Lawlessness threatens to turn heart of Athens into no-go zone

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The Other Boleyn Girl Most of the buzz surrounding “The Other Boleyn Girl” stemmed from the presence of two young, talented stars – Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson – in the cast. The film, based on a novel by Philippa Gregory, revolves around the two Βoleyn sisters, Anne (Portman) and Mary (Johansson), who vie for the love of Henry VIII in the early 1500s. At this point, King Henry has not yet turned into the portly red-bearded fellow history has remembered him as, but is still an athletic ladies’ man. Love triangles and other court intrigues abound, rather than a portrayal of the wider historical events of the time. Historical drama directed by Justin Chadwick, with Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana, Jim Sturgess and Kristin Scott Thomas. DVD special features: Scene selection, interactive menus, audio commentaries, deleted scenes, extended scenes, theatrical trailers, “Members of the Court: Character Biographies” featurette Untraceable “Untraceable” expands on the fascinating but frightening notion of how modes of violence will change with increasing technological advancement. Α serial killer devises a kind of cyber-hell in which his victims are put in front of a video camera, and then tortured and murdered depending on how many Internet hits the streaming video is getting. The head of Portland’s FBI Cyber Crimes unit, Agent Jennifer Marsh (Diane Lane), is put in charge of locating the anonymous villain but discovers he’s closer to her than she realized. Thriller directed by Gregory Hoblit, starring Diane Lane, Billy Burke and Colin Hanks. DVD special features: Scene selection, interactive menus, theatrical trailers 34 New DVD releases ATHENSPLUS • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2008 DVD & GAMES Home entertainment Bionic Commando Rearmed It’s been 20 years since the launch of the all-time classic original 8-bit Bionic Commando. The remake of the game comes with the much-needed graphics and animation upgrade. There is a great deal of swinging and shooting in a revamped 2-D environment, a new soundtrack based on the classic 8-bit music of the first game and new modes like the 2-player co-op. The story of the game sticks to the original plot. Available formats: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC ESRB rating: Mature 17+ Foreign film Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame Don’t be misled by the title: Buddha is not at the center of this film, but Afghanistan is. Set in 2001, child actors are used to explore issues of religious extremism. The film takes place amid the backdrop of the Taliban’s internationally criticized decision to destroy 5thcentury Buddha carvings. The film won the 2008 Crystal Bear and Peace Film awards at the Berlin Film Festival and the Special Prize of the Jury and TVE Otra Mirada Award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. Drama directed by Hana Makhmalbaf, starring Nikbakht Noruz, Abdolali Hoseinali and Abbas Alijome. (In Farsi) DVD special features: Scene selection, interactive menus Video games Hellboy: The Science of Evil In this video game version of the successful comic book and movie franchise, Hellboy uncovers a Nazi plot for world domination and prevents villain Hermann von Klempt from unleashing evil upon the world. The game should appeal to Hellboy fans as it retains all the visual elements and the dark humor of the comic books. Plenty of action challenges the player at all times during each of the game’s stages. There are many close-combat sequences, key to progressing in the storyline. In combination with the grappling commands and other attacks, the result is satisfying in terms of what someone would expect from Hellboy himself. Available formats: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PSP ESRB rating: Teen DVD mini-picks The Last Hit Man A low-budget crime-drama that will confuse those who expect a film with “Hit Man” in the title to contain lots of action and violence. Instead, the hit man (Joe Mantegna) is not concerned with others’ deaths but his own. After finding out that he is very ill, he must tie up the loose ends in his life. Semi-Pro Will Ferrell fans will be entertained. Others will not. Set in the semi-professional basketball leagues of the 1970s, when afros, and male short-shorts were in, Jackie Moon (Ferrell) epitomizes the era, as the owner, coach and player of Flint Michigan Tropics. The Nines “The Nines” makes for a fun but intellectually stimulating ride with its story of intertwining characters working in Hollywood. Ryan Reynolds acts in each of the alternative realities as a different character. Those who enjoy David Lynch films will see the similarities. REVIEW BY JULIA PANAYOTOU All the rich young men It wouldn’t be outlandish to assume that many women have at some point dreamed of becoming a star: the beautiful clothes, lavish homes and adoring fans. But would men admit to the same daydream? They would if it were framed in