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NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Paris Theater

The Paris has reopened with a new Dolby Atmos screen and a 70mm series featuring The Wild Bunch, Baraka, Playtime, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, as well as Blade Runner and Apocalypse Now in surround sound.

Roxy Cinema

Ahead of The Zone of Interest, Jonathan Glazer’s feature debut Sexy Beast plays on 35mm; Jean Eustache’s My Little Loves screens.

Museum of the Moving Image

Lost in Translation, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and House Party all show on 35mm; Ida Lupino’s Hard, Fast and Beautiful plays on 16mm.

Film Forum

An essential retrospective of Ousmane Sembène, featuring 35mm prints and new restorations, has begun, Michael Roemer’s great The Plot Against Harry screens on 35mm; Contempt continues in a 4K restoration; Billy Elliot plays on Sunday

Bam

The Battle of Chile, newly restored,...

We're a month away from the release of "The Creator," the latest sci-fi film from writer and director Gareth Edwards ("Rogue One: A Star Wars Story"). It's the story of a future in which A.I. and humans are at war after the robots set off a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles. Ex-special forces agent Joshua (John David Washington), who is dealing with the disappearance of his wife, is sent off to find the architect of advanced A.I. He's created a new weapon that could destroy humans completely. However, when Joshua goes to take out the weapon, he finds that it's in the body of a little child. How do you destroy a weapon that you find yourself beginning to care for? 

Recently /Film's own Vanessa Armstrong attended a press screening of 30 minutes of footage from "The Creator," as well as a Q&a with Edwards, where the filmmaker...

If New York has the world’s greatest repertory programming (don’t let any Parisians and certainly no Californians tell you otherwise) recent weeks have been off-beat without the Paris Theater, the brief absence of which ends on September 1. The theater is reopening with a new Dolby Atmos sound system and, for the first time in 15 years, 70mm programming that includes 2001, Lawrence of Arabia, Playtime, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, plus a restrospective of sound-centric movies to give the new speakers a breaking-in––Blow Out, La Ciénaga, and a 35mm print of The Conversation among them.

See the full program below, learn more on the official site, and find a link to the Paris’ newsletter here.

70mm:

2001: A Space Odyssey

Baraka (screening in 70mm for the first time in ten years)

Lawrence of Arabia

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Playtime (screening in 70mm for the first...

Netflix is bringing the prized Paris Theater back online after major upgrades, including installing a new Dolby Atmos sound system and the technology needed to play 70mm film for the first time in over 15 years, the streamer announced Wednesday.

New York’s iconic art house cinema at 4 W. 58th Street will celebrate the occasion by hosting “Big & Loud,” a program showcasing classics from across the decades, as well as films for the sonically-obsessed. It runs Sept. 1-7.

The 70mm lineup includes 2001: A Space Odyssey, Baraka, Lawrence of Arabia, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Playtime, Roma and Top Gun.

Dolby Atmos Dcp movies being screened in the “Big & Loud” program include Apocalypse Now: Final Cut, Blade Runner: Final Cut, Da 5 Bloods, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Matrix, Memoria — which has never before screened in Atmos — and A Quiet Place. Other offerings include Blow Out, La Ciénaga, The Conversation...

Another fighter has been confirmed for Mortal Kombat 2. Currently in production, the follow-up to the 2021 film will feature a mix of some returning cast members along with some new fighters not featured in the first film. A new image from the set shared on Twitter by producer Todd Garner features a cast chair with the MK2 logo along with the name "Baraka," confirming the character's inclusion in the sequel. The image doesn't reveal who will be playing the sharp-toothed fighter in the film.

pic.twitter.com/rkC63y6nBv — Todd Garner (@Todd_Garner) June 26, 2023

Other new fighters confirmed to appear in Mortal Kombat 2 include Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), Jade (Tati Gabrielle), Kitana (Adeline Rudolph), Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford), King Jerrod (Desmond Chiam), Queen Sindel (Ana Thu Nguyen), and Quan Chi (Damon Herriman). Returning fighters from the first movie expected to be back include Cole Young (Lewis Tan), Sonya Blade...

This story is part of The Hollywood Reporter’s 2023 Sustainability Issue (click here to read more).

We’re currently living in a golden age of panic-inducing eco-documentaries gushing facts and statistics at us about how humans are killing the planet. These didactic films are vital for grounding us in the sobering truths of climate change and spurring activism across generations. But it’s easy to feel wrung out from the constant finger-wagging, too. Unquestionably, it’s more challenging for filmmakers to transmit environmentalist messages via tone, mood or imagery alone — but for viewers, the rewards can be spectacular.

