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2008 Venice International Film Festival Winners

Venice International Film Festival, known as the Biennale di Venezia takes place annually
in late August, early September and is known as the oldest Film Festival in the World.

Winners of the 2008 Venice International Film Festival are as follows: –

The Golden Lion (Best Film): – The Wrestler directed by Darren Aronofsky

The Silver Lion (Best Director): Aleksei German Jr. for Paper Soldier

Best Actor: Silvio Orlando – Giovanna’s Father

Best Actress: Dominique Blanc – L’Autre

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice_International_Film_Festival

2007 Venice International Film Festival Winners

Venice International Film Festival, known as the Biennale di Venezia takes place annually
in late August, early September and is the oldest Film Festival in the World.

Winners of the 2007 Venice International Film Festival are as follows: –

Golden Lion (Best Film): Lust, Caution directed by Ang Lee

Silver Lion (Best Director): Brian de Palma – Redacted

Best Actor: Brad Pitt – The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Best Actress: Cate Blanchett – I’m Not There

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice_International_Film_Festival

2006 Venice International Film Festival Winners

Venice International Film Festival, known as the Biennale di Venezia takes place annually
in late August, early September and is the oldest Film Festival in the World.

Winners of the 2006 Venice International Film Festival are as follows: –

Golden Lion (Best Film): Still Life directed by Jia Zhangke

Silver Lion (Best Director): Alain Resnais for Coeurs (also known as Private Fears in Public Places)

Best Actor: Ben Affleck – Hollywoodland

Best Actress: Helen Mirren – The Queen

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice_International_Film_Festival

2005 Venice International Film Festival Winners

Venice International Film Festival, known as the Biennale di Venezia takes place annually
in late August, early September and is the oldest Film Festival in the World.

Winners of the 2005 Venice International Film Festival are as follows: –

Golden Lion (Best Film): Brokeback Mountain directed by Ang Lee

Silver Lion (Best Director): Philippe Garrel – Regular Lovers (Les Amants Réguliers)

Best Actor: David Strathairn – Good Night and Good Luck

Best Actress: Giovanna Mezzogiorno – The Beast in the Heart (also released as Don’t Tell)

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice_International_Film_Festival

2004 Venice International Film Festival Winners

Venice International Film Festival, known as the Biennale di Venezia takes place annually
in late August, early September and is the oldest Film Festival in the World.

Winners of the 2004 Venice International Film Festival are as follows: –

Golden Lion (Best Film): Vera Drake directed by Mike Leigh

Silver Lion (Best Director): Kim Ki-Duk – 3-Iron

Best Actor – Javier Bardem – The Sea Inside

Best Actress – Imelda Staunton – Vera Drake

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice_International_Film_Festival

2003 Venice International Film Festival Winners

Venice International Film Festival, known as the Biennale di Venezia takes place annually
in late August, early September and is the oldest Film Festival in the World.

Winners of the 2003 Venice International Film Festival are as follows: –

Golden Lion (Best Picture) – The Return directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev

Silver Lion (Best Director) – Takeshi Kitano for Zatōichi

Best Actor – Sean Penn – 21 Grams

Best Actress – Katja Riemann – Rosenstrasse

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice_International_Film_Festival

2002 Venice International Film Festival Winners

Venice International Film Festival, known as the Biennale di Venezia takes place annually
in late August, early September and is the oldest Film Festival in the World.

Winners of the 2002 Venice International Film Festival are as follows: –

Golden Lion (Best Film) – The Magdalene Sisters directed by Peter Mullan

Silver Lion (Best Director) Peter Mullan – The Magdalene Sisters

Best Actor – Stefano Acorsi – A Journey Called Love

Best Actress – Julianne Moore – Far From Heaven

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice_International_Film_Festival

2013 Cannes Film Festival Winners

Winners of the five main prizes at the 2013 Cannes International Film Festival were as follows: –

Palm d’Or – Blue is the Warmest Colour directed by Abdellatif Kechiche starring  Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux

Best Director – Amat Escalante for Heli (Mexico)

Best Actor – Bruce Dern for Nebraska

Best Actress – Bérénice Bejo for The Past

Best Screenplay – Jia Zhangke for A Touch of Sin

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Cannes_Film_Festival

Fast and Furious 6

Director: Justin Lin

Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, John Ortiz, Jordana Brewster, Gina Carano, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Shea Whigham, Luke Evans, Gal Gadot

Director Justin Lin’s flashy sixth installment of the now popular and hugely appealing Fast and Furious franchise moves the action away from the Americas and Asia to Europe and the United Kingdom, specifically London and Spain. Reuniting the entire cast of all the previous Fast and Furious movies with the exception of Lucas Black from Tokyo Drift, Fast and Furious 6 settles on the successful male orientated formulaic narrative appeal of fast cars, tough girls and furious heroes who drive the host city into a frenzy.

In this case the post-industrial aspect of London’s 21^st century image is exploited complete with panoramic views of the British Capital’s unique skyline including The Shard skyscraper and  rounded off with a scene at the Battersea Power Station, between Dominic Toretto coolly played by Vin Diesel and the recently resurrected bad girl Letty played by Michelle Rodriguez.

