Author: Joan Rapp

2011 Oscar Nominated Animated Films and Shorts

The Lost Thing

The Lost Thing is an Australian animated film.  A boy is out searching for additions to his bottle cap collection when he stumbles across the lost thing. The boy befriends the lost thing but he doesn’t understand why no one else is interested in helping it.  He travels far and wide trying to find out to whom to or where the lost thing belongs.  The boy feels sorry for the lost thing but can’t explain why he feels that way.   The artwork is very interesting, reminds me of Salvador Dali.  The film is a coming of age journey for the boy, as he grows older he feels it is becoming more difficult for him to see lost things. The short has won numerous awards.  The Lost Thing will be available for viewing the week of February 11 at the Tivoli Theater.

4 out of 5 stars.

The Gruffalo

The Gruffalo is a joint UK and Germany short animated film.  Mother Squirrel is out hunting food for her children.  As she nears the nest, an owl swoops down to nab her; the acorn is left on the branch.  Thankfully Mother reappears and she flees into the nest but she has left the acorn out on the tree branch.  As she goes it retrieve it the children beg for a story and so begins the mouse’s adventure with the Gruffalo.  The mouse is on a journey to beautiful nut tree.  Along the way, the mouse encounters a fox, an owl and a snake, who want him for dinner.  The mouse has to outwit these creatures to save his life.  The mouse has invented the Gruffalo only to find out that it is real.  The Gruffalo is an old fashioned fairy tale.  The film is stunning in its visuals and soundtrack.   The Gruffalo will be available for viewing the week of February 11 at the Tivoli Theater.

5 out of 5 stars

Madagascar, Carnet De Voyage

Madagascar, Carnet De Voyage is a French animated film.  The film is a travel log for a European learning about the customs of the Malagasy culture and in particular the festival of Famadihana.  The animation is in the style of a children’s illustrated book.    As the travel log drawings come to life, with an amazing soundtrack the country and its people are revealed.  The film is beautiful and bewitching in its delivery.  The film has won numerous awards.   Madagascarwill be available for viewing the week of February 11 at the Tivoli Theater.

5 out of 5 stars.

The Confession

The Confession is a haunting short film.  The film starts with two people dragging a body through a wintery woodland.  A young boy, Sam, is facing his first confession and he is worried that he doesn’t have anything to confess.  Jacob, his friend, sets about helping Sam to have something to confess: an innocent prank that turns deadly. If I reveal any more, it would spoil the film.  The Confession puts together beautiful scenery, an eerie soundtrack and innocent children adding up to a terrific combination.  It is a British film directed by Tanel Toom and nominated for an Oscar for Live Action Short.  It won Best Foreign Film by the Student Academy Awards and The Student’s Jury Prize from France.  The Confessionwill be available for viewing the week of February 11 at the Tivoli Theater.

5 out of 5 stars

The Crush

The Crush is a truly disturbing film.  A second grader is in love with his teacher.  He presents her with a ring and she teasingly asks him if they are going to get married.  The boy takes her seriously. He then runs into her while out shopping with his mother, and discovers that she has become engaged to someone else.  The film then takes a sinister turn. The boy challenges the boyfriend to a duel.  The situation that ensues is dramatic and terrifying.  The Crush is an Irish film directed by Michael Creagh.  The film won Special Jury Prize at Tribeca.  It also won Best Irish Short at the Foyle Film Festival. The Crush will be available for viewing the week of February 11 at the Tivoli Theater.

5 out of 5 stars

Wish 143

Wish 143 deals with an uncomfortable topic.  It is about a 15 year old boy who is dealing with terminal cancer.  The film is about this boy’s wish.  The wish is totally inappropriate according to the granting charity.  What David wants is one hour alone with a naked girl. The twists and turns that he takes with the help of the hospital priest are touching and poignant.  The film is exceptional. The acting is superb.   This UK film was directed by Ian Barnes. It won awards for Best Short Film in the British Independent Film Festival and Best Short Film (Longform) in London Rushes Film Festival and Audience Awards from the Palm Springs Shortsfest 2010. Wish 143 will be available for viewing the week of February 11 at the Tivoli Theater.

5 out of 5 stars

God of Love

God of Love is terrific short film.  The combination of the soundtrack and black and white cinematography sets the mood and feeling of the film. The hero of the film is a dart throwing jazz singer, and he wants love. He prays for a solution to his problem and he receives a gift from Olympus.  If I tell any more it will spoil the film.  This USA film was directed by Luke Matheny  and it has won numerous awards. God of Love will be available for viewing the week of February 11 at the Tivoli Theater.