The documentaries in this list showcase the grand scale of Earth, but they’re also able to demonstrate the refinement of our microcosmic communities. Some focus on explorers who either conflict or harmonize with their subjects; others are dialogue-free meditations on life itself. We’re witnesses to tragedy and celebration, spirituality and terror.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and NetherRealm Studios today revealed the new Mortal Kombat 11 Old Skool vs. New Skool Trailer, showcasing a variety of past and present characters from the rich Mortal Kombat history who meet up as part of the time-bending new narrative. Through the immersive story mode, players take on the role of numerous fighters from different eras, culminating in the ultimate generational clash as current characters collide with their alternate selves.

Additionally, a number of fan-favourite fighters were revealed today as the latest playable characters coming to Mortal Kombat 11, including Liu Kang, Kung Lao and Jax Briggs.

Liu Kang, the greatest of the Shaolin monks, was an orphan adopted and trained in the arts of combat by the Shaolin order. He was handpicked by Raiden to be Earthrealm’s Mortal Kombat champion and chief defender. Kung Lao joined the Shaolin monks in a quest to become Earthrealm’s new Mortal Kombat champion.

Mortal Kombat 11 is shaping up to be the best entry in the series to date. Not only does it have possibly the best graphics seen in a fighting game ever, and not only does it look like they’re going full bore with the gore, but co-creator Ed Boon has just promised that we’ll soon have confirmation of which classic fighters from the franchise are going to be making the cut for the new roster.

Over on Twitter, here’s what he shared:

“We Love how passionate Mk fans are 2C their favorite fighters return. Please don’t stop that. But remember, each announcement, doesn’t mean your favorite isn’t in the game. Be patient, So many “soon to be konfirmed” classic fighter announcements koming!”

Mortal Kombat 11 Images 1 of 9

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Naturally, series mainstays like Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Liu Kang and Sonya Blade will all appear,...

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the American Society of Cinematographers (Asc) this year, they’ve polled their members to determine 100 milestone films in the art and craft of cinematography of the 20th century. Topping the list is David Lean’s epic Lawrence of Arabia, shot by Freddie Young. Also in the top ten is Blade Runner (Jordan Cronenweth), The Conformist (Vittorio Storaro), Days of Heaven (Néstor Almendros), and more.

Organized by Steven Fierberg, he said “Asc members wanted to call attention to the most significant achievements of the cinematographer’s art but not refer to one achievement as ‘better’ than another. The selected films represent a range of styles, eras and visual artistry, but most importantly, it commemorates films that are inspirational or influential to Asc members and have exhibited enduring influence on generations of filmmakers.”

See the top 10 below, along with the full list.

1. Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Freddie Young,...

Rachel Morrison is now basking in her historic, breakout moment. She earned the first Oscar nomination for a female cinematographer for the poetic beauty of “Mudbound,” and now has shot the opulent-looking “Black Panther,” starring Chadwick Boseman as the first African-American superhero. It’s the most significant Marvel movie since “Iron Man,” and could have impact on Morrison’s Oscar run.

But, in reuniting with director Ryan Coogler (following their fruitful collaboration on “Fruitvale Station”), Morrison proved that her craft is more about versatility than gender. They’ve graced the McU with an essential political consciousness and warmth to go along with smart spy fun and requisite superhero action.

“For me, the best part was spending time again with Ryan,” Morrison said. “Our approach was to really find a way to ground it, to make it of this world even though there are elements that were [fantastical]. But, unlike other Marvel films,...

With Rogue One: A Star Wars Story currently dominating the box-office, well on its way to crossing the $1 billion threshold, even if you didn’t fully embrace the movie, it’s hard to withhold appreciation in how Gareth Edwards captured this well-trodden universe in a new aesthetic way. One can now get a glimpse at some of his directorial influences with the latest Sight & Sound poll at BFI, where the director gave his top 10 films of all-time.

“One of the first things I do is grab imagery and put together a document, a Pdf, that is just full of thousands of images,” Edwards told Complex. “For me, the films that I got a lot of images from were Apocalypse Now, Thin Red Line, Alien, Blade Runner, and a film called Baraka.” A few of these can be found in his list, which of course includes George Lucas‘ Star Wars, which...

Submarine and Dogwoof have acquired all rights—minus Australia/New Zealand and German-speaking territories—to "Sherpa" director Jennifer Peedom’s "Mountain," an examination of humankind's troubled and triumphant relationship with mountains in the vein of "Baraka" (Ron Fricke, 1992) and "Koyaanisqatsi" (Godfrey Reggio, 1982). Read More: "Review: A Decade After Qatsi Trilogy, Avant-Garde Cine-Poem 'Visitors' Marks Godfrey Reggio's Triumphant Return" "Mountain," currently in production, is a collaboration between Peedom and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and features cinematography by Renan Ozturk, the Dp behind the gorgeous images of "Sherpa" and Producers Guild nominee "Meru." Renowned author Robert Macfarlane, whose best-selling book "Mountains of the Mind" explores similar themes contained in this work, will write the narration. Watch: "How Star Climber Jimmy...

