We've seen a lot of good films at Full Frame this year, but as luck would have it, the best was saved for last.  Andrew reviews Unmistaken Child, which follows a Buddhist monk on his quest to find the reincarnation of his dead master.  The film received an honorable mention for 2 prizes at the festival and won the Special Jury Award.

Check out the trailer after the jump.

As always, information on this film and more can be found at: www.fullframefest.com.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Read the rest of this entry »

Andrew reviews the big winner at Full Frame: Burma VJ.  The film follows a group of underground journalists in Burma who, due to the strict regulations, must film atrocities in secret and then smuggle the footage out of the country.  It took home 3 prizes at the festival, including the Grand Jury award.

Check out the trailer after the jump.

As always, information on this film and more can be found at: www.fullframefest.com.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Read the rest of this entry »

Andrew talks about one of the most surprising, beautiful films he saw all weekend long: El Olvido (Oblivion), directed by Heddy Honigmann.  With gorgeous visuals, a beautiful score and a ton of interesting subjects in front of the camera, this is cinema poetry, plain and simple.

Check out the trailer and the opening scene of the film after the jump.

As always, information on this film and more can be found at: www.fullframefest.com.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Read the rest of this entry »

Join Andrew and James in the second of our three Full Frame digest episodes as they cover the following films:

Unit 25, Luber Aloft, Hoop Dreams, Carmen Meets Borat, Objectified, Boy Interrupted, Miroir Noir, The Swindler, Say My Name, and more.

MC #45: Full Frame Digest (part 2)
Download MP3 ♦ Subscribe via iTunes ♦ Subscribe via Email

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The festival isn't quite over yet, but James won't be here for Sunday's events, so he and Andrew go ahead and sum up the best and worst of Full Frame 2009.

As always, information on these films and more can be found at: www.fullframefest.com.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Is The Swindler a rip-off or worth every penny?  Andrew reviews this and Say My Name, the story of several successful female hip-hop/rap artists.

As always, information on these films and more can be found at: www.fullframefest.com.  The trailer for Say My Name is after the break.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Read the rest of this entry »

James reviews Dear Zachary 2.  Okay, so its real title is Boy Interrupted, and they two films have nothing to do with each other, but still.  They're both heavy family dramas.  Afterwards, he talks about the Arcade Fire's experimental concert film Miroir Noir, which was his most anticipated film of the festival.

As always, information on these films and more can be found at: www.fullframefest.com.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

What's up with all our stuff? Two years ago, Gary Hustwit focused on a single typeface in Helvetica.  In his latest film, he's focusing on the design not just of fonts, but of every object ever.  What goes into designing everyday objects?  How do we as human beings interact and relate with the objects we own?  Andrew and James give the lowdown on the second of his "design trilogy" of documentary films. As always, information on this film and more can be found at: www.fullframefest.com.  The trailer can be viewed after the jump.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Read the rest of this entry »

In Carmen Meets Borat, the lives of Romanian townspeople are turned upside down after Sacha Baron Cohen and his American film crew use their village in their film, only to portray them as backwards abortionists and rapists. Seventeen-year-old Carmen can only watch as her family tries to fight back for proper monetary compensation. Andrew and James review the film and discuss the ethical ambiguity that often exists between filmmakers and their subjects.

As always, information on this film and more can be found at: www.fullframefest.com. The official website of Carmen Meets Borat is here.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

How did the third day of Full Frame begin?  Andrew saw Unit 25, which follows a Christianized prison ward.  James saw Luber Aloft, a Man-On-Wire-esque (or is it?) look at a Swiss performance artist who appears to defy gravity.  He also made it to a Q&A with the filmmakers and subject of Hoop Dreams, which is arguably the greatest documentary of the 1990s.

As always, information on these films and more can be found at: www.fullframefest.com.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.