the following way: A young actor makes it big in Hollywood and brings his old childhood friends, plus his older failed-actor brother, to live in his mansion, share his wealth and, last but not least, introduce them to lots of starlets. That basically sums up the plot of “Entourage,” a series which follows the rising actor Vince (Adrian Grenier), his friends Eric (Kevin Connolly), Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and brother Drama (Kevin Dillon). Not to be excluded is Vince’s tough, workaholic and hyperactive agent Ari (Jeremy Piven), who is a much-needed foil to the posse’s laid-back lifestyle. Executive producer Mark Wahlberg came up with the idea for “Entourage” based on his own experiences as an actor, and the episodes are packed with celebrity cameos. When the series began in 2004, critics panned it for the same reasons that made VIP & posse The series follows the daily life of a Hollywood celebrity and his friends many watch and wish they too had a celebrity best friend. But the show’s portrayal of the Hollywood lifestyle is evened out by showing the details of the entertainment industry that don’t typically get the spotlight: the hard work and family sacrifices Ari makes to be a successful agent, and the failed-actor brother Drama, who epitomizes how fame can turn sour and worthless in the entertainment business. As Vince and his friends go about buying expensive cars and picking up girls, the underlying message very well may be to enjoy fame before it inevitably slips away. Comedy series created by Doug Ellin, starring Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jeremy Piven and Jerry Ferrara. Seasons 1-4 are available on DVD. DVD special features: Interactive menus, scene selection, subtitles, interviews, audio commentary, featurettes, trailers
ATHENSPLUS • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2008 CINEMA Premieres with a darker twist Athens International Film Festival promises something different for its 14th year BY PHOEBE FRONISTA For many city-dwellers, the Athens International Film Festival Conn- Ã has become a post-holiday ritual. As soon as you start blinking in disbelief at finding yourself back in the city after lazy, sun-kissed days, you realize that there is, actually, something to look forward to – the event that traditionally kick-starts the winter season and which just keeps getting bigger, more interactive and more diverse each time around. The festival will begin September 17, opening with this year’s Palme d’Or winner, Laurent Cantet’s “The Class” (Entre les murs). On the whole, the festival has purposely skewed its viewing fare to reflect the darker side of modern times. In this spirit, they will screen another two Cannes winners, Steve McQueen’s “Hunger,” which won the Golden Camera award for its stark portrayal of the death by hunger strike of IRA member Bobby Sands as well as Matteo Garrone’s “Gomorra,” which won the Grand Prix for its realistic depiction of the Camorra crime syndicate which holds Naples, Italy, in thrall. Documentaries will feature heavily in the program, with such diverse offerings as “Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr Hunter S. Thompson,” “The Other Side of Istanbul” – which explores the gay scene in Turkey – and the Madonna-directed “I Am Because We Are,” about the dire poverty and AIDS epidemic in Malawi. On a lighter note, famous car- BY CHRISTINE STURMEY Running into its 14th year as an international event and its 31st as a Greek one, the Drama Short Film Festival continues to expand each year, with strong competition sections, tributes, special themes and a number of parallel events. Starting on Monday, September 15, and running to Saturday, September 20, the northern Greek city will become a showcase for 33 local productions, 25 digital shorts and 20 IT projects. In the international section, there will be 65 films going for the gold, among which three are Greek and INFO Athens International Film Festival Conn-X begins Wednesday, September 17, and ends on Sunday, September 28. The movie theaters that will be showing the films are the Attikon and Apollon Cinemax Class cinemas (19 Stadiou, tel 210.322.8821) and Danaos 1 & 2 (109 Kifissias, tel 210.6922.655). Individual ticket sales begin on Sunday, September 14. For serious cinephiles, as of September 5 and available on a first-come, first-served basis, the festival will be offering 200 30-euro packets (worth 10 screenings) and 350 75-euro packets (worth 25 screenings.) Cult flicks Seven films by Jacques Tourneur (1904-1977) will be screened in homage to the master of B movies toonist Bill Plympton will have his own retrospective, as well as hosting an animation workshop on September 22 that will be open to all comers. Plympton’s new film, “Idiots and Angels,” offers an amoral perspective on the true nature of angels. For cult movie fans, seven films by Jacques Tourneur (1904- 1977) will be screened in homage to the master of B movies, who Shorts and more are on view in Drama Collaborations with foreign institutes make for a rich program of events one is a