The villain in this ensemble is international terrorist Owen Shore, ably played by Welsh actor Luke Evans and the cast features Tyrese Gibson as the comic fast talking playboy Roman first introduced in the Miami based 2 Fast 2 Furious along with rapper Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Paul Walker reprises his role as former LA cop turned outlaw Brian O’Conner, Jordana Brewster as his wife Mia (her star rising out of the new Dallas series) and Gina Carano as Riley who was last seen as the kick-ass man eliminating assassin in Steven Soderbergh spy thriller Haywire.

Cars + Girls = Winning Formula

The main star of these Fast and Furious films, besides the sexy girls and speeding cars are the incredibly brilliant action sequences which most of the films have delivered and underpins their continued success. Targeted Male Audience = Cars + Girls = Winning Formula.

Naturally the storyline is secondary in the incredible stunt sequences which in this film are thrilling to say the least especially the chase sequence on a Spanish highway involving a formidable tank. Unlikely yes! But hey this is the movies! Equally influenced by both the success of the latest James Bond film Skyfall and the Expendibles series, Fast and Furious 6 uses the London locations wisely complete with a gritty underground girl on girl fight sequence and a terrific chase sequence through the West End.

Inevitably all these characters are essentially American so they do look incredibly out of place in ever shifting cosmopolitan London and  this film would not have been thrilling without making the City of Westminster look like a NASCAR raceway.

The ridiculously over the top and thrilling climax sequence involving a heavy artillery military aircraft is straight out of an Arnold Schwarzeneggar film, with Dwayne Johnson fulfilling the 21^st century version of Arnie’s action hero. Fast and Furious 6 is a no brainer when it comes to dazzling stunts and action sequences, but don’t expect any intricate plot twists or epic characterization. The fact that the film ends with a warning telling viewers not to try and emulate these stunt drivers, points to the essentially massive audience following this franchise has generated internationally from when the first Fast and the Furious was release in 2001, not to mention the inherent testosterone fueled need for speed, by at least three quarters of the younger male population worldwide. See Fast and the Furious 6 for fantastic stunts, cool cars, high action and as a substitute for any pent up fraternal frustrations.

Gangster Squad

Director: Ruben Fleischer

Cast: Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Anthony Mackie, Giovanni Ribisi, Holt McCallany, Michael Pena, Sean Penn, Sullivan Stapleton, Nick Nolte, Mireille Enos, Josh Pence

Based upon the fascinating non-fiction book, Gangster Squad by Paul Lieberman, the beautifully yet violent cinematic rendition of the story of how an elite group of LA cops formed a Gangster Squad to tackle the effects of organized crime in post-wars Los Angeles, is thrilling to watch, engrossing and thoroughly entertaining. Featuring an all star cast including Ryan Gosling as Jerry Wooters, Josh Brolin as Jack O’Mara, Emma Stone as Grace Faraday and Sean Penn as the malevolent gangster Mickey Cohen who terrorized the Hollywood Boulevard in the early days of the city of angels growth is both visceral and heartfelt.

Giovanni Ribisi and Michael Pena also star as electronics expert Conwell Keeler and Officer Navidad Ramirez respectively in this brotherhood tale of elite cops fighting the influences of organized crime in the form of the vicious New York immigrant Mickey Cohen. Whilst Paul Lieberman’s novel goes into a truly in depth analysis of the origins of organized crime in Los Angeles, before and after the 2nd World War especially as California and Nevada become ripe for the East Coast families to increase their criminal activities. In this case Chicago crime emissary Jack Dragnet, played by Jon Polito is soon wiped out by Mickey Cohen who will go to any lengths to become Los Angeles’s crime boss.

Directed by Ruben Fleischer, Gangster Squad skips over much of the social history in favour of making a sleek, glamorous and violent film about the sharp shooting and mischievous Squad which successfully undermined Mickey Cohen’s grip on the city of Angels in the late 40’s and early 50’s. Not nearly as measured and brilliant as Barry Levinson’s film Bugsy about Bugsy Seigel’s establishment of Las Vegas in the late 40’s, Gangster Squad comes off more as a nostalgic pastiche of all great Gangster films from the same genre most notably The Untouchables, Bugsy and the brilliant L. A. Confidential.

Gangster Squad features a smooth talking Ryan Gosling in what is really an ensemble piece about a group of men who go to any lengths to undermine the mob king in their town often at their own personal costs. Gosling’s screen time with Emma Stone is fabulous along with some particular brilliant and captivating action sequences, Gangster Squad is held together by a brilliant cast, fabulous sets and a superb retelling of an emerging city out of the clutches of crime and into those of glamour and cinema, which is what Los Angeles is more famous for today.

Recent more grittier films about Los Angeles downtown crime film like End of Watch also starring Michael Pena shot in a Southlands TV series style has not changed the image that LA is still a city plagued by foreign criminal organizations or crazy criminals as immortalized in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction and not so much by East Coast immigrants as it was in the first half of the 20th century.

Paul Lieberman’s book Gangster Squad is a brilliant read as his detailed history of the city of Angels in the mid 20th century is perfectly captured and exceptionally well researched.  The Hollywood film version of Gangster Squad is by all respects a brilliantly recreated 1940’s handsome cinematic experience complete with Slapsy Maxies also starring Nick Nolte as Chief Parker and Anthony Mackie as Officer Coleman Harris and worth watching for the quirky dialogue, well orchestrated action sequences,  and will surely delight those fans who loves similar styled mobster movies!