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7 items from 2017

16 February 2017 6:48 AM, PST | The Film Stage | See recent The Film Stage news »

Japanese cult filmmaker Sabu is known to spice things up in his work. The kooky mix of violence, fantasticism and humor sometimes leads to unwatchably ridiculous results as with Chasuke’s Journey, his last film to make Berlinale competition. His latest feature is not nearly as weird, though still very much certifiably schizophrenic, compromising a strong premise that had the potential for a cool, kick-ass ride.

Blood starts to spill not five minutes into the movie as we meet the titular Mr. Long (played by Chen Chang) in the basement of a temple somewhere in the southern Taiwanese metropolis Kaohsiung. Employing efficient, no-frills stabs and jabs inspired by Japanese swordsmanship, the contract killer finishes the job almost as soon as he begins. On his next assignment in Tokyo, however, the mission fails and the quiet hitman is left for dead. In a twist to the familiar genre storyline, we find out that Mr. »

- Zhuo-Ning Su

13 February 2017 1:30 PM, PST | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »

There’s a tradition, if not a huge one, of movies that feature heroes who are too cool to speak. In the Sergio Leone spaghetti Westerns, Clint Eastwood wasn’t just the Man with No Name, he was the Man of (Almost) No Words, and that served him fine. The title character of “Mr. Long,” played by the fiercely charismatic Chang Chen, is very much in the same mold. He’s a Taiwanese hitman so fearless and lethal that he uses blades instead of guns — he’ll enter a roomful of gangsters and take them all down with a six-inch knife, as though he were the Bruce Lee of cutthroat stabbing. In Tokyo, though, one of his assignments goes awry, and he escapes, injured, and finds refuge in a dilapidated section of town, where Jun (Runyin Bai), a young boy, brings him clothing and water. He winds up hiding out »

- Owen Gleiberman

10 January 2017 7:44 AM, PST | The Hollywood News | See recent The Hollywood News news »

Logan and T2 Trainspotting are amongst the films to screen at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, organisers announced on Tuesday. This year’s Berlinale kicks off in Germany next month with Etiemme Comar‘s Django listed to open proceedings on February 9th.

The festival will also play host to the world premiere of Gurnder Chadha’s Viceroy’s House, which also screens out of competition.

Here’s the official release.

Competition

The following films will be celebrating world or international premieres in the Competition of the Berlinale 2017.

Bamui haebyun-eoseo honja (On the Beach at Night Alone)

South Korea

By Hong Sangsoo (Nobody’s Daughter Haewon, Right Now, Wrong Then)

With Kim Minhee, Seo Younghwa, Jung Jaeyoung, Moon Sungkeun, Kwon Haehyo, Song Seonmi, Ahn Jaehong, Park Yeaju

World premiere

El Bar (The Bar)

Spain

By Álex de la Iglesia (Mad Circus, The Day of the Beast, The Oxford Murders)

With Blanca Suárez, »

- Paul Heath

10 January 2017 6:54 AM, PST | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »

The Berlin International Film Festival announced 13 additions to its 2017 line-up, including the international premiere of Danny Boyle’s hotly anticipated “Trainspotting” follow-up, “Trainspotting: T2,” and the world premiere of James Mangold’s “Logan,” the third in the growing “Wolverine” franchise, starring Hugh Jackman. Both films will play out of competition.

Read More: ‘Logan’ Trailer: Hugh Jackman’s Final Wolverine Movie Mixes The Superhero Genre With The Western

Hong Sangsoo’s “On the Beach Alone at Night” will make its world premiere at the festival, the latest from the idiosyncratic Korean director whose last film, “Right Now, Wrong Then,” garnered attention at festivals in 2016.

Other promising titles include the world premiere of “The Tin Drum” director Volker Schlöndorff’s “Return To Montauk,” starring Stellan Skarsgård, and “Viceroy’s House,” a period drama from the woman behind “Bend it Like Beckham,” Gurinder Chadha. The Austrian actor Josef Hader also will make »

- Jude Dry

10 January 2017 4:54 AM, PST | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »

The 67th Berlin Intl. Film Festival, also known as the Berlinale, has added a further 13 films to its Competition and Berlinale Special sections, including Danny Boyle’s “T2 Trainspotting,” starring Ewan McGregor, James Mangold’s “Logan,” starring Hugh Jackman, and Gurinder Chadha’s “Viceroy’s House,” starring Hugh Bonneville and Gillian Anderson.

Volker Schlondorff, who won an Oscar with “The Tin Drum,” comes to Berlin with “Return to Montauk,” starring Stellan Skarsgard, Alex de la Iglesia, whose “The Day of the Beast” won multiple awards at the Goyas, brings “The Bar,” and Marcelo Gomes, whose credits include “Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures,” brings “Joaquim.”

The pics join those revealed last month, such as Oren Moverman’s “The Dinner,” Sally Potter’s “The Party” and Aki Kaurismaki’s “The Other Side of Hope,” and the opening film, Etienne Comar’s “Django,” which was announced last week.

Competition

Bamui haebyun-eoseo honja (On the »

- Leo Barraclough

10 January 2017 4:45 AM, PST | ScreenDaily | See recent ScreenDaily news »

X-Men spinoff and Trainspotting sequel to play Out of Competition.

A further 13 films have been invited to screen in the Competition and Berlinale Special section at the 67th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival.

The festival has added commercial clout to its Out Of Competition lineup in the shape of Danny Boyle’s T2 Trainspotting and X-Men spinoff Logan.

There are also competition berths for new films by Hong Sangsoo, Thomas Arslan, Volker Schlöndorff, Sabu, Álex de la Iglesia and Josef Hader.

Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha’s latest, Viceroy’s House, will have its world premiere out of competition at the festival. Starring Hugh Bonneville alongside Gillian Anderson, the period drama set in 1947 India depicts Lord Mountbatten, the man charged with handing India back to its people.

Also having its world premiered out of competition will be Álex de la Iglesia’s The Bar, a comedy-thriller about a group of strangers who get »

- andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman) tom.grater@screendaily.com (Tom Grater)

10 January 2017 4:30 AM, PST | The Film Stage | See recent The Film Stage news »

After an initial line-up that included Aki Kaurismäki‘s The Other Side of Hope, Oren Moverman‘s Richard Gere-led The Dinner, Sally Potter‘s The Party, and Agnieszka Holland‘s Spoor, the Berlin International Film Festival have added more anticipated premieres. Highlights include one of two (maybe three) new Hong Sang-soo films this year, On the Beach at Night Alone, along with Volker Schlöndorff‘s Return to Montauk with Stellan Skarsgård and Nina Hoss, as well as the high-profile world premiere of James Mangold‘s Logan and the international premiere of Danny Boyle‘s T2: Trainspotting.

With Paul Verhoeven serving as jury president for the 67th edition of the festival, check out the new additions below.

Competition

Bamui haebyun-eoseo honja (On the Beach at Night Alone)

South Korea

By Hong Sangsoo (Nobody’s Daughter Haewon, Right Now, Wrong Then)

With Kim Minhee, Seo Younghwa, Jung Jaeyoung, Moon Sungkeun, »

- Jordan Raup

7 items from 2017