5 out of 5 stars

Na Wewe

Na Wewe is a Belgium film set in 1994 in Burundi, a country bordering on Rwanda.  A white man’s car breaks down and he is aided by a van full of local people.  As they travel down the road the white man makes inappropriate comments about the native population and suddenly gunfire erupts.  Everyone is ducking trying to avoid the line of fire.  The van is stopped and all members are forced out except for the white man.  The rebels attacking the van are intent on discovering who is a Hutu or a Tutsi. As they try to figure out who is who, frustration on the rebel’s side is in turn terror on the passenger’s side.  The film was written by someone who lived through the experience.  Na Wewe is a very tense film. The film will be available for viewing the week of February 11 at the Tivoli Theater.

5 out of 5 stars

Let’s Pollute

Let’s Pollute is in the style of a 1950-60’s educational film.  It stresses the importance of polluting and how it keeps our economy going.  The blight of today is the future of tomorrow.  Let’s Pollute is a USA entry and has won the Best Animated Film in the Orlando Film Festival 2009 and Muddy Film Festival 2010.  Let’s Pollute will be available for viewing the week of February 11 at the Tivoli Theater.

3 out of 5 stars

Review: ANOTHER YEAR

ANOTHER YEAR is a quiet and thoughtful film.  If you like to people watch then this is the film for you.  The film is about now and not how or why. There are no car chases, explosions or special effects.  The film is slow to start and in the beginning it is difficult to figure out who the main characters are: people come and go for no apparent reason. The film is a glimpse into the life of Tom (Jim Broadbent) and Geri (Ruth Sheen), a happily married couple, and their friends, co-workers and family.

Tom and Geri are delightful to watch, and the interplay between them is warm and comfortable and it is juxtaposed against the unhappiness of the other characters. Geri works with Mary (Lesley Manville), a middle aged divorcee who is unable to except her age or her status in life.  Ken (Peter Wight), a boyhood friend of Tom’s, is unhappy both professionally and personally.  Friends of Joe (Oliver Maltman), Tom and Geri’s thirty something son, are all getting married and Joe has yet to find someone special. The acting is superb; the awkwardness of the situations that the characters find themselves is beautifully portrayed in their body language and facial expressions. Some situations are resolved in the year while others are left hanging but the film is a gentle reminder that life goes on no matter what. The film is beautiful in its use of the garden as a metaphor for the passing of time. Tom, Geri and company are a welcome visit to a friend’s home.

ANOTHER YEAR was written and directed by Michael Leigh.  Lesley Manville won Best Actress from the National Board of Review USA.  Jim Broadbent was nominated for Best Actor by The British Independent Film Awards, as was Ruth Sheen for Best Actress, Lesley Manville for Best Supporting Actress and Michael Leigh for Best Director.   Another Year is a Landmark Theater exclusive and will be shown at Plaza Frontenac starting February 4.

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Try It Out Thursday: THE ANIMAL KINGDOM

Saturday night, I was scouting around trying to find something to watch that interested me. Cable was the same old reruns of old television shows and movies. I wanted something I hadn’t seen before. I wanted a new adventure, so I turned to Netflix. I stumbled upon a film from 1932 that intrigued me; THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. The cast included Lesley Howard (best known as Ashley Wilkes from GONE WITH THE WIND), Myrna Loy (best known from the THIN MAN series) and Ann Harding.

The story revolves around the characters of Tom Collier (Lesley Howard), Daisy Sage (Ann Harding) and Cee Henry (Myrna Loy). Tom is a free thinker and has been living that lifestyle; enjoying art and only publishing books that he actually would want to read. Tom thinks that it is time to become respectable so he announces his engagement, but it is not to longtime girlfriend Daisy but to Cee, a New York socialite. Cee represents everything that he has been running away from in his father’s world. It doesn’t take him too long after the marriage to realize the mistake that he has made. Cee shows herself to be conniving and deceitful while Daisy only wants what is best for Tom. Tom must choose between his desire for Cee and Daisy. Which one fulfills him more as a person? The acting is stellar.

