Film-Forward

About Nora Lee Mandel

This author has not yet filled in any details.
So far Nora Lee Mandel has created 319 blog entries.

On the Bowery (1957)

Written & Directed by Lionel Rogosin, in collaboration with Richard Bagley & Mark Sufrin 
Produced by Rogosin
Released by Milestone Films
USA. 67 min. Not Rated
With Ray Salyer, Gorman Hendricks & Frank Matthews
DVD Special Features: Introduction by Martin Scorsese. “The Perfect Team: The Making of On the Bowery, directed by Michael Rogosin. “A Walk Through […]

By |March 12th, 2012|Classics|0 Comments

Boy

Written & Directed by Taika Waititi
Produced by Ainsley Gardiner, Cliff Curtis & Emanuel Michael
Released by Paladin
New Zealand. 90 min. Not Rated
With James Rolleston, Te Aho Eketone-Whitu & Waititi
Boy gives delightful new meaning to “It takes a whole village to raise a child” by nostalgically going back to an isolated community where kids were pretty much […]

By |March 10th, 2012|Comedy, Top Picks|0 Comments

Sound of Noise

Directed by Ola Simonsson & Johannes Stjarne Nilsson
Produced by Jim Birmant, Guy Péchard, Christophe Audeguis & Olivier Guerpillon
Written by Simonsson & Nilsson, story by Simonsson, Nilsson & Birmant
Released by Magnolia Pictures
Sweden/France. 102 min. Rated R
Swedish with English subtitles
With Bengt Nilsson, Sanna Persson Halapi, Magnus Borjeson, Johannes Bjork, Fredrik Myhr, Marcus Haraldson Boij, Anders Vestergard & […]

By |March 9th, 2012|Comedy, DVD/Streaming/On Demand, Musical, Top Picks|0 Comments

Last Days Here

Directed by Don Argott & Demian Fenton
Produced by Sheena M. Joyce
Released by Sundance Selects
USA. 90 min. Not rated

Can a doom metal cult hero get out of his parents’ basement and off drugs to finally capitalize on decades of fan fervor? And will anyone else care?

Last Days Here follows the life of Bobby Liebling, who was […]

By |March 2nd, 2012|Documentary, Pop Culture|1 Comment

This Is Not a Film

Directed by Jafar Panahi & Mojtaba Mirtahmasb
Produced by Panahi
Released by Palisades Tartan
Iran. 75 min. Not Rated
Farsi with English subtitles
There have been movies heralding musicians, painters, photographers, and poets who persevered against oppression and restrictions, but this very unusual, deceptively simple documentary passionately reveals the essence of a filmmaker. This soulful portrait poignantly and artfully […]

By |March 2nd, 2012|Arts, Documentary, Top Picks|0 Comments

The Forgiveness of Blood

Directed by Joshua Marston
Produced by Paul Mezey
Written by Marston & Andamion Murataj
Released by Sundance Selects
Albanian with English subtitles
USA/Albania/Denmark/Italy. 109 min. Not Rated
With Tristan Halilaj, Sindi Lacej, Refet Abazi, Ilire Celaj, Cun Lajci, Luan Jaha & Veton Osmani
The Forgiveness of Blood opens in a rural landscape nestled against the bucolic mountains of Albania. The drivers of […]

By |February 24th, 2012|Foreign|0 Comments

Chico & Rita

Directed by Fernando Trueba, Javier Mariscal & Tono Errando
Produced by Cristina Huete, Santi Errando, Martin Pope & Martin Pope
Written by Trueba & Ignacio Martínez de Pisón
Released by GKIDS/LumaFilms
Spain/UK. 94 min. Not Rated
In English and Spanish with English subtitles
With the voices of Limara Meneses, Emar Xor Oña, Mario Guerra, Bebo Valdés, Idania Valdés, Estrella Morente, Freddy […]

By |February 12th, 2012|Animated, Top Picks|1 Comment

In Darkness

Directed by Agnieszka Holland
Produced by Steffen Reuter, Patrick Knippel, Marc-Daniel Dichant, Leander Carell, Juliusz Machulski, Paul Stephens & Eric Jordan
Written by David F. Shamoon, based on the book In The Sewers of Lvov: A Heroic Story of Survival from the Holocaust by Robert Marshall
Released by Sony Pictures Classics
Poland/Germany/France/Canada. 143 min. Rated R
Polish, German, Yiddish & […]

By |February 10th, 2012|DVD/Streaming/On Demand, Top Picks, War|0 Comments

The Miners’ Hymns

Directed by Bill Morrison
Produced by Forma
Written by Morrison, Johann Johannsson & David Metcalfe
Released by Icarus Films
USA/UK. 52 min. Not Rated

With Hugo and The Artist reminding audiences of the impact, and neglect, of silent films, comes the timely work of an avant-garde artist who imaginatively re-purposes archival footage in collaborations with contemporary musicians. Through six […]