Cinematical

• A Depressing, Star-Studded Trailer for 'Fireflies in the Garden'
  

  Filed under: Berlin, Distribution, Trailers and Clips

  Let's see: a serious, multigenerational, semi-autobiographical family drama starring Willem Dafoe, Emily Watson and Julia Roberts -- it sure sounds like Oscar buzz for Fireflies in the Garden should have gotten turned up to 11 by now. There hasn't really been any; the badreviews from the film's out-of-competition premiere at Berlin probably didn't help. Still, that cast is tough to beat (there's also Ryan Reynolds, Carrie Anne-Moss and Hayden Panettierre), and the movie should be able to land with at least a minor splash if its eventual US distributor puts in a bit of effort.
  
  There's now a full international...
  



• Berlin Film Festival Winners
  

  Filed under: Drama, Foreign Language, Awards, Berlin, Cinematical Indie

  The 2008 Berlin International Film Festival awards have been announced, and while I've only seen one of the films that picked up prizes, I'm very excited about the results. The top honor, the Golden Bear, went to Tropa de Elite(The Elite Squad), which is the first fiction film directed by Brazilian filmmaker José Padilha, who last gave us the brilliant documentary Bus 174. It was also scripted by Oscar-nominated writer Bráulio Mantovani (City of God) and tells the story of a captain in Rio's Special Police Operations Battalion and the corruption...
  



• Madonna Waxes Eloquent on 'Filth and Wisdom'
  

  Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Independent, Berlin, Festival Reports, Cinematical Indie

  Madonna's directorial debut, Filth and Wisdom, which is playing the Berlinale in the artsy "Panorama" section, opened today, and our good friends over at indieWIRE had one of the few one-on-one interviews Her Madonna-ness granted to her film fest subjects. indieWIRE reports that buzz from folks coming out of the screening was (some might say surprisingly) mostly positive.
  
  The film, originally envisioned as a short but expanded to 85 minutes, tells the tale of "three friends desperate to better their lot in life, who must duel with the reality of...
  



• Indie Bites: Guy Maddin, More Schweiger & 'Water Horse' Breaks China's Blackout
  

  Filed under: Foreign Language, Independent, Berlin, Celebrities and Controversy, Exhibition, Cinematical Indie

  In the midst of Sundance Deals and mainstream news, here are some indie bites:
  
  • While it won't be competing, Jam! reports that Guy Maddin's wonderful film My Winnipeg will screen on the opening night of Berlinale's International Forum of New Cinema program. (Check out my TIFF review here.) Personally, I wish it could compete and then take over the world, but I realize that Maddin hasn't gotten enough recognition yet. (He's seriously one of the most accessible filmmakers of strange fare out there. Go check him out if you haven't...
    
  
  
  
  • When Berlinale Closes, It'll Be Kind, and Rewind
    

    Filed under: Berlin, Exhibition

    Sometimes I wish I had a large, waiting-to-be-used stash of money that would allow me to go to every film festival that caught my fancy. The other option would be to convince a patron of each fest to wear a mini camera on their lapel, but that would be, well, illegal, so let's stick with the other fantasy. Like many of the big fests, Berlinale is looking to be all sorts of tasty. We've already had somepreviousscreening announcements, and now Reuters has added even more eagerly-anticipated films to the fest list.
    
    In the realm of Berlin's competitive films, Kristin Scott Thomas' I've...
    
  
  
  
  • The Rolling Stones 'Shine a Light' on Berlinale
    

    Filed under: Documentary, Music & Musicals, Berlin, Exhibition

    There's going to be some shiny, happy people at Berlinale this year. At least, some that get to bask in a big, musical, cinematic light. According to the folks over at indieWIRE, Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones concert flick, Shine a Light, will open the 58th Berlin International Film Festival when it kicks into gear on February 7. That's not a bad start to the fest, which has already announced some of the films that will compete this year. In December, titles like Errol Morris' S.O.P.: Standard Operating Procedure were announced, and just last week, flicks like Julia...
    
  
  
  
  • Film Fest News: Berlin, Rotterdam, & Santa Barbara Announce More Titles
    

    Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Foreign Language, Independent, Berlin, Other Festivals, Cinematical Indie

    The Berlin International Film Festival (which starts Feb. 7) announced eight of its competition titles a month ago, followed by the revelation that a film directed by Madonna (!) would premiere there out of competition. Now seven more competition titles have been announced, and quite an international affair it is!
    
    GreenCine Daily has a good rundown of the films, but here are the basics: Feuerherz (Heart of Fire), by Luigi Falorni (The Story of the Weeping Camel); Julia, by Erick Zonca (The Dreamlife of Angels),...
    
  
  
  
  • Madonna's 'Filth and Wisdom' to Premiere in Berlin
    

    Filed under: Comedy, Independent, Berlin, Shorts

    Pinch me, I must be dreaming -- Madonna directed a movie?! And it will receive its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival?! Will wonders never cease? The Associated Press is reporting that Filth and Wisdom "will screen in the Panorama section, outside the main competition." A check of the festival web site turns up this press release, which confirms the news: "Music star Madonna will give her directorial debut alongside the works of underground star Bruce LaBruce and TEDDY winner 2007, Zero Chou from Taiwan."
    
    Madonna was rumored to be directing a film entitled Blade to the Heat,...
    
  
  
  
  • Rossellini and Maddin to Open Berlinale's Forum Sidebar
    

    Filed under: Comedy, Independent, Berlin, Shorts, Exhibition, Cinematical Indie

    If there's one thing that can be said about Isabella Rossellini, other than praising her talents, is that she knows how to pick interesting filmmakers to collaborate with. She was put on the map for her work in David Lynch's Blue Velvet, and now she's been spending a lot of time with Canada's Guy Maddin. She starred in The Saddest Music in the World, and he helped her make an excellent short, doc film about her father Roberto called My Dad is 100 Years Old. Now she's continuing to make shorts, and Variety...
    
  
  
  
  • Berlin Fest Reveals Some Competition Titles for 2008
    

    Filed under: Documentary, Foreign Language, Independent, Berlin, Cinematical Indie

    Next to Cannes and Venice in the pantheon of great film festivals is Berlin, a huge international affair that boasts more visitors than any fest in the world. It's been running since 1951, making it one of the oldest in the world, too. So it's not surprising that there's plenty of anticipation when the festival organizers announce the lineup, and Monday's revelation of eight of the titles for the 2008 edition -- which launches Feb. 7 -- was met with great delight.
    
    Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood (picture) will play; not a big...