The most hotly anticipated film at the Cannes Film Festival was The Conquest, the first French film ever made about the nation's President while in power. A treat for political junkies, in the same mode as The Queen and Il Divo, as well as Oliver Stone's W.
"Politics gets personal in The Conquest,a vivid re-imagining of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's rise to powerand the simultaneous unraveling of his marriage. As the first French leaderto divorce—and then remarry—while in office, Sarkozy's real-life saga is the stuff of soap operas, and director Xavier Durringer treats it as such,viewing the five years of political jockeying that preceded Sarkozy's 2007 election through the lens of his relationship with then-wife, Cecilia....Denis Podalydès's Sarkozy deserves special mention. Though his physical resemblance with the diminutive thick-haired leader is limited, Podalydès bristles with the electric energy and nervous tics that earned Sarkozy the nickname, 'The Energizer Bunny.'" —Jenny Barchfield, Associated Press.Co-starring Florence Pernel, Bernard Le Coq, Hippolyte Girardot, Michèle Moretti and Samuel Labarthe. In French with English subtitles.
To purchase tickets, visit: http://theprytania.com.
Writer/director Terence Davies (The Long Day Closes, The House of Mirth), master chronicler of post-War England, returns with a timeless romantic drama starring Rachel Weisz as a woman whose overpowering love threatens her well-being and alienates the men in her life. In a deeply vulnerable performance, Weisz plays Hester Collyer, the wife of an upper-class judge (Simon Russell Beale) and a free spirit trapped in a passionless marriage. Her encounter with Freddie Page (Tom Hiddleston), a troubled former Royal Air Force pilot, throws her life in turmoil, as their erotic relationship leaves her emotionally stranded and physically isolated.Based on Terence Rattigan's play of the same name, The Deep Blue Sea is an uncompromising study of the fear of loneliness and the frustratingly unreliable nature of love.
To purchase tickets, visit: http://theprytania.com.
How to describe Nobuhiko Obayahshi’s 1977 movie House? As a psychedelic ghost tale? A stream-of-consciousness bedtime story? Any of the above will do for this hallucinatory head trip about a schoolgirl, Oshare (Kimiko Ikegami), who wantsto avoid spending summer vacation with her father's eerily placid girlfriend Ryôko (Haruko Wanibuchi). She opts instead to live at her ailing aunt’s creaky country home, bringing six classmates with her: Fanta (Kumiko Ohba), Kunfû (Miki Jinbo),Gari (Ai Matsubara), Sweet (Masayo Miyako), Mac (Mieko Satoh) and Melody (Eriko Tanaka). All come face to face with evil spirits, blood thirsty pianos, and a demonic housecat. Never before released in the United States, and a bona fide cult classic in the making, House is one of the most exciting genre discoveries in years. In Japanese with English subtitles.
To purchase tickets, visit: http://theprytania.com.
From director Ben Wheatley (DOWN TERRACE), KILL LIST is a mind-blowing genre concoction being called the “#1 Horror Film of the Year.” A brilliant blend of family drama, hitman action-thriller and terrifying psychological horror film, KILLLIST tells the story of an ex-soldier turned contract killer who is plunged into the heart of human darkness. Eight months after a disastrous hit job in Kiev left him physically and mentally scarred, Jay (Neil Maskell) is pressured by his partner Gal (BIFA Winner Michael Smiley), into taking a new assignment. As they descend into the bizarre, disturbing world of the contract, Jay’s world begins to unravel until fear and paranoia sending him reeling towards a horrifying point of no return.
"Kill Lit" received 6 Nominations at the 2011 British Independent Film Awards, including Best Director, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor and Screenplay. It was also featured in FILM COMMENT magazine’s top ten films without distribution in 2011.
To purchase tickets, visit: http://theprytania.com.
In Alfred Hitchcock's most quick-witted and devilish comic thriller, the beautiful Margaret Lockwood, traveling across Europe by train, meets Dame May Whitty's charming old spinster, who seemingly disappears into thin air. The young woman then turns investigator and finds herself drawn into a complex web of mystery and high adventure. The Lady Vanishes remains one of the master filmmaker's purest delights.
To purchase tickets, visit: http://theprytania.com.
