New Zealand filmmaker Andrew Dominik raised eyebrows and garnered attention when he delivered the epic tragedy The Asassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, which garnered Oscar nominations for cinematographer Roger Deakins and co-star Casey Affleck. Now he’s back up to bat for another shot at Oscar gold with camera guru Deakins, and the star of the Jesse James film Brad Pitt. The film is a mob tale of crime and redemption called Killing Them Softly, which sounds like an oxymoron from the get-go. Although Brad Pitt has long been a performer whose name is more synonymous with “movie star,” he has been edging along in upgrading his credentials to “actor.” Beginning with his work for Quentin Tarantino in Inglorious Basterds, and continuing through the aforementioned Jesse James film, and last year’s Moneyball, Pitt has seemed to be moving out of the “movie star” shadow by delivering some really risky performances where they might not be expected.
It’s always an annual treat when Cincinnati World Cinema brings in the current Lunafest collection. This long-running series of short films by and about women is an excellent way for budding filmmakers to get noticed, and also do some good in the process. As always, a portion of the proceeds from these showings will go to the national Breast Cancer Fund, and locally, to the Eva G. Farris Education Center in Covington.
In any collection of short films, reactions will be different for different people. You may find some inspiring, some funny, some ho-hum. But that’s the luck of the draw, and just like with the British commercial programs, there’s always something new just around the corner. The shortest film is three-and-a-half minutes; the longest eighteen.
