A thing learnt, when it comes to reviewing films, is “never give up.” As casual sofa surfer, yours is the luxury of tuning in, falling out with the on-screen goings on and…heading for the exit five minutes later. Not so when reviewing: one has an obligation to watch; to see if it gets better; and sometimes it does.
All of which is a very long-winded way of saying that In The Strange Pursuit Of Laura Durand is not as bad as it seems. It does get better. Though - spoiler alert! - not that much.
It is a film variously billed as road movie, comedy and, for my part, quest. It tells the tale of two not especially likeable nerds, Antonis Titsanis (Makis Papadimitriou) and Christos Fertakis (Michalis Sarantis), who are obsessed by a Nineties porn star, known to the world as Laura Dennard (Anna Kalaitzidou).
Is that her name?...
All of which is a very long-winded way of saying that In The Strange Pursuit Of Laura Durand is not as bad as it seems. It does get better. Though - spoiler alert! - not that much.
It is a film variously billed as road movie, comedy and, for my part, quest. It tells the tale of two not especially likeable nerds, Antonis Titsanis (Makis Papadimitriou) and Christos Fertakis (Michalis Sarantis), who are obsessed by a Nineties porn star, known to the world as Laura Dennard (Anna Kalaitzidou).
Is that her name?...
- 1/29/2022
- by Jane Fae
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Director and writer Dimitris Bavellas received widespread praise and several awards for his debut feature Runaway Day, back in 2013. However, it would seem the Greek filmmaker hasn’t lived up to that promise with In the Strange Pursuit of Laura Durand.
Borrowing heavily from The Big Lebowski – a masterpiece you could watch ten times over and not get bored – it’s pretty much a lost cause.
Two struggling musicians, Antonis (Makis Papadimitriou) and Christos (Mihalis Sarantis) reminisce about the titular Laura (Anna Kalaitzidou), a porn star from the 90s now in obscurity. When she’s then reported as missing, the hapless pair vow to find her and are catapulted into a Cohen-esque world, containing a spectrum of very different characters.
It’s difficult to buy into their mission, especially as they never really earn the tag of ‘lovable losers’ at any point: comedy or not, the audience needs to be on their side.
Borrowing heavily from The Big Lebowski – a masterpiece you could watch ten times over and not get bored – it’s pretty much a lost cause.
Two struggling musicians, Antonis (Makis Papadimitriou) and Christos (Mihalis Sarantis) reminisce about the titular Laura (Anna Kalaitzidou), a porn star from the 90s now in obscurity. When she’s then reported as missing, the hapless pair vow to find her and are catapulted into a Cohen-esque world, containing a spectrum of very different characters.
It’s difficult to buy into their mission, especially as they never really earn the tag of ‘lovable losers’ at any point: comedy or not, the audience needs to be on their side.
- 1/24/2022
- by Dan Green
- The Cultural Post
"Laura does not exist. Is that understood?" Strike Media has released a US trailer for a Greek indie comedy titled In the Strange Pursuit of Laura Durand. It first premiered in 2019 at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, and played at a bunch of other fests including Athens, Sarajevo, Red Rock, Sunscreen, and Thessaloniki. It now opens in the US starting in January 2022. Two men who live in Athens decide to start the quest for Laura Durand, a pornstar of the 90's who has disappeared mysteriously several years ago. "An award winning and hilarious road movie, loaded with an amazing and eclectic soundtrack, In the Strange Pursuit of Laura Durand is a feelgood, touching, original story, that stays with you long after watching." The cast includes Makis Papadimitriou, Michalis Sarantis, Anna Kalaitzidou, Danis Katranidis, Ivonni Maltezou, Alexandros Logothetis, and Nikos Hatzopoulos. There's a hilariously bad English voiceover in this trailer,...
