September 5, 2007

Venice, 9/5.

64th Venice International Film Festival "A last-minute addition to the Venice Film Festival was Israeli director Amos Gitai's Disengagement, a European-Israeli co-production that completes the director's Borders Trilogy," writes Boyd van Hoeij at Cineuropa. In his first collaboration with Juliette Binoche, "Gitai deepens his themes of nations, nationhood and porous borders from the start (with language spoken including Hebrew, French, English and Arabic) and makes full use of what both the French and Israeli locations have to offer. The film also sketches the chaos and turmoil of the actual disengagement very well, though the characters never really develop beyond mere outlines."

A few of the latest reviews in Variety:

  • "Twisted values and fear-driven mob madness form the core of Rodrigo Pla's hard-hitting La Zona, an impressive feature debut that sweeps the viewer into the horrors of vigilante justice, doing more than simply pitting the haves against the have-nots," writes Jay Weissberg. Also: "Cult helmer Julio Bressane turns his sensual, color-filled set pieces to Cleopatra, a highly stylized look at the Queen of the Nile that plays like an avant-garde opera, with arias replaced by the lyricism of the Portuguese language."

  • "Following the utterly charming Change of Address, Emmanuel Mouret continues his winning streak with Shall We Kiss?, another Woody Allen-meets-Eric Rohmer romantic comedy in which the young writer-director again plays the doofus lead," writes Derek Elley. "Less fizzy and more philosophical than Address, but still enjoyable in its wry observation of Eros' hits and misses, this is upscale French entertainment at its best."

  • "Cochochi follows two boys from northwest Mexico's Raramuri tribe as they run an errand for their grandfather and thereby learn some life lessons," writes Alissa Simon. "Attenuated, simplistic tale grew out of writer-helmers Israel Cardenas and Laura Amelia Guzman's extended contact with the region's indigenous people."

The BBC reports on Tim Burton's lifetime achievement Golden Lion.

Covering the coverage: Venice 07. Index.



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Posted by dwhudson at September 5, 2007 1:29 PM