Archive for November, 2008

There are 12 jurymen. The majority of them are in the court for the first time. Each of them has his own life story and personal views – they are completely different. One of jurymen has graduated from Oxford and soon is going to launch the reality-show, another one is a scientist- inventor, the third one works in the underground. It is doubtful, whether they could meet somewhere, but if they would, definitely they wouldn`t even notice each other. But now the destiny of the Chechen boy, who even doesn`t speaks Russian is in their hands. Possibly, the boy has killed his stepfather, the Russian officer.

Results of the voting: 11- pro, 1 – contra. How is that, everything seemed to be so clear. “Don`t you understand, this is for life,” says that one. The main problem, that the decision should be accepted by everyone. So once again they have to examine everything, to look through the protocols, to rebuild the locus delicti. At the same time each of twelve recollects his own life disastrous moments.

The Mikhalkov`s film is more likely to be the performance, that takes place in the school gym, because the court building hasn`t been still repaired. Each person corresponds to some kind of people, reflecting the entire kaleidoscope of images. One possesses something from Bulgakov`s famous character Sharikov, the other is so charming like Arkadi Rajkin. “The Twelve” makes us to think and draws our attention to the realities of the time. Based on the “12 Angry Man”, the movie produced by Sydney Lumet in 1957, Mikhalkov created new, modern and very Russian film

Trailer:

Directed by:

Nikita Mikhalkov

Cast:

Sergey Makovetski
Nikita Mikhalkov
Sergey Garmash
Valentin Gaft
Alexey Petrenko
Juriy Stoyanov
Sergey Gazarov
Mikhail Efremov
Alexey Gorbunov
Sergey Artsibashev

Production:

TriTe Studio, Russia, 2007

Feature:

Drama, Psychologic thriller

Duration:

140 min.

“We sailors must stand shoulder to shoulder with the workers in the first ranks of the revolution!” says sailor Vakulichuk to the sailor Matyushenko in the beginning of the film. The mutiny on the Battleship Potemkin scene was going to become the part of the great epopee “The Year 1905” ordered in the honour of the first soviet revolution twentieth anniversary. But fortunately it concentrated the images and ideas of the abandoned epopee. Its bright romantic images full of grotesque can truly fascinate. Our contemporaries could hardly imagine such overall faith into the radiant future created by one`s own hands, and believe into the all-triumphant good.

“The Battleship Potemkin” continues to surprise and inspire people all over the world. In the end of last century twenties the German avant-gardist photographers from Bauhaus were keen on the film`s close-ups. And already in 2006 Pet Shop Boys presented their concert «Pancerkruezer Potemkin» in Dresden to be the film`s soundtrack. The best among the first and the first among the best the Battleship Potemkin continues its triumphant procession with the flapping red flag.

Film fragment:

Directed by:

Sergey Ezenshtern, Grygory Alexandrov

Cast:

Alexander Antonov
Vladimir Barsky
Grygory Alexandrov
Mikhail Gomorov
Vladimir Uralskiy
Andrey Fajt

Production:

Mosfilm, USSR, 1925

Duration:

75 min.

Feature:

Historical drama

The weather was wonderful; the sun was shining brightly, Petersburg was going to celebrate its 300th anniversary. Olya slammed the car`s door and went for a walk along the radiant Nevsky avenue. «Hi, how are you?» asked Alyosha lost in contemplation of her. Firstly the girl didn`t want to keep up the ball, but Alyosha was persistent. And then they walked along the Nevsky, flirted, bought tickets to leave for Moscow at night. Olya told, how she imagined herself to be the Bill Clinton, how she loved horses and why it was impossible for her to sit down. Alyosha was surprised by the exact psychological characteristics Olya gave to the people around and to him also. Alyosha complained, that he had no luck with the girls. According to the words of Alyosha his best friend Petya could easily read the girls like a book. In order to prove Petya that love from first sight exists and that Olya is quite different from the previous girls, they agreed to meet Petya on the Dvortsovaya square.

Together they will walk through the city in real-time, find themselves in the crowd of joyous zenitovtsi, run up the Isakievsky sobor, come upon the Gipsy in tram and lose their money. They will also quarrel and make peace, will be caught in the rain…but all along the viewer might feel that Olya is holding something back…

Directed by:

Alexey Uchitel

Scenario:

Dunya Smirnova

Camera operators:

Yuriy Klimenko, Pavel Kostomarov

Cast:

Iryna Pegova, Pavel Barshak, Yeugeniy Tsiganov, Yeugeniy Grishkovets, Karen Badalov, Madlen Dzhabrailova, Andrey Kazakov, Alexey Kolubkov, Mikhail Krylov, Yekaterina Krupenina, Oleg Nyryan, Natalya Kurdyubova, Kseniya Kutepova, Polina Kutepova, Kirill Pirogov, Sergey Puskepalis, Tagir Nahimov, Yuriy Stepanov, Galina Tyunina, Rustem Yuskayev

Production:

TPO “Rok” with the assistance of Cinematography service by the Ministry of culture of Russian Federation, Russia, 2003

Feature:

Melodrama, Romantic comedy

Duration:

90 min.

The ordinary night in Moscow. Four people are sitting in the bar, the barmen and three occasional visitors. It is easy to start talking; as usual everyone likes to speak about himself. But the truth is often not that sort of thing, the one would easily share with the stranger.

“You are likely to be the musician, aren`t You?” Marina asks. “Oh no, I`m the chemist, the geneticist,” musician says.

And then he tells about his business trip to the village of clones. It appears, that it is better to clone in fours, that`s why in the village there are four identical blacks, four identical young girls, etc.

