Chicago – The Music Box Theatre of Chicago remains the premiere destination for cutting edge art and independent films. During the pandemic stay-at-home order, they began offering screenings to download last week, and this week expands their selection with “The Whistlers” and “Saint Frances.”
Music Box Theatre Presents The Whistlers
The Whistlers
Photo credit: Magnolia Pictures
The Music Box Theatre will get a percentage of the proceeds from any download in this partnership with Magnolia Pictures.
Scheduled: Now until the theater re-opens or changes the film.
Description: Premiering at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, “The Whistlers” is from Romania, directed by Corneliu Porumboiu. Not everything is as it seems for Cristi (Vlad Ivanov), a police inspector in Bucharest who plays both sides of the law. Embarking with the beautiful Gilda (Catrinel Marlon) on a high-stakes heist, both will have to navigate the twists and turns of corruption, treachery and deception. A trip...
Music Box Theatre Presents The Whistlers
The Whistlers
Photo credit: Magnolia Pictures
The Music Box Theatre will get a percentage of the proceeds from any download in this partnership with Magnolia Pictures.
Scheduled: Now until the theater re-opens or changes the film.
Description: Premiering at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, “The Whistlers” is from Romania, directed by Corneliu Porumboiu. Not everything is as it seems for Cristi (Vlad Ivanov), a police inspector in Bucharest who plays both sides of the law. Embarking with the beautiful Gilda (Catrinel Marlon) on a high-stakes heist, both will have to navigate the twists and turns of corruption, treachery and deception. A trip...
- 4/2/2020
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
There’s plenty of wit to be found in the films that constitute the Romanian New Wave, but any laughs they elicit wind up sounding more like dry coughs. These movies tend to find their humor in subjects like an overburdened health-care system (“The Death of Mr. Lazarescu”), corruption in the education system (“Graduation”), family strife (“Sieranevada”) and other topics relevant to the nation dealing with the lingering aftereffects of the Ceausescu era.
So even if writer-director Corneliu Porumboiu seems more amenable to absurdist comedy — and genre conventions — than his peers in this talented community, his latest film “The Whistlers” still traffics in bleak chuckles.
It’s a wonderfully labyrinthine story of cops and robbers that might not be an official sequel to Porumboiu’s 2009 “Police, Adjective” (that year’s Romanian Oscar entry), but it does explore many of that film’s concerns, from the subtle distinctions between law and...
So even if writer-director Corneliu Porumboiu seems more amenable to absurdist comedy — and genre conventions — than his peers in this talented community, his latest film “The Whistlers” still traffics in bleak chuckles.
It’s a wonderfully labyrinthine story of cops and robbers that might not be an official sequel to Porumboiu’s 2009 “Police, Adjective” (that year’s Romanian Oscar entry), but it does explore many of that film’s concerns, from the subtle distinctions between law and...
- 2/28/2020
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
Say “the Romanian New Wave” to folks who tend to order their cinema off-menu, and they’ll happily regale you with tales of long takes, deliberate paces, dour perspectives and a serious distrust of authority. They’ll also tell you that the country has produced some of the most complex, captivating movies of the past 15 years, and they’d be correct. Like sushi or Brian Eno’s solo albums, the bounty that’s come from the Eastern European nation’s post-Ceaușescu generation of filmmakers is an acquired taste; once that taste has been acquired,...
- 2/28/2020
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
"The Whistlers" (aka "La Gomera") is the new crime comedy feature, written and directed by Corneliu Porumboiu, starring Vlad Ivanov, Catrinel Marlon and Rodica Lazar, opening February 28, 2020:
"...not everything is as it seems for 'Cristi', a policeman who plays both sides of the law.
"Embarking with the beautiful 'Gilda' on a high-stakes heist, both will have to navigate the twists and turns of corruption, treachery and deception..."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "The Whistlers"...
"...not everything is as it seems for 'Cristi', a policeman who plays both sides of the law.
