#Carl Bessai

[youngestdaughtersyndrome]

Lola (2001) dir. Carl Bessai

[adamwatchesmovies]

Repeaters (2010)

While I didn't enjoy this film, that doesn't mean you won't. No matter what I say, the people involved in this project did it: they actually made a movie. That's something to be applauded. With that established...

Repeaters had potential. There’s no rule dictating the Groundhog Day��motif must be used for comedic stories. Or maybe there should be, considering what we got here instead.

Kyle (Dustin Milligan), Sonia (Amanda Crew), and Michael (Richard de Klerk) are recovering drug addicts at a rehab facility. The next step in their journey is to apologize to those they have hurt. After failing to do so, the trio wakes up the next morning and realize it’s the same day as yesterday. What’s causing this, and how can they leave this time loop?

For the first bit, “Repeaters” proceeds as you would expect. The characters test the limits of the time loop, explore every bit of their "prison" and figure out how to best enjoy it. They take it a little far by taking revenge upon people who have wronged them in what you’d describe as needlessly petty and cruel, but these movies are always about characters changing as “time” passes, so that’s fine. Then, Michael starts taking it to a supervillain level. He’s going around murdering people and raping teenagers. Resetting time loop or not, it feels wrong. You brand him as an irredeemeable monster right away. So the story will be about Kyle and Sonia finding a way to stop him, right? If it wasn't, this would be a dreadful experience... right?

Repeaters has a massive hurdle to overcome because you don’t like the characters. They’re not good people and worse, they’re dumb. It’s another movie where the people in it have never seen any movies because anyone with half a brain would handle this situation better than Kyle does. He makes amateur mistakes over and over, and it takes him FOREVER to smarten up. At least he’s given something to do. Sonia is ultimately useless. She’s just there to be threatened and while she has her own story arc, it’s unconvincing, and lame.

And then, just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, Repeaters pulls a fast one on you. The picture’s final act comes out of nowhere and you don't believe that sequence of events for a second. Your face is wracked in an expression of disbelief, wondering if writer Arne Olsen and director Carl Bessai really expect us to swallow this preposterous turn of events. Then the film mercilessly ends. "Well, it was bad but at least it’s over." Oh but then it isn’t. Five seconds before the end credits, it throws us yet another curveball, a twist which makes absolutely no sense, undoes much of what happened previously and leaves you with a worse taste in your mouth than the one you had before.

Repeaters is a total write-off. While some ideas might be extracted from it to make a better movie, they’re buried under too much garbage to make the effort worth it. This picture gets worse the longer you watch. (April 19, 2019)

[monstraduplicia]

Johnny (1999) dir. Carl Bessai

[elch-im-ausland]

Sunday Feb. 18 2024

I woke up a bit late but that's okay cuz it's Sunday! And nothing happens on Sundays in Germany... except for the Flohmarkt at the Mauerpark in Berlin. I took the tram just a couple stops away from where I'm staying and arrived at the market. Then I got a dirty chai latte and a currywurst for breakfast (very tasty with hot sauce and different kinds of mayo it was D-Lux!) and I walked around for a few hours.

There were lots of vendors selling coats and I wish I didn't live so far away because I have been dying to have a long fur-lined coat (of which there were many) but I really don't have any space so I ended up buying a leather bomber-style jacket to replace my really ratty denim coat I wear all the time.

As much as I love love love my denim coat and I've had it for a few years it's not very warm and the cuffs are so stringy and it's just not the best coat so I'm going to remove my patches and pins and leave it in Germany where it can have a new life hopefully and I will try not to think about how inanimate objects have feelings and how sad my coat will be that I am leaving it behind.

But I'm excited about the leather jacket. I think it will mark a new chapter in my life and although I am a bit saddened by the fact that leather is not really a pin-friendly material I have so many (some (my mother) might say too many) other jackets to redistribute my pins and patches onto, and I will continue the hunt for the long fur-trimmed coat of my dreams.

Back at the flea market I also bought a silver ring with a face on it for 6 euro, a record of Nena's Irgendwie, Irgendwo, Irgendwann 12" dance mix for 10 euro, and a button down t shirt for 2 euro. Then I got a cup of Sahlab and another currywurst and went home because I had to pee and there were no public restrooms.

