Cate Blanchett To Receive 38th Annual SBIFF Outstanding Performer Of The Year Award

Posted on November 8, 2022 by admin

Cate Blanchett will receive the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award at the 38th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Blanchett will be honored on Friday, February 10, 2023 for her critically acclaimed portrayal of Lydia Tár in Todd Feld’s TÁR from Focus Features. Setting a historic record, this is the second time Blanchett will be feted at the festival as the Outstanding Performer of the Year.

In 2014, she received the honor for her role as Jasmine French in BLUE JASMINE. In 2008, she was crowned the Modern Master Award for her role as Queen Elizabeth in ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE and as multi-faceted Bob Dylan in I’M NOT THERE.

“Cate Blanchett is an artist that has nothing left to prove; she is one of the most brilliant actresses ever – yet she keeps challenging herself and proving over and over again that she’s the most outstanding performer!” SBIFF’s Executive Director Roger Durling noted.

Cate Blanchett is an internationally acclaimed, Academy Award-winning actor, producer, artistic director, humanitarian, and dedicated member of the arts community. Blanchett plays the titular role and executive produces Todd Field’s highly anticipated feature film “TÁR,” which marks the writer-director-producer’s first film in over 15 years. The film was warmly welcomed at the Telluride Film Festival and Venice International Film Festival, where Blanchett was awarded the Coppa Volpi for Best Actress for her second time since I’m Not There. This fall, Blanchett will appear in Guillermo Del Toro’s latest film, “PINOCCHIO,” and the mockumentary hit series “Documentary Now!” She has now begun production in Australia on Warwick Thornton’s “The New Boy,” in which she stars and produces via the production company Dirty Films. She most recently wrapped production on “Disclaimer,” directed by Alfonso Cuaron, in which she also stars and executive produces. In 2021, Blanchett appeared in Adam McKay’s smash hit, Don’t Look Up, as well as Guillermo Del Toro’s Nightmare Alley.
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Film Review: The Struggle And Hope In “The Bicycle Thieves”

Posted on July 3, 2016 by admin

By Armando Inquig

The Bicycle Thieves lays bare the harsh reality of life in post-war Italy. Released in 1948, during a time of deep economic struggle, the film captures the raw aftermath of war with a simplicity that makes its message all the more powerful. Directed by Vittorio De Sica, it’s one of the defining works of Italian neorealism, and still widely considered one of the greatest films ever made.

The story follows Antonio Ricci, a down-on-his-luck man in Rome trying to provide for his family. Things start to look up when he finally lands a job putting up advertising posters — but the job depends on having a bicycle. His wife, Maria, sacrifices their bed linens to get the bike back from a pawn shop, and Antonio heads out to work, hopeful for the first time in a long while.

But his luck quickly turns. While he’s up on a ladder hanging a poster, someone steals his bicycle. He gives chase, but the thief vanishes into the crowd.

What follows is a long and often heartbreaking day as Antonio and his young son, Bruno, comb the city trying to find the bike. Their search takes them through different parts of Rome, each offering a glimpse into the city’s wide economic gap. At a bustling market full of stolen goods, they come up short. At one point, they find someone who may know the thief, and they track down a suspect. But Antonio can’t prove anything, and the man walks free.

As the day wears on, Antonio’s desperation grows. Eventually, in a moment of hopelessness, he tries to steal a bicycle himself — only to be caught in front of a crowd, and most painfully, in front of Bruno. The bike’s owner, seeing their situation, decides not to press charges.

The film ends with Antonio and Bruno walking away together, hand in hand, fading into the crowd. The bicycle — and the hope it once brought — is gone.

De Sica paints a painfully honest picture of what poverty can do to a person. Antonio is not a hero or a villain — just a man pushed to his breaking point by a world that doesn’t seem to care. His story still resonates, not because of the time or place, but because of the emotions it captures so clearly: struggle, pride, shame, and love.

The Bicycle Thieves is moving, human, and unforgettable.

The Criterion Collection recently released the film on Blu-ray in a 4K digital restoration. This special edition also includes a 2003 documentary on screenwriter and longtime De Sica collaborator Cesare Zavattini, directed by Carlo Lizzani.

Classic Film Review: A Detective’s Dilemma In Alfred Hitchcock’s “Sabotage”

Posted on August 25, 2015 by admin

By Armando Inquig

Although ‘Sabotage’ is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s lesser-known films, its darker elements mark it as a significant precursor to his later works.

Released in 1936, Sabotage is one of Hitchcock’s British productions before he moved to the US and transitioned into Hollywood. The film is narratively daring for its time, incorporating dark and tragic elements that Hitchcock would later become known for.

The film follows cinema owner Karl Verloc (played by Oscar Homolka), a man who engages in attacks against the city’s infrastructure. His wife, Mrs. Verloc (Sylvia Sidney), and her younger brother, Stevie (Desmond Tester), are unaware of his activities.

Detective sergeant Ted Spencer (John Loder) is assigned to investigate Verloc and infiltrate his life under the guise of a cinema patron. As Spencer delves deeper into his investigation, Mrs. Verloc gradually senses that something is wrong with her husband. It is soon revealed that Verloc, pressured by his co-conspirators, is planning to carry out a big sabotage act.

Verloc secretly instructs Stevie to deliver a film canister containing a lethal bomb, set to explode in the heart of London. Stevie is unaware of its contents and innocently agrees to transport the canister. But the bomb tragically detonates on a crowded bus, killing the young boy and sending shockwaves through the city. Mrs. Verloc is devastated by the loss of her brother and, in a moment of anger, she confronts Karl and ends up stabbing and killing him.

By now, Detective Spencer who seemingly developed feelings for Mrs. Verloc, is torn and conflicted. Will Detective Spencer abide by his obligations and turn Mrs. Verloc in, or will his emotions prevail and help her escape?

In true Hitchcockian fashion, the film navigates moral dilemmas about loyalty, guilt and justice, themes that became a hallmark of his storytelling style and continued throughout the rest of his career. His direction is steady, focused on the psychological complexities of the characters without devolving into conventional tropes.

“Sabotage” is released as “The Woman Alone” in the United States, and is now available in Blu-ray in the United Kingdom in a high-definition format.