"Embarking with the beautiful 'Gilda' on a high-stakes heist, both will have to navigate the twists and turns of corruption, treachery and deception..."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "The Whistlers"...
- 2/27/2020
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
The iconic guitar riff of Iggy Pop’s “The Passenger” is the type of musical vignette that immediately evokes a scene in one’s mind. It’s an anthemic celebration of aimless wandering that stands as a testament to the drifters of the world, so when it plays during the opening moments of Corneliu Porumboiu’s The Whistlers, it feels like a match long overdue. In the context of the film, which premiered in competition at Cannes, the song serves as an introduction to the character of Cristi (Vlad Ivanov), a stoic and reluctant policeman. By merely going through the motions, Cristi finds himself in the middle of a criminal web of deception in the exotic sights of La Gomera island in Spain, but “The Passenger” could really describe any of the protagonists in the Romanian filmmaker’s oeuvre. Ever since his Caméra d’Or-winning debut, 12:08 East of Bucharest...
- 2/7/2020
- MUBI
A month or so before No Time to Die arrives in theaters, we’ll be getting a spin on a James Bond-esque adventure from one of the world’s greatest international directors. Romanian director Corneliu Porumboiu’s new film The Whistlers, which premiered at Cannes Film Festival, follows a police inspector who travels to the Canary Islands to uncover a plot of intrigue, mystery, murder, sex, and a strange new language. Ahead of a February release, Magnolia Pictures has unveiled the U.S. trailer.
Rory O’Connor said in our review, “Of all the great deadpan, acerbic realists that the Romanian cinema has thrown our way in the last twenty years, Corneliu Porumboiu has always been the best at using humor to compliment the more dense and philosophical aspects of his movies. He has managed to strike that delicate balance time and again, so it’s difficult to know quite...
Rory O’Connor said in our review, “Of all the great deadpan, acerbic realists that the Romanian cinema has thrown our way in the last twenty years, Corneliu Porumboiu has always been the best at using humor to compliment the more dense and philosophical aspects of his movies. He has managed to strike that delicate balance time and again, so it’s difficult to know quite...
- 12/8/2019
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
"A sly and intricate crime drama." Magnolia has unveiled the official Us trailer for Romanian filmmaker Corneliu Porumboiu's acclaimed film The Whistlers, which first premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. The film didn't win any awards, but it did win over critics, especially A.O. Scott (here's his review) who is quoted all over the marketing. This fun neo-noir stars Vlad Ivanov in the lead role, Cristi, a Romanian police officer who is secretly working inside the mafia. He heads to La Gomera Island to learn an ancestral whistling language. In Romania he is under police surveillance and by using this coded language he will continue to communicate with the mobsters to try and get Zsolt out of prison. Also starring Catrinel Marlon, Rodica Lazar, Agustí Villaronga, Sabin Tambrea, István Teglas, Cristóbal Pinto, and George Pistereanu. I caught this in Cannes and I had a great time - here's my glowing review,...
- 12/4/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Which film will follow on from ‘Roma’ in winning the prize?
Submissions for the best international feature film award at the 2020 Academy Awards have started to come in, and Screen is keeping a running list of each film below.
This is the first year the award will be given under the new name of ‘best international feature film’, after a change in April from ‘foreign-language film’.
The eligibility rules remain the same: an international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the Us with a predominantly non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submissions for the best international feature film award at the 2020 Academy Awards have started to come in, and Screen is keeping a running list of each film below.
This is the first year the award will be given under the new name of ‘best international feature film’, after a change in April from ‘foreign-language film’.
The eligibility rules remain the same: an international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the Us with a predominantly non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
- 8/30/2019
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Vlad Ivanov, Catrinel Marlon star in crime saga.
Corneliu Porumboiu’s Toronto-bound The Whistlers will fly the flag for Romania in this season’s best international feature film Oscar race as it bids to become the first from the country to earn a nomination.
