Monthly Archives: July 2008

Angus, Thongs: Frothy romantic nonsense for 14-year-olds

Posted on July 25, 2008 by admin

Georgia Groome, Georgia Henshaw, Eleanor Tomlinson and Manjeeven Grewel in ‘Angus’ By Ray Bennett LONDON — British movies have a history of exporting incorrigibly phony portraits of life in the country, from village green coppers to plucky wartime Cockneys to … Continue reading →

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ISPs agree to fight illegal file sharing

Posted on July 24, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett Under pressure from the government, the UK’s six leading Internet service providers have signed an agreement with the music and movie industries to take action against illegal downloading. The deal calls for warning letters to be sent … Continue reading →

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Orson Welles would applaud this Mad Detective

Posted on July 18, 2008 by admin

Lau Ching Wan as a police officer who sees inside his suspects in ‘Mad Detective’ It’s already available on DVD, but I’ve been waiting for a chance to see “Mad Detective” on the big screen again since it was the … Continue reading →

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Karlovy Vary: Investigator is a mystery with a difference

Posted on July 17, 2008 by admin

Zsolt Anger and Judit Rezes in Attila Gigor’s crime caper spoof ‘The Investigator’ By Ray Bennett KARLOVY VARY, Czech Republic — Talky, quirky and full of inventive moments, Hungarian director Attila Gigor’s noir send-up “The Investigator” pitches a hired killer … Continue reading →

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Karlovy Vary: Karamazovs brings new life to classic tale

Posted on July 17, 2008 by admin

Cast of ‘The Karamazovs’ staging a version of the Dostoevski classic in a Polish steelworks By Ray Bennett KARLOVY VARY, Czech Republic — Fyodor Dostoevski’s classic novel about four brothers divided by the murder of their father forms the basis … Continue reading →

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Karlovy Vary: The Shaft remains earthbound

Posted on July 16, 2008 by admin

Zheng Louqian is one of a family whose lives are defined by coal mining in ‘The Shaft’ By Ray Bennett KARLOVY VARY, Czech Republic — In three bittersweet episodes, Chinese filmmaker Zhang Chi’s “The Shaft” observes the monotony and frustration … Continue reading →

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Karlovy Vary: Night Owls fails to take wing

Posted on July 16, 2008 by admin

Martha Issova and Jiri Madl are the restless title characters in ‘Night Owls’ By Ray Bennett KARLOVY VARY, Czech Republic — Czech filmmaker Michaela Pavlatova’s “Night Owls” tells of a young woman who works the late shift at her family’s … Continue reading →

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Karlovy Vary: Terribly Happy night for festival winners

Posted on July 14, 2008 by admin

Christopher Lee with his lifetime achievement award at the Karlovy Vary film festival “We have a saying in England,” said Christopher Lee. ” Always take a woman by the waist and a bottle by the neck.” Lee was clutching a … Continue reading →

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Karlovy Vary: Captive is a tense and gripping war story

Posted on July 12, 2008 by admin

Vyacheslav Krikunov as a seasoned Russian veteran on a mission in Chechnya in ‘Captive’ By Ray Bennett KARLOVY VARY, Czech Republic — Shot in ferocious conditions and told with harsh economy, Alexey Uchitel’s hard-as-nails little war picture “Captive” gives a … Continue reading →

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Karlovy Vary: Great performances in This Beautiful City

Posted on July 12, 2008 by admin

Caroline Cave is a troubled woman involved with cop Stuart Hughes in ‘This Beautiful City’ By Ray Bennett KARLOVY VARY, Czech Republic — Stark and inventive, Ed Gass-Donnelly’s “This Beautiful City” compares and interlinks the lives of a middle-class couple … Continue reading →

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