This utterly charming classic family film tells the taleof Miss Minoes, a cat who is transformed into a young woman (Carice van Houten) and befriends Tibbe (Theo Maassen), a shy, bumbling cub reporter for the local newspaper. Miss Minoes, still recognized as a cat by the neighborhood felines despite her new appearance, organizes them into a news-gathering service and helps Tibbe become a star reporter. He soon turns investigative and discovers that the popular chairman of the “Club For Friends of Animals” and boss of a nearby factory has evil plans… WinnerChildren’s Jury Prize for Best International Live Action Feature Film, Chicago Intl Children’s Film Festival.
To purchase tickets, visit: http://theprytania.com.
Part of the new wave of Greek cinema, Attenberg is an offbeat coming-of-age film. 23-year-old Marina is living in a small,factory town by the sea where her once-visionary architect father has returned to die. Finding the human species foreign, she keeps her distance, choosing to observe mankind through Sir David Attenborough's mammal documentaries and the songs of Suicide. While preparing for her father's impending death, Marina discovers her own sexuality through lessons from her only friend, Bella, and a visiting engineer. Equal parts abstract theater and melodrama, Attenberg sincerely and humorously navigates the defining moments in life.
To purchase tickets, visit: http://theprytania.com.
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, the deeply moving new film by brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (L'Enfant, Rosetta) delves into the emotional life of troubled 11-year-old Cyril, played with riveting intensity by newcomer Thomas Doret.
When his father (Jérémie Renier) abandons him, Cyril at first refuses to admit it, claiming his father just forgot to say where he was going. Eventually forced to face hard reality, Cyril then obsessively tries to get his bicycle back (also missing). Almost by accident, he becomes the ward of a kind hairdresser (Cécile de France, Hereafter, L'Auberge Espanole), a woman who seems surprised to find herself so determined to help him. With his wild, unpredictable behavior and his disastrous search for father figures, Cyril risks losing her—though she refuses to give up without a fight. Full of heartbreaking betrayals and unexpected grace, The Kid with a Bike is a film about a child alone, learning to become good. Nominated for 4 European Film Awards, winning Best Screenplay. (In French with English subtitles).
To purchase tickets, visit: http://theprytania.com.
In a dystopian future, a relentless turf war rages. Two rival gangs feud for control of rural wasteland Frazier Park ("The FP") in the deadly arena of competitive dance-fight video game "Beat-Beat Revelation." After hometown hero BTRO is slain on the dance platform by thug leader L Dubba E, his protégé younger brother JTRO (Jason Trost) goes into isolation, vowing never to duel again. One year later, The FP is in ruins, and JTRO must find the courage to return and restore order in a ruthless battle for revenge that can only leave one man dancing. From the producers of Paranormal Activity and featuring narration by James Remar (The Warriors), The FP is a fury of fierce footwork, triumphant montages and neon streetwear that Moviefone calls "a rare ready-made cult hit."
To purchase tickets, visit: http://theprytania.com.
Director Kinji Fukasaki's explosive drama takes place early in the new millennium,with Japan on the verge of societal collapse. When even the schoolchildren begin to abuse the system, the government introduces a strict new punishment wherebya randomly chosen group of students are taken to a desert island and forced to fight each other to the death. Based on Koushun Takami's novel, the film stars famous Japanese auteur and actor Takeshi "Beat" Kitano. Widely viewed as the original “Hunger Games.” In Japanese with English Subtitles.
To purchase tickets, visit: http://theprytania.com.
In Alfred Hitchcock's most quick-witted and devilish comic thriller, the beautiful Margaret Lockwood, traveling across Europe by train, meets Dame May Whitty's charming old spinster, who seemingly disappears into thin air. The young woman then turns investigator and finds herself drawn into a complex web of mystery and high adventure. The Lady Vanishes remains one of the master filmmaker's purest delights.
To purchase tickets, visit: http://theprytania.com.
Nanni Moretti (The Son's Room, Caro Diario) joins forces with the great French actor Michel Piccoli (Contempt, Belle de Jour) to tell the story of Melville, a cardinal who suddenly finds himself elected as the next Pope. Never the front runner and completely caught off-guard, he panics as he's presented to the faithful in St. Peter's Square. To prevent a worldwide crisis, the Vatican's spokesman calls in an unlikely psychiatrist who is neither religious nor all that committed, played by Moretti, to find out what is wrong with the new Pope.