The film is a bit stilted; it is an adaptation of a staged play that was filmed. The film touches on topics of premarital sex, adultery, love and friendship. It is the film version of a Philip Barry play. This film was the first of three of his plays to be filmed: HOLIDAY (1938) and THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940). It is interesting to see Myrna Loy as an unsympathetic character. She usually plays someone the audience likes, but it is hard to like or root for her here. Lesley Howard plays a much more interesting character than I have seen him portray before; here he is multi-dimensional and interesting.

This film is not from the beginning of either of their careers but it is a footnote to things to come. I am glad that I found it. I love HOLIDAY and THE PHILADELPHIA STORY and was glad to discover another film written by Phillip Barry. THE ANIMAL KINGDOM is available on Netflix instant stream. Enjoy.

Try It Out Thursday: IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT

I would not be a movie geek if it weren’t for classic movies.  My dad was a huge movie buff and would see something on the tv that the family had to sit down and watch. And that was my introduction to classic movies.  I am going to pass along some titles that I think are must sees.  If you have recommendations for me I would love to hear from you.

One of my favorite movie genres is the screwball comedy. Screwball comedies have a set of defining characteristics: rapid dialogue, nonsensical situations and some form of courtship that leads to marriage or remarriage. Many of these characteristics are evident in today’s Romantic Comedies.  Its beginning is credited with the film IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT in 1934. The film starred Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert.  It was directed by Frank Capra. The story revolves around an heiress, Ellie Andrews (Claudette Colbert) who defies her father, Alexander Andrews (Walter Connelly), by marrying a fortune hunter, King Westley (Jameson Thomas).  The father wants to annul the marriage, so Ellie runs away, by bus, loses all her money and meets up with a journalist, Peter Warne (Clark Gable).  The situations that arise along the journey from Florida to New York are hilarious.   This movie is also credited with making undershirts unpopular.  Watch the film to discover why.  The film was a sleeper at the box office but word of mouth helped to make it the top box office success for Paramount.  It went on to win 5 Academy Awards: Outstanding Production, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director and Best Writing Adaptation.  If you haven’t seen the film, let me know how you like it.  If you have seen it, watch it again and enjoy.

Review: THE KING’S SPEECH

THE KING’S SPEECH is a film starring Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush. The film is directed by Tom Hooper, based on an original screenplay written by David Seidler. At the death of King George V (Michael Gambon) and the subsequent abdication of his brother, King Edward the VIII (Guy Pearce), Bertie (Colin Firth) becomes King of England.

Bertie has not been trained to be king but an even bigger problem faces him; he is plagued by a debilitating stammer and is unable to address the kingdom in a radio broadcast at this crucial time of impending war with Germany. His wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) goes in search of a solution. They try numerous speech therapists, but all are failures – until she discovers Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), a speech therapist with unorthodox methods to help stammerers obtain their voice. With Lionel’s help and his methods of therapy, Bertie finds his voice and transforms into the kingdom’s much needed leader.

The friendship that develops between these two men is a lifelong one. The film is brilliant – the frustration and embarrassment that Bertie feels every time he has to perform in public conveyed first in a radio address with the technicians hanging on to his every halting word to a stadium filled with people looking anywhere but at the struggling speaker. Colin Firth is fantastic in this role showing both the decorum and humanity surrounding Bertie’s position as King. The verbal banter between Bertie and Lionel is heartbreaking and humorous. The film does a great job in illustrating both the public and the private sides of a royal life.

The playful interchanges between the King and his daughters are contrasted with the harsh and critical interplays that Bertie has with his father, King George V, before his death. Helena Bonham Carter is loving, royal, supportive and kind in her role. She is fantastic in showing the pain that she feels towards her husband’s affliction and her unrelenting desire to find a solution. THE KING’S SPEECH is a great testament to the relationship that this family had together and probably what helped bolster up their country during the war. It is well worth the time and you will probably see me in the middle of the theater for a second viewing.

5 out of 5 stars.

SLIFF 2010 Review: PRISONER OF HER PAST

PRISONER OF HER PAST is a documentary about a son’s journey to discover the truth about his mother’s youth as a holocaust survivor.  Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune Jazz critic, knows that his mother survived the holocaust but not how and or why. Sonja Reich was a somewhat normal functioning person until she ran out of her house, suitcase in hand, one night insisting that someone was going to shoot her in the head. Sonja Reich ends up in a nursing home and she is reliving her days under the Nazis’ Regime. She is diagnosed with late onset Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Sonja is in denial about her life; she does not recognize photos of herself from a young age or remember anything about that time.  Howard Reich starts his journey to discover his mother’s past by seeking out relatives near and far.

