Last week, I saw 2 films at the Independent Film Festival which is going on now in Istanbul.

1. The Pusher 2........http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0396184/

It is sort of a ''Danish Trainspotting'' (by the way, it is in Danish with English and Turkish subtitles). There are a lot of drug-taking and sex scenes and some violence......and half the words are swear words

I didn't think of it as good as Trainspotting but it wasn't bad at all, I thought.

2. Transamerica............http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407265/

Felicity Huffman is really good in the role of a transsexual. It is like a 'road-trip film' (she has just realised that she has a son from the only time she had sex with a woman and she first chooses not to tell the teenage boy the truth). Quite good.

Cheers,

Cem

I love the oxymoronical name of the festival: it's a festival of independent film, yet they are showing "Serenity", "The Producers" etc. Almost none of the English language films in the line-up are independent per se, which is chiefly because independent cinema does not exist any longer. But that's a whole other conversation.

I've bought tickets to Junebug, by the way; can't wait.

When and where is 'Serenity' on?

You've missed 2 showings already. The third & final showing of 'Serenity' is playing on Wednesday (Feb 22) at AFM Fitaş 1 at 19:00.

1. Gösterim
Tarih : 16 Şubat Perş.
Saat : 22:00
Salon : AFM Budak Caddebostan

2. Gösterim
Tarih : 19 Şubat Pazar
Saat : 12:30
Salon : AFM Beyoğlu Fitaş Salon 1

3. Gösterim
Tarih : 22 Şubat Çarş.
Saat : 19:00
Salon : AFM Beyoğlu Fitaş Salon 1

Unless you own a time machine (in which case, please don't let your mum fall in love with you), you'll have to make do with the Beyoğlu Fitaş, I suppose.

I am sooooooooooo there. Thanx babe

In case you don't know...AFM Fitaş is the one in Taksim.

Know Fitaş well.

BTW 'thanx babe' was to Burbaco, NOT Arikan!!

Oh well. Nevermind. I will learn to love again.

Nah, I still love ya darlin'

Oh blessed be, oh happy day!

Serenity rocked!!! Cool film, funny,breathtaking and spectacular. Especially with the young girl kicking mutant ass.

I'll let DAI give you the more in depth and objective review.

Whedon's writing has way too much snark, post-modern irony and clumsy "meta" fererences that I never got into it during Buffy; I suppose that's why I never even bothered with "Firefly". I might give the flick a shot though, if you're saying it's that great.

Yeh, but im easily pleased

I hate repetitiveness that takes away from creativity. Same product with different packaging doesn't work for me.

Sadly Whedon is becoming the poster child of this syndrome. Angel gave me some hope but it seems like he has returned to his old ways. A heroine who can kick everyones ass spiel gets old after a while. I have watched most of the series. All the build up. The questions surrounding River's origin. Out of all the ways they can go about toppling the alliance they seem to have chosen the most unoriginal the one that has been done by the genre at least a zillion times. Lets reveal skeletons from the big bad institutions closet to the masses approach has defitinely worn out its novelty for me. This is an Anti-Bush sci-fi movie. Yes ladies and gents we now have a sci-fi movie against American foreign policies of the last five years.

Also AFM theaters suck ass. The screen was too high. Seating setup is a dissaster. I did two movies back to back yesterday and the theater they showed Hacivat And Karagöz stank big time it was the dirtiest one I have seen in Istanbul so far.

Thats all I have to say about that.

On the other hand Hacivat and Karagöz rocked!

I will eloberate on that later. I am still digesting it.