Monthly Archives: August 2008

Locarno: Story of Jen drifts from drama to dull chase

Marina Hands (right) and Laurence Leboeuf shine as a mother and daughter at odds By Ray Bennett LOCARNO, Switzerland — A woman who gave birth to her daughter at 14 strives hard to stop history repeating itself, but the girl’s … Continue reading

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Locarno: More gruel than flavour in Feast of Villains

Zhou Cheng plays a sad young man trying to deal with the death of his father By Ray Bennett LOCARNO, Switzerland — Slow moving and marred by nondescript performances, Chinese filmmaker Pan Jianlin’s “Feast of Villains” (“Liu Mang de Sheng … Continue reading

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Locarno: Parque Via and actress Occhini top 2008 awards

Best Actress Ilaria Occhini and Locarno festival artistic director Frederic Maire Festival juries like to spread their gongs around so it’s no surprise that Ilaria Occhini won the best actress award representing “Black Sea,” which otherwise might have won as … Continue reading

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Locarno: Outlander is a rousing good time

Jim Caviezel is just one of the aliens who drop in on Jack Huston’s Viking community By Ray Bennett LOCARNO, Switzerland — Here’s a twist for fans of creature features: Aliens versus Vikings. There’s no reason to suppose that if … Continue reading

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Locarno: Tale of a contentedly lonely man in Parque Via

Nolberto Coria plays a man who’s used to his own company and prefers it like that By Ray Bennett LOCARNO, Switzerland — Mexican director Enrique Rivero’s first feature film “Parque Via” is the study of a simple man who lives … Continue reading

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Locarno: Touching tale of female friendship in Black Sea

Ilaria Occhini and Dorotheea Petre make a fascinating odd couple in ‘Black Sea’ By Ray Bennett LOCARNO, Switzerland — A clash of cultures and generations gives way to understanding and friendship in Federico Bondi’s touching “Black Sea” (Mar Nero) in … Continue reading

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Locarno: Katia's Sister holds family and film together

Betty Qizmolli as the endearing little sister who dotes on Katia (Julia Seijkens) By Ray Bennett LOCARNO, Switzerland — Dutch director Mijke de Jong’s “Katia’s Sister” (“Het Zusje Van Katia”) is an observant snapshot of a young woman who is … Continue reading

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Locarno: The Market trades comedy for reality at a loss

Tayanc Ayaydin (left) plays a wheeler-dealer who’s not as sharp as he thinks he is By Ray Bennett LOCARNO, Switzerland — An uneven saga about capitalism’s capacity to corrupt the innocent, Ben Hopkins’ “The Market — A Tale of Trade” … Continue reading

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Locarno: All That She Wants just isn't enough

Rejean Lefrancois and Eve Duranceau are caught up in crime and family intrigue By Ray Bennett LOCARNO, Switzerland — Shot in atmospheric black-and-white but lacking clear exposition, Quebec filmmaker Denis Cote’s “All That She Wants” (“Elle veut le chaos”) tries … Continue reading

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Locarno: Yuri's Day remains a Russian enigma

Ksenia Rappoport shines as an opera star frantically seeking her missing son By Ray Bennett LOCARNO, Switzerland — Reality takes a back seat in Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov’s puzzling fable “Yuri’s Day” (”Yuriev Den”), in which an internationally famous opera … Continue reading

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