Later on they parted and the life took its normal course. But the film creators decided to draw our attention to the trivial parts of life: the usual sounds (the sound of street sprinkler, the door squeaks); the usual moribund village inhabited by the old women only; the usual clubhouse, where everyone looks like each other; the usual quadruplets, whose sister had died; the usual round piglets…

Trailer:

Directed by:

Ilya Khrzhanovsky

Filmocom/ Hubert Bals Foundation, Russia, Netherlands, 2004

Feature:

Drama, Mysticism

Duration:

185 min.

She just lived far away in the steppe in the broiling sun. Or existed only? She has got a husband, a daughter and an angry dog. She met Him on the friend`s wedding once and both feel irresistible attraction to each other. They don`t know what to do now. Her husband knows. Everything is quite easy. If the dog bitted of the daughter`s finger - it should be cut and the dog should be shot down. If the wife wants to leave – the house should be burned out and… well, he knows what to do then.

The “Euphoria” has a spirit of Platonism. They are walking through the boundless steppe to nowhere towards their destiny. One can’t joke with his destiny and can’t escape from it. In response to every step could be heard sounding of eternity, in each frame of this wonderful film.

Trailer:

Directed by:

Ivan Vyrypaev

Cast:

Maxim Ushakov
Mikhail Okunev
Polina Agureyeva

Production:

Pervoye Kinopartnerstvo, 2plan2, Russia, 2006

Duration:

74 min.

Official site:

http://eng.euphoria-film.com

Feature:

Drama

The epic blockbuster about the great ruler and commander Temujin, better known as Genghis Khan. “A weak young shouldn`t be despised – he could turn out into a tiger`s son”, - states the Mongolian proverb. The boy Temujin overcame the hunger, humiliation, servitude and became the sovereign of the world. He was hunted and betrayed. Everything was surmounted by the man, whose mind and power seemed superhuman. The love of Borte, first beloved wife of Genghis Khan, was the solid support no one could take away from him. This is the story of the man, which became a legend. “The Mongolian” is going to become not only a box-office hit, but also one of the large-scale Russian films since “War and Peace” by Sergey Bondarchuk.

Trailer:

Directed by:

Sergey Bodrov (Sr.)

Cast:

Tadanobu Asano
Ying Bai
Honglei Sun
Aliya

Production:

STV, Russia, 2007

Official site:

http://www.mongolfilm.ru/site/en/

Duration:

120 min.

Feature:

Drama / History

Petersburg is not merely a city, it really could be a spiritual being, sometimes the same cheerful, sunny and romantic like in this movie. But even in this movie it reminds its origin and sucks down (not without reason it was built on the bog). For example, the young architect Maxim, working like famous Platonov as a street cleaner, wins a contest and has a promising possibility to go to Germany, but he wouldn’t make up his mind to do this.

At that time, Masha, full of energy, cheerful and very unusual girl, who is working a DJ on the Peter FM radio, is going to marry her time-tested serious and sober-minded playfellow. Suddenly the chance (it could be inspired by Peter) helps them to make such important life decisions: Masha accidentally looses her mobile phone and Maxim accidentally finds it.

Trailer:

Directed by:

Oksana Bychkova

Cast:

Yevgeny Tsyganov, Yekaterina Fedulova, Alexei Barabash, Natalia Reva, Irina Rakhmanov, Vladimir Mashkov, Alexander Bashirov, Tatyana Kravchenko, Kirill Pirogov, Robert Gorodetsky, Artyom Semakin, Andrei Krasko, Pavel Barshak

Production:

STS, Profit, Protel, Russia, 2006

Feature:

Melodrama, Romantic comedy

Duration:

85 min.

Official Site:

http://www.piter-fm.ru/

Once upon a time there lived three friends – unacknowledged painter (Andrew) and two translators (Garik and Styopik). One day uncomprehending Andrew`s father decides, that it is right time for his son to get married, inherit the father’s sweets factory and make his home in the interior. Surely real friends decide to help Andrew: together they run away by the tractor from the wedding and leave for Moscow. In the train Garik meets the girl with the last name Snezhynka and falls in love with her. Prankster-friends cheer her up during the way conquering the girl’s heart. The only problem is, that Snezhynka is married and lives in Holland. So, what shall they do now?

Trailer:

Directed by:

Pavel Bardin, Mger Mkrtachan

Cast:

Ivan Urgant
Daniel Spivakovsky
Ivan Stebunov
Emilia Spivak
Bogdan Stupka
Rimma Markova
Mikhail Efremov
Irina Kupchenko
Irina Slutskaya
Alexei Gorbunov

Production:

Film “SinePro”, Russia, 2007

Feature:

Romantic comedy

Duration:

90 min.

Young girl Galya comes to Moscow from the small city Shakhti. She dreams about the career of model with her photo to be placed on the cover of the fashionable gloss magazine Beauty. But to the opinion of the magazine’s chief editor Galya is lacking the suitable appearance, so she chooses the work of seamstress in the company of the famous fashion designer.

By chance she participates in one of the fashion shows as a model, right after that she is fired. But fortunately Galya becomes the assistant of the elite private agency owner. The agency specializes on the search of brides for rich men. Soon Galya also becomes one of such «elite brides».

Trailer:

Directed by:

Andrei Konchalovsky

Cast:

Yuliya Vysotskaya
Aleksandr Domogarov
Aleksei Serebryakov
Irina Rozanova

Production:

Central Partnership, Russia, 2007

Duration:

117 min.

Feature:

Comedy