Sydney Film Festival 2014
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32 titles
- DirectorIain ForsythJane PollardStarsNick CaveSusie BickWarren EllisWriter and musician Nick Cave marks his 20,000th day on the planet Earth.SFF#01: 20,000 DAYS ON EARTH. 'What I fear most is losing my memories, as memories make us who we are.'
- DirectorDaniel BurmanStarsGuillermo FrancellaInés EstévezFabián ArenillasSantiago and Eugenio are more than friends, they are life long business partners. They understand each other without words, they care for each other, they need each other. One day Eugenio disappears without leaving any clues behind. Santiago immediately notices his absence, but only realizes what have happened when Eugenio's wife, Laura, lost and hopeless assures him that Eugenio has left. Santiago and Laura begin a journey in order to find him and end up discovering that they prefer to stay together in this quest rather than finding out where he is. 'The Mystery of Happiness' is a film about love, but goes beyond it, it pushes boundaries, it explores the idea of loyalty and estrangement, and it definitely puts dreams over long lost promises.SFF#02: THE MYSTERY OF HAPPINESS. 'There's always ones who love and other ones who let themselves be loved.' Argentine comedy about a man whose business partner mysteriously disappears.
- DirectorJasmila ZbanicStarsKym VercoeBoris IsakovicSimon McBurneyAn Australian tourist discovers the silent legacy of wartime atrocities when she arrives in a seemingly idyllic little town on the border of Bosnia and Serbia.SFF#03: FOR THOSE WHO CAN TELL NO TALES. A worthy story with fine photography compromised by unconvincing performances from amateur actors.
- DirectorAlexandros AvranasStarsThemis PanouReni PittakiEleni RoussinouA chilling account of a horrendous family tragedy perpetuated behind closed doors. As chronic violence chips away at the household's elaborate façade, the shocking secret reveals that almost nothing is as it seems.SFF#04: MISS VIOLENCE. Utterly sinister Greek Weird Wave film that should shock even DOGTOOTH fans. There's a special place in Hell reserved for these characters.
- DirectorZeresenay MehariStarsMeron GetnetTizita HagereAbel AbebeA young lawyer travels to an Ethiopian village to represent Hirut, a 14-year-old girl who shot her would-be husband as he and others were practicing one of the nation's oldest traditions: abduction into marriage.SFF#05: DIFRET. Ethiopian drama about a girl on trial for killing her abductor. There is so much wrong in the world.
- DirectorJesse MossStarsJay ReinkeAndrea ReinkeAlan MezoBroken, desperate men chase their dreams and run from their demons in the North Dakota oil fields. A local Pastor risks everything to help them.SFF#06: THE OVERNIGHTERS. Powerful Sundance prize-winning documentary with one of the most ironic twists at the end. Very impressive.
- DirectorHany Abu-AssadStarsAdam BakriLeem LubanyEyad HouraniA young Palestinian freedom fighter agrees to work as an informant after he's tricked into an admission of guilt by association in the wake of an Israeli soldier's killing.SFF#07: OMAR, from Palestine. 'A gun is like a woman. Treat it gently and it will treat you gently.'
- DirectorDavid Gordon GreenStarsNicolas CageTye SheridanGary PoulterAn ex-con, who is the unlikeliest of role models, meets a 15-year-old boy and is faced with the choice of redemption or ruin.SFF#08: 'When hookers hear you have a Zippo lighter, they'll come running 'cause it means you're the kinda man who's got money.' Nicolas Cage educating a teenage boy on the finer things in life in JOE.