Finally his journey takes him back to Dubno, Ukraine with his mom’s cousin, Leon.  Leon is also a survivor but he likes to speak about his experiences almost as if he is at peace with his memories. Her cousin’s family escaped as a unit but first the mother and then the father is murdered.  Leon and his older sister find help with a farmer and his wife who take them in, nurture them and send them to school. Howard and Leon visit the family home, the ghetto and the point of departure from where they escaped from the ghetto.  Sonja’s mother sent her out of a window to escape into a world alone; not knowing who she could trust or how to survive but she did.  Sonja has never spoken about her experiences with her children.  They only know that she would check and recheck the door locks multiple times before standing vigil at night while they slept.  Sonja speaks about the past because it is now her present.

PRISONER OF HER PAST is a fascinating story of the holocaust and how different people survived but also how the effects can be seen many years later.  Sonja blocked the entire experience and never learned to deal with it, while her cousin, Leon was able to find a family that took him in a re-established the family unit.  The documentary is both touching and yet so sad.  The effects of the Holocaust for some have never ended.

PRISONER OF HER PAST will play during the 19th Annual Stella Artois St. Louis International Film Festival on Sunday, November 21st at 1:30 pm at the Plaza Frontenac Cinema.

5 out of 5 stars.

SLIFF 2010 Review: MY PERESTROIKA

MY PERESTROIKA is a Russian documentary that follows five individuals who came of age at the time of the break-up of the Soviet Union.  The individuals reflect back on their school days and life under the Soviet regime and after the dissolution of the USSR.  Borya and his wife are school teachers in Moscow #57.  Their son attends this school and this is the school that Borya attended as a youth.  We meet up with other classmates of Borya’s; Ogla, Ruslan, and Andrei.   Olga is an unmarried mom who is a billiards table service technician.  Ruslan is a musician; he does not have a steady job but works on the sly for cash only jobs.  Andrei is a businessman who owns a western style clothing store; many of the jobs that he has held would not have been possible under the old Soviet system.  The documentary shows the individual’s reminiscences through home movies.  Each in their turn speaks about the differences in their life between the before and after of the Soviet Union.  Borya and his wife took part in the demonstrations held in front of the White House in Moscow.  It is very interesting to hear firsthand how the demonstrations actually were and how they impacted the outcome of the military coup and the subsequent break-up of the USSR.

MY PERESTROIKA is an interesting look into life of the Soviet Union verses Russia from the individual’s perspectives.  I found the documentary interesting and well balanced.  I thought that the use of old newsreels and home movies really illustrated the point that was being made throughout the narration.   I found the narration of Borya, his wife, Andrei and Ruslan very interesting.  Olga was a little less informative. .  The biggest revelation for me was just how much alike our childhoods were; being excited about the first day of school, playing with friends and hanging out with your parents.  I was also surprised by Borya’s wife explaining that the students did not mean to all be alike but that it just happened because that was what made a perfect Soviet Citizen.  I really enjoyed the home movies and how they played off of the official news reel.  Other than the home movies, the documentary is shot pretty straight forward.  If you are interested in the history, cultural or social environment of the Soviet Union and its dissolution, you will find this documentary interesting.

MY PERESTROIKA will play during the 19th Annual Stella Artois St. Louis International Film Festival on Saturday, November 20th at 3:30 pm at the Tivioli Theatre.

SLIFF 2010 Review: MADE IN INDIA

MADE IN INDIA is a joint US-India documentary directed by Rebecca Haimowita & Vaishali Sinha. The film is about an American couple who are dealing with their infertility and their subsequent journey to use an Indian surrogate. The documentary is told from the American couple’s point of view and of that of the Indian surrogate. The couple explains how long they have been trying to become pregnant and with the latest results find that they are unable to conceive.

They next investigate the cost of surrogacy in the United States, to discover about a world-wide surrogacy program. Interspersed is the story of the Indian woman, her husband is unable to earn enough money to support the family and how she would like to put money away for her children’s future. The documentary is well balanced in giving the views from many sides of the issue; genetic parent’s rights, surrogate’s rights, the rights of the newborn babies, the birth country’s rights, and the business side.

The documentary is a fantastic emotional and scientific journey of an infertile couple and the surrogate. It explored the issue from many different points of view and gave a balanced report. I found the documentary informative and interesting.

MADE IN INDIA will play during the 19th Annual Stella Artois St. Louis International Film Festival on Saturday, November 20th at 1:15 pm at the Plaza Frontenac Cinema.