As the world nervously waits outside,inside the therapist tries to find a solution. But Cardinal Melville is adamant: he does not want the job, or at least needs time to think it over. What follows is a marvelous insight into the concept of a human being existing behind the title of God's representative on Earth. We Have a Pope is the latest film by Moretti to make wonderful use of humor while dealing with serious issues and continue to showcase his deep humanism. In Italian with English Subtitles.
To purchase tickets, visit: http://theprytania.com.
In Montreal, an elementary school teacher dies abruptly. Having learned of the incident in the newspaper, Bachir Lazhar (Fellag), a 55-year-old Algerian immigrant, goes to the school to offer his services as a substitute teacher. Quickly hired to replace the deceased, he finds himself in an establishment in crisis, while going through his own personal tragedy. While the class goes through the healing process, and Bachir learns to better know this group of shaken but endearing kids,nobody in the school is aware of Bachir's painful past; nor do they suspect that he is at risk of being deported at any moment.
Adapted from "Bashir Lazhar," a play by Evelyne de la Chenelière, Monsieur Lazhar depicts the encounter between two distant worlds and the power of self-expression. Using great sensitivity and humor, writer/director Philippe Falardeau follows a humble man who is ready to transcend his own loss in order to accompany children beyond the silence and taboo of death. An Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film. In French with English Subtitles.
To purchase tickets, visit: http://theprytania.com.
Nanni Moretti (The Son's Room, Caro Diario) joins forces with the great French actor Michel Piccoli (Contempt, Belle de Jour) to tell the story of Melville, a cardinal who suddenly finds himself elected as the next Pope. Never the front runner and completely caught off guard, he panics as he's presented to the faithful in St. Peter's Square. To prevent a worldwide crisis, the Vatican's spokesman calls in an unlikely psychiatrist who is neither religious nor all that committed, played by Moretti, to find out what is wrong with the new Pope. As the world nervously waits outside,inside the therapist tries to find a solution. But Cardinal Melville is adamant: he does not want the job, or at least needs time to think it over. What follows is a marvelous insight into the concept of a human being existing behind the title of God's representative on Earth. We Have a Pope is the latest film by Moretti to make wonderful use of humor while dealing with serious issues and continue to showcase his deep humanism. In Italian with English Subtitles.
To purchase tickets, visit: http://theprytania.com.
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, the deeply moving new film by brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (L'Enfant, Rosetta) delves into the emotional life of troubled 11-year-old Cyril, played with riveting intensity by newcomer Thomas Doret.
When his father (Jérémie Renier) abandons him, Cyril at first refuses to admit it, claiming his father just forgot to say where he was going. Eventually forced to face hard reality, Cyril then obsessively tries to get his bicycle back (also missing). Almost by accident, he becomes the ward of a kind hairdresser (Cécile de France, Hereafter, L'Auberge Espanole), a woman who seems surprised to find herself so determined to help him. With his wild, unpredictable behavior and his disastrous search for father figures, Cyril risks losing her—though she refuses to give up without a fight. Full of heartbreaking betrayals and unexpected grace, The Kid with a Bike is a film about a child alone, learning to become good. Nominated for 4 European Film Awards, winning Best Screenplay.
To purchase tickets, visit: http://theprytania.com.
From director Ben Wheatley (DOWN TERRACE), KILL LIST is a mind-blowing genre concoction being called the “#1 Horror Film of the Year.” A brilliant blend of family drama, hitman action-thriller and terrifying psychological horror film, KILLLIST tells the story of an ex-soldier turned contract killer who is plunged into the heart of human darkness. Eight months after a disastrous hit job in Kiev left him physically and mentally scarred, Jay (Neil Maskell) is pressured by his partner Gal (BIFA Winner Michael Smiley), into taking a new assignment. As they descend into the bizarre, disturbing world of the contract, Jay’s world begins to unravel until fear and paranoia sending him reeling towards a horrifying point of no return.
"Kill Lit" received 6 Nominations at the 2011 British Independent Film Awards, including Best Director, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor and Screenplay. It was also featured in FILM COMMENT magazine’s top ten films without distribution in 2011.
To purchase tickets, visit: http://theprytania.com.
Writer/director Terence Davies (The Long Day Closes, The House of Mirth), master chronicler of post-War England, returns with a timeless romantic drama starring Rachel Weisz as a woman whose overpowering love threatens her well-being and alienates the men in her life.
