Comments on: "New Wave on the Black Sea"

"New Wave on the Black Sea"

lovejones — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 11:16:00 -0800

Comprehensive profile, in the NY Times magazine, of the new crop of talented Romanian filmmakers. Be sure to check out the interactive component of the story, with clips and commentary on several recent films.

By: vacapinta

vacapinta — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 11:23:09 -0800

I had sort of made a mental note to check out more Romanian cinema after watching 12:08 East of Bucharest, which they mention in the story. That is one of the funniest movies I have seen in recent years.

By: muckster

muckster — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 11:53:47 -0800

4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days is incredible. It just got snubbed by the Academy for the foreign-language Oscars, but it's opening this week. Don't miss.

By: dobbs

dobbs — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 13:17:24 -0800

It just got snubbed by the Academy for the foreign-language Oscars Wha? I thought nominations were tomorrow.

By: muckster

muckster — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 13:23:00 -0800

Right, but the shortlist was announced last week, and 4 Months wasn't on it. Neither were Persepolis, Secret Sunshine, or The Orphanage -- and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly wasn't even submitted. The foreign-language contenders now are: The Counterfeiters (Austria), The Year My Parents Went of Vacation (Brazil), Days of Darkness (Canada), Beaufort (Israel), The Unknown (Italy), Mongol (Kazakstan), Katyn (Poland), 12 (Russia), and The Trap (Serbia). Check this self link for more.

By: dobbs

dobbs — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 13:33:54 -0800

Maybe Persepolis'll just get Best Animated Feature. :)

By: muckster

muckster — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 14:20:57 -0800

I'm not much of a prognosticator, dobbs, but my money's on Ratatouille -- which I know you didn't care for. In other late-breaking Oscar news, Jonny Greenwood's There Will Be Blood score has just been deemed "ineligible" by the Academy. (If you feel like discussing this nonsense, stop by idrinkyourmilkshake.com.) I'll stop hijacking the thread with Oscar talk now, lovejones. Thanks for the post -- the new Romanian films are fascinating, but most people haven't had a chance to see them yet, at least in the States. 12:08 East of Bucharest and The Death of Mr. Lazarescu are available on DVD though.

By: lovejones

lovejones — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 14:40:51 -0800

You can't go wrong with any of the films featured in the article. I'd also recommend Filantropica (2002) by Nae Caranfil, and Cum mi-am petrecut sfarsitul lumii The Way I Spent the End of the World (2006) by Catalin Mitulescu, if you can track them down. Director Lucian Pintille precedes this generation but his film, Balanta The Oak (1992), is a classic of Romanian (and world) cinema and not to be missed.