5 out of 5 stars

SLIFF 2010 Review: THE QUEEN OF HEARTS


* This review contains some spoilers. *

THE QUEEN OF HEARTS is a French film set in Paris.  The story revolves around Adele, a twenty-something women whose boyfriend has just dumped her.  She goes into a deep depression and her cousin, Rachel tries to help. Rachel gives Adele a place to live and finds her a job.  She meets Pierre, then Jacques, but Adele still cannot get over her depression, until she meets Paul – it is love at first sight.  Or, so Adele thinks.

The film has Adele having one misstep after another; she can’t pay her grocery bill, boys throw water balloons on her, and someone smashes her ice cream cone into her face.  Whenever Adele is speaking about her loves, she breaks into song.  Adele is a true romantic who gives up herself to her would be lovers to no success.  The ones that love are either married or too young and every one of her loves looks exactly the same (played by the same actor).  At last, Adele has made the biggest mistake ever and has a complete breakdown; her cousin decides to send her to NYC to get well.  There with the help of another French woman, Adele finds that it is her inability to admit that she is wrong that is the real problem.  She returns to Paris, to restart her life and finds Pierre changed.

THE QUEEN OF HEARTS is a stupid movie.  It is so completely unbelievable that it is hard to feel anything for the characters.  The film used many fade ins and outs from the silent movie era, almost as if you, the viewer, are too stupid to figure out which character is important.  I was waiting for it to end.

THE QUEEN OF HEARTS will play during the 19th Annual Stella Artois St. Louis International Film Festival on Friday, November 19th at 7:00 pm and on Saturday, November 20 th at 3:30 pm at Plaza Frontenac Cinema.

SLIFF 2010 Review: SUMMER IN GENOA


SUMMER IN GENOA starts out with a mother and her two daughters traveling down the highway playing a game guessing what color the next oncoming car will be. The younger daughter, Mary (Perla Haney-Jardin), is incorrect for every passing car but the older daughter, Kelly (Willa Holland), is correct every time. Mary then covers Kelly’s eyes to make sure that she is not peeking and Kelly continues to be correct. Mary becomes frustrated and covers the mother’s eyes while she is driving resulting in a deadly car crash. The film is about the different ways each member of this family deals with the mother’s death. The father, Joe (Colin Firth) decides to leave the confines of their home and country and take a teaching job in Genoa, Italy. Kelly resents her little sister for the changes in the family life; the mother’s death and the move. Mary retreats into a fantasy world in which she has encounters with her mother. The move seems on the surface to be a good one but Joe is unaware of Kelly’s behavior toward her sister and herself and Mary’s guilt over the mother’s death.

SUMMER IN GENOA is beautifully filmed. The vistas and streets of the old town are a good backdrop for the confusion and distraught that the family is experiencing. The tangled streets, the unsavory characters along the way, and the girls’ inability to take the same route home add to the sense of loss that they are experiencing; loss of home, mother, and life’s direction. The acting on the part of Perla Haney- Jardin and Willa Holland brought poignancy and angst to the film; light-hearted days spent at the beach but at night terrors in sleep.

Colin Firth is amazing in his ability to show the horror of the situation in which he finds himself and the drive to make everything seem okay, but also his denial of what actually is happening to himself and his daughters. When Joe’s longtime friend, Barbara (Catherine Keener), tries to talk to him about the need for the girls to have therapy, Joe becomes completely withdrawn and unwilling to discuss this with her. As far as he is concerned, they are just fine. It almost takes a tragedy for the family to pull together and rejoin forces to help each other survive. I enjoyed this film; it was very suspenseful and poignant. It had me on the edge of my seat worrying about the safety of the girls; one getting lost in a strange city and another careening down winding streets, drunk on the back of a motor scooter. Colin Firth, once again, does a stellar job acting in this film but then I haven’t seen a film of his that I didn’t like. I find him completely believable in the roles he chooses and never once think about him as the actor, as he becomes the character he is portraying.

SUMMER IN GENOA was nominated and won the Silver Seashell from the San Sebastian Film Festival 2008 for Best Director Michael Winterbottom. It also was nominated and won for Best Director Jury Prize at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.

SUMMER IN GENOA will play during the 19th Annual Stella Artois St. Louis International Film Festival on Friday, November 19th at 9:15 pm and on Sunday, November 21st at 4:00 pm at the Plaza Frontenac Cinema.