In a deeply vulnerable performance, Weisz plays Hester Collyer, the wife of an upper-class judge (Simon Russell Beale) and a free spirit trapped in a passionless marriage. Her encounter with Freddie Page (Tom Hiddleston), a troubled former Royal Air Force pilot, throws her life in turmoil, as their erotic relationship leaves her emotionally stranded and physically isolated.
Based on Terence Rattigan's play of the same name, The Deep Blue Sea is an uncompromising study of the fear of loneliness and the frustratingly unreliable nature of love.
To purchase tickets, visit: http://theprytania.com.
In Montreal, an elementary school teacher dies abruptly. Having learned of the incident in the newspaper, Bachir Lazhar (Fellag), a 55-year-old Algerian immigrant, goes to the school to offer his services as a substitute teacher. Quickly hired to replace the deceased, he finds himself in an establishment in crisis, while going through his own personal tragedy. While the class goes through the healing process, and Bachir learns to better know this group of shaken but endearing kids,nobody in the school is aware of Bachir's painful past; nor do they suspect that he is at risk of being deported at any moment.
Adapted from "Bashir Lazhar," a play by Evelyne de la Chenelière, Monsieur Lazhar depicts the encounter between two distant worlds and the power of self-expression. Using great sensitivity and humor, writer/director Philippe Falardeau follows a humble man who is ready to transcend his own loss in order to accompany children beyond the silence and taboo of death. An Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film. In French with English Subtitles.
To purchase tickets, visit: http://theprytania.com.
Part of the new wave of Greek cinema, Attenberg is an offbeat coming-of-age film. 23-year-old Marina is living in a small,factory town by the sea where her once-visionary architect father has returned to die. Finding the human species foreign, she keeps her distance, choosing to observe mankind through Sir David Attenborough's mammal documentaries and the songs of Suicide. While preparing for her father's impending death, Marina discovers her own sexuality through lessons from her only friend, Bella, and a visiting engineer. Equal parts abstract theater and melodrama, Attenberg sincerely and humorously navigates the defining moments in life.
To purchase tickets, visit: http://theprytania.com.
In Alfred Hitchcock's most quick-witted and devilish comic thriller, the beautiful Margaret Lockwood, traveling across Europe by train, meets Dame May Whitty's charming old spinster, who seemingly disappears into thin air. The young woman then turns investigator and finds herself drawn into a complex web of mystery and high adventure. The Lady Vanishes remains one of the master filmmaker's purest delights.
To purchase tickets, visit: http://theprytania.com.
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, the deeply moving new film by brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (L'Enfant, Rosetta) delves into the emotional life of troubled 11-year-old Cyril, played with riveting intensity by newcomer Thomas Doret.
When his father (Jérémie Renier) abandons him, Cyril at first refuses to admit it, claiming his father just forgot to say where he was going. Eventually forced to face hard reality, Cyril then obsessively tries to get his bicycle back (also missing). Almost by accident, he becomes the ward of a kind hairdresser (Cécile de France, Hereafter, L'Auberge Espanole), a woman who seems surprised to find herself so determined to help him. With his wild, unpredictable behavior and his disastrous search for father figures, Cyril risks losing her—though she refuses to give up without a fight. Full of heartbreaking betrayals and unexpected grace, The Kid with a Bike is a film about a child alone, learning to become good. Nominated for 4 European Film Awards, winning Best Screenplay. (In French with English subtitles).
To purchase tickets, visit: http://theprytania.com.
In a large apartment high above the city lives our couple. They’re in love. She’s a painter, he’s a successful actor. Just a normal afternoon – except that this isn’t a normal afternoon, for them or anyone else. Because tomorrow, at 4:44 am, give or take a few seconds, the world will come to an end far more rapidly than even the worst doomsayer could have imagined. The meltdown will come, not without warnings, but with no means of escape. There will be no survivors. As always, there are those who, as their cigarette is being lit and the blindfold tightened, will still hope against hope for some kind of reprieve. For a miracle. Not our two lovers. They – like the majority of the Earth’s population – have accepted their fate; the world is going to end.
From Abel Ferrara, director King of New York (1990), Bad Lieutenant (1992) and The Funeral (1996). Starring Willem Dafoe, Shanyn Leigh and Natasha Lyonne.
To purchase tickets, visit: http://theprytania.com.
