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2 items from 2009

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From Russia With Obviousness

4 March 2009 7:25 AM, PST | ifc.com | See recent IFC news »

Somewhere between the 40- and 60-minute marks of Nikita Mikhalkov's "12," a sparrow flies through a window into the school gymnasium that's serving as an ad hoc jury room for a supposedly routine Moscow homicide case. This is unusual for one or two reasons, the most obvious of which is that it's the dead of winter. (The window isn't open, mind you; it's broken, as is forcefully pointed out by one juror who sees the gym's sorry shape as emblematic of "40 years of running in place.") This ups the ante for what's already shaping up to be an overstuffed socially conscious allegory with its roots in the American, um, classic "12 Angry Men." "This is it," this viewer thought, a trifle giddily, remembering an old song by King Missile; "this is mystical shit."

Because, really, if you're going to make a self-aggrandizing quasi-allegorical modern epic (160 minutes!) about the state of contemporary Russia, »

- Glenn Kenny

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What to Watch If Not Watching the "Watchmen"

2 March 2009 7:11 AM, PST | ifc.com | See recent IFC news »

Some homegrown interloping mixes with a strong international showing this week to give an overall balance to what's playing at your local multiplex. Comic book fans can salivate over "Watchmen," arthouse fans can enjoy a Louis Garrel double bill, and a Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse-inspired serial killer movie bridges the gap.

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"12"

A best foreign language Oscar nominee from 2008, Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov's interpretation of the Reginald Rose's 1954 play "Twelve Angry Men" puts a contemporary political spin on this classic tale of passion and prejudice. Tasked with discerning the guilt of a young Chechen boy accused of brutally murdering his military officer father, Sergei Makovetsky plays the lone voice of dissent voting for acquittal. As the audience witnesses the boy's unfortunate childhood in flashbacks, Makovetsky's mysterious juror preaches rationality and reason as he attempts to convince a room »

- Neil Pedley

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2 items from 2009

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