Stars: Alina Babak, Valeriya Dmitrieva, Igor Khripunov, Evgeniya Loza, Sergey Pokhodaev, Valentin Sadiki, Vladimir Seleznyov | Written and Directed by Svyatoslav Podgaevskiy
There is an ancient ritual known to humankind for more than a hundred years…According to the legend, an ominous entity known as the Queen of Spades can be summoned by drawing a door and staircase on a mirror in the darkness, and by saying her name three times. The Queen of Spades gets her energy from reflective objects; she cuts locks of hair from those asleep, and those that see her go mad or die. Four teenagers decide to call the Queen of Spades as a joke. But when one of them dies of a sudden heart attack, the group realizes they are up against something inexplicable and deadly dangerous.
Recently we saw the UK release of Guardians, a Russian-made take on superhero movies – well, with Queen of...
There is an ancient ritual known to humankind for more than a hundred years…According to the legend, an ominous entity known as the Queen of Spades can be summoned by drawing a door and staircase on a mirror in the darkness, and by saying her name three times. The Queen of Spades gets her energy from reflective objects; she cuts locks of hair from those asleep, and those that see her go mad or die. Four teenagers decide to call the Queen of Spades as a joke. But when one of them dies of a sudden heart attack, the group realizes they are up against something inexplicable and deadly dangerous.
Recently we saw the UK release of Guardians, a Russian-made take on superhero movies – well, with Queen of...
- 5/3/2018
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Continuing our countdown of the best movies released in Australia this year: a booze-fuelled Russian epic which had officials at the Kremlin steaming
• The Australian top 50 so far
Has 2015 given us any more full-blooded a film than Leviathan? Even the best of the rest feel watery lined up beside the 70% proof sucker-punch of this. Andrei Zvyagintsev’s contemporary Russian epic is a one-stop shop for those in search of love, sex, adultery, an exploration of the role of the man in the state, of faith and freedom, institutional corruption and insidious patriotism. And a lot of vodka.
The story, given the whopping sources (The Book of Job, the work of Thomas Hobbes, etc) is actually quite a lean beast: Nikolay (Aleksei Serebryakov) lives with his second wife, Lilya (Elena Lyadova from Zvyagintsev’s Elena), and moody teenage son in a modest villa overlooking a lake. It was built by his ancestors,...
• The Australian top 50 so far
Has 2015 given us any more full-blooded a film than Leviathan? Even the best of the rest feel watery lined up beside the 70% proof sucker-punch of this. Andrei Zvyagintsev’s contemporary Russian epic is a one-stop shop for those in search of love, sex, adultery, an exploration of the role of the man in the state, of faith and freedom, institutional corruption and insidious patriotism. And a lot of vodka.
The story, given the whopping sources (The Book of Job, the work of Thomas Hobbes, etc) is actually quite a lean beast: Nikolay (Aleksei Serebryakov) lives with his second wife, Lilya (Elena Lyadova from Zvyagintsev’s Elena), and moody teenage son in a modest villa overlooking a lake. It was built by his ancestors,...
- 12/14/2015
- by Catherine Shoard
- The Guardian - Film News
Well, sometimes some confusion can be a good thing. When I was first aware of this film’s title, I thought that this may be a remake/reboot of the 1989 Peter Weller starring monster thriller with a massive CGI beastie akin to those from Pacific Rim or last Summer’s retooled Godzilla. Seems I was mistaken. Leviathan doesn’t concern itself with a colossal rampaging demon risen from the depths, but rather it’s a complex drama set in a dreary, Russian fishing village (yes, it has subtitles). The title doesn’t refer to a scaly giant that the film’s heroes must face. They instead must square off against an even more formidable adversary, for this leviathan is comprised not of claws and fangs, but corruption and the cruelties of fate itself.
The story begins as the sun rises over that Russian village, as Nikolay (Aleksey Serebryakov) heads away...
The story begins as the sun rises over that Russian village, as Nikolay (Aleksey Serebryakov) heads away...
