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lindaloucarpenter
Reviews
Getting to the Nutcracker (2014)
Loved this heartwarming film
Saw this movie at the Kansas International Film Festival yesterday. I was smiling from the start and I also had tears in my eyes when we saw fathers of ballet dancers in training to dance in the production. They thought all they would do is mill around the stage but their moves were choreographed and had to be learned. The film got a bit long during the scenes of the actual performance, but when Luis came on I forgot I was ready for it to be over. Luis was in the audience and his story is one of the special ones in the movie. Along with the 7-year-old boy who had to leave the school when he moved to Beijing. He got to return to perform and cried when he had to leave his friends and fellow students to return home. Loved this movie and want to see it again.
Everything Is Forever (2014)
Great movie with lovely music performances
Saw this movie at the Kansas International Film Festival yesterday and Nenad and Victor were there for Q&A. Nenad's music is entertaining but has a message and he introduces us to traditional a Cappella Croatian music, which most of us would never have a chance to hear. Nenad brings a group of local a Cappella singers to the United States for a concert tour. We meet Nenad's son as a very young boy who is doing his best to get his father's music on a radio station. We see him again as a young adult. There are interviews with musicians and producers Nenad worked with over the years and they all have great respect for Nenad and his talent. Loved this movie and admire Nenad for his peace activism.
Gui tu lie che (2009)
Sobering view of China
I saw this movie yesterday at the Tallgrass Film Festival in Wichita, KS. It is my favorite so far. It begins in 2006 and ends in 2009. Having lived in China from 2002 to 2004, I always feel a bit homesick when I see movies made in China. This one contrasts very well the difference between the smoggy cities and the countryside. The claustrophobic crowding of human beings is real and I remembered once being in the doorway of a building where a movie in English was to be shown. The students crowded in so quickly that I was literally fearful that someone would be crushed. The movie is haunting and I would see it again in a minute.
Earthwork (2009)
Sweet little film shot in Kansas
I saw this film with my 3 sisters at the Kansas International Film Festival in Overland Park last week. We loved it. We had no real idea of what the movie would be and I thought it was to be documentary. The director and one actor (I believe most of the actors were Kansans) were available for a Q&A and we learned that the artist has made his living from his art without ever having to take another job. The characters he met in NYC are endearing and are based on actual people, I think. He has done art in several countries. It was interesting to see how his vision was translated into a work of art although we never got to see it. During the credits, however, there are shots of some of the art he has created and it is lovely. I liked the movie a lot.
The Rock 'n' Roll Dreams of Duncan Christopher (2010)
Great movie made in Oklahoma
I saw this movie at the Kansas International Film Festival in Overland Park last weekend and my sisters and I loved it. In fact, it won the audience vote for narrative and should be playing in KC at the Glenwood Arts sometime this year for a week. It was funny and charming. It was filmed in Tulsa and looks good. A representative for the film was there for a Q&A and confirmed that the house used is across the street from Riverview Drive There were lovely scenes along the river. I hope the film gets released for a wide audience. I think word of mouth might make it a hit. I enjoyed it a lot and think other mid-westerners especially would enjoy it too.