Ferne Pearlstein Movies
- 2006
Over a hundred leading cameramen (and women) discuss the fine art of motion picture photography in this documentary. Cinematographer Style is compiled from interviews with a broad cross section of respected cinematographers, ranging from award-winning veterans such as Gordon Willis (The Godfather), Vittorio Storaro (Apocalypse Now), Vilmos Zsigmond (Deliverance), and Haskell Wexler (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) to contemporary masters of the craft such as Roger Deakins (A Beautiful Mind), Peter Deming (Lost Highway), Ernest Dickerson (Do the Right Thing), and Remi Adefarasin (Match Point). While several participants discuss the tools of their trade, Cinematographer Style focuses as much on the philosophy behind photographing movies -- how they find a style that matches the material, their visual influences, how to prepare for a shoot, establishing a lighting and color scheme, and how "pretty" the image ought to be to match the story. Sponsored in part by Kodak, Cinematographer Style received its world premiere at the 2006 Los Angeles Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
The debut film by director Robert Edwards, Land of the Blind, is a political satire starring Ralph Fiennes as a military man who helps overthrow his government. He does so at the urging of a political prisoner, played by Donald Sutherland, who has been outspoken about the corruption of the current regime. The soldier learns that corruption may in fact be an inevitable part of having power. Set in an unnamed country without ever giving indication of a specific time period, the allegorical film had its North American debut at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ralph Fiennes, Donald Sutherland, (more)
The debut feature from documentary filmmaker Ramona S. Diaz, Imelda is a profile of one of the most famous and powerful women in recent international history. As told by the woman herself, the film traces the life of Imelda Marcos, focusing intently on her time as the first lady of The Philippines. In addition to accounts from Marcos and her personal associates, the film presents contrasting views of the past from journalists and political adversaries. Imelda had its North American premiere at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- 2002
This lively, heartwarming, and frequently hilarious documentary is devoted to Ruth Berman and Connie Kurtz, two Jewish grandmothers living together in West Palm Beach, FL. Setting this story apart from the standard "snowbird" saga is the fact that the two women are lesbians, having sustained their relationship for more than 40 years. The relationship began back in Brooklyn, when Ruthie and Connie, living as neighbors in a high-rise, came to the realization that theirs was something more than a close friendship. Given the atmosphere of sexual paranoia of the 1960s, the ladies were at first compelled to keep their romance secret, scrambling about to destroy correspondence or any other evidence that might hint at their preferences. By the early 21st century, they were able to look back and laugh heartily at their earlier trials and tribulations, and back to the memory of their commitment ceremony in a New York gay synagogue. After making the rounds in film-festival circuit in the summer of 2002, Ruthie and Connie: Every Room in the House was telecast by Cinemax June 25, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