- DirectorMark CousinsStarsMark CousinsBenLauraA Story of Children and Film is the world's first movie about kids in global cinema. It's passionate, poetic, portrait of the adventure of childhood: its surrealism, loneliness, fun, destructiveness and stroppiness: as seen through 53 great films from 25 countries. A story of children and film is an eye opener, a landmark film and a celebration of both childhood and the movies.SFF#09: A STORY OF CHILDREN AND FILM. Mark Cousins torments us again with his excruciating voice over. At times he states the painfully obvious, at others he draws very long bows. But the films themselves - from KES to E.T. to THE WHITE BALLOON to NOBODY KNOWS - are wonderful.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsEllar ColtranePatricia ArquetteEthan HawkeThe life of Mason, from early childhood to his arrival at college.SFF#10: BOYHOOD. Not just one of the best films of the festival, but one of the best films of the year. The talented and tireless Richard Linklater has directed this family drama over a twelve-year period so we actually see the actors age significantly on-screen. This is a major accomplishment and Ethan Hawke steals every scene in which he appears. 'What's the one thing you know about Sarah Palin's daughter?!'
- DirectorIra SachsStarsJohn LithgowAlfred MolinaMarisa TomeiAfter Ben and George get married, George is fired from his teaching post, forcing them to stay with friends separately while they sell their place and look for cheaper housing -- a situation that weighs heavily on all involved.SFF#11: LOVE IS STRANGE. Part KING LEAR, part MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW, John Lithgow and Alfred Molina play a married couple facing hard financial times.
- DirectorHans Petter MolandStarsStellan SkarsgårdBruno GanzPål Sverre HagenAfter his son is murdered by drug dealers, a snowplow driver starts seeking revenge.SFF#12: IN ORDER OF DISAPPEARANCE. There's a laugh a minute in this brilliant Norwegian black comedy / revenge film. Stellan Skarsgard plays Dickman, a humble snow-plougher who's out for revenge when his son is murdered.
- DirectorDavid MichôdStarsGuy PearceRobert PattinsonScoot McNairy10 years after a global economic collapse, a hardened loner pursues the men who stole his only possession, his car. Along the way, he captures one of the thieves' brother, and the duo form an uneasy bond during the dangerous journey.SFF#13: THE ROVER. Fear the man with nothing left to lose!
- DirectorLenny AbrahamsonStarsMichael FassbenderDomhnall GleesonMaggie GyllenhaalJon, a young wanna-be musician, discovers he's bitten off more than he can chew when he joins an eccentric pop band led by the mysterious and enigmatic Frank.SFF#14: FRANK. I've got a good idea. Let's cast the tremendously talented Michael Fassbender and have him wear a full head mask for the whole film. 'Why cover anything up?' he asks.
- DirectorBeth AalaMike MyersStarsShep GordonSylvester StalloneMichael DouglasThe life and career of the legendary Hollywood insider, Shep Gordon.SFF#15: SUPERMENSCH: THE LEGEND OF SHEP GORDON. Mike Myers directs this absorbing documentary about a legendary talent agent.
- DirectorFrank PavichStarsAlejandro JodorowskyMichel SeydouxH.R. GigerThe story of cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky's ambitious but ultimately doomed film adaptation of the seminal science fiction novel.SFF#16: JODOROWSKY'S DUNE. The EL TOPO director talks of his vision for DUNE. 'They wanted me to make a 90-minute film. I told them I would make a 12-hour film, a 20-hour film! ... And we didn't get the funding.'
- DirectorErrol MorrisStarsDonald RumsfeldErrol MorrisFormer United States Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, discusses his career in Washington D.C. from his days as a congressman in the early 1960s to planning the invasion of Iraq in 2003.SFF#17: THE UNKNOWN KNOWN. Ten years after Robert S. McNamara, Donald Rumsfeld subjects himself to Errol Morris's questioning. Though Morris tries his hardest, Rumsfeld's answers are carefully-considered and intelligent, much to the disappointment of the left wing loons in the SFF audience.
