Movie News! 12/10/09

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The White Ribbon
The Cannes Film Festival awarded the film Das Weisse Band or The White Ribbon (in English) with the Palme d'Or, its highest award. A white ribbon is a symbol of purity and the end of violence against women among many other related causes. I read a review of this movie that was written last month and it really caught my eye. It described the many wonderful attributes this film entails such as the cinematography, sound and the exceptional acting performed by the entire cast. What truly grabbed my attention is the story.

The White Ribbon was shot in black and white and this alone adds drama to any film. It is a foreign movie in German with English subtitles which some may find to be a bit of a bummer. The upside to watching a foreign language film is that it requires us to focus even more on the visuals of the film and The White Ribbon seems very captivating. The setting takes place in 1913-14 in Northern Germany in a village that was predominantly Protestant. If you are a horror fan like me, you’ll understand why a black and white movie in Germany during the early 1900’s, when people maintained more reserved lifestyles, would be an astounding setting for a terrifying horror movie. The story follows the blossoming relationship between the town’s one schoolteacher and the nanny to the children of the baron and baroness. Everything seems calm with sounds of chirping birds and chatting townspeople, that is, until freak accidents begin to occur to the villagers and an aura of wickedness fills the air. Could the children be to blame? Wow. This is my kind of movie and I am absolutely fired up to check it out at the theater on opening day, December 30, 2009!

Invictus
Morgan Freeman stars as Nelson Mandela for Clint Eastwood’s newest hit film Invictus. Mandela appointed Freeman to the role years ago in a round about way when he said he would prefer Freeman to represent him if they were to make a film of his autobiography. Freeman is proud of the film taken directly from the book and told the press, "This was the role to play to give the world an insight into who Mandela is and how he operates… It was perfect." Freeman started studying for this role 10 years ago, the minute he heard that Mandela would choose him for the part. Freeman told Mandela of his study and asked if he could get to know him better. He would meet Mandela every time he was anywhere nearby and would hold his hand when with him. “I find that if I hold your hand, I get your energy. It transfers. I get a sense of how you feel. That's important to me in trying to become another person", Freeman said.

Matt Damon needed to undergo extensive training for this film. He bonded with the actual Francois Pienaar. The two would visit the gym together and joined a bike race in preparation for Damon’s endurance. Damon said that this is the best physical shape he has been for any movie.
Clint Eastwood is not only an excellent director; he is also wonderful to work with according to many actors. The actors are given flexibility and are allowed to make suggestions. Damon described Eastwood as a very active director, running around the set and speaking freely with the actors. Damon told the press that a favorite saying of Eastwood’s is, “Let's move on and let's not f**k this up by thinking about it too much...” I think this film absolutely has to be taking home at least one award at the Oscars and I haven’t even seen it yet.