Gavin Jasper Oct 21, 2019

Capcom's monster-based fighting game franchise rose up in the 90s, but a lack of hustle forced Darkstalkers into obscurity.

It’s hard to be the less successful brother, and that’s pretty much what Capcom's Darkstalkers series is. The series will always live in the shadow of the Street Fighter franchise...which is pretty appropriate because, you know, it’s all about darkness and shadows and stuff. Despite never getting a next-gen remake or real update, it’s still pretty impressive for completely overachieving more than any other video game that I can think of.

The series was created in the mid-90s as Capcom’s next step in fighting game domination. They had Street Fighter II making them all the money in the world, but they beat that horse to death. The constant and seemingly endless updates of the same game had become a tired...

Telluride — With all the reindeer games going on in the fall festival world, a lot of the drama and mystery surrounding Telluride's perennially on-the-lowdown program began to seep out like a steadily deflating balloon this year. Toronto, Venice and New York notations of "World Premiere," "Canada Premiere," "New York Premiere" or "International Premiere" and the like made it all rather obvious which films were heading to the San Juans for the 41st edition of the tiny mining village's cinephile gathering, and which were not. But the fact is, if you're in it just for the surprises — or certainly, for the awards-baiting heavies — you're never going to be fully satisfied by the Telluride experience. That having been said, this year's program might just be the most exciting one in my six years of attending. Starting with all of the stuff we were expecting, indeed, Cannes players "Foxcatcher," "Mr. Turner" and "Leviathan...

"The oil is treacherous, because it reflects the sky." Herzog says in voice over as we look upon what could very easily be small ponds and streams of water in an otherwise barren wasteland. Herzog speaks to this very thought adding, "The oil is trying to disguise itself as water." It's a statement only Herzog could make and it's one of the few heard throughout the brisk 50 minutes that make up his 1992 documentary Lessons of Darkness, which I think is best described as a cousin to Ron Fricke's wonderful wordless documentaries Baraka and Samsara, though with this film Herzog has a much more specific topic he's exploring. Broken into thirteen separate sections, all with their own "chapter" heading, Herzog tells the story of the 1991 Kuwait oil fires through sparse voice over (much of which are words read from the Bible), aerial and on the ground images captured on 16mm...

Earlier this year, Av Festival in Newcastle was the destination of many durational documentary enthusiasts (admittedly a niche market): a meaty Wang Bing retrospective was screened over several days. For all who are unfamiliar with the Chinese documentarian’s work, he has a tight catalogue of epic films such as West of the Tracks and Crude Oil that are in excess of ten hours apiece, which seek to tell objective stories of diminishing local labour or of nomadic existence in the great wilds of China and Mongolia. More palatable docs, while containing a similar gaze, have been delivered to us in recent years by Ron Fricke (namely Baraka and Samsara).

Director Thomas Balmès’ interest in cross-cultural filmmaking has allowed him to scaffold a bridge between these two styles of documentary: employing a lingering, dewy-eyed camera to portray stunning landscapes and untouched panoramas while telegraphing easy-to-watch glimpses of silent societies.

It may not be on everyone’s DVD shelf, but filmmaker Godfrey Reggio’s first film Koyaanisqatsi – released in 1982 – was a landmark piece of cinema. Comprised mainly of slow motion and time-lapse shots, the film had no narrative in the strict sense of the word, it simply observed our world, both human and natural, and left it up to the viewer to form their own ideas. Stunningly shot (cinematographer Ron Fricke went on to make similar films Baraka and Samsara), Koyaanisqatsi revolutionised techniques that we now take for granted and would be referenced in places as far afield as Grand Theft Auto, Madonna videos, and even an episode of Scrubs. Reggio followed this up with two more films to complete the Qatsi trilogy and now returns three decades later with Visitors, a film similar in concept, but completely different in its execution.

Filmed in a low-key, velvety black-and-white, Visitors runs...

One of the best documentaries of last year was Ron Fricke's Samsara, a wordless follow-up to Baraka and if you have any doubts as to how provocative a wordless documentary can actually be, the production has just brought online one of the more devastating clips from the film taking a close look at our world's food production. Here's a quote from producer Mark Magidson that accompanied the clip. "We are happy this clip has struck a chord with so many people, and we hope that the interest in this clip will lead viewers to see Samsara in its entirety. This clip represents only 6 minutes from a 100 minute long film, which was photographed in 25 countries and explores many other diverse aspects of the human experience. We would love for viewers to experience Samsara as a whole." ~ producer Mark Magidson Samsara is a film best seen on the biggest screen possible...

Part of the visionary genius behind The Qatsi Trilogy owes credit to the eye of cinematographer Ron Fricke, whose own film Baraka has become a visual standard unto itself. His follow-up film Samsara, follows almost 20 years later and took five years to put together thanks to its highly varied content and the globetrotting approach, capturing moments of human life and industry across 25 countries. It’s an absolutely stunning work of cinematography and Fricke’s eye for detail and color has only improved over the years, and now it has the benefit of high-definition to make it downright breathtaking at times in terms of scope, and at other times it manages to make the mundane seem incomprehensibly special.