- 2/20/2015
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has unveiled its 2015 line-up which includes films representing 54 countries, 23 world premieres and 53 U.S. premieres. The U.S. premiere of Niki Caro’s McFarland USA will close out the 30th fest. Based on the 1987 true story and starring Kevin Costner and Maria Bello, the film follows novice runners from McFarland, an economically challenged town in California’s farm-rich Central Valley, as they give their all to build a cross-country team under the direction of Coach Jim White (Costner), a newcomer to their predominantly Latino high school. The unlikely band of runners overcomes the odds to forge not only a championship cross-country team but an enduring legacy as well.
The festival runs from January 27-February 7.
Below is the list of World and U.S. Premiere films followed by the list of titles by sidebar categories.
World Premieres
A Better You, USA
Directed by Matt Walsh
Cast: Brian Huskey,...
The festival runs from January 27-February 7.
Below is the list of World and U.S. Premiere films followed by the list of titles by sidebar categories.
World Premieres
A Better You, USA
Directed by Matt Walsh
Cast: Brian Huskey,...
- 1/8/2015
- by The Deadline Team
- Deadline
A self-acknowledged "showcase for Academy Award frontrunners," the Santa Barbara International Film Festival is often overlooked for the actual films that earn it festival status. An amalgamation of international discoveries and ’merica’s circuit highlights, the Sbiff curates a week of best-of-the-best to pair with their star-praising. The 2015 edition offers another expansive selection, bookended by two films that aren’t on any radars just yet. Sbiff will open with "Desert Dancer," producer Richard Raymond’s directorial debut. Starring Reece Ritchie and Frieda Pinto, the drama follows a group of friends who wave off the harsh political climate of Iran’s 2009 presidential election in favor of forming a dance team, picking up moves from Michael Jackson, Gene Kelly and Rudolf Nureyev thanks to the magic of YouTube. The festival will close with "McFarland, USA," starring Kevin Costner and Maria Bello. Telling the 1987 true story of a Latino high school’s underdog cross-country team,...
- 1/8/2015
- by Matt Patches
- Hitfix
Leviathan Sony Pictures Classics Reviewed for Shockya by Harvey Karten. Data-based on Rotten Tomatoes. Grade: B Director: Andrey Zvyangintsev Screenwriter: Andrey Zyvagintsev, Oleg Negin Cast: Alexey Serebryakov, Elena Lyadova, Vladimir Vdovichenkov, Sergey Pokhodaev Screened at: Sony, NYC, 11/25/14 Opens: December 25, 2014 The principal character in Andrey Zvyangintsev’s “Leviathan” is one who during the two hours plus running time of the film becomes completely depleted. He is a lost soul not just metaphorically but a man who has literally lost his two wives, his son, his home, his spirit, his freedom. If that sounds similar to the fate of the biblical Job, which addresses the theme of God’s justice in [ Read More ]
The post Leviathan Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Leviathan Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 12/21/2014
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
Here is the trailer and poster for Sony Pictures Classics’ upcoming film Leviathan. Winner of the Best Screenplay award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and Russia’s official foreign language submission for the Academy Awards, Leviathan opens December 31, 2014.
The latest drama from Andrey Zvyagintsev, the acclaimed director of The Return (Venice Film Festival Golden Lion winner and Golden Globe nominee). Kolya (Alexeï Serebriakov) lives in a small fishing town near the stunning Barents Sea in Northern Russia. He owns an auto-repair shop that stands right next to the house where he lives with his young wife Lilya (Elena Liadova) and his son Roma (Sergueï Pokhodaev) from a previous marriage.
The town’s corrupt mayor Vadim Shelevyat (Roman Madianov) is determined to take away his business, his house, as well as his land. First the Mayor tries buying off Kolya, but Kolya unflinchingly fights as hard as he can...
The latest drama from Andrey Zvyagintsev, the acclaimed director of The Return (Venice Film Festival Golden Lion winner and Golden Globe nominee). Kolya (Alexeï Serebriakov) lives in a small fishing town near the stunning Barents Sea in Northern Russia. He owns an auto-repair shop that stands right next to the house where he lives with his young wife Lilya (Elena Liadova) and his son Roma (Sergueï Pokhodaev) from a previous marriage.
The town’s corrupt mayor Vadim Shelevyat (Roman Madianov) is determined to take away his business, his house, as well as his land. First the Mayor tries buying off Kolya, but Kolya unflinchingly fights as hard as he can...
- 10/16/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
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