The crime thriller premiered in Cannes where Magnolia Pictures snapped up Us rights. Vlad Ivanov plays a police inspector who teams up with a beautiful woman (Catrinel Marlon) on a heist and heads to the Canary Islands to learn a secret whistling language that might help them pull off the crime.
Porumboiu’s Police, Adjective represented...
Corneliu Porumboiu’s Toronto-bound The Whistlers will fly the flag for Romania in this season’s best international feature film Oscar race as it bids to become the first from the country to earn a nomination.
The crime thriller premiered in Cannes where Magnolia Pictures snapped up Us rights. Vlad Ivanov plays a police inspector who teams up with a beautiful woman (Catrinel Marlon) on a heist and heads to the Canary Islands to learn a secret whistling language that might help them pull off the crime.
Porumboiu’s Police, Adjective represented...
- 8/26/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Corneliu Porumboiu’s “The Whistlers,” which premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, has been selected as Romania’s official Oscar entry in the international feature film category.
Magnolia Pictures has U.S. distribution rights to the film. The distributor has had much success in the category, having distributed nominees in five of the last seven years, including back-to-back Palme d’Or-winners “The Square” (2017) and “Shoplifters” (2018).
In “The Whistlers,” not everything is as it seems for Cristi, a police inspector in Bucharest who plays both sides of the law. Embarking with the beautiful Gilda (Catrinel Marlon) on a high-stakes heist, both will have to navigate the twists and turns of corruption, treachery and deception. A trip to the Canary Islands to learn a secret whistling language might just be what they need to pull it off.
“The Whistlers” is the second of Porumboiu’s features to be Romania’s Oscar entry,...
Magnolia Pictures has U.S. distribution rights to the film. The distributor has had much success in the category, having distributed nominees in five of the last seven years, including back-to-back Palme d’Or-winners “The Square” (2017) and “Shoplifters” (2018).
In “The Whistlers,” not everything is as it seems for Cristi, a police inspector in Bucharest who plays both sides of the law. Embarking with the beautiful Gilda (Catrinel Marlon) on a high-stakes heist, both will have to navigate the twists and turns of corruption, treachery and deception. A trip to the Canary Islands to learn a secret whistling language might just be what they need to pull it off.
“The Whistlers” is the second of Porumboiu’s features to be Romania’s Oscar entry,...
- 8/26/2019
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Toni Erdmann director Maren Ade among co-producers.
Magnolia Pictures has acquired Cannes Competition selection and Romanian crime thriller The Whistlers from mk2 Films in the latest deal struck on the Croisette.
Corneliu Porumboiu’s film centres on a police inspector who plans a heist and embarks on a trip to the Canary Islands to learn a secret whistling code. Toni Erdmann director Maren Ade is among the co-producers.
Magnolia senior vice-president of acquisitions John Von Thaden negotiated the deal with mk2 Films’ Fionnuala Jamison and the distributor has earmarked a theatrical release for later this year. mk2 Films represents worldwide rights.
Magnolia Pictures has acquired Cannes Competition selection and Romanian crime thriller The Whistlers from mk2 Films in the latest deal struck on the Croisette.
Corneliu Porumboiu’s film centres on a police inspector who plans a heist and embarks on a trip to the Canary Islands to learn a secret whistling code. Toni Erdmann director Maren Ade is among the co-producers.
Magnolia senior vice-president of acquisitions John Von Thaden negotiated the deal with mk2 Films’ Fionnuala Jamison and the distributor has earmarked a theatrical release for later this year. mk2 Films represents worldwide rights.
- 5/25/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Magnolia Pictures has bought North American rights to the Romanian crime thriller “The Whistlers” following its premiere in competition at the Cannes Film Festival.
Written and directed by Corneliu Porumboiu, the film stars Vlad Ivanov, Catrinel Marlon, Rodica Lazar, Antonio Buil, Agustí Villaronga, Sabin Tambrea, Julieta Szonyi and George Pisterneanu. Magnolia is eyeing a theatrical release for later this year.
