iben hjejle Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Tribeca Review: The Eclipse
Filed under: Drama », Thrillers », New Releases », Tribeca », Theatrical Reviews », Festival Reports »
The press kits that accompany most films usually aren't very useful beyond telling you how to spell the actors' names, but the one for The Eclipse was insightful. The film is an unusual mixture of somber character drama and supernatural horror, and the statement from director Conor McPherson confirms something I'd suspected from watching it: the supernatural elements were wedged into the screenplay after everything else.
McPherson says he started with a screenplay based on a short story by Billy Roche but was stymied in his efforts to make it work as a film until he came up with the ghosty stuff. It's a shame (or, rather, it's a shame that it's so obvious), because films that combine these two disparate genres successfully are rare. And The Eclipse, even with its flaws, is still a respectable effort, with sensitive performances and shrewd direction. It just doesn't live up to its promise.
It is set in the quaint Irish town of Cobh, where a widowed schoolteacher named Michael Farr (Ciaran Hinds) lives with his two teenage children and still mourns the death of his wife two years ago. Michael writes fiction for a hobby and longs to do it professionally, a desire that is increased by his involvement with Cobh's annual literary festival. Authors come to town from around the world to do readings and signings, and Michael is part of the volunteer staff, driving guests to their hotels, that sort of thing.
Von Trier's The Boss of it All Trailer is Online
Filed under: Comedy », Foreign Language », Trailer Trash », Movie Marketing », Cinematical Indie »
Lars Von Trier seems to have a large tree in his back yard filled with fantastical film ideas, elements and techniques. I can almost see him grabbing his morning coffee, biting into a piece of toast, and seeing where his morning climb would take him. Sometimes he grabs onto a musical branch or maybe a sparse set branch, but recently, he found one hell of a comedic branch that flung him to some Automavision and Lookey branches. All of these techniques falling into a dark comedy might just make it the most creatively-fuelled comedy of recent years. If you're wondering if he could pull off funny, a trailer has finally arrived online. Sure, for English-speaking audiences it only has half the impact, but it looks like The Boss of it All might just be a lot of fun. There's some sort of height-changing desk that throws in some weird hijinks, awkward, half-dressed moments, and a ride on a merry-go-round by grown men. If you're looking for a familiar face, you might recognize Iben Hjejle, who played John Cusack's love interest in High Fidelity. As for his creative bits... the trailer includes a lot of short shots, so it's hard to tell how well his automated cameras worked (did he have a hell of a time in the editing room?). The trailer also seems to be free of Lookeys, so it doesn't look like anyone can get a head start on the game. Although the film is now out in Denmark, US audiences will have to wait for its limited release on May 9. If anyone has viewed the film in Denmark, I'd love to hear how it is, if there are Lookeys, and just what in the hell does a Lookey look like?
[via Twitch]
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