Read more...

Chicago – Blending the spiritual majesty of 1992’s “Baraka” with ominous overtones suggesting a world out of balance (so memorably portrayed in 1982’s “Koyaanisqatsi”), master cinematographer Ron Fricke’s “Samsara” is the sort of rapturous visual feast that his fans have come to expect from him. The key difference here is the spectacular level of clarity brought to each image.

Shot on cumbersome 70mm cameras that were dragged through heavy security across 25 countries, “Samsara” was clearly a labor of love for everyone involved. During its limited theatrical run, the film was screened in a brand-new high-resolution 4K digital projection that boggled moviegoers’ minds with its unprecedented depth of detail. The impact of such an intense sensory experience is often dramatically diminished on the small screen, but thankfully the 8K UltraDigital HD version of the film available on Blu-ray is a mammoth exception.

Blu-ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

The scintillating perfection of Fricke’s gorgeously...

Godfrey Reggio's Qatsi trilogy is a brilliantly realized, influential piece of cinema that bridges the gap between experimental film and documentary. Completely free of dialogue or any sort of obvious narrative, these three films combine visuals and music to provoke a visceral and intellectual response from the audience, allowing themes to emerge from seemingly disparate images in a freedom of interpretation. The Criterion Collection has finally given the series an HD upgrade and outside of one exception, I'm pretty thrilled with the results. The first film in the series, Koyaanisqatsi (life out of balance), is definitely my favourite. The film casts wider conceptual and thematic net, allowing the audience to decide for themselves what they take away from its imagery, if anything at all. It claims ownership over the originality of its visuals, indulging in long sequences of time lapse photography set mostly in cities and factories. This brand...

After brothers Bill and Turner Ross screened their new film for the first time at SXSW earlier this year, they went to lunch with representatives of Oscilloscope Laboratories, the film distribution company started by the late Beastie Boy Adam Yauch.

"Things came together pretty quickly after that," recalls Bill Ross to Rolling Stone. "It seemed so right. It was a perfect fit for us."

Having grown up listening to the Beastie Boys, Ross had a "geek-out moment," he says, as soon as he realized he'd be partnering with Yauch's company.

I don't typically see many documentaries every year, but since becoming a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (Bfca) it has become far easier (and necessary) to see more of them over the last two years. One, I have to nominate and vote on the category for the Critics' Choice Awards and two, I get more screeners each year than I used to. This year I've watched 14 documentaries and have yet only seen seven of the 15 documentaries up for Best Documentary at the 2013 Oscars. Of those seven, only one makes my top five of 2012. Outside of the five I list below, virtually all of the documentaries I watched this year were quite great, but seeing how I only saw 14, it didn't make sense to do a top ten. So if you're looking for some additional docs to watch other than my top five, also consider Bad 25 (which would...

Boys and girls, I'll be brief. The Film Society Of Lincoln Center will be keeping the cinephiles of NYC well busy this holiday season thanks to their See It In 70mm! running December 21 - January 1. So what can you see in 70mm? Well it wouldn't be a celebration of 70mm without 2001: A Space Odyssey, so they've got that covered. But how about a 20th anniversary screening for Ron Fricke's travelogue Baraka, a 30th anniversary screening for Tron, restored prints for The Sound Of Music, My Fairy Lady, Lord Jim and Jacques Tati's Playtime? Well, it's all happening. So is that all? Nope, there's just too much to mention here. Get the full schedule below.        ...

It was an interesting week of movies for me in that I had watched only one movie until last night when my fiancee and I watched Love Actually, then caught the final hour of A Few Good Men on Bravo, which we then responded to by grabbing the first season of "The West Wing" before watching what turned out to be a not-so-good episode of "Saturday Night Live", though that cold "Silent Night" opening was fantastic and a grade-a moment of class. Otherwise, the week was filled with watching sports, reading and relaxing as I finally finished Peter Biskind's "amazon asin="0684862581" text="Down and Dirty Pictures"", which I actually began reading in Toronto in April and finished the final 250 pages this week. Yes, the time I find for reading is that sporadic. I do, however, recommend whole-heartedly reading that book if you are any kind of movie fan as...

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey | Smashed | Neil Young Journeys | Chasing Ice | Love Crime | Dead Europe | UFO | False Trail | Code Name: Geronimo | Tinkerbell And The Secret Of The Wings | Babette's Feast | Baraka | What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (12A)

(Peter Jackson, 2012, Us) Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Andy Serkis. 169 mins

So the three-movie idea is more likely down to financial demands than creative ones, and the now-notorious higher frame rate reduces cinematic spectacle to pin-sharp TV movie, but this is terrifically wrought escapism. Freeman is the perfect lead, too. But what could have, should have been a masterpiece ends up a fantasy epic with too much epic and not enough fantasy.

