HKIFF 2010 picks

Posted by kenshin03 on Mar 1, 2010 in movies | 0 comments

Here’s a list of the films from this year’s HKIFF that seem to appeal to my interest. Conventional and hardly edgy? You bet. Films with a coming-of-age theme or historical/mildly political backgrounds tend to be more inspiring than most, IMHO.

Fish Tank

Synopsis:

FISH TANK is the story of Mia (KATIE JARVIS), a volatile 15-year-old, who is always in trouble and who has become excluded from school and ostracized by her friends. One hot summer’s day her mother (KIERSTON WAREING) brings home a mysterious stranger called Connor (MICHAEL FASSBENDER) who promises to change everything and bring love into all their lives.

http://www.hkiff.org/eng/film/detail/7/34071-fish-tank.html

Berlin-Stettin

“Berlin-Stettin” is a fine cinematic essay-autobiography from veteran documentarian Volker Koepp. Even audiences unfamiliar with Koepp’s pedigree as a leading chronicler of ordinary East German working lives will appreciate this accessible, informative and warmly humanistic journey across the miles and the decades (quote).

http://www.hkiff.org/eng/film/detail/23/34025-berlinstettin.html

The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers

Synopsis:

In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg, a high-level Pentagon official and Vietnam War strategist, concludes that the war is based on decades of lies and leaks 7,000 pages of top secret documents to The New York Times, making headlines around the world.

http://www.hkiff.org/eng/film/detail/23/34134-the-most-dangerous-man-in-america-daniel-ellsberg-and-the-pentagon-papers.html

The Ghost Writer

Synopsis:

When a successful British ghostwriter, THE GHOST, agrees to complete the memoirs of former British Prime Minister ADAM LANG, his agent assures him it’s the opportunity of a lifetime. But the project seems doomed from the start—not least because his predecessor on the project, Lang’s long-term aide, died in an unfortunate accident.

http://www.hkiff.org/eng/film/detail/13/34241-the-ghost-writer.html

Irene

Synopsis:

Irène and the filmmaker. A powerful relationship but full of gray areas. Irène disappears. A private journal left behind resurfaces years later. A freshness. An attraction. A danger. How to make a film?

http://www.hkiff.org/eng/film/detail/14/34100-irene.html

A crowd of three (ケンタとジュンとカヨちゃんの国)

Synopsis:

Shota Matsuda and Kengo Kora star as Kenta and Jun, two working class guys who grew up together at the same orphanage like brothers. They take demolition jobs straight out of junior high school, but are overworked and routinely bullied by their boss (Hirofumi Arai). Frustrated with their lot in life, the pair decide to break through their “invisible wall” and travel north to visit Kenta’s real older brother Kazu in jail. Now armed with a dim glimmer of hope, Kenta and Jun burn their bridges and take to the road along with Jun’s girlfriend-slash-punching bag Kayo-chan (Sakura Ando).

http://www.hkiff.org/eng/film/detail/20/34048-a-crowd-of-three.html

Comments/impressions to follow soon.

No related posts.