Occasional Cinema - BlueSky

2012

24 October

Yes

Written and directed by Sally Potter  2005  100 mins  UK

A stylish love story and an exposition of the travails of household cleaning; essential viewing; a rare treat from the director of 'Orlando', Don't miss this great start to the season at Blue Sky. 

 

28 November

Le Havre

Aki Kaurismäki Finland 2011 93mins  Drama Comedy

Bold, quirky look at Europe's response to immigrants from the developing world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZjfdmvBLq4

 2013

 23 January 2013

Incendies

Denis Villeneuve Canada/France 2010 130mins 15 Drama History

Two siblings attempt to unravel their mother's Lebanese civil war past.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nycksytL1A

 

 27 Febuary 2013

The Guard

John Michael McDonagh Ireland 2011 96mins Comedy Crime

Unorthodox garda, whose quiet corner of coastal Connemara becomes an international crime hotspot, is paired with an urban FBI man.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJxBKglv2zw

 

 27 March 2013

Eat Drink Man Woman

Ang Lee   Taiwan   1995   124mins   Comedy Romance  Drama

This is a brilliant portrait of a family on the verge of being torn apart by their personal differences and the ominous presence of modernity, which has started to undermine the roots of the traditional Taiwanese family life. The presence of traditional Chinese Cuisine, in which Chu is both a master and the heir to hundreds of years of knowledge, serves as the perfect background to place the characters, as a metaphor for a way of life that is quickly disappearing, threatened by fast food and changes in family values. The director does not, however, focuses on mellow or sweetened scenes to show the conflict, but he maintains a humorous tone throughout the movie, placing the actors' performances on subtle gestures and witty lines which rely heavily on understatement and comedy-like situations. The basic premise of the movie suggests that change is not only inevitable but also necessary. However, the old values still need to be cherished and passed on to the next generation since they are the foundations which give sense and meaning to a life which tends to assimilate happiness to disposable items and economic success. In doing so, Chu and her daughters get reconciled, as well as their traditional background comes to terms with modernity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yicBx-okC3k

 

 24 April 2013

Nowhere in Africa

Caroline Link   Germany  2003   141mins  Biography  Drama

Nowhere in Africa tells the story of a German-Jewish family who flees Hitler's Germany in the 1930s to live in Kenya, Africa - a place about as different from home as they can possibly imagine. Against this unique setting, the family struggles to survive, to adapt, and to stick together during hardships and strife.

This is a film that has the power to take the viewer to a whole new world, with an involving, poignant screenplay and solid direction. The cinematography is of a standard that can only be described as par excellence; the film's photography exquisitely captures not only the rural landscape but the insides of buildings too – it is hard to find words for such superb cinematography. The pseudo-indigenous music score is excellent too, bringing one into the spirit of Kenya. The content of the film is full of so many ideas that one can extract to the point that it is perhaps too complex a film, but that hardly mars this unforgettable movie experience.

The film justly won the 2002 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL5QGVWXYiE