“Sorry We missed You” (U.K.) Directed by Ken Loach I don’t know. Call me crazy, but I love Ken Loach films. Let’s be frank, they’re kind of a genre unto themselves. Technically “slice-of-life” films, to me they epitomize what it … Continue reading “Sorry We Missed You” (U.K.) – 55th Chicago Film Festival #5
“Les Misérables” (France) Directed by Ladj Ly I should point out right off the top that this film bears no resemblance to the period musical of the same name. I mention that not as a spoiler, but to avoid the … Continue reading “Les Misérables” (France) – 55th Chicago Film Festival #4
“Let There Be Light” (Slovakia) Directed by Mario Skop One of many official entries for the Oscars’ Best International Film Award (formerly Best Foreign Language FIlm) at this year’s Chicago Film Festival, “Let There Be Light” is an excellent slice … Continue reading “Let There Be Light” (Slovakia) – 55th Chicago Film Festival #3
“Picture.Perfect” (Hong Kong) Directed by Shengze Zhu What starts out as an incredibly interesting look in to the ways in which the internet has affected and illuminated Chinese culture in the strangest of ways, ends up becoming a tedious exercise … Continue reading “Picture.Perfect” (Hong Kong) – 55th Chicago Film Festival #2
“The Whistlers” (Romania) Directed by Corneliu Porumboiu Italian thrillers are an odd lot. Filled with humor, an interesting procedural, good (and occasionally exceptional) performances and beautiful locales. But when all is said and done, I always leave feeling more like … Continue reading “The Whistlers” (Romania) – 55th Chicago Film Festival #1
“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)
The No Spoiler Critic 