Thighbeca Film Festival ‘011

we and the folks took last year off, but came back with a mengeance (whatever that means) this year.  saw 5 flicks over 3 days, all were Jeepers Mos Def Worth A Peepers, and all will be blathered about below in blurb form (in order of seeing them)

A Quiet Life (Una Vita Tranquilla)
Official Site | 100 Minutes

Rosario (our man Toni Servillo of Il Divo amazingness) escaped Mafia death in Italy, leaving his wife and son behind, and now has a new wife, son and QUIET LIFE as a restaurateur in Germany.  Everything’s fine and dandy… until his long lost son juss so happens to show up with his lunkheaded partner for a murder for hire gig in the area.  Director Claudio Cupellini keeps the tension tight and kitchen knives sharp, in this, only his second feature.  Impressive enuff stuff that deserves an American release, and yer eyeballs

The Swell Season
Official Site| 90 Minutes

What happened to those crazy kids after Once?  No, not the quasi-movie versions of themselves, but the real McCoys, Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová (collectively known as The Swell Season), who went on to much fame, acclaim and Oscar glory.  Great question!!!!  And that is EGGGZACTLY what the doc Twice The Swell Season answers!  He was a seasoned musician with not much world-wide traction and she was a little girl just about to begin life, AND then all their wildest dreams came true AND THEN SOME!!  It wasn’t easy on either of them, especially her, and especially since they were lovers!!!!  DRAMMMMMMMMMA!!!  AND GREAT TUNES!!!!   AND MORE!!!  It’s often painful stuff, but it’s always interesting, but truly only for those who saw Once and Once to know more!

The Trip
Official Site| 107 Minutes

Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon go on an English countryside romp, filled with rustic lodgings, questionable fine dinning and a lot of awfully awesome impersonations.  The title to Michael Winterbottom‘s funtastic semi-improvised flick (a summarized version of a the 6 episodic TV show of the same name) sez it all, and it’s a lot more dandy than the trio’s earlier effort, 2005’s Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story.  Book yer ticket when this rock & rule story lands on our shores this June

Mama Africa
Tribecal Site| 90 Minutes

Miriam Makeba is… someone both you and thigh know NOTHING about.  Correct this, like we did, and see this doc (titled with her nickname) about the exiled South African singer and civil rights activist, who won the ears and love of people the globe over, with her click-clacking killah voice.  while you wait for release, get yer ‘Pata Pata‘ on [emp3 d-lode]

God Bless Ozzy Osbourne
Official Site | 91 Minutes

Dude, it’s an unflinching documentary about Ozzy’s life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  There are both Black AND White Sabbath moments, and there’s plenty of red all over!!!!!!!!!!  The only bad thing about it is that it’s not longer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

for all past years Thighbeca-ness, click here