- DirectorSteven KnightStarsTom HardyOlivia ColmanRuth WilsonIvan Locke, a dedicated family man and successful construction manager, receives a phone call on the eve of the biggest challenge of his career that sets in motion a series of events that threaten his carefully cultivated existence.SFF#18: LOCKE. Set entirely in a car, Tom Hardy juggles a series of endless phone calls from his angry boss, incompetent workmates, a woman about to give birth to his child, his embittered wife and his children who are disappointed he's missing a sports game. From the writer of DIRTY PRETTY THINGS and EASTERN PROMISES, though not as good as those films. I hate long car trips. Hardy should have switched off his phone and listened to a good audiobook.
- DirectorJohn CarneyStarsKeira KnightleyMark RuffaloAdam LevineA chance encounter between a down-and-out music business executive, and a young singer songwriter new to Manhattan, turns into a promising collaboration between the two talents.SFF#19: BEGIN AGAIN. Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo play characters who hit rock bottom, meet and then decide to record an album literally on the streets of New York. From the director of ONCE and the production company behind last year's excellent ENOUGH SAID. Ruffalo asks Catherine Keener 'Why do you let our daughter go out dressed like Jodie Foster in TAXI DRIVER?!'
- DirectorJean-Pierre DardenneLuc DardenneStarsMarion CotillardFabrizio RongioneCatherine SaléeLiège, Belgium. Sandra is a factory worker who discovers that her workmates have opted for a EUR1,000 bonus in exchange for her dismissal. She has only a weekend to convince her colleagues to give up their bonuses in order to keep her job.SFF#20: TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT. Marion Cotillard plays an unstable woman desperately trying to save her job over the course of a weekend. I love the minimalism of the Dardenne brothers, I love Marion Cotillard and I love this film!
- DirectorDavid ZellnerStarsRinko KikuchiNobuyuki KatsubeKanako HigashiA jaded Japanese woman discovers a hidden copy of Fargo (1996) on VHS, believing it to be a treasure map indicating the location of a large case of money.SFF#21: KUMIKO, THE TREASURE HUNTER. Based on a true story (or urban legend?), this looks at a Japanese woman who, believing the film FARGO was a true story, actually travelled to North Dakota in search of the briefcase full of money that Steve Buscemi left buried in the snow. More sad than funny.
- DirectorMichael CodyAmiel Courtin-WilsonStarsSang MalenRous MonyRUIN is an impressionistic fable- the story of Phirun (Rous Mony) and Sovanna (Sang Malen) - two young lovers inexplicably drawn together who escape a brutal and exploitative world of crime and violence in modern day Cambodia. Fleeing Phnom Penh after a murder, they travel deeper into the jungle. As their vulnerable love ebbs and flows along their journey, they wake from the trauma of their former lives and unleash a violent rage upon the world. Love and death intermingle as they travel deeper into the abyss- their world strangely transforming around the two young lovers on the run.SFF#22: RUIN. Set in Cambodia, this repulsive film is full of rape, stabbings and out-of-focus camerawork. Funded by the Australian taxpayer, of course.
- DirectorSudabeh MortezaiStarsRamasan MinkailovAslan ElbievKheda GazievaAn 11-year-old Chechnyan refugee living in Vienna whose life is thrown into disarray when a friend of his deceased father materializes.SFF#23: MACONDO. A Chechnyan boy living as a refugee in Austria falls in with the wrong crowd. Rambling, but good performances from non-actors.
- DirectorAnthony ChenStarsYann Yann YeoTian Wen ChenAngeli BayaniIn 90s Singapore, the friendship between Filipino nursemaid Teresa and her young charge Jiale makes waves in a family, while the Asian recession hits the region.SFF#24: ILO ILO. From Singapore, a friendship between an unruly child and the new housekeeper. By the end, you feel like part of the family. This is how you make a film!
- DirectorCatherine BreillatStarsIsabelle HuppertKool ShenLaurence UrsinoA stroke-afflicted filmmaker is manipulated by a notorious con man.SFF#25: ABUSE OF WEAKNESS. Catherine Breillat's profoundly personal film looking back at her stroke and when she gave away her life savings to a known conman. I've never liked Breillat's work and this frustrating film does nothing to change my view!