Ivanov plays a corrupt police inspector in Bucharest who has been sent to the island of La Gomera in the Canaries to learn the ancient whistling language to pull off a high-stakes heist.
“‘The Whistlers’ is an incredible gush of pure entertainment,” said Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles. “Corneliu Porumboiu has been making brilliant films for the last few years and he has outdone himself with his most crowd-pleasing work yet.”
Porumboiu’s 2006 feature “12:08 East of Bucharest” won the Caméra d’Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival. His 2015 film...
Written and directed by Corneliu Porumboiu, the film stars Vlad Ivanov, Catrinel Marlon, Rodica Lazar, Antonio Buil, Agustí Villaronga, Sabin Tambrea, Julieta Szonyi and George Pisterneanu. Magnolia is eyeing a theatrical release for later this year.
Ivanov plays a corrupt police inspector in Bucharest who has been sent to the island of La Gomera in the Canaries to learn the ancient whistling language to pull off a high-stakes heist.
“‘The Whistlers’ is an incredible gush of pure entertainment,” said Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles. “Corneliu Porumboiu has been making brilliant films for the last few years and he has outdone himself with his most crowd-pleasing work yet.”
Porumboiu’s 2006 feature “12:08 East of Bucharest” won the Caméra d’Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival. His 2015 film...
- 5/24/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Magnolia Pictures has acquired the North American distribution rights to “The Whistlers,” a crime movie from Romanian director Corneliu Porumboiu that premiered in competition at Cannes, an individual with knowledge of the deal told TheWrap.
Magnolia intends to release “The Whistlers” later this year.
Porumboiu is one of the members of the Romanian New Wave of cinema and is the director of 2006’s “12:08 East of Bucharest” and 2009’s “Police, Adjective,” which won the Un Certain Regard at Cannes that same year. Porumboiu’s latest follows a crooked police officer who wants to free a businessman from an island in the Canaries but has to learn a bizarre local language involving whistling, hissing and spitting in order to do so. Here’s the official synopsis:
Also Read: 'The Whistlers' Film Review: Romanian Wild Ride Runs on Black Humor
In “The Whistlers,” not everything is as it seems for Cristi,...
Magnolia intends to release “The Whistlers” later this year.
Porumboiu is one of the members of the Romanian New Wave of cinema and is the director of 2006’s “12:08 East of Bucharest” and 2009’s “Police, Adjective,” which won the Un Certain Regard at Cannes that same year. Porumboiu’s latest follows a crooked police officer who wants to free a businessman from an island in the Canaries but has to learn a bizarre local language involving whistling, hissing and spitting in order to do so. Here’s the official synopsis:
Also Read: 'The Whistlers' Film Review: Romanian Wild Ride Runs on Black Humor
In “The Whistlers,” not everything is as it seems for Cristi,...
- 5/24/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Exclusive: With an eye toward a theatrical release this year, Magnolia Pictures has acquired the North American rights to The Whistlers, the inventive crime thriller from Romanian director Corneliu Porumboiu that just premiered in Competition in Cannes to glowing reviews.
Porumboiu won the Camera d’Or at Cannes in 2006 with his first feature, 12:08 East of Bucharest. With follow-up films such as the shrewdly written Police, Adjective (an arresting 2009 tale about words, crime, and the letter of the law) and Infinite Football (last year’s soccer-obsessed documentary) Porumboiu has shown a gift for material that digs deep into eccentric pursuit.
In The Whistlers, the quirky element is the melodic skill set mentioned in the title. Here’s the official synopsis: “In The Whistlers, not everything is as it seems for Cristi, a police inspector in Bucharest who plays both sides of the law. Embarking with the beautiful Gilda on a high-stakes heist,...
