The following is a counter-point movie review by Francisco Saco. You can read Peter Sciretta’s original positive review at this link.
The announcement of a new installment in the Die Hard series caused a wave of deep skepticism to wash over me. The fact that every geriatric actor in Hollywood has decided to once again take on the roles that made them household names is an insult to all fans of their original work. An obvious ploy to milk the new generation of filmgoers for all their milk money, these new and updated continuations usually fall short of their predecessors, turning away veteran fans at the expense of trying to make new and younger ones with more buying power. With all this said, knowing that an aged Bruce Willis was to reprise the classic role of Detective John McClane was a bit unsettling when I first heard of it. Nevertheless, as a devout follower of the first three films in the series, especially the first and the third parts, I attended the screening on opening day.
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The following film was screened at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.
The Optimists (Optimisti)
Spotlight, Narrative
2006, Serbia
Dir: Goran Paskaljevic
Everything’s good and getting better, or so the characters in The Optimists think. With a vivid sense of humor, irony, and sadness, director Goran Paskaljevic creates five stories of people struggling to overcome their harsh realities, while fighting to see the good in their endeavors. Paskaljevic presents a crew of confused individuals, blinded by their hopes of prevailing, that continue to get stuck in unfortunate situations. With a magnificent performance by Lazar Ristovski, from Kusturica’s Underground, the film is able to transmit tales of twisted, amusing episodes contrasted with sorrowful experiences. The persons within the film have something going against them, and they either confront this reality with humor or despondency.
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The following film was screened at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.
Born and Bred (Nacido y Criado)
World Narrative Competition
2006, Argentina
Dir: Pablo Trapero
When the man who has it all suddenly loses it all, his life can make such an unforeseen shift that not even he is prepared for the outcome. In Pablo Trapero’s Born and Bred, the man in this case is Santiago, played with painful resignation by Guillermo Pfening. Santiago, a successful interior designer, is married to Milli, a sleek beauty with a striking onscreen presence. Together, they have a daughter and live a secure life within the decorated walls of their safe haven in Buenos Aires.
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The following movie was screened at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.
The Power of The Game
Spotlight, Documentary
2007, U.S.A.
Dir: Michael Apted
The joy of football. The world’s sport. The greatest game on Earth. Football is the most played sport on the planet and every four years the greatest sporting competition takes place, the FIFA World Cup. Director Michael Apted transcends his love for the sport and decides to tackle an immense project in The Power of The Game.
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The following movie was screened at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.
You Kill Me
Spotlight, Narrative
2007, U.S.A.
Dir: John Dahl
What happens when you get an alcoholic hit man who can’t seem to perform his duties well enough? You get the premise to You Kill Me, a moronic “indie” comedy disguised as a smart drama, about what, exactly, is not easily discernable. Ben Kingsley plays Frank. Frank is a killer. Frank is a man who knows no boundaries. Frank is bad at his job. Its quite unfortunate to see a genius actor such as Ben Kingsley be demoted to the lackluster position of portraying such a one-dimensional character.
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The following movie was screened at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.
This Is England
Spotlight, Narrative
2006, U.K.
Dir: Shane Meadows
An unlikely band of brothers comes to grips with the crisis ravaging their beloved homeland in This Is England. The film centers on a lonely outsider that goes by the name of Shaun. Shaun gets picked on constantly at school and has no friends to play with. One day, he runs into a group of skinheads. But not to worry, these are friendly skinheads. The head of the bunch, Woody, takes him under his wing and protects him with unexpected authority.
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The following film was screened at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.
Razzle Dazzle
Spotlight, Narrative
2007, U.S.A.
Dir: Ken Jacobs
With his new installment, noted experimental filmmaker Ken Jacobs aims to distort his images to such extreme length, as to reconceptualize them and give them a whole new meaning. The tool of choice for him is repetition, repetition, repetition. Jacobs takes what seems like the ordinary, the sublime, the mundane, and turns it into something altogether haunting. Akin to other fringe filmmakers such as Hollis Frampton, Bruce Baillie, and Chris Marker, the work of Jacobs has influenced the likes of Harmony Korine, and to a lesser degree, Michel Gondry. His various works, including Tom, Tom, the Piper’s Son (1969) and Star Spangled to Death (2004), are considered important pieces within the world of avant-garde cinema.
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The following movie was screened at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.
The Premonition (Le Pressentiment)
Discovery, Narrative
2006, France
Dir: Jean-Pierre Darroussin
A beautiful piece from actor Jean-Pierre Darroussin, who makes his first attempt at directing with this wonderful adaptation of Emmanuel Bove’s novel of the same title, The Premonition casts a striking look at modern day France and the perils its beastly class system projects upon its citizens. Darroussin brilliantly portrays Charles Bénesteau, a wealthy Parisian lawyer who has made the decision of abandoning his cushy, bourgeois lifestyle and moves into a blue-collared neighborhood with a predominantly immigrant population.
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The following movie was screened at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.
Brando
Special Event, Documentary
2007, U.S.A.
Dir: Leslie Greif, Mimi Friedman
It’s hard to believe that a man who established such a resonant and respected legacy within the world of film has been gone for three years already. Marlon Brando was the benchmark for acting in his lifetime. There was acting before Brando and there was acting after Brando. His influence can be seen in the actors considered to be his peers, spanning all the way to the actors getting work today. No one is safe from Brando’s awesome dominion.
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The following movie was screened at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.
The Man of Two Havanas
Discovery Documentary
2007, U.S.A.
Dir: Vivien Lesnik Weisman
Born in Havana and raised in Miami, director Vivien Lesnik Weisman was never able to fully comprehend the huge rift between the Cubans who stayed in Cuba, and the Cubans who got out. Her father, Max Weisman, is a noted political activist, journalist, and radio personality, and is also an open opponent of the embargo placed on the island by the United States, citing that the only thing the embargo does is suffocate the island-country even more than it already is.
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