(Oorlogswinter)
Netherlands 2009. Director: Martin Koolhoven
Cast: Martijn Lakemeier, Yorick van Wageningen, Jamie Campbell Bower, Raymond Thiry, Melody Klaver
“Dutch director Martin Koolhoven finds the perfect blend of classical cinema and art-house sensitivities in WWII coming-of-ager Winter in Wartime. The adaptation of [Jan Terlouw’s] popular youth novel portrays a 14-year-old lad’s brutal loss of innocence during the winter of 1944-45, when circumstances force him to become a one-man resistance movement. More about a teen than made for teens, the picture has been a huge hit in the Low Countries . . . Koolhoven is known as an actors' director with a knack for unearthing new talent. Here, he not only impresses with his work with 15-year-old newcomer Martijn Lakemeier but also shows an impressive command of the cinematic tools needed to turn a largely internal story into a gripping, at times epic blockbuster. The picture opens with a bang as Michiel (Lakemeier) spies a British plane going down in flames from his bedroom window . . . He subsequently discovers a now-crippled RAF pilot hiding out in the woods . . . The subtle screenplay remodels the 1972 novel but stays true to its essence, finding the right balance between a boy’s dream adventure and the sobering realities of war” (Boyd van Hoeij, Variety). Colour, 35mm, in English, Dutch and German with English subtitles. 103 mins.
All Ages Welcome! Warning: May not be suitable for preteens. Admission for minors (under 18) is $8.00 – no membership required. Regular admission/membership requirements in effect for adults 18+.
Hungary/Germany 2007. Director: FERENC TÖRÖK
Cast: Viktor BodÓ, Kata PetÕ, Hanns Zischler, EnikÕ Eszenyi, GÁbor MÁtÉ
In his much-anticipated third feature, Ferenc Török, director of the Hungarian hits Moscow Square and Eastern Sugar (screened in our 2006 EUFF), continues his exploration of the young generation that came of age after the fall of communism (the three films form a loose trilogy). Overnight recounts 24 eventful hours in the high-rolling, high-finance life of Peter (Viktor Bodó), a successful Budapest stockbroker suddenly faced with professional and personal challenges that threaten to turn his world upside down. A very important, very rich client wants to cash out all his money, which Peter has lost. Unless he can pull off a complex, multi-million-euro international deal, and do it quickly, Peter is sunk. To makes matters worse, someone has sent Peter an anonymous — and positive — pregnancy test. . . Colour, 35mm, in Hungarian and German with English subtitles. 92 mins.
France/Luxembourg/Belgium 2008. Director: Mabrouk El Mechri
Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, François Damiens, Zinedine Soualem, Karim Belkhadra, Jean-Francois Wolff
Aging action star Jean-Claude Van Damme, playing aging action star Jean-Claude Van Dame, gets his very own Being John Malkovich in the high-concept, hilariously tongue-in-cheek JCVD , a France-Luxembourg-Belgium co-production that proved a hit on the international festival circuit. The mock-Dog Day Afternoon plot has our unhappy hero, deep in the personal and professional doldrums, and jetlagged from a trip, caught up in an unfolding heist at the local post office. Van Damme is taken hostage by the robbers; the police figure the famous Belgian actor has snapped and is one of the bad guys. “Playful from its first moments . . . JCVD, a French-language meta-movie parody par excellence, constitutes the headiest stretch of the beefy star’s career since, well, ever. Playing ‘himself,’ i.e., an international action stud whose bruising child custody battle has him literally going postal, Van Damme reveals a heretofore hidden third dimension to his monosyllabic persona” (Variety). “The Muscles from Brussels in back! . . . A hilariously entertaining, surprising film. . . A rollicking action-comedy examination of the nature of fame . . . Both a madcap tribute to the star’s martial arts moves and an examination of the true essence of a hero” (Toronto I.F.F.). Colour, 35mm, in English and French with English subtitles. 97 mins.
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ADVANCE TICKETS
Available for credit card purchase on this website until 4pm the day of screening.
Screenings restricted to 18+ and require a Pacific Cinémathèque membership unless otherwise indicated.
SUNDAY, dec. 06 – 5:00 PM
