Movie Listings
Nov 26, 2009 at 21:42 | Alexandra MatoshkoLanguage: English
Drama/UK (2008)
Directed by Paul Morrison
Starring Robert Pattinson, Javier Beltran, Matthew McNulty and Marina Gatell.
It turns out, Robert Pattinson – whose posters from the film “Twilight” must adorn every other teenage girl’s bedroom – had a role in a “serious” movie before he got involved in the top vampire saga. He played none other than the genius Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali. The film tells of the young and ambitious Dali. He just arrived at university in Madrid and quickly attracts attention of two celebrity students – future great poet Federico Garcia Lorca and future iconic film director Luis Bunuel. For some time the three remain the most modern group in Madrid. But over time Bunuel drifts away, and Dali and Lorca form a truly intimate friendship.
New York, I Love You
Language: English, Russian, Yiddish
Shorts/USA (2009)
Directed by Fatih Akin, Mira Nair, Nathalie Portman, Brett Ratner and others.
Starring Natalie Portman, Orlando Bloom, Bradley Cooper, Christina Ricci, Andy Garcia, John Hurt and others.
Three years after the “Paris, Je T’aime” collection of short movies that made us fall even more in love with the French capital, comes an attempt to do the same with the Big Apple – “New York, I Love You.” Eleven short films were made by an international bunch of directors – Indian Mira Nair (“Monsoon Wedding”), German of Turkish descent Fatih Akin (“The Edge of Heaven”), French Yvan Attal (“…And They Live Happily Ever After”) and American Brett Ratner (“The Family Man”), among others. All of them have assembled an exemplary, star-studded cast featuring Anton Yelchin, Orlando Bloom, Robin Wright Penn, Julie Christie, Christina Ricci and Hayden Christensen, to name a few. Natalie Portman both debuted as a director and starred in Nair’s segment. But despite such a beautiful wrapping, the movie proves to be nothing but a collection of New York tourist cards. All the love stories appear similar. And don’t expect to see the many-sided New York in all its variety – except for one episode, the shorts don’t take you further than Manhattan.
The Box
Language: English
Thriller/USA (2009)
Directed by Richard Kelly
Starring Cameron Diaz, James Mardsen and Frank Langella.
The maker of the oh-so-spooky and creepy “Donny Darko” (2001), Richard Kelly has tried hard to repeat his past success but haven’t quite managed it so far. At first glance, his latest work “The Box” also has the components of a perfect thriller. Based on the story “Button, Button” by the master of horror and science fiction Richard Matheson, it is set in Virginia near NASA’s Langley Research Center in 1976. Frank Langella is perfect as an ominous stranger who brings a mysterious box to the family house of a NASA engineer and his wife (Cameron Diaz). The couple is offered one million dollars only to press a button in the box – all it will do is cause the death of someone unknown to them.
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee
Language: English
Drama/USA (2009)
Directed by Rebecca Miller
Starring Robin Wright Penn, Alan Arkin, Keanu Reeves and Wynona Rider.
Glowing and beautiful 50-year-old Pippa Lee seems to be leading a perfect life. She’s happily married to a publisher 30 years older than herself, and is proud of her successful children. Friends and neighbors love her. But her delicate inner serenity gets disrupted, when her husband decides to move from New York to a retirement community and has an affair with a woman even younger than herself. Now that her cozy family world is falling apart, she finds herself quietly heading towards a nervous breakdown.
Francois Ozon’s Erotic Shorts
Language: French
Directed by Francois Ozon
French director Francois Ozon, known for his controversial and even somewhat scandalous movies, also made quite a number of shorts on the topic of sexuality and relationships. Kyiv viewers will see four of them. “Action Verite” (Truth or Dare, 1994) is about two teenage girls and boys playing a game which deals with sex. “Scenes de Lit” (Bed Scenes, 1998) explores surprises and changes of heart that occur during sexual encounters. “X2000” (1998) shows a man who awakens on Jan. 12000, finding strange people and making strange discoveries in his apartment. “Un Leve de Rideau” (A Curtain Raiser, 2006) features a young man (Louis Garrel) who contemplates dumping his girlfriend (Vahina Giocante) because she’s perpetually late.
Butterfly Ultramarine
1A Uritskoho, 206-0350, 206-0370, www.kino-butterfly.com.ua
New York I Love You – Nov. 26 - Dec. 2 at 6 p.m.
The Box – Nov. 26 - Dec. 2 at 6:20 p.m.
Zhovten
26 Konstyantynivska, 205-5951, www.zhovten-kino.kiev.ua
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee – Nov. 27,30, Dec. 1 at 3 p.m., 6:45 p.m., Nov. 28-29, Dec. 2 at 1 p.m., 4:45 p.m.
Little Ashes– Nov. 27, 30, Dec. 1 at 1 p.m., 4:45 p.m., Nov. 28-29, Dec. 2 at 2:45 p.m., 6:30 p.m.
Francois Ozon’s Erotic Shorts – Nov. 27 - Dec. 2 at 8:30 p.m., 9:50 p.m.