Films: F
Films beginning with F, that I recall and have noted.
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- DirectorMichael RymerStarsVince ColosimoLuke FordMatthew NewtonFace to Face is adapted from David Williamson's play of the same name which is in turn based on the transcripts from real conflict resolution sessions. The story is about a young scaffold construction worker who is charged with assaulting his boss. By the end of the film, all our assumptions about guilt and blame are turned on their heads. As 10 people sit in a room discussing the turn of events that brought our protagonist to breaking point, twists and surprises reveal that all is not quite as simple as it seems. Michael Rymer directs his screen adaptation of 'Face to Face' (written by Australian playwright David Williamson), as an ensemble piece about 10 very dissimilar Australians bound together by a complex pattern of relationships and shared histories. Hysterically funny and deeply moving, each character's role in the drama peels back another layer as the story digs down to the roots of who these people really are.Feels stilted and would be much better on stage.
- DirectorNegar AzarbayjaniStarsShayesteh IraniGhazal ShakeriHomayoun ErshadiRana has chosen a path in order to support her family, while Adineh (Eddie) has fled his home and city to escape his complicated situation as a transgender man prevented from living as his true self by his family. They find themselves on the same journey and caused to know each other in a better way.interesting Iranian film, esp with the subject matter. Nice performances.
- DirectorFerzan ÖzpetekStarsGiovanna MezzogiornoMassimo GirottiRaoul BovaOverburdened and stuck in a greying marriage, Giovanna takes to caring for the Jewish Holocaust survivor her husband brings home. As she begins to reflect on her life, she turns to the man who lives across from her ...Beautiful film, great story telling.
- DirectorBent HamerStarsMatt DillonLili TaylorMarisa TomeiThis drama centers on Hank Chinaski, the fictional alter-ego of "Factotum" author Charles Bukowski, who wanders around Los Angeles, CA trying to live off jobs which don't interfere with his primary interest, which is writing. Along the way, he fends off the distractions offered by women, drinking and gambling.Great film about someone I didn't really know anything about. Great performance from Dillion.
- DirectorJohn TurturroStarsJohn TurturroWoody AllenSharon StoneFioravante decides to become a professional Don Juan as a way of making money to help his cash-strapped friend, Murray. With Murray acting as his "manager", the duo quickly finds themselves caught up in the crosscurrents of love and money.Was skeptical about this but it's quite likeable. Great performances from Sharon Stone & Vanessa Paradis, while Woody provides some comic relief.
- DirectorTom DeyStarsMatthew McConaugheySarah Jessica ParkerKathy BatesA thirty-something is still living with his parents until they hire an interventionist to help him graduate out of the house. That's when the fun begins.Stupid rom com. Caught on a plane. Not bad for a jet lag mind.
- DirectorDoug LimanStarsNaomi WattsSean PennSonya DavisonCIA operative Valerie Plame discovers her identity is allegedly leaked by the government as payback for an op-ed article her husband wrote criticizing the Bush administration.Watched in December 2010
When in a newspaper column Valerie Plame was named as a CIA agent her life changed dramatically. Up till now she had a secret life with only her husband and parents knowing she worked within the CIA, her friends thought she worked for a property developer. During the aftermath of 9/11 and the lead up to the Iraq war, Plame was among the some of the agents trying to discover what, if any plans to make weapons Iraq had and by all accounts it appeared there was none. When the CIA approach her husband to take a trip to Africa to look into a possible uranium sale, he discovers nothing and as the war starts to rage in Iraq, he writes an article dispelling the notion there was a sale. This lead to a the article which names his wife and with that she looses her job, her protection, begins getting death threats and faces the break down of her marriage.
Based on real events this is a fascinating film that highlights the very difficult nature of the period portrayed. Despite it's recent setting, the way the war begun, based on false information, is a horrid reminder of events that still cause death and destruction. It's also interesting to see the life Plame in her 'undercover' role where sometimes she has to even lie to her husband and the fact that her work could have led to very different circumstances. The exposure of her real identity is thrilling and for the most part the film is full of tension and intrigue and provides a brilliant insight.
