Anna Karina in Godard's Vivre sa vie (1962)
Since I did such a shitty job of hosting the Caravana de recuerdos Foreign Film Festival last year, I decided to host it again this year as a form of penance. I gotta tell you, guilt is some serious motivation! Seriously, though, my apologies to all those who attended the "party" and then wondered where the host had disappeared to during most of the second half of the year. I promise to do better this year or to cancel the event next year. In any event, for those interested in giving your failed host a second chance at the movie talk in 2013, please note the following major change to this year's series: all films, foreign and domestic, will now be fair game for participation purposes. While I hope anybody who contributes movie reviews to the event will continue to concentrate on foreign films (and non-mainstream films in general), I decided to open things up since older movies and avant-garde flicks from any era are often just as "foreign" as foreign films regardless of their country of origin or year of release. Other than that, though, participation remains pretty much the same. There are two main ways to play along should you choose to: 1) You review a single movie or multiple movies at any point during the year and then let me know about your post(s) by comment or e-mail (my e-mail address can be found under my profile [perfil] info). I'll do a monthly link round-up of all participants' movie reviews so that interested parties can visit your blog(s) and check out your movie posts. 2) If you like, you may also challenge me to watch and write about a movie of your choice at more or less the same time as you as part of a group read-like "watchalong." Tom of Wuthering Expectations was the only person to take me up on this option last year, but the animated short he selected greatly pleased both him and me. On a final note, I'm happy to report that our friend Caroline of Beauty Is a Sleeping Cat has announced that she'll be running her own World Cinema Series event for another year in 2013. I'll post more details here when I have them, but until then I encourage any of you who are thinking of participating in the Caravana event to also participate in Caroline's (update: info on Caroline's World Cinema Series 2013 now available here). Cheers!
January Movie Reviews
- Bolaño cercano (dir. Erik Haasnoot; Spain, 2008; posted by Richard)
- The 3 Penny Opera [Die Dreigroschenoper] (dir. G.W. Pabst; Germany, 1931; posted by Richard)
- Those Who Remain [Ceux qui restent] (dir. Anne Le Ny; France, 2007; posted by Guy Savage)
- Tristana [Tristana] (dir. Luis Buñuel; Spain, 1970; posted by Dwight)
Well, I'll come up with something else this year.
ResponderBorrarI used to watch so many movies, one or two a week, a large proportion of them foreign. This was one of the pleasures of living in Chicago - an Iranian film series, a Soviet film series - always something going on. A shame that I have fallen away from film. It is not the fault of the movies!
Very glad to hear about your repeat participation plans, Tom, and look forward to your 2013 selection while empathizing with your post-Chicago cinema withdrawals. "It is not the fault of the movies!" that my movie-watching has tailed off over the last few years either, but I certainly don't take advantage of the Boston and Cambridge area movie pleasures enough myself. I should work on that this year.
BorrarI was full of entusiasm for this last year but kind of faded out. Must do better this year. I do enjoy watching films when I get around to it.
ResponderBorrar"enthusiasm" Must do better at spelling also!
BorrarSéamus, feel free to spell enthusiasm however you like as long as you contribute another film review or two if/when you get a chance! I won't knock anybody for a lack of enthusiasm after my shoddy hosting performance last year, though, so no worries if you "prefer not to" a la Bartleby!
BorrarWell, this will work out well with my goal to watch 12 films for my Cinema Treasures project, so I will hopefully see a few this year. I have a lengthy list, I just need to get to it!
ResponderBorrarAmanda, it'd be way cool if your Cinema Treasures project could intersect with my Film Festival thing this year! 12 films seems like such a sensible viewing goal for your project, so hopefully I will follow your example with (mostly) foreign films over here. Good luck to us both!
BorrarThanks to my recently-returned-from-15-years-in-Europe neighbor, I'm getting passed along all kinds of films he's been watching in an effort to resist postpone his psychological return to the U.S. for as long as possible. At least one or two of those should make good fodder for the challenge. If not, perhaps I'll review my CD of Anna Karina songs.
ResponderBorrarAlthough I feel sorry for your neighbor, Scott, what a cinematic boon for you--enjoy! It'd be great if you could contribute a film review or two for the event, but in the meantime you're off to a really good start with the mere mention of an Anna Karina CD (I'd not heard of such a thing). Is it yé yé stuff, by any chance? What a pleasant thought!
BorrarIt's quite enjoyable, actually. Karina served as a singer for Serge Gainsbourg, among others, and has quite a voice. If you're able to dig up her version of "Anna - Sous le Soleil Exactement," from the soundtrack of the TV series, you're in for a treat.
BorrarI wasn't aware of her singing career until you mentioned it, but I loved that track you recommended--will have to check out more by her. Of course, it's so easy to be distracted by her beauty while watching YouTube clips of her that maybe I should look for audio-only clips for a while to concentrate on the listening experience part of her music. D'oh!
Borrari must try and take part this year netflix will help now I m on there hopefully more films to see ,all the best stu
ResponderBorrarStu, I'd love to see what you pick if you're able to join this year. I just watched my first film of the year and enjoyed it so much that it may force me to track down some other titles from the same region/era later in the year. Cheers!
BorrarI'd just moved back to town and didn't know anyone in the district. some salesman came to the door and I started talking to him for fun. Told him no use selling that product here as this is a new building and we all have got them. Ended up going to this movie with him. I liked it. In the late sixties.
ResponderBorrarBon any!
"Bon any!" to you, too, Merike, and thanks for sharing that anecdote. By the way, I finally read the original version of Puig's Heartbreak Tango recently that you'd mentioned in another comment a couple of years ago--really enjoyed it, too. Fins aviat!
BorrarWow, I have achieved something good! Bon cap de setmana! in Finnish "hyvää viikonloppua" :)
BorrarHi Richard...just found out you are hosting the event again :)
ResponderBorrarI have actually done 5 foreign movies at World Cinema Series. I want to share the latest one with you http://bokunosekai.wordpress.com/2013/03/25/detroit-metal-city-one-funny-live-action-movie/
Hi Novroz! Sorry for the delay getting back to you. I didn't do a link update yet this month because nobody (inc. me) contributed a film review last month; however, I'll add your link(s) in the next couple of days. Thanks for participating again!
Borrar