ray from Amazon, or download the film on iTunes.
Blu-ray.com (Svet Atanasov)
The film looks strikingly healthy.
- 9/15/2015
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
KIEŚLOWSKI’S Alternate Universes
By Raymond Benson
The late Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski often dramatized the theme of one’s destiny—whether it be determined by fate or by random coincidences. His most well known work, the Three Colors trilogy (Blue, White, and Red), certainly deals with the subject of chance, as do several episodes of his celebrated television miniseries, The Decalogue.
Made in 1981 during the Solidarity movement and a time of political upheaval in Soviet-occupied Poland, Blind Chance explores the question of “what if?” If you did something as insignificant as bumping into another person, would that change the course of your life?
The film offers three alternate “lives” of a medical student named Witek (superbly played by Boguslaw Linda). The first five minutes provide us with brief glances of Witek as a child, a teenager, and then a young adult. After the death of his father, Witek decides...
By Raymond Benson
The late Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski often dramatized the theme of one’s destiny—whether it be determined by fate or by random coincidences. His most well known work, the Three Colors trilogy (Blue, White, and Red), certainly deals with the subject of chance, as do several episodes of his celebrated television miniseries, The Decalogue.
Made in 1981 during the Solidarity movement and a time of political upheaval in Soviet-occupied Poland, Blind Chance explores the question of “what if?” If you did something as insignificant as bumping into another person, would that change the course of your life?
The film offers three alternate “lives” of a medical student named Witek (superbly played by Boguslaw Linda). The first five minutes provide us with brief glances of Witek as a child, a teenager, and then a young adult. After the death of his father, Witek decides...
- 9/10/2015
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Read More: What We Learned from Watching (Almost) the Entire Criterion Collection A mixture of equally romantic and creative dramas will become available for cinephiles in the Criterion Collection's September 2015 collection. All of the films will be released on Blu-ray and DVD and will include special bonus features such as interviews with stars like Agnieszka Holland, Edward Woodward, Pierce Brosnan and Helena Bonham Carter. Check out all of the titles hitting the Criterion Collection in September below: Synopses are courtesy of Criterion. "The Blind Chance" (1981) Before he stunned the cinematic world with the epic "The Decalogue and the "Three Colors" trilogy, the great Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieślowski made his first work of metaphysical genius, "Blind Chance," a compelling drama about the difficulty of reconciling political ideals with personal happiness. This unforgettable film follows Witek (a magnetic Boguslaw Linda), a...
- 6/17/2015
- by Kaeli Van Cott
- Indiewire
★★★★★ "Since the days of Cain, no punishment has improved the world or deterred anyone from committing crimes." A Short Film About Killing (1988) - Krzysztof Kieslowski's expansion on the fifth chapter of his lauded Dekalog series - sets out its stall. Far more than mere advocacy against the death penalty (although the film played an integral part in its abolition in Poland) it is a mournful and distressing meditation upon the act, eliding the senseless individual murder of a taxi driver with the state-sanctioned retribution dished out to his killer. A difficult and intense watch, it is vital viewing that has - and will continue to have - a deep lasting effect on those that seek it out.
- 4/15/2015
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
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