Smashed (15)

(James Ponsoldt, 2012, Us) Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul. 81 mins

Winstead shows impressive range as a young alcoholic teacher trying to get back on track. The familiar subject feels fresh applied to a new demographic.

Seven Psychopaths | Celeste And Jesse Forever | I, Anna | Confession Of A Child Of The Century | The Oranges | The Man With The Iron Fists | You Will Be My Son | So Undercover | When Santa Fell To Earth | Gremlins | Khiladi 786

Seven Psychopaths (15)

(Martin McDonagh, 2012, Us) Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson, Abbie Cornish, Tom Waits. 110 mins

It's a cult movie formula to die for: Pulp Fiction meets the Coens meets Adaptation, with postmodern high-jinks, wacky crime thrills and lashings of irreverent comedy. The latter redeems a movie that's almost too manically clever for its own good. Reality barely enters into this story of a blocked screenwriter caught up in a dognapping escapade, but there's never a dull moment. Perhaps it could do with a few.

Celeste And Jesse Forever (15)

(Lee Toland Krieger, 2012, Us) Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg, Ari Graynor. 92 mins

A made-for-each-other couple have trouble staying separate in this relaxed romcom,...

The Imposter

Directed by Bart Layton

Your mind play tricks on you all the time. You’re presented with a clear-cut fact, something that is immutably true, and you doubt it. You wake up in the middle of the night, but your mind convinces you that you’ve had a full night’s sleep or it’s actually mid-morning and you’re running late. Someone you care about hasn’t answered your call, so your mind tells you something terrible—a car accident, maybe—has happened to them, even if the real answer is they just didn’t pick up their phone. Why does anyone—and we all do it–play these games on their psyches? What compels us to believe a convenient lie as opposed to accepting the cold, harsh truth? Such heady questions are at the center of The Imposter, a high-intensity and thrilling new documentary… (read the...

Every thirty days, I like to post a list of my favorite films I’ve recently watched. Here are the best films I’ve seen throughout the month of September. This list is based on movies theatrically released here in Canada, and I do not include what I have seen at film festivals.

****

1: Holy Motors

Directed by Leos Carax

Written by Leos Carax

Holy Motors is a carefully structured work of art; reflective, palpable, playful, absurd, precise and entirely engrossing. Motors is a prime reminder or why cinema is so treasured and celebrated. In this film, as in life, nothing is explained and things just get stranger by the minute. When most cinema these days produces nothing but the ordinary, a movie like Holy Motors is a treasure to behold and worthy of multiple viewings (I’ve seen it three times so far). This preposterous piece of filmmaking is exhilarating,...

Ron Fricke and Mark Magidson's visually sumptuous 70mm documentary "Samsara" has become Oscilloscope Laboratories' biggest hit since its founding in February 2008.  This past weekend, the documentary surpassed O-scope's previous benchmark, 2011's "We Need to Talk about Kevin," which totalled $1.7 million at the domestic box office.  Shot over five years in twenty-five countries on five continents, "Samsara" is the third explorative collaboration between Fricke and Magidson, after "Baraka" and "Chronos."  "Samsara" premiered on August 24 in New York and Seattle to the highest per-screen-average of any documentary released in 2012.  As of October 14, 2012 "Samsara" has grossed over $1.8 million. Despite rumors of change at the company in September after the passing of company founder Adam Yauch and the departure of David Fenkel, the studio is moving full steam ahead. ...

James Thornton, come on down! You are the winner of the Autographed Samsara Prize Package. Your spectacular B&W photo of the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens with the Crepe Myrtle Trees Canopy was judged by our esteemed panel of photo experts to be the best of the many entries we received.

Here’s James’ winning photo:

Photo by James Thornton

James’ photo skills have won him:

1) an original 27×40 Samsara movie poster signed by director Ron Fricke, producer Mark Madgison, and composer Michael Stearns.

2) a Samsara soundtrack CD signed by composer Michael Stearns

3) a Baraka Blu-ray.

Congrats James!

Thanks to everyone who entered. Here are some of the runner-ups from our contest:

Photo by Daniel Spilatro

Photo by Lisa Yee

Photo by Derek Klezmer

Photo by Philip Kithome

Photo by Shane O Shultz

Photo by “Francis”

In 1992, director Ron Fricke, along with his co-writer Mark Madgison created the documentary Baraka,...

