“Clean Up” (South Korea) Directed by Kwon Man-ki This incredibly quiet, but incredibly good feature from South Korea has very little to do with most of the films we associate with that country. Unlike the action/gangster flicks we’ve come to … Continue reading 54th Chicago Int’l Film Fest #20: “Clean Up” (South Korea)
“X – The eXploited” (Hungary) Directed by Károly Ujj Mészáros Let me start out by saying that I am a huge proponent of Hungarian film. Last year I saw FOUR terrific Hungarian films, including eventual Oscar nominee, Ildiko Enyedi’s “On … Continue reading 54th Chicago Int’l Film Fest #19: “X – The eXploited” (Hungary)
“The Stolen Caravaggio” (Italy) Directed by Roberto Andò Okay, so it took over a week, but the majority of my final screenings are where the substance could be found at this year’s Festival. Maybe none more so than Roberto Ando’s … Continue reading 54th Chicago Int’l Film Fest #18: “The Stolen Caravaggio” (Italy)
“The Road Not Taken” (China) Directed by Gaopeng Tang A great film. Which is not a conclusion you’d think describes a film that takes place almost exclusively in the middle of the Gobi Desert, features a tenuous relationship between a … Continue reading 54th Chicago Int’l Film Fest #17: “The Road Not Taken” (China)
“[Censored]” (Australia) Directed by Sari Braithwaite So, you read a blurb about a documentary that goes something like this: “When Sari Braithwaite gained access to never-before-seen movie clips deemed immoral and censored by the Australian government from 1951 to 1978, … Continue reading 54th Chicago Int’l Film Fest #14: “[Censored]” (Australia)
“Little Tickles” (France) Directed by Andrea Bescond & Eric Metayer How does one describe an indescribably original, difficult, funny, horrific, and heartbreaking film – a film that spans decades, defies category, relies heavily on dance, plays with the ideas of … Continue reading 54th Chicago Int’l Film Fest #13: “Little Tickles” (France)
(An unedited version of this review was mistakenly published a few days ago. My apologies.) “The Belly of the Whale” (Ireland) Directed by Morgan Bushe This is the definition of a small buddy-buddy picture. Personally, I quite enjoyed it. However, … Continue reading 54th Chicago Int’l Film Fest #12: “The Belly of the Whale” (Ireland)
“Flammable Children” aka “Swinging Safari” (Australia) Directed by Stephan Elliott Lying somewhere in style between Aussie versions of my “Wet Hot American Summer” and 2016’s “Everybody Wants Some”, “Flammable Children” (known as “Swinging Safari” in its home country), Stephan Elliott’s … Continue reading 54th Chicago Int’l Film Fest #11: “Flammable Children” (Australia)
“Friedkin Uncut” (Italy/USA) Directed by Francesco Zippel “Great Buster” (USA) Directed by Peter Bogdanovich What a difference a director makes. As usual, the Fest featured more than a couple new documentaries illustrating and honoring the lives of some of film’s … Continue reading 54th Chicago Int’l Film Fest #10 & #16: “Friedkin Uncut” (Italy/USA) & “Great Buster” (USA)
“Volcano” (Ukraine) Directed by Roman Bondarchuk “Volcano” is Roman Bondarchuk’s love-letter, elegy and eulogy for a way of life altered by the effects of modern technological and economic change – in this instance a Ukrainian village which had previously existed … Continue reading 54th Chicago Int’l Film Fest #9: “Volcano” (Ukraine)
The No Spoiler Critic 