Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
What better way to remind us of some recent international history than assemble a brilliantly-acted, emotionally engaging testament to it? The release of Icíar Bollaín’s Even the Rain is timely not because it dredges up memories of the 2000 Cochabamba water protests in Bolivia, but because the dogged issue of utility privatisation is just now arising once again in the country. Bolivian President Evo Morales’ controversial nationalisation of a subsidiary power company has re-opened the 2000 discourse, and the serendipitous arrival of Bollain’s film consequently provides plenty of food for thought.
Lusi Tosar, who impressed as a vicious prison inmate in Cell 211, plays fastidious film producer Costa, travelling to Bolivia with his young, idealistic director Sebastián (Gael García Bernal) to shoot a contentious picture about Christopher Columbus’ conquest. While recruiting local extras for their film, they become embroiled in the ongoing water conflict between the citizens and the state,...
What better way to remind us of some recent international history than assemble a brilliantly-acted, emotionally engaging testament to it? The release of Icíar Bollaín’s Even the Rain is timely not because it dredges up memories of the 2000 Cochabamba water protests in Bolivia, but because the dogged issue of utility privatisation is just now arising once again in the country. Bolivian President Evo Morales’ controversial nationalisation of a subsidiary power company has re-opened the 2000 discourse, and the serendipitous arrival of Bollain’s film consequently provides plenty of food for thought.
Lusi Tosar, who impressed as a vicious prison inmate in Cell 211, plays fastidious film producer Costa, travelling to Bolivia with his young, idealistic director Sebastián (Gael García Bernal) to shoot a contentious picture about Christopher Columbus’ conquest. While recruiting local extras for their film, they become embroiled in the ongoing water conflict between the citizens and the state,...
- 5/19/2012
- by Shaun Munro
- Obsessed with Film
The Dictator (15)
(Larry Charles, 2012, Us) Sacha Baron Cohen, Anna Faris, Jason Mantzoukas, Ben Kingsley, John C Reilly. 83 mins
Having run out of unsuspecting Americans to prank, Sacha Baron Cohen takes the conventional fish-out-of-water route this time, as his Arab tyrant comes to terms with western democracy. But if the story plays it safe, the comedy treads a risky line between lampooning Islamophobia and fuelling it. The high gag rate, animated performance and general broad-spectrum offensiveness help him get away with murder, and worse.
The Raid (18)
(Gareth Evans, 2011, Indon/Us) Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Yayan Ruhian. 101 mins
Throwing more punches than every other movie this year combined, this single-minded Indonesian martial arts epic doesn't let up until everyone in its baddy-infested apartment block, and the auditorium, is pummelled into submission. Pacifists, look away now.
2 Days In New York (15)
(Julie Delpy, 2011, Ger/Fra/Bel) Julie Delpy, Chris Rock, Albert Delpy. 96 mins
Welcome return for Delpy's chaotic,...
(Larry Charles, 2012, Us) Sacha Baron Cohen, Anna Faris, Jason Mantzoukas, Ben Kingsley, John C Reilly. 83 mins
Having run out of unsuspecting Americans to prank, Sacha Baron Cohen takes the conventional fish-out-of-water route this time, as his Arab tyrant comes to terms with western democracy. But if the story plays it safe, the comedy treads a risky line between lampooning Islamophobia and fuelling it. The high gag rate, animated performance and general broad-spectrum offensiveness help him get away with murder, and worse.
The Raid (18)
(Gareth Evans, 2011, Indon/Us) Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Yayan Ruhian. 101 mins
Throwing more punches than every other movie this year combined, this single-minded Indonesian martial arts epic doesn't let up until everyone in its baddy-infested apartment block, and the auditorium, is pummelled into submission. Pacifists, look away now.
2 Days In New York (15)
(Julie Delpy, 2011, Ger/Fra/Bel) Julie Delpy, Chris Rock, Albert Delpy. 96 mins
Welcome return for Delpy's chaotic,...
- 5/18/2012
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
This smart fable stars Gael García Bernal as a heartthrob Herzog whose film crew starts to perpetuate the exploitation they hope to denounce
With Ken Loach's The Angels' Share bound for Cannes, here's a timely reminder of the film-maker's considerable influence. Regular Loach screenwriter Paul Laverty and director Icíar Bollaín (who acted in Land and Freedom) have constructed a smart, socially aware fable about a Spanish film crew – headed by Gael García Bernal as a kind of heartthrob Herzog – who arrive in Bolivia to shoot an epic about Columbus's entry into the New World, only to start blindly perpetuating the exploitation their own project seeks to denounce. As production gradually unravels amid protests over the privatisation of the region's water supply, some tense, pointed action ensues. Bollaín cranes her camera to highlight the real-world injustices developing beyond the on-location ego trips. There are striking performances from Luis Tosar as...