Because so many great films have their world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, it’s not surprising to see a lot of documentaries celebrate anniversaries around this time. For instance, Ron Fricke’s Baraka turns 20 years old today, having debuted at Tiff back on September 15, 1992, when the event was still known as the “Festival of Festivals.” It’s a special time to celebrate the non-narrative, non-verbal masterpiece, and not just because Fricke’s follow-up (he doesn’t consider it a sequel), Samsara, is currently wowing audiences around the country in a just-expanded theatrical release. Thanks to a fashionable interest in 70mm exhibition right now, Baraka (the first movie in twenty years shot in the Todd-ao 70mm format) also just finished up a week-long re-release at the Alamo Drafthouse and has screened recently in other cities in the format, as well. If you missed or are unable to see Baraka on the big screen, though...

Director Ron Fricke (Baraka, Chronos) and producer Mark Magidson reunite to bring audiences another visually stunning and dynamic portrait of life on earth with Samsara. The first movie in over a decade shot entirely on 70mm film, the theme of Samsara is based on its translation from the Sanskrit language. Literally meaning "to flow on" through the cycles of life and thus the "ever-turning wheel of life," the filmmakers explore the interconnections between cultures and societies around the globe.

Samsara was filmed over a period of five years in 25 countries, documenting sacred rituals, disaster zones, urban industrial sites, as well as natural and historical wonders. The audience is treated to over an hour and a half journey across the continents, visiting a range of sights from the Wailing Wall in Old City, Jerusalem to the lingering and decaying aftermath of post-Katrina floods in New Orleans' Ninth Ward; from the natural...

Samsara

Directed by Ron Fricke

USA, 2011

Halfway through Samsara, a pair of heavily tattooed young people, a man and woman, are shown on camera. The woman is staring directly at the camera, as do many of the people highlighted in this documentary. The man’s shaved forehead, however, is bowed so we can see one of his many bits of body art, a tattoo crowning the front of his head, reading “Methodical.” It’s fitting that this word is featured so prominently, even in a shot that winds up lasting about 15 seconds. Samsara, Ron Fricke’s follow-up to the 1992 film Baraka, is nothing short of meticulous, a 100-minute plunge into our modern world and our fractured sense of reality.

Samsara is more a visual tone poem than a typical documentary. It’s similar to nature films shot in IMAX (this was shot on 70Mm but is being presented digitally), except...

In 1992, director Ron Fricke, along with his co-writer Mark Madgison created the documentary Baraka, a stunning collection of expertly photographed scenes of human life, the majority of which involve humanity’s many religions. Fricke was cinematographer and collaborator on Godfrey Reggio’s 1982 non-verbal documentary Koyaanisquatsi and for Baraka he struck out on his own to polish and expand the photographic techniques used on the earlier film. Baraka was a cinematic “guided meditation” (Fricke’s own description) shot in 24 countries on six continents over a 14-month period that united religious ritual, the phenomena of nature, and man’s own destructive powers into a web of moving images. Fricke’s camera ranged, in meditative slow motion or bewildering time-lapse, over the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, the Ryoan-Ji temple in Kyoto, Lake Natron in Tanzania, burning oil fields in Kuwait, the smoldering precipice of an active volcano, a busy subway terminal,...

Samsara

Directed by Ron Fricke

U.S.A., 2011

What is humanity’s relation to the world and to itself? What is humanity’s legacy culturally, spiritually, architecturally, politically and how has that legacy changed throughout the ages? There is no single answer to any of those questions, but the exercise of pondering on the matter should provide enough food for thought to last a life time and even then some. They are grand scale queries which require exhaustive research and documentation, practices which historians, philosophers and other such professionals devote their lives to. Documentary film is ripe for capturing images and thoughts which can assist us in coming to terms with ourselves. Acclaimed director Ron Fricke, a filmmaker whose output is better appreciated for its quality rather than its quantity, returns after a prolonged absence, one that be explained by the fact that he was working diligently on Samsara.

Samsara...

Like its predecessors Chronos and Baraka, Samsara is a documentary with only its poetic connections between its images to create a thematic narrative. Capturing footage from a touted five continents, Samsara is an experience that doesn’t educate viewers about the content on screen (but instead opens their minds to a universality between subjects of many different backgrounds (National Geographic, this is not).

Ron Fricke was cinematographer for the film, and its director. Mark Magidson produced, while they both edited and wrote Samsara.

Over the phone, I talked to Ron Fricke and Mark Magidson about making their film, the process of editing such a massive movie, the inevitably beautiful Blu-ray that will be made for Samsara, and more.

Samsara opens in Chicago on September 7.

When it comes to making these films, how much time is spent preparing as opposed to actual filming?

Mark Magidson: A lot of setting up,...

Samara

Directed by: Ron Fricke & Mark Magidson

Documentary

Running Time: 1 hr 34 mins

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: Sept 7, 2012 (Chicago)

Plot: A series of visual sequences captured around the world that express universal themes of life and death.

Who’S It For? If you like massive films, and are open to the idea of filmed sequences not having a narrative, then Samsara is an eye-opening treat for you. If you wished someone would use the scope of something like The Dark Knight Rises towards documenting real wonder, here’s Samsara.