I met one of my host's roommates, he was really friendly and somehow spoke the exact German that I understand like he didn't use big words idk it felt like talking to a german teacher who understands your level of german. So that was nice.

That night I went to the Berlin Independent Film Festival (not to be confused with the Berlin International Film Festival aka the Berlinale, however I recently bought tickets to 2 films that are being shown at the Berlinale so yay! but it's really annoying that they both take place at the same time and have similar names cuz I keep getting them mixed up).

The movie I saw was Lichtenberg by Carl Bessai. It was at the Babylon Theater and it was very good! It is about 5 different time periods during the last century in an apartment building in the Berlin neighborhood Lichtenberg. The eras where 1920s, 1940s, 1980s, 1990s and 2010s. The cast was small and they played different characters in each time period. And then at the end of the movie there was a short Q&A panel at the front of the theater with the cast and director which was a bit awkward since I had a front-row seat so everyone was standing like 4 feet away from me eep! Apparently the director (who is from Canada) wrote the script and then the cast (all German) decided that it was a bit dry so they improvised every scene so it felt more organic and personal so it was a bit like a stage play in that respect. It's not on Letterboxd yet so I haven't been able to add it to my list rip

Then I came home and went to bed because I was sleepy.

[normalpotpourri]

Normal is a movie by by Carl Bessai featuring Carrie-Anne Moss of The Matrix acclaim.

It’s a pretty good drama, especially if you have any familiarity with – and frankly disdain of – boring suburban living, and the way seemingly random events can have drastic effects and changes to ones own life. (Don’t worry it’s just a movie!)

NORMAL explores the lives of three strangers who are struggling for control, having failed to confront their roles in a tragic accident two years earlier. Catherine is a well-to-do suburban mother who has lost the ability to connect on any level with her surgeon husband and twelve-year-old son after the loss of her elder son. Walt is a failed writer and philandering university professor who deals with impending middle age and haunting memories by sabotaging every relationship around him. Jordie is a sensitive teenager who made a wrong choice one night and although he’s paid the price, still can’t halt his journey downward.

The movie has seemingly gone through another pressing and release, with this newer, much bolder poster design and layout (perhaps to slap the Toronto Film Festival credential on it, or also perhaps to make it appear much more dynamic than it really is, than the everyday really is, which is more wearisome):

http://what-is-normal.info/normal-by-carl-bessai/

[silenciobarnes]

Note: If you are looking for the song played at the end of Repeaters, check this post – Breakneck Speed, the song at the end of Repeaters Repeaters aka Groundhog Day Redux A gritty mind-bending thriller about three twenty-somethings who find themselves in an impossible time labyrinth, where each day they awaken to the same terrifying day as the preceding one. Director: Carl Bessai Writers: Arne Olsen (creator, screenplay) Stars: Dustin Milligan, Amanda Crew and Richard de Klerk The other d http://bit.ly/35CX6YT

[yayponies]

if you’ve never read this story, please do. when fandom people ask me why I love Dustin so much I mean cake shop. 🍰

ETA the original link is long broken. here are some working ones :

https://globalnews.ca/news/153366/monteith-and-milligan-go-from-cake-shop-to-red-carpet-at-toronto-fest-2/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/nationalpost.com/entertainment/cory-monteith-dustin-milligan-get-brotherly-in-carl-bessais-family-drama/amp

and a fun bb Dustin bromance one 💙 http://www.wetpaint.com/bromance-alert-cory-monteith-and-90210s-dustin-milligan-relive-their-early-days-as-roommates-699193/

and this photo of them at a Kings vs Canucks game that I dont remember seeing but Cory pointed it out himself here ☺️ https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/2010/12/13/vancouvers-most-awesome-cory-monteith/

give. me. this. story.

[jboitano]

Premiering at the Nashville Film Festival, April 22, The Lears staring Anthony Michael Hall and Bruce Dern. Written and directed by Carl Bessai. A modern day homage to Shakespeare's King Lear. Tickets can be purchased at www.nashvillefilmfestival.org www.manhattan.film #AnthonyMichaelHall #brucedern #shakespear #kinglear #thelears

[sabryna88rsi]

Repeaters - Ogni giorno - (2010)

Repeaters – Ogni giorno – (2010)