Cypriot production. Among the special themes and tributes is a focus on Irish cinema to take place in collaboration with Network Ireland Television, as well as a series on human rights organized with the Goethe Institute and another section set up with Emotion Pictures on documentaries about disability. On Thursday, September 18, the festival will be going French in collaboration with TV5Monde and the French Institute, as six Francophone shorts will be screened starting at 9 p.m. The state broadcaster ERT will be holding a round-table discus- ‘Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr Hunter S. Thompson’ is one of the documentaries that will be screened at the festival. felt entirely at home with the entire range of the genre, whether it was film noir (“Out of the Past”) or horror (“I Walked with a Zombie”). The 25-year-old French wunderkind Isild Le Besco will be in Athens promoting her new film, “Charly,” as will Matteo Garrone, who will be talking about “Gomorra.” Also present at the festival to take questions after screen- sion on the possibilities of collaboration between short film directors and television, while a workshop titled “Stop By. Shoot Film” will take place from September 16-18. The International Jury, presided over by Russian screenwriter and director Konstantin Lopushan- ings will be Christophe Barratier (returning with his new film “Paris 36”), Christopher Bale (his “Bigger, Stronger, Faster” is about doping in athletics) and David Assmann and Ayat Najafi whose, “Football Undercover” follows a German female soccer team to Iran. Two Golden Athenas – and their respective 10,000 euros in prize money – will be handed out to the lucky competition winners. A humble drop of water embarks on an ambitious journey to escape the mundane reality of life in the sink, in ‘A Drop in the Ocean’ by Thodoris Veneris and Dimitris Heliotis. sky, is further composed of Bujar Alimani, Morad Kertobi, Janno Poldma and Maria Hatzimichali- Papaliou. On the local front, the jury is headed by Manousos Manousakis and comprises Vassilis Douvlis, Gerasimos Theodosis, Takis Koumoundouros and Tatiana Papamoschou. New event puts the focus on Africa’s fresh cinematic productions BY JULIA PANAYOTOU Whether your taste is for hard-hitting documentaries or gripping narratives, there’s much to choose from in the 1st African Film Festival, running from the 11th to 17th of the month. Overall, 13 African countries are covered through the screenings, including three films by Greek filmmakers. Friday’s highlights include “Hotel Rwanda.” Starring Don Cheadle, the film is based on the true story of a hotel manger who housed thousands of refugees during the genocide in Rwanda. It won the 2005 Humanitas Prize as well as scoring at the Golden Globes and BAFTA. Another award-winning work showing on Friday is “DELTA: Oil’s Dirty Business,” at 11.45 p.m. on Friday. The documentary’s director and Africa expert Giorgos Avgeropoulos traveled to Nigeria’s river delta, where oil transport and terrorism are forming a volatile mix. The documentary will be followed by a discussion with Avgeropoulos. Playing on Saturday at 8 p.m. is “A Boy Called Twist” – a contemporary African spin on Charles Dickens’s classic “Oliver Twist” – which was directed and written by Tim Greene. Two documentaries, one on Sierra Leone and the next on Nigeria follow. “Home – My Own Sierra Leone” ‘Reves de poussiere,’ playing on Tuesday at 10 p.m., portrays the harsh world of a gold-mining community in Burkina Faso. is a Greek documentary playing on Sunday at 8 p.m. Directed by Pandora Mouriki, it explores issues of contemporary Greek and African identity by following Antonia, a daughter of African immigrants raised in Greece as she makes a trip to see her grandmother in Sierra Leone and witnesses the destruction the civil war has wreaked on the country’s population. “A central theme was the idea of an immigrant’s identity, as well as local perception of immigrants and their integration into Greek life, particularly because this type of immigration is new,” says Mouriki. Following Pandora Mouriki’s discussion of her work on Sunday will be the historical drama “Goodbye Bafana,” based on the memoirs of Nelson Mandela’s prison guard. Winner of the 2007 Peace Film Award and nominated for the 2007 Golden Berlin Award, it stars Joseph Fiennes, Dennis Haysbert and Diane Kruger. On Monday, the countries being explored are Tunisia, Mali and Burkina Faso, while on Tuesday one of three screenings is “Dreams of Dust,” a drama directed by Laurent Salgues, which delves into the dark world of African gold-mining and tells the story of a couple who find hope even in the most inhumane of environments. The festival ends on Wednesday with “Soldier Child,” Neil Abramson’s documentary on Ugandan attempts to rehabilitate former child soldiers, at 8 p.m.; “Moolaade,” a drama directed by Ousmane Sembene set in Burkina Faso; and finally the documentary “Darfur Diaries: Message from Home,” by Adam Shapiro, Aisha Bain and Jen Marlowe, at 11 p.m. 35
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