Karlovy Vary 2014

7/21/2019 Karlovy Vary 2014

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KARLOVY VARY

49TH

INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2014

There arent that many well kept secrets left in the World, but for what is worth, this remote, old

fashioned and laid back town hidden behind dense forests, has managed to preserve itself from the

mainstream and stereotype holyday tourist destinations.

Anyway, the film festival is probably one of the few events that for a fortnight compromise the

lifestyle of the locals and attempts to suffocate this idyllic heaven with popular ideas and outside

influence.

What is more interesting is the festival entry competition, and for almost two weeks the whole town

is dedicated and submerged into feature screenings from a well-balanced international programme.

Those of us who are fortunate enough to have access to view films like these, can only regret that

the ordinary high street cinema going audience would only be able to see a very small amount of the

most commercial movies from the selection.

However, I am only hopeful that the ordinary, commercial, shopping mall cinema repertoire would

improve over time to enable others besides film critics to view a much more improved and a better

selection of films for the time to come.

One can only regret that the Hollywood grip on the audience would loosen up to allow other movies

to provide entertainment and amusement for the global film viewing audience.

Unfortunately, the current gap between professional film critic movie access and what is offered as a

mediocre selection for the Mall cinema audience is far too big to breach, and Im only hopeful that

distribution will drastically improve over time to allow both audience and films the attention they

deserve.

I hope that the intellectual snobberyof the professionals would loosen up to finally allow the

merger between both commercial and film critic orientated, besides, Im not that much persuaded

that the film festival selection should be made for film critics and producers only, leaving out the rest

of the audience become a target to Hollywood type entertainment.

After all, so far we have only ourselves to blame as professionals, for not allowing European and

World cinema besides Hollywood to break into the larger mainstream.

It only speaks miles of the unused potential as well as the lack of investment into the rest of the

Global movie production.

Today, much of the commercial Box office success being only a matter of marketing approach, I

finally hope well be able to break this barrier, and bring Festival cinema into the mainstream.

There is so much more we could all bring to a much larger grateful- to- be movie audience.


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In the end, after the main annual event, Im sure the whole town would be much pleased to go back

into its hibernation, sleeping the reminder of the year away, providing thermal bath treatment for

the elderly.

Solely on subjective merits, I would pay tribute to the films that made the best personal impression

on me

Italian cinema has had its Renaissance, and has resurrected from years of post-Fellini spiritual

decline and depression, finally catching up on its heritage and tradition to bring a new generation of

actors and directors, in touch with contemporary audiences.

Much of Italian cinema has always been much too elitist and star orientated, reserved for only a

handful of film makers, but today despite of the recession, it seems as if centre stage in Italy is given

to the young and inspiring who are determined to bring new ideas.

Past influences, and a relationship as well as consistency with previous Film makers is obvious,

however, Italy has finally broken away from its star struck approach to cinema and film making, and

contemporary Italian film does not live in the shadow of Sergio Leone, Passolinni and De Sica,

despite of obvious hints and references to Italian cinema tradition.

Anyway, continuity is not a sign of lack of new ideas, and new Italian distribution has reinvented

itself on the back of its rich heritage without constantly repeating itself and spinning around its own

axis.

Il Capitale Humano as well as the LArbitro are both among my favourite films presented at this

years festival competition.

Italy is a country of many passions, but the biggest one of them has always been football.

Such is the obsession with the sport; Italian society has elevated it on a level with religion.

The cult of personality of famous football players, their charm and charisma, as well as their status

of religious saints and the cult of football star warship is impregnated into the Italian folklore.

LArbitro dedicates and commits to paying tribute to the Italian fanaticism of football warship and

observance, elevating it to a status of the State religion in Italy.

This is a phenomenal comedy noir, shot in black and white that makes a parody of Italian footballobsession

In Italy it seems, there is no division between football and politics, it leaves the whole country under

the impression of being externally secular and democratic.

Much of the football criticism for that matter is direct comment on the Italian society model, its

inefficiency and the inherently destructive social institutions as well as the power vacuum left by

incompetence in the country.

Add corruption and mafia involvement as well as bribes, and this does pretty much give a picture of

the state of football and politics in Italy


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Star guest appearance as a deranged Native American lunatic, as well as the lone werewolf

borrowing the voice of Nick Nolte who is supposed to be the main characters alter ego, who always

appears in his dreams

Opposite attraction and compatibility with extremes has always attracted and challenged people of

most diverse and polar backgrounds.

This maybe the usual way to flirt with audiences, but this is exactly the reason why extreme subjects

and research of the unknown has always been given much feedback and attention from viewers.

One way to produce the ultimate catch is to always challenge the audience.

Perhaps this is why this much redone subject always does well with viewers, giving extra leg room to

research a much explored subject over and again

After all, is this not the ultimate aim of social media, to engage with success and provide a channel

for communication with audiences?

Maybe, this is what gives commercial success to past such projects, much of them still being fresh in

our memory, giving us a reminder of a hard to supress in the background topic.

As the Junkie becomes the new icon of an Anti-Hero, will this subject become a new sub-genre in

independent filmmaking?

I believe it already is

Please excuse my deliberate abstract reviewing of the program selection, but I do not wish to kill

your enthusiasm to look for a way to find an opportunity to view these films

I will on purpose attempt to give as little information as possible so you could provide your own

opinion, perhaps write your own synopsis and short topic description of the films, without giving you

much lead into the stories and the movie subjects

The less I tell you the more youll have to discover yourselves

Boyhood, on the other hand is probably the biggest surprise over all this year, given the fact that it is

a remarkably successful commercial big budget project that delivers and gives outstanding results on

every level.

Shot over a period of twelve years, allowing time for the main character to grow in order to be able

to develop the plot, it is a unbelievably consistent story that provides continuity by the passing of

time, evolving into a wonderful story of an American middle class family and its challenges along the

way between childhood and growing fully into adulthood and its own special way of dealing with the

tests of time

The most beautiful thing of all is the spontaneity and the natural and down to earth approach to

their roles and characters, which are played in the most realistic way allowing the audience to

identify with events as well as situations from the story in a most remarkable way.


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Boyhood is a portrait of a young American family, in no way different from any other one that deals

with the life obstructions along the path by growing and maturing with experience.

Both Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawk, being the divorced parents of two teenagers, deliver

outstanding performances, to be outdone by the first time debut actors playing the sister and her

little baby brother respectively

Given the A list cast one would suspect the movie potential as well as its quality and value, but

everyone in doubt is in for a sincere surprise.

The whole story is phenomenal and the fact that its totally unpretentious only adds to its

authenticity and overall value.

Despite of its commercial appeal, I have absolutely no regrets; neither do I have any negative

objections regardless of the fact that the movie has been aimed at a big target audience from the

start.

Last but not least Il Capitalle Humano or Human Capital is a book inspired new release that has

substantially refreshed contemporary Italian cinema.

The plot is a Rashomoniade style take on a young man being run over by a car on his way back home

that gives each actor a chance to reinterpret what has happened on the way leading up to the main

event.

As every person gets to tell his own story, we discover much about the characters, their relationship

and the way in which they are involved in the social life of the Milanese suburb they all live in

One by one, each character gives its own perspective on the past six months, with a very slim

survival chance prior to the car accident, which leaves one man in deep coma,

This is a hugely watchable film with outstanding entertainment value, it has an enormously beautiful

cast and its highly recommendable

I am enormously anxious to see the award winning movies to compare and see how my personal

taste has been along the jury verdict.

This years Karlovy Vary repertoire has been extremely good and competitive, providing much food

for thought and once again raising the bar and the overall level of the festival offer


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Karlovy Vary 2014

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