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Repeaters Canada, 2010 Genere: Thriller Regia di Carl Bessai Con Dustin Milligan, Amanda Crew, Richard de Klerk, Alexia Fast, Gabrielle Rose, Hrothgar Mathews, Benjamin Ratner, Tom Scholte… TRAMA DEL FILM: Kate, Sonia e Michael sono diventati amici nel disintossicarsi all’interno della struttura detentiva in cui sono chiusi.…

[youngestdaughtersyndrome]

Lola (2001) dir. Carl Bessai

[falling-through-lost-spaces]

May Screening Log

Doctor Strange (Scott Derrickson, 2016) Pros: Good special effect, especially the mirror dimension effects. Liked Chiwetel Ejiofor and Benedict Wong’s characters. Cons: Arrogant, unsympathetic main character. Tilda Swinton is horribly miscast. Not one of Marvel’s best. 2.5/5

Avengers: Infinity War (Joe Russo & Anthony Russo, 2018) Pros: Great score and special effects are great. So many great scenes, but holy shit the ending! Cons: The huge cast means some characters are neglected. 4.5/5

Bridesmaids (Paul Feig, 2011) Pros: Funny and touching movie. Kristen Wiig is fantastic. Cons: Some characters and subplots are left hanging. 3.5/5

Spy (Paul Feig, 2015) Pros: Funny, with well choreographed action scenes. Liked Miranda Hart and Melissa McCarthy’s characters. Cons: Didn’t care for Peter Serafinowicz character. The plot gets a bit ridiculous at times. 3/5

Emile (Carl Bessai, 2003) Pros: Wonderful performance from Ian McKellen. I liked that for the flashbacks they chose not to cast a younger actor to play Emile. Cons: Found the score very distracting, don’t think it added anything. 3.5/5

Identity Thief (Seth Gordon, 2013) Pros: Good cast, some funny moments, and I know it’s cheesy but I liked the ending. Cons: Inconsistently funny, predictable plot, it could've been so much better. 2/5

McKellen: Playing the Part (Joe Stephenson, 2017) Pros: Interesting, moving and funny documentary. Lots of archive footage that I'd not seen before. I liked the dramatization of McKellen’s early years mixed with real photographs. Cons: Just wish it was longer. 5/5

Whip It (Drew Barrymore, 2009) Pros: Good coming of age story. Well directed, really captures the energy and aggression of roller derby. Cons: Should’ve been gayer. 4/5

Welcome To Me (Shira Piven, 2014) Pros: Kristen Wiig gives a wonderful performance. The supporting cast, especially Linda Cardellini and Joan Cusack are really good. Interesting premise. Cons: Uneven in both pace and tone. Seems confused about what it’s trying to say. 2.5/5

Friends With Kids (Jennifer Westfeldt, 2011) Pros:Funnier than I thought it was going to be. Cons: Super predictable, not enough Kristen Wiig. 3/5

Nasty Baby (Sebastian Silva, 2015) Pros: Excellent cast and interesting characters really draw you into this slow burning film. Went in a direction I wasn’t expecting, but it really left me thinking. Cons: I would've liked to see the characters handling the consequences of the films conclusion. 4/5

[monstraduplicia]

Johnny (1999) dir. Carl Bessai

[hasansertan]

Vampirin Kollarında Film İzle - Embrace Of The Vampire

Vampirin Kollarında Film İzle – Embrace Of The Vampire

Vampirin Kollarında Film İzle – Embrace Of The Vampire , 4.4 İMDB puanlı filmin yönetmeni Carl Bessai , Fimde Keegan Connor Tracy, Ryan Kennedy, Victor Webster, C.c. Sheffield, Olivia Cheng oyuncular yer almaktadır.. Filmin özetinde ise :Bir üniversite öğrencisinin başından geçen olaylar zincirinde bu kıza şeytani bir varlığın musallat olması ile olaylar başlar. Genç kızın içerisine giren bu…

[silenciobarnes]

Note: If you are looking for the song played at the end of Repeaters, check this post – Breakneck Speed, the song at the end of Repeaters Repeaters aka Groundhog Day Redux A gritty mind-bending thriller about three twenty-somethings who find themselves in an impossible time labyrinth, where each day they awaken to the same terrifying day as the preceding one. Director: Carl Bessai Writers: Arne Olsen (creator, screenplay) Stars: Dustin Milligan, Amanda Crew and Richard de Klerk The other d http://bit.ly/2oDcdks

[heavenlystills]

Normal (2007)