Overall

When alien historians saunter down to our planet to clean up after 2017′s World War Oops, we’d better hope that they uncover Samsara when writing their research books on Earth culture. With no immediate parallel but to its predecessors Baraka and Chronos, it is a film that best condenses the diversity and simultaneous universality of existence on our planet, all...

Chicago – In our latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 20 pairs of guaranteed, anytime movie passes plus 5 grand prize packs up for grabs for the new Oscilloscope Laboratories film “Samsara” from the creators of the award-winning film “Baraka”! Each prize pack includes an autographed poster, soundtrack and “Baraka” Blu-ray!

“Samsara” from writer and director Ron Fricke and writer Mark Magidson opens on Sept. 7, 2012 at Landmark Century Centre Cinema in Chicago. “Samsara” was filmed over a period of five years in 25 countries on five continents. Shot on 70-millimeter film, “Samsara” transports us to the varied worlds of sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial complexes and natural wonders.

These run-of-engagement movie passes are good for any scheduled “Samsara” showing Sunday through Thursday at Landmark Century Centre Cinema in Chicago. To win your “Samsara” movie passes or a grand prize pack courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just get interactive with our unique Hookup technology directly below.

Chicago – It is revitalizing to take a break from traditional cinema, and the new artistic film “Samsara” is a non-linear quasi-documentary and travelogue that is a parade of images contemplating existence and the beauty around us. Who doesn’t need that tonic of meditation every so often?

Rating: 4.5/5.0

Filmmakers Ron Fricke and Mark Magidson are expanding on concepts explored in their previous films “Baraka” and “Chronos,” which also explore non-linear imagery. This film goes all over the world over five years, but mostly focuses on the humanity that strives within it. With the time-lapse view of ordinary events, personhood is reduced to a primal state, one of tribes and animalistic movements. The rhythms and the soundtrack are reflective of these images and create a soothing visual symphony for virtually all the senses.

The film begins with a series of close-ups, faces in compose. There is suddenly movement, dancing and then...

In the Golden Age of Hollywood, one of the bonuses of theatre-going was the little jewels called short subjects. Today we usually just get trailers for upcoming flicks ( my rule: at least two trailers, more than three is pushing it ) . Back then, besides the possibility of a second feature, you’d get the trailers and the shorts. A seven minute cartoon or two, a comedy short subject or mini-musical, and a newsreel focusing on headline-making stories would round out the program along with an occassional travelogue. Travelogues ( nearly always in bright, sparkly color ) whisked film fans to far-off exotic places guided by an informative narrator ( newsman Lowell Thomas did several of these ). Today the major studios have shuttered their shorts department, but TV has taken up the format ( there’s even a Travel Channel ). Still several film makers are making theatrical short subjects ( Oscar still honors them ) and many are...

Shot in 70mm over a period of five years in 25 countries by Ron Fricke, the man who photographed Koyaanisqatsi and directed Chronos and Baraka, this is a compilation, or collage, of beautiful and striking images put together for suggestive and meditative effect. There is no commentary but there is music, some specially commissioned, and a "concept" devised by Fricke and producer/co-editor/co-writer Mark Magidson, turning on a variety of opposites – growth/decay, wonder/disgust, tradition/rootlessness, purpose/futility, faith/disbelief. Much of the stop-motion or undercranked camerawork is designed to make crowds into seething anthills and to emphasise the absurdity of repetitive work, and it's rather trying. Still, there are so many remarkable images that there is something every few seconds to provoke or please. I was reminded, however, of a line by the New Yorker writer Peter De Vries: "On the surface he may seem deep. But deep down inside,...

It's a pleasure to globe-trot along with Ron Fricke's incredible-looking account of faith around the world

Although Ron Fricke's followup to the stunning Baraka arrives almost 20 years later with his methods virtually unchanged, it still seems just as fresh and interesting. His collection of beautifully shot, enigmatic images from his globetrotting large-format cameras are this time assembled to tell a non-narrative tale of human belief systems, congregations and wonders both man-made and natural. Each snippet tells only part of a bigger story, barely giving you time to process who you are looking at and what they are doing, but this makes the whole thing a more active experience than most films. Questions are provoked then dismissed as we move on, but the themes build up in the mind. It may be just more of the same from Fricke, but with his unique process, another incredible-looking lap around the world is more than welcome.

Above: Ulrich Seidl's Paradise: Love.

The lineup for the 39th Telluride Film Festival has been announced, with the guest programming slot this year being given to Geoff Dyer. His program, along with the Pordenone, Medallion, and Spotlight sections, contain one of the best aspects of the Telluride festival: side-by-side programming of new films with old. Tucked away at the bottom is the program we're most excited about: short films by neglected Hollywood director Jean Negulesco.

