#oksana bychkova

[adavaite]

Еще один год

[stainedglassgardens]

Watched in February 2021

Beyond the Black Rainbow

Meeting the Man: James Baldwin in Paris

Student (Студент)

Beginning (Დასაწყისი)

Miss Juneteenth

The Collector (Koleksiyoncu)

You're Sleeping Nicole (Tu dors Nicole)

Another Year (Еще один год)

Lessons of Darkness (Lektionen in Finsternis)

Space Sweepers (승리호)

Synchronic

Dead Pigs (海上浮城)

Basket Case

Pariah

John Wick: Chapter 2

Frankenhooker

The Dark Crystal

Palm Springs

The Village

I could take them or leave them

Student (Студент, Darezhan Omirbayev, 2012): This film from Kazakhstan was supposed to be an adaptation of Crime and Punishment, which I have not read, and maybe that is why I didn't quite get it

Miss Juneteenth (Channing Godfrey Peoples, 2020): I was a little disappointed by this, like the film itself is very good but I feel like I've seen a dozen exactly like this one

Space Sweepers (승리호, Jo Sung-hee, 2021): This could have been a good-enough action sci-fi moment but the plot was messy and the characters not particularly endearing

Pariah (Dee Rees, 2011): I should have watched this sooner... I built it up in my head and ended up expecting something better than it was. Still a great lesbian coming-of-age story, just maybe not for me

Fun times

Basket Case and Frankenhooker (Frank Henenlotter, 1982 and 1990): These were both on Mubi so I thought why not?! They're very silly, very enjoyable. Frankenhooker did make me uneasy with its depiction of sex work though, so I preferred Basket Case

John Wick: Chapter 2 (Chad Stahelski, 2017): Very silly! Loved it

The Dark Crystal (Frank Oz & Jim Henson, 1982): Not sure what I can say about this. It was good? The animation was impressive, especially for 1982. And yes, I had a good time

Palm Springs (Max Barbakow, 2020): I'm a slut for time travel and when I saw Andy Samberg was in this I jumped in! I wasn't disappointed. It's a perfect sci-fi comedy

The Village (M. Night Shyamalan, 2004): I didn't think this was particularly great but it made for a pleasant hour or two

Really enjoyed

Beyond the Black Rainbow (Panos Cosmatos, 2010): The first film from the director of Mandy is aesthetically perfect

Meeting the Man: James Baldwin in Paris (Terence Dixon, 1970): In this short documentary James Baldwin finds himself in conflict with white British filmmakers. He is, as usual, wonderful

The Collector (Koleksiyoncu, Pelin Esmer, 2002): This is a documentary about the director's fascinating uncle who hoards many things in his small Istanbul flat. Highly recommended

You're Sleeping Nicole (Tu dors Nicole, Stéphane Lafleur, 2014): A coming-of-age story that is sometimes sad, sometimes very funny, and has the right vibe for a long summer

Lessons of Darkness (Lektionen in Finsternis, Werner Herzog, 1992): A documentary with barely any commentary, just images of the aftermath of the Gulf War

Synchronic (Aaron Moorhead & Justin Benson, 2019): Maybe I was a bit disappointed by this follow-up to Resolution and The Endless? It's very good, but I expected something amazing

Dead Pigs (海上浮城, Cathy Yan, 2018): I watched this because I was intrigued, having seen Birds of Prey, and I'm pleased to say that Cathy Yan's debut is infinitely better. Had a great time watching this

Favourites of the month

Beginning (Დასაწყისი, Dea Kulumbegashvili, 2020): Not sure what I can say about this film to do it justice. It's very sad, very masteful. Hard to believe it is the director's first feature

Another Year (Еще один год, Oksana Bychkova, 2014): This month's film that made me cry! Films never do but this one had Take This Waltz vibes and it was unbelievably sad. Of course I loved it

In February I also rewatched Upstream Color (loved it a little less this time), Boy and Heavenly Creatures (still love them just as much). I also took pains to spend more time reading and less time watching stuff. I'm happy to watch 15-20 films a month so I'll try and keep going like that in March!

[strictlycomesparkle]

Those returning to the Strictly dance floor once again are Anton du Beke, Brendan Cole, Kevin Clifton, Neil Jones, Pasha Kovalev, Gorka Marquez, Aljaž Škorjanec, Giovanni Pernice and AJ Pritchard; alongside Karen Clifton, Chloe Hewitt, Katya Jones, Janette Manrara and Oti Mabuse. Dianne Buswell is an Australian Open Champion and four-time Amateur Australian Open Finalist. She has appeared on Dancing with the Stars Australia and has been part of the Burn The Floor production on Broadway since 2011. She said: “What an honour it is to be a part of Strictly Come Dancing! Words can’t describe how excited I am to take on this amazing challenge and give it my everything! See you on the dance floor!” Nadiya Bychkova from Ulkraine is a two-time World Champion and European Champion in Ballroom and Latin ‘10’ Dance. She is a multiple-time Slovenian Ballroom and Latin Champion and has taken part in the Bosnian version of Strictly. She said: “I'm extremely happy to be joining the Strictly Come Dancing family this year. One of my biggest dreams is to be part of this great show and I can't wait to get started!" Amy Dowden is from Caerphilly, South Wales and began dancing at the age of eight. She is the current British National Champion and one of the highest-ranking Ballroom and Latin American professional dancers in the UK. Amy is also a four-time British National Finalist and in 2015, she reached the semi-final of the World Championship. She said: “Becoming a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing has made my wildest dreams come true, it does not feel real! I have always been proud of my Welsh roots and feel so honoured to be the first Welsh professional dancer on the most loved show on TV!” Our three new professional dancers will replace Joanne Clifton and Oksana Platero who are leaving the series, along with Natalie Lowe who previously announced she was not returning. Strictly thanks them for their contribution to the show and wishes them all the very best for the future! Louise Rainbow, Executive Producer, Strictly Come Dancing said: “We’re delighted with our line-up of pros for this year’s series. They are all brilliant dancers and wonderful teachers and Strictly is so lucky to have them. I would like to thank Natalie, Joanne and Oksana for their hard work and the amazing contribution they have made to the show and wish them all well for the future.” Joanne, the current Strictly champion, will return to the Strictly ballroom one last time. She will perform the winners’ routine with her celebrity partner Ore Oduba at the start of the new series. Joanne said: "Being part of the Strictly experience has been one of the best things that has ever happened to me and I will miss the show so much. It’s been a tough decision but I am looking forward to facing new challenges and focusing on my musical theatre career.” Oksana said: “I just want to say thank you to everyone involved with Strictly. Last year was my first season and I had an unforgettable time working alongside such amazing dancers and an even better time with Judge Rinder. It was an opportunity of a lifetime and I will never forget it. Thank you so much for the memories.” At the time of her announcement, Natalie said: “This was a very difficult decision for me not to accept the invitation to appear on this season of Strictly. It is with a very heavy heart that I have arrived at this decision. I’ll be forever grateful for the amazing time, opportunities and memories Strictly has created for me. My time on the programme has been everything that I dreamed it would be and more, from the friendships I developed, the amazing dances I was able to perform in and the experiences that Strictly provided me. It truly has been an incredible and extraordinary experience.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/strictlycomedancing/entries/a8f6012a-b783-4fdb-ac7b-a995ef2cb4b7

[folditdouble]

Women in Film Challenge 2019: [18/52] Piter FM, dir. Oksana Bychkova (Russia, 2006)

Life, in general, is a very unexpected thing. It's only in the movies that everything is by the script.