- 1989– 1h 10mNot Rated6.8 (182)TV Episode71MetascoreDirectorGabe KlingerStarsSandra AdairJames BenningRichard LinklaterIn 1985, filmmaker Richard Linklater began a film screening society in Austin, Texas, that aimed to show classic art-house and experimental films to a budding community of cinephiles and filmmakers. The Austin Film Society raised enough money to fly in their first out-of-town invitee, visionary experimental filmmaker James Benning. Accepting the invitation, Benning met Linklater and immediately the two began to develop a personal and intellectual bond, which has lasted through the present. After the cult success of "Slacker" (1991), Linklater has gone on to make award-winning big budget narrative films including "School of Rock" (2003), "Before Midnight" (2013) and "Boyhood" (2014). Benning, meanwhile, has stayed close to his modest roots and is mainly an unknown figure in mainstream film culture. Combining filmed conversations and archival material, "Double Play" explores the connections between the work and lives of these two American visionaries.SFF#26: DOUBLE PLAY: JAMES BENNING AND RICHARD LINKLATER. Linklater is fast-becoming one of my favourite directors. This documentary looks at his career, as well as the work of his friend, experimental filmmaker, James Benning.
- DirectorYi'nan DiaoStarsFan LiaoGwei Lun-MeiXuebing WangAn ex cop and his ex partner decide to follow up on investigation of a series of murders that ended their careers and shamed them, when identical murders begin again.SFF#27: BLACK COAL, THIN ICE. Mind-numbing Chinese police thriller about a drunk cop and a dry cleaning lady. Move along, there's nothing to see here.
- DirectorSteve JamesStarsRoger EbertChaz EbertGene SiskelThe life and career of the renowned film critic and social commentator, Roger Ebert.SFF#28: LIFE ITSELF. 'The movies are like a machine that generates empathy.' Moving documentary on fanatical film critic, Roger Ebert. 'Siskel and Ebert would continue arguing long after the recording session for each show had ended.'
- DirectorNed BensonStarsJames McAvoyJessica ChastainNina AriandaTold from the male perspective, the story of a couple trying to reclaim the life and love they once knew and pick up the pieces of a past that may be too far gone.SFF#29: THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ELEANOR RIGBY: HIM. I love the idea of having two separate feature films representing two different viewpoints in a relationship but He (James McAvoy) is weak and She (Jessica Chastain) is obnoxious so I really didn't care if things didn't work out for them. Still, I'm keen to see the HER companion film and wish SFF had screened them back-to-back.
- DirectorKasimir BurgessStarsMatt NableIsabella GarwoliBrett RobinFell is an entrancing and enigmatic drama - a dreamlike, visually resplendent tale of nature, revenge and redemption.SFF#30: FELL. Slow-paced Australian revenge drama with some great performances from Matt Nable and Daniel Henshall. The film can also be viewed online this weekend only via the Sydney Film Festival website.
- DirectorCraig JohnsonStarsKristen WiigBill HaderLuke WilsonHaving both coincidentally cheated death on the same day, estranged twins reunite with the possibility of mending their relationship.SFF#31: THE SKELETON TWINS. Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader play twins who, at the start of the film, contemplate suicide. I just wish they went through with it and spared us of having to spend an hour and a half with them. And how dare the director compare it to Redford's brilliant ORDINARY PEOPLE, on any level!
- DirectorZach BraffStarsZach BraffJoey KingPierce GagnonA struggling actor, father and husband finds himself at a major crossroads, which forces him to examine his life, his family and his career.SFF#32: WISH I WAS HERE (sic). Zach Braff's disappointing follow-up to GARDEN STATE is weak on jokes, heavy-handed on deathbed scenes and undergraduate in its exploration of life's meanings. Braff's clearly out of his depth this time and it's a shame he didn't use some of that crowdfunding money for a proofread of the film's title.