It has fine performances from Naomi Watts and Sean Penn and some great location shooting adds to the story, the downside is there is some handheld camera work which seems to go from steady to shaky constantly which is very frustrating. It's also a shame that after a thrilling first two thirds the film fizzles and slows towards the end, but otherwise this is an interesting and exciting thriller. - DirectorPan NalinStarsBhole BabaHatha Yogi BabaPant Shirt BabaA Sadhu who renounced the society, adopts a baby renounced by society.Stunning. Brought me to tears on numerous occasions, the whole ritual and process that people go through is incredible.
- DirectorJesper GanslandtStarsJohn Axel ErikssonHolger ErikssonDavid JohnsonThe last summer the five boys are together in Falkenberg. They are now grown up to be young men, on their way out into the world. At least most of them.MIFF 2007This is another film that I entered not knowing what to expect. It started of very slowly and many people left in the first 20mins. It did lack some momentum and I did think about joining some of the others leaving, but imp glad I stuck with it. Some of the moments between these friends were better than others, some were a little boring, and some were both, such as the scene where they do magic mushrooms. However the film changed dramatically when one of the friends takes his own life. The emotional impact on his closest friend, left me teary eyed. It was an emotional turnaround in the film, a pivotal moment, made all the more hard because the rest of the film had been so slow and quiet. Whilst this isn’t the best film, some of the hand held camera work made it more like a fly on the wall doco for instance, but there was enough in this film to make it worthwhile.
- DirectorTarsem SinghStarsLee PaceCatinca UntaruJustine WaddellIn 1920s Los Angeles, a bedridden patient in a hospital captivates a young girl with a fantastic tale of heroes, myths, and villains on a desert island.While the imagery is at times stunning, it otherwise falls pretty flat.
- DirectorLawrence JohnstonStarsDonna AndersonHelen CaldicottPhillip DaveyThe subject of Australian documentary filmmaker Lawrence Johnston's Fallout is the novel On the Beach and subsequent Hollywood movie of the same name.fantastic insight into the making of On The Beach
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsKaren BlackBruce DernBarbara HarrisA phony psychic/con artist and her taxi driver/actor boyfriend encounter a pair of serial kidnappers while trailing a missing heir in California.The last Hitchcock, is a light mystery, easy going stuff.
- DirectorThomas BezuchaStarsDermot MulroneySarah Jessica ParkerClaire DanesAn uptight, liberal businesswoman accompanies her boyfriend to his eccentric and outgoing family's annual Christmas celebration and finds that she's a fish out of water in their free-spirited way of life.Actually didn't mind this, funny at times with a nice cast.
- DirectorIngmar BergmanStarsBertil GuvePernilla AllwinKristina AdolphsonTwo young Swedish children in the 1900s experience the many comedies and tragedies of their lively and affectionate theatrical family, the Ekdahls.Epic, sprawling tale, touching and charming.
- DirectorTim StoryStarsIoan GruffuddMichael ChiklisChris EvansA group of astronauts gain superpowers after a cosmic radiation exposure and must use them to oppose the plans of their enemy, Doctor Victor Von Doom.Pretty stupid action hero movie, effects feel cheap.
- DirectorWes AndersonStarsGeorge ClooneyMeryl StreepBill MurrayAn urbane fox cannot resist returning to his farm raiding ways and then must help his community survive the farmers' retaliation.Charming tale, well made. Love the use of 'cuss' instead of swear words
- DirectorTodd HaynesStarsJulianne MooreDennis QuaidDennis HaysbertIn 1950s Connecticut, a flustered housewife faces a marital crisis and mounting racial tensions in the outside world.Stunning film. Heartbreaking performances from Moore and Quaid. Amazing style and use of colour.
- DirectorRobert LepageStarsRobert LepageAnne-Marie CadieuxMarco PoulinAfter the death of his mother, a man tries to discover a meaning to his life, to the universe and to rebuild a relationship with the only family he has left: his brother.Charming, surreal and often touching.
- DirectorChristian CarionStarsGuillaume CanetEmir KusturicaAlexandra Maria LaraThe French intelligence service alerts the U.S. about a Soviet spy operation during the height of the Cold War, which sets off an unfortunate chain of events.Watched in August 2010
If you want to see a spy themed thriller, they don't come more spy themed than Farewell. Based on true events at the end of the cold war, it tells the story of one Russian man who sees an opportunity to bring an end the role of communism.
