Drama

The life of young and talented provincial disk jockey Denis Orlov is more like a fairy tale. He has got completely everything: success, money, beloved girl, true friends as well as ambitions. Denis dreams about moving to the capital of Russia, where he expect to meet the unlimited career opportunities. His dreams break, when guy firstly decides to participate in the drugs deal in order to earn some extra money.

The life of the hero changes very fast as soon as he becomes the member of the gangster`s grouping of Verner. Denis is afraid to lose the career, his girl and even his own life. To stay alive after he spoiled the drugs operation Denis has to clear by working his debt to the gangsters. The only his desire now is to break away from this horror!

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Directed by:

Valeriy Todorovskiy

Cast:

Maxim Matveyev, Fedor Bondarchuk, Alexey Serebryakov, Igor Voynarovskiy, Anton Shagin, Yekaterina Vilkova, Sergey Volobuyev, Yevgeniya Hirivskaya, Sergey Pirnyak, Denis Balandin, Denis Yasik

Production:

Krasnaya strela, Russia, 2007

Feature:

Drama, Criminal, Detective

Duration:

124 min.

Frankly, widely-advertised before the demonstration in 2006 “Hunt for Piranha”, was not the film everybody liked. Mostly the audience disliked the trite technique, when in the film`s ending the superhero kills hundred of enemies in no time and stays alive. But the whole impression from the film is quite good.

At least we have learned to make films! Surely, this fact was understood before the “piranha”, but the film of Andrey Kavun strengthened this opinion.

According to the story of the film, the special subdivision member Kiril is going to taiga with his colleague Olga in order to render the dangerous arms on the China border. But situation goes out of the control and as he result the couple together with the rest of uninvited guests is caught by Prokhor, who is according to his words the master of taiga hunting for people. Obviously the hero of Mironov couldn`t help of chasing for this “batch” of targets.

Trailer:

Directed by:

Andrey Kavun

Cast:

Vladimir Mashkov, Yevgeniy Mironov, Svetlana Antonova, Sergey Garmash, Andrey Merzlikin, Mikhail Yefremof, Viktoriya Isakova, Alexey Gorbunov

Directed by:

Central Partnership, Russia, 2006

Feature:

Action, Drama,Adventure

Duration:

125 min.

Yevgeniy Vetrov is a successful neurosurgeon with vast experience and great skills. It`s quite nalural, that development of the career and business acknowledgement meets the competitors` envy and desire to ruin his life. In the significant for the Vetrov`s clinic day he looses his wife, brutally killed in the own place, and falls under suspicion of law-enforcement agency. Moreover, there exists the evidence of crime stating the doctor`s guilt.

As you can understand from the film`s name he escapes being transported under guard to Siberia. His aim is to find the committer of a crime and punish him with his own hands, if justice is unable. The experienced detective Pakhomov has another aim –at any rate to find Vetrov. Only he wants to do this for private purposes.

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Directed by:

Yegor Konchalovsky

Cast:

Yevgeniy Mironov, Alexey Serebryakov, Viktoriya Tolstoganova, Lyubov Tolkalina , Alexander Mokhov, Yuriy Belyayev, Andrey Smolyakov, Sergey Astakhov, Natalya Arinbasova

Production:

Central Partnership, Russia, 2005

Feature:

Drama,Adventure, Action, Detective

Duration:

110 min.

As I`ve already told in one of my previous posts, I `m not against Gosha Kutsenko. Moreover, I admire his diligence and ability to act in several films at the same time. Thus for the last six years the actor played in thirty films, in the majority of them – he was a star or co-star.

This time is not an exception. The hero of Gosha, Max meets the French princess find herself in Russia due to her temper. His first intention to use this acquaintance exceptionally for business purposes collapse, because very soon he falls in love, that benets him rather firmly.

In general the film is a quite mediocre remake of the William Wyler`s “Roman Holiday” made in 1953. But nevertheless it succeeded to collect more than 7,5 mln USD for the two months being showing in cinemas, that thrice exceeds the film`s budget.

Trailer:

Directed by:

Alexander Chernyayev

Cast:

Yelena Polyakova, Gosha Kutsenko, Tatyana Vasilyeva, Gerard Depardieu, Oskar Kuchera, Nina Usatova

Production:

НТV-Kino, Russia, 2008

Feature:

Comedy, Drama

Duration:

96 min.

Together with some other Russian films made during the last five-six years “Flash.ka” is a good reason to criticize the newest history of cinematograph creators because of their complete lack of talent.

As for me, “Flash.ka”could be classified as unobtrusive drama with the elements of action, but not as garbage as the hot-tempered critics would like to present it. But the film story fairly could be called banal. Andrey, big company coworker comes to know about the unfaithfulness of his own wife, being also the manager of the company he works in. Threatening by the weapon the guy decides to escape together with the company account manager Kotik and valuable flash disk containing the information about 320 mln USD machination.

