Gerald Wright's Movie Coverage
TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL, APRIL 23 - MAY 4 2008
The Tribeca Film Festival Festival started out with a bang. The opening film gala that premiered was entitled Baby Mama. It starred Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. The buzz around the TFF is that this unstoppable comedy duo is making a serious bid to become the new female answer to the Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder duo.
Successful single businesswoman Kate (Fey)has put her career ahead of her personal life and having a child. When she reaches age 37, she has a rude awakening about being able to become a mother. Her problem is that she can't have children. Kate allows South Philadelphia working girl Angie (Poehler) to become her unlikely surrogate. The problems and adventures of this odd couple who are trying to live together while preparing for the birth of a child proves to be one of the funniest movies to come out lately. This hilarious film co-stars Steve Martin, Sigourney Weaver, Greg Kinnear, Romany Malco and Maura Tierney. It opened wide in theaters on April 25th.
Here are some of the indie films I took in:
KATYN (POLAND)
Directed by Andrzei Wajda, this adaptation is based on a true story of 1940s Eastern Europe. This film is an epic traversing the years between the Red and Nazi Armies simultaneous incursions into Poland and the country's fall (in 1945) into Soviet hands. It centers around an imprisoned Polish Army captain and the wife who waits for him to come home, only to find out that his name is on the Katyn mass grave of soldiers. But several years later, a man whose name was on the list reappears. This opens an account which reveals the collaboration between some Polish soldiers who told the Polish people that soldiers were killed by the Nazis. In actuality, these soldiers were killed by Soviets. This is a very powerful period piece.
Watch clip from film here
WORLDS APART (Denmark)
Directed by Niels Arden Oplev, this film is based on a true story of love, freedom and difficult choices set in a world that is rarely seen. Carefully probing the psychology of Jehovah Witnesses' infamous insularity, this film follows a devout and intelligent 17 year old woman who pours her energy into the pursuit of righteousness. But her strictly regimented world begins to come undone when her father admits to an extramarital affair, which causes her mother to move out of the house. This 17 year old young woman is wise beyond her years, but she is still a teenager and finds herself attracted to a non-believing young man. It becomes very difficult for her to keep her mind on religious guidelines. She ultimately must decide to follow her heart or continue down the path of salvation. If she follows her heart she will have to give up any communication with her family. This is a very sensitive movie. http://www.toverdener.dk/
SITA SINGS THE BLUES (USA)
Directed by Nina Paley, this animated romantic comedy is the witty retelling of the ancient Sanskirt epic Ramayana. In the Indian legend, Sita is a Hindu goddess who is devoted to her husband Rama. She accompanies him to the forest for 14 years in exile. Later she is kidnapped by the evil King Ravana, yet she remains faithful to Rama despite the king's advances. This animated marvel is narrated by three shadow puppets. They recount how Sita, once Rama retrieved her, faced an uphill battle of convincing her husband of her unwavering fidelity. Doing so, she must pass several tests.
At the same time, another plot takes place in contemporary American times. Nina (a character based on the director herself) and her husband Dave are living in San Francisco. Dave announces he's being transferred to India and Nina must stay home. After a few months Nina decides to follow her man to India only to find he doesn't love her anymore. This film may sound predictable, but the stories are punctuated by musical numbers in the film sequences by the 1920s jazz singer Annette Hanshaw (reminiscent of Mae West and Bessie Smith). This film is fun to listen to and watch. www.sitasingstheblues.com
Well, there is one week left of the film festival and I'll give you a wrap-up on May 5th.
Summary of this year's festival here
Review of Tribeca Film Festival premiere of Standard Operating Procedure directed by Erol Morris here
For a schedule of the films and other information go to www.tribecafilmfestival.org.
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