Using a middle man, who is French, the Russian relays information that the Soviets have gathered from the Americans. It is an intriguing film as we get a real insight into a world that was for all intents quite real. Spying on those who spy on you. The level of information gained by the Soviets was astounding and could have been utterly disastrous had it been put in the wrongs. Interesting also was the portrayal of Soviet life, the ideas of the West that are sort after by the Soviets, French champagne for instance.
As the film progresses, the situation deepens, especially for the French man who has been passing documents to from the Soviet to the French and subsequently on to the Americans, there is a fine tension filled scene as he along with his family try to flee over the Finnish border. The era is also very well created, with attention to details with costumes, cars etc making what appears to be Moscow look very 80's. As a thriller though it doesn't so much as thrill, but it does engage. With any 'based on true events' type film, there are points where one has to suspend disbelief in order to believe that everything we are presented with really happened. In Farewell, there are moments when the transfer of documents to both sides seems as if it was all too simple, they may as well have just met up and handed them over, still if you get passed this, the film offers good performances, with it's two leads showing an impressive use of French and Russian and an engaging story that plays well as a history lesson of an era so very different from our current times but which wasn't that long ago. - DirectorBenoît JacquotStarsLéa SeydouxDiane KrugerVirginie LedoyenA look at the platonic relationship between Marie Antoinette and one of her female readers during the first days of the French Revolution.While it looks great with spectacular costumes, the story fails to ignite the interest fully.
- DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsWilliam H. MacyFrances McDormandSteve BuscemiMinnesota car salesman Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson.brilliantly funny film. the accents alone are a highlight.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJameson ThomasLillian Hall-DavisGordon HarkerAfter his daughter weds, a middle-aged widower with a profitable farm decides to remarry, but finds choosing a suitable mate a problematic process.Really couldn't get into this- found it very boring.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsGreg KinnearBruce WillisCatalina Sandino MorenoWhen contaminated meat is placed in the freezer next to that used for a fast food chain's most famous sandwich, a marketing executive seeks to find out who did it and why, taking a journey through the dark side of American alimentation.Watch in 2006I pretty much enjoyed this, tho it was a little slow in some parts. There are some great cameos from Ethan Hawke and Kris Kristoffersen and Wilma Valderrama is very easy on the eye, not sure about Avril Lavigne though. Compared to Super Size Me, another expose on the fast food industry, this one made me feel less like eating hamburgers ever again. Infact many parts of the film made me feel so sick I had to look away from the screen. Having said that I did go to the supermarket after and buy meat...but it wasn't in a burger form.
- DirectorAdrian LyneStarsMichael DouglasGlenn CloseAnne ArcherA married man's one-night stand comes back to haunt him when that lover begins to stalk him and his family.Watched in October 2010
This is one those brilliant 80's films that paved the way for all those other copy cat films we are treated to. But this is a brilliant piece of film making unlike most of those that followed.
Performances from both Michael Douglas and Glenn Close are great, but Close is the real stand out, just remarkable as the seductress/jilted lover turned psychopath. She steals most of the scenes she is in. The film contains some standout scenes, that have remained part of film history. Many of the set pieces are superbly choreographed and edited and give the film a strong sense of tension. Scenes such as the on the rollercoaster or the fight in the kitchen or even the end one in the bathroom are directed so well and surprisingly with minimal music to create atmosphere. Even sex scenes are done well, the first, in the sink is actually sexy, unlike most sex scenes in films which are often just gross.
Of course one scene has remained to the day the films most famous and infact still stands out as one of the most memorable in film history. That of course is the bunny boiling scene. It is superbly done, with the slow reveal and then the frantic editing between the two discoveries, the wife finding the bunny in the bubbling saucepan and the daughter finding her rabbit missing. Brilliant stuff.
The film today may seem full of cliches, but only because we've seen it all before time and time again. But 20 years ago this would have been an original and excellent thriller that still holds itself up today. - DirectorLajos KoltaiStarsMarcell NagyBéla DóraBálint Péntek14-year-old György's life is torn apart in WWII Hungary, as he is deported first to Auschwitz and then to Buchenwald, where he is forced to become a man in the midst of hatred, and what it really means to be Jewish.Watched in 2006
There's something almost oddly beautiful about this Holocaust film. It is wonderful shot and acted and doesn't become to harsh to watch as some Holocaust films can be.
The scene where the inmates are made to stand for hours and hours and start swaying, is emotional and yet beautiful all at once.