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Directed by:

Georgiy Shengeliya

Cast:

Yekaterina Guseva, Yevgeniy Stychkin, Andrey Tashkov, Ilya Shakunov

Production:

Vox Video, Russia, 2006

Feature:

Drama, Criminal

Duration:

105 min.

In the faraway part of the world live ordinary people. Alex (Konstantin Lavrinenko), her wife Vera (Mariya Bonnevye), brother Mark (Alexander Baluyev), friend Kir (Maxim Shibayev) and two children. Together with wife and children Alex goes to the country house. There his wife weeps bitterly and then lets him know about her new pregnancy. “This child is not yours,” sounds the verdict to the happy family future. It is total mess in the head of Alex. Who is the father? Mark? Kir? Who should be blamed and killed? Impossibility to find out the truth drives him into the gloomy state. One by one slow but surprising events causes the terrible tragedy.

The second film by Andrey Zvyagintsev is endless (two hours and a half) as well as beautiful. Honestly, in the Russian cinematograph history, including also the Soviet period, one could hardly find the same trendy, visually filigree film. “The Expulsion” - is the benefit performance of the brilliant operator Mikhail Krichman. The particular pleasure brings to the viewer the film`s cast. It should be mentioned, that film is based on the story of William Saroyan and touches upon the subjects of mutual understanding in the triangle Man-Woman-God. According to the European critics Andrey Zvyagintsev was called due to “The Expulsion” the descendant of Tarkovsky and Bergman. If you are able to bear the 150 minutes of this parable, you would definitely appreciate this film.

Trailer:

Directed by:

Andrey Zvyagintsev

Cast:

Konstantin Lavronenko, Alexander Baluyev, Maxim Shibayev, Mariya Bonnevye, Yekaterina Kulkina, Yelena Lyadova, Andrey Shibarshin, Dmitriy Ulyanov, Alexey Vertkov

Production:

Hélicotronc, REN FILM, Russia, 2007

Feature:

Drama

Duration:

150 min.

In the small seaside city there live two bothers Andrey (Vladimir Garin) and Ivan (Ivan Dobronravov). They quarrel and make peace, potter like any other teenagers. The boys are brought up by the women: mother and grandmother. Once their father (Knstantin Lavronenko) comes back home after a long absence. The boys meet him in different way: the elder Andrey with delight and Ivan “charges with bayonet”. In the morning father takes them to fishing. The long way is full of dramatic dialogs and deeds. The father`s behaviour starts to threaten brothers. For a minute the stream of negative emotions leads to the tragedy.

Andrey Zvyagintsev`s film debute causes the real sensation of the year 2003 in Europe. The film was awarded by the Golden Lion in Venice Film Festival and received the French César award as the best foreign film. Unfortunately, the gifted film recognition was darkened by the fact, that actor Vladimir Garin, who played Andrey, drowned shortly after the end of shooting in a lake nearby. “The Return” tells us about the unusual triangle “son-father-son” broken under the weight of misunderstanding. Father wants his sons to become the “man’s men” in his own interpretation. The boys merely need a father`s love, the warmth of his heart. It`s impossible to reach a compromise, so the death comes on the stage. The dénouement makes the viewer to sit silently in the state of stupor.

Trailer:

Directed by:

Andrey Zvyagintsev

Cast:

Vladimir Garin, Ivan Dobronravov, Konstantin Lavronenko, Natalya Vdovina, Galina Petrova

Production:

REN FILM, Russia, 2003

Feature:

Drama

Duration:

105 min.

It was the first film after the Soviet Union disintegration from which the rapid development of the Russian cinematograph started. Undoubtedly the Russia succeeded in good cinema making also before the “sniper”, but especially the creature of the Stanislav Govorukhin was noticed by the rest of the world. The film is considered to be brilliant due to the Mikhail Ulyanov, who received a great number of awards for the role of Ivan Fedorovich, and also due to its plot.

Three fellows raped the girl being sure in one`s impunity. This was the normal situation for the Russia of 90-ties. The grandpa of the girl after the inactivity of law enforcement agencies decides to take the law into his own hands. But how could the one to set justice in gangster 90-ties?

Trailer:

Directed by:

Stanislav Govorukhin

Cast:

Mikhail Ulyanov, Anna Sinyakina, Alexander Porokhovshchikov, Sergey Garmash, Iryna Rozanova, Marat Basharov, Alexey Makarov, Ilya Drevnov, Vladislav Galkin

Production:

Profit, Russia, 1999

Feature:

Drama

Duration:

97 min.

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