Show

The Act Of Killing (Joshua Oppenheimer, Denmark)

Amour (Michael Haneke, Austria)

At Any Price (Ramin Bahrani, Us)

The Attack (Ziad Doueiri, Lebanon/France)

Barbara (Christian Petzold, Germany)

The Central Park Five (Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon, Us)

Everyday (Michael Winterbottom, UK)

Frances Ha (Noah Baumbach, Us)

The Gatekeepers (Dror Moreh, Israel)

Ginger And Rosa (Sally Potter, UK)

The Hunt (Thomas Vinterberg, Denmark)

Hyde Park On Hudson (Roger Michell, Us)

The Iceman (Ariel Vromen,...

The most secretive of the fall festivals has now been unveiled. Kicking off Friday, Telluride 2012 has revealed their line-up, with highlights including Michael Haneke‘s Amour, Ramin Bahrani‘s At Any Price, Thomas Vinterberg‘s The Hunt, Roger Michell‘s Hyde Park on Hudson, Jacques Audiard‘s Rust & Bone, Noah Baumbach‘s Frances Ha and Sarah Polley‘s Stories We Tell.

Unfortunately absent are a few major titles, including Paul Thomas Anderson‘s The Master, Derek Cianfrance‘s The Place Beyond the Pines, Terrence Malick‘s To the Wonder, Olivier Assayas‘ Something in the Air, but rumors point to Ben Affleck‘s Argo secretly getting a bow there, as they will announce a few more as the festival progresses this weekend. Check out the line-up and press release below, which includes more programs, such as showings of Stalker and Baraka.

The Act Of Killing (d. Joshua Oppenheimer, Denmark, 2012)

Amour (d.

News.

After three years as Artistic Director of the Locarno Film Festival, Olivier Père has stepped down and is now the managing director of Arte France Cinema. His time with the festival were pivotal years in which he transformed its direction and established Locarno as one of the key cinephilic stops on the circuit. I was fortunate enough to enjoy what has now surprisingly become the final festival under his direction. Père offers some parting words over at his official blog (which is well worth perusing for the rest of its contents). Cinema Scope has launched its intimidatingly comprehensive online pre-coverage of Tiff—in which yours truly will be taking part in. Check the introductory post here, and the first content from Jason Anderson and Mark Peranson on Peter Mettler's The End of Time and Miguel Gomes' Tabu, respectively.

Finds.

Above: A brief clip from Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers,...

★★★★☆ Following 1992's acclaimed Baraka, ground-breaking director Ron Fricke presents his latest feature Samsara (2011), a similarly mesmeric, non-verbal meditation about the invisible bonds shared between humanity and nature. Lacking any tangible narrative structure, Fricke has substituted conventional storytelling for a beautifully-woven tapestry of profoundly striking images that creates what can only be described as a cinematic work of art.

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Cinematic poetry can be scoffed at, labeled pretentious, and thoroughly dismissed without a second thought. But somehow, Ron Fricke’s “Baraka,” a “non-verbal documentary” that uses time-lapse photography and impressionable ambulatory cinematography to chart the human race through more than twenty countries managed to move even those who hold the “art-film” label with serious vehemence. The film is one of a handful of documentaries that favor visual tone over language (with absolutely no interviews or narration), a small clique that includes Godfrey Reggio’s “Qatsi Trilogy” to Fricke’s own short-form “Chronos.” They don’t come around often -- and aside from researching and trekking all over the world, we can only assume they’re difficult to finance due to their nature -- but when they do, cinema-goers can be assured they’re in for something exceptionally unique. So, good thing...

Samsara is not a traditional movie experience by any means, specifically due to the manner in which it defies the standard approach of both narrative and documentary filmmaking. There is no dialogue, no voice over, no story or plot per se. Instead the film opts for something more operatic, eschewing the typical expectations of what a movie should be for a grander vision of the world that maintains a unique universal appeal for people of any culture, race and creed. It is a bold attempt to use the art and language of the moving image as a means for mutual recognition.

Yet this universality is slightly undercut by one’s degree of patience, since sitting in a state of near meditation for 99 minutes as beautiful imagery unfolds alongside atmospheric music may not be your cup of tea. However, there is an almost transcendental quality to the masterful filmmaking on display...

This is a reprint of our review from the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Just what is a non-verbal documentary anyway? If you appreciated the silent visual storytelling of "The Artist" or the cinematic majesty of Terrence Malick's nature cinematography in "The Tree of Life," or, if you're a fan of the cult 1992 documentary "Baraka," you'll be a fan of "Samsara," the latest effort from that film's director, Ron Fricke. Using the Tibetan word for "the ever turning wheel of life" as its title, the film chronicles the birth, life, death, destruction and rebirth cycles that occur on our planet in ways big and small. The film had its U.S. premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival earlier this year, screening to a packed house in the 2,000 seat Arlington Theater. Shot on 70mm film, over a period of four years in locations scattered across the globe, the footage captured by Fricke is.