Porumboiu won the Camera d’Or at Cannes in 2006 with his first feature, 12:08 East of Bucharest. With follow-up films such as the shrewdly written Police, Adjective (an arresting 2009 tale about words, crime, and the letter of the law) and Infinite Football (last year’s soccer-obsessed documentary) Porumboiu has shown a gift for material that digs deep into eccentric pursuit.
In The Whistlers, the quirky element is the melodic skill set mentioned in the title. Here’s the official synopsis: “In The Whistlers, not everything is as it seems for Cristi, a police inspector in Bucharest who plays both sides of the law. Embarking with the beautiful Gilda on a high-stakes heist,...
- 5/24/2019
- by Geoff Boucher
- Deadline Film + TV
With all due respect to Lauren Bacall, there’s always been a bit more to whistling than putting your lips together and blowing. Certainly for Cristi (Vlad Ivanov), the corrupt Bucharest policeman embroiled in a comically complex plot to get a local gangster off the hook in Corneliu Porumboiu’s Cannes competition title “The Whistlers,” it is a matter of life and death. It requires practise, training and a bent forefinger, angled between pursed lips, like it’s holding a gun and the bullet will exit the opposite ear.
Cristi has been sent to the island of La Gomera in The Canaries, where he is to learn the ancient whistling language originally, well, whistled by the Guanches, an aboriginal tribe native to the region. This is because, by the slightly lunatic logic of Porumboiu’s screenplay, in these days of easily hackable cellphones and widespread surveillance, whistling has the advantage...
Cristi has been sent to the island of La Gomera in The Canaries, where he is to learn the ancient whistling language originally, well, whistled by the Guanches, an aboriginal tribe native to the region. This is because, by the slightly lunatic logic of Porumboiu’s screenplay, in these days of easily hackable cellphones and widespread surveillance, whistling has the advantage...
- 5/19/2019
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
Romanian director Corneliu Porumboiu makes playful movies with a lot to say. From the chatty historical inquiries of his debut “12:08 East of Bucharest” to the deadpan musings on the language of justice in “Police, Adjective” to the ethics of filmmaking in “When Evening Falls in Bucharest or Metabolism,” Porumboiu has managed to mine compelling ideas out of slow-burn narrative techniques loaded with unpredictability. With 2015’s heartwarming father-son story “The Treasure” — in which the roving narrative builds to sentimental payoff — he started to enrich his style with more approachable methods. That proclivity grows even stronger with his entertaining noir “The Whistlers,” a polished mashup of genre motifs that suggests what might happen if the “Ocean’s 11” gang assembled on the Canary Islands.
That’s right: One of the directors tied to the so-called Romanian New Wave of the aughts, when dreary masterpieces like “4 Months, 3 Weeks, and Two Days” and “The Death of Mr. Lazarescu...
That’s right: One of the directors tied to the so-called Romanian New Wave of the aughts, when dreary masterpieces like “4 Months, 3 Weeks, and Two Days” and “The Death of Mr. Lazarescu...
- 5/18/2019
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
The Passenger
Another New Romanian Wave essential, Corneliu Porumboiu borrows a moniker from Antonioni for his fifth feature, The Passenger (previously known as Gomera). A co-production between Romania (42 Km Film), France (Les Films du Worso) and Germany (Komplizen Film), Porumboiu’s latest finds Marcela Ursu as a producer and a host of notable co-producers, including Maren Ade, Sylvie Pialat, Janine Jackowski and Jonas Dornbach. Dp Tudor Mircea reunites with Porumboiu for the fourth time. Described as a dramatic thriller, Porumboiu assembles a notable cast, led by popular Romanian actor Vlad Ivanov, Rodica Lazar, Catrinel Marlon, and famed Catalan director Agusti Villaronga.…...