With Ken Loach's The Angels' Share bound for Cannes, here's a timely reminder of the film-maker's considerable influence. Regular Loach screenwriter Paul Laverty and director Icíar Bollaín (who acted in Land and Freedom) have constructed a smart, socially aware fable about a Spanish film crew – headed by Gael García Bernal as a kind of heartthrob Herzog – who arrive in Bolivia to shoot an epic about Columbus's entry into the New World, only to start blindly perpetuating the exploitation their own project seeks to denounce. As production gradually unravels amid protests over the privatisation of the region's water supply, some tense, pointed action ensues. Bollaín cranes her camera to highlight the real-world injustices developing beyond the on-location ego trips. There are striking performances from Luis Tosar as...
- 5/17/2012
- The Guardian - Film News
Dogwoof have given us this brand new and exclusive clip for their new movie, Even the Rain which hits UK cinemas this Friday 18th May. It’s directed by Icíar Bollaín, written by Paul Laverty and stars Luis Tosar, Gael García Bernal, Juan Carlos Aduviri and Karra Elejalde. Below the clip, I’ve also placed the trailer which gives you more of an idea of the story of the movie and the look and feel. I actually got to spend a month just outside Cochabamba in Bolivia (where the movie is shot) back in 2002 while working at an orphanage so am very much looking forward to watching the movie to see this beautiful country captured on film (other than seeing it on the Top Gear special!).
Obsessive idealist Sebastián has sworn to direct a film about one of the world’s most iconic figures, Christopher Columbus. He is determined to...
Obsessive idealist Sebastián has sworn to direct a film about one of the world’s most iconic figures, Christopher Columbus. He is determined to...
- 5/16/2012
- by David Sztypuljak
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
(Our review from the Berlin Film Festival re-posted as Even The Rain is finally released in UK cinemas this weekend).
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Tambian la Iluvia (Even the Rain) may be directed by the Goya-winning Iciar Bollain, but it is really a passion project for its writer Paul Laverty, whose fascination with Latin American history has shaped much of his work – which notably includes Ken Loach’s Carla’s Song. Laverty and star Luis Tosar were on hand to introduce the film as it screened in the Panorama section here and presented something quite self-consciously polemical in its approach as (like Alex Cox’s superior Walker) it likens events in recent history to those of the colonial past, with emphasis on the exploitation of local people in the pursuit of resources and wealth.
Tosar plays Costa, a movie producer who has moved production of a Christopher Columbus epic to...
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Tambian la Iluvia (Even the Rain) may be directed by the Goya-winning Iciar Bollain, but it is really a passion project for its writer Paul Laverty, whose fascination with Latin American history has shaped much of his work – which notably includes Ken Loach’s Carla’s Song. Laverty and star Luis Tosar were on hand to introduce the film as it screened in the Panorama section here and presented something quite self-consciously polemical in its approach as (like Alex Cox’s superior Walker) it likens events in recent history to those of the colonial past, with emphasis on the exploitation of local people in the pursuit of resources and wealth.
Tosar plays Costa, a movie producer who has moved production of a Christopher Columbus epic to...
- 5/15/2012
- by Robert Beames
- Obsessed with Film
Netflix has revolutionized the home movie experience for fans of film with its instant streaming technology. Netflix Nuggets is my way of spreading the word about independent, classic and foreign films made available by Netflix for instant streaming.
The Beautiful Person (2008)
Streaming Available: 05/17/2011
Synopsis: After transferring to a new high school, beautiful Junie (Léa Seydoux) starts dating fellow student Otto (Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet), but she soon finds herself falling for Nemours (Louis Garrel), an Italian teacher already entangled in secret affairs with a pupil and colleague. Loosely based on Madame de Lafayette’s novel La Princesse de Clèves, this French drama explores the great pain that often accompanies love.
Average Netflix rating: 3.2 Araya (1959)
Streaming Available: 05/17/2011
Synopsis: Director Margot Benacerraf offers this acclaimed 1959 film that chronicles the harsh existence of Venezuelan laborers who manually recover salt from the tropical marshes in Araya, an ancient salt-producing region in that country.
Average Netflix rating: 3.3 Red,...
The Beautiful Person (2008)
Streaming Available: 05/17/2011
Synopsis: After transferring to a new high school, beautiful Junie (Léa Seydoux) starts dating fellow student Otto (Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet), but she soon finds herself falling for Nemours (Louis Garrel), an Italian teacher already entangled in secret affairs with a pupil and colleague. Loosely based on Madame de Lafayette’s novel La Princesse de Clèves, this French drama explores the great pain that often accompanies love.
Average Netflix rating: 3.2 Araya (1959)
Streaming Available: 05/17/2011
Synopsis: Director Margot Benacerraf offers this acclaimed 1959 film that chronicles the harsh existence of Venezuelan laborers who manually recover salt from the tropical marshes in Araya, an ancient salt-producing region in that country.
Average Netflix rating: 3.3 Red,...
- 5/17/2011
- by Travis Keune
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
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