Another New Romanian Wave essential, Corneliu Porumboiu borrows a moniker from Antonioni for his fifth feature, The Passenger (previously known as Gomera). A co-production between Romania (42 Km Film), France (Les Films du Worso) and Germany (Komplizen Film), Porumboiu’s latest finds Marcela Ursu as a producer and a host of notable co-producers, including Maren Ade, Sylvie Pialat, Janine Jackowski and Jonas Dornbach. Dp Tudor Mircea reunites with Porumboiu for the fourth time. Described as a dramatic thriller, Porumboiu assembles a notable cast, led by popular Romanian actor Vlad Ivanov, Rodica Lazar, Catrinel Marlon, and famed Catalan director Agusti Villaronga.…...
- 1/6/2019
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
World-renowned tenor, Andrea Bocelli, will take the stage at the Arena di Verona, the world’s biggest open-air theatre, on Saturday, September 8th for a special musical event as part of this year’s “Celebrity Fight Night in Italy.”
Bocelli will be joined on stage by international artists Carla Fracci, Grammy Award winner Isabel Leonard, Grammy-Nominated Aida Garifullina, Sergei Polunin, Leo Nucci, and the Italian Operatic Baritone for an unparalleled operatic spectacle. Together they will perform live for a star-studded audience including Award-winning Record Producer David Foster, Award-winning and Multi-Platinum Artist Josh Groban, Broadway Legend Kristin Chenoweth, Reba McEntire, Katharine McPhee, John Corbett, Bo Derek, Chris Tucker, and many more.
The 5th Annual “Celebrity Fight Night in Italy” is a 7-day extraordinary philanthropic adventure, where donors and special guests come together to enjoy magical experiences in Italy’s most beautiful regions. Funds raised will benefit both the Andrea Bocelli Foundation...
Bocelli will be joined on stage by international artists Carla Fracci, Grammy Award winner Isabel Leonard, Grammy-Nominated Aida Garifullina, Sergei Polunin, Leo Nucci, and the Italian Operatic Baritone for an unparalleled operatic spectacle. Together they will perform live for a star-studded audience including Award-winning Record Producer David Foster, Award-winning and Multi-Platinum Artist Josh Groban, Broadway Legend Kristin Chenoweth, Reba McEntire, Katharine McPhee, John Corbett, Bo Derek, Chris Tucker, and many more.
The 5th Annual “Celebrity Fight Night in Italy” is a 7-day extraordinary philanthropic adventure, where donors and special guests come together to enjoy magical experiences in Italy’s most beautiful regions. Funds raised will benefit both the Andrea Bocelli Foundation...
- 9/6/2018
- Look to the Stars
Giving UK horror fans yet another reason to attend their scare-packed festival, the fine folks at Film4 FrightFest have announced their short film lineup that features over thirty shorts, including the cannibalistic wrestling tale, El Gigante:
Press Release: "Film4 FrightFest 2015 has expanded its Short Film Showcase event, with three strands and over thirty shorts from around the world, including eleven World Premieres and seven European Premieres. With films from thirteen countries, this is the most diverse and exciting shorts event yet programmed.
Highlights include the London premiere of actress Karen Gillan’s intense directorial debut Coward, and the UK premiere of Shevenge, a darkly funny tale of revenge, directed by Buffy The Vampire Slayer alum Amber Benson. Local FrightFest alumni will also be returning: screenwriter and director James Moran is back with screams and laughter in Ghosting, and Dan Auty brings us nostalgia and magic children in his new...
Press Release: "Film4 FrightFest 2015 has expanded its Short Film Showcase event, with three strands and over thirty shorts from around the world, including eleven World Premieres and seven European Premieres. With films from thirteen countries, this is the most diverse and exciting shorts event yet programmed.
Highlights include the London premiere of actress Karen Gillan’s intense directorial debut Coward, and the UK premiere of Shevenge, a darkly funny tale of revenge, directed by Buffy The Vampire Slayer alum Amber Benson. Local FrightFest alumni will also be returning: screenwriter and director James Moran is back with screams and laughter in Ghosting, and Dan Auty brings us nostalgia and magic children in his new...
- 7/30/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
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