- 12/3/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The premiere post-tiff destination (September 20-25th) in the film community and a major leg up for narrative and non-fiction films in development, the Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) announced a whopping 140 projects selected for the Project Forum at the upcoming Ifp Independent Film Week. Made up of several sections (Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers program, No Borders International Co-Production Market and Spotlight on Documentaries), we find latest updates from the likes of docu-helmers Doug Block (112 Weddings) and Lana Wilson (After Tiller), and among the narrative items we find headliners in Andrew Haigh (coming off the well received 45 Years), Sophie Barthes (Cold Souls and Madame Bovary), Terence Nance (An Oversimplification of Her Beauty), Lawrence Michael Levine (Wild Canaries), Jorge Michel Grau (We Are What We Are), Eleanor Burke and Ron Eyal (Stranger Things) and new faces in Sundance’s large family in Charles Poekel (Christmas, Again) and Olivia Newman (First Match). Here...
- 7/22/2015
- by admin
- IONCINEMA.com
Tinatin Kajrishvili, Aida Begic, Hüseyin Karabey films among lineup.
Sarajevo Film Festival’s co-production market CineLink, which will take place during the final days of the festival’s 21st edition (Aug 14-22), has unveiled its full selection.
Nine projects have been added to the previously announced eight, including three guest projects from Qatar, Syria and Russia.
The selection targets projects from established regional names, which are in advanced stage of development and financing.
The line-up includes Georgian director Tinatin Kajrishvili’s Manji, the filmmaker’s second feature after 2014 Berlinale title Brides.
Also featured is A Ballad, the third film by Bosnian film-maker Aida Begić, who won awards at Cannes with Snow in 2008 and Children Of Sarajevo in 2012.
Coming from Turkey is Hamarat Apartment, the new feature by Hüseyin Karabey, whose feature debut My Marlon And Brando received the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Actress for Ayca Damgaci in 2008, and whose last outing Come To My Voice won the...
Sarajevo Film Festival’s co-production market CineLink, which will take place during the final days of the festival’s 21st edition (Aug 14-22), has unveiled its full selection.
Nine projects have been added to the previously announced eight, including three guest projects from Qatar, Syria and Russia.
The selection targets projects from established regional names, which are in advanced stage of development and financing.
The line-up includes Georgian director Tinatin Kajrishvili’s Manji, the filmmaker’s second feature after 2014 Berlinale title Brides.
Also featured is A Ballad, the third film by Bosnian film-maker Aida Begić, who won awards at Cannes with Snow in 2008 and Children Of Sarajevo in 2012.
Coming from Turkey is Hamarat Apartment, the new feature by Hüseyin Karabey, whose feature debut My Marlon And Brando received the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Actress for Ayca Damgaci in 2008, and whose last outing Come To My Voice won the...
- 6/25/2015
- ScreenDaily
Sarajevo’s co-production market’s first batch of projects includes new films by Erol Mintas, Ivana Mladenovic
The Sarajevo Film Festival has announced first eight selected projects for this year’s edition of CineLink.
They have been chosen from the first call for entries which was intended for projects from first- and second-time directors interested in the preparatory workshop, set for April 3-7.
The selection includesx Crows by director Erol Mintas and producer Asli Erdem from Turkey, who return to Sarajevo one year after winning the Heart of Sarajevo for best film with The Song Of My Mother, and best actor for Feyyaz Duman.
Serbian-born and Romanian-based director Ivana Mladenovic, whose film Turn off the Lights won the Heart of Sarajevo for best documentary in 2012, teams up with producer Ada Solomon for her first fiction feature, Soldiers.
Greece’s Dimitris Bavellas whose Runaway Day was in competition in 2013, is coming with the project In the Strange Pursuit...
The Sarajevo Film Festival has announced first eight selected projects for this year’s edition of CineLink.
They have been chosen from the first call for entries which was intended for projects from first- and second-time directors interested in the preparatory workshop, set for April 3-7.
The selection includesx Crows by director Erol Mintas and producer Asli Erdem from Turkey, who return to Sarajevo one year after winning the Heart of Sarajevo for best film with The Song Of My Mother, and best actor for Feyyaz Duman.
Serbian-born and Romanian-based director Ivana Mladenovic, whose film Turn off the Lights won the Heart of Sarajevo for best documentary in 2012, teams up with producer Ada Solomon for her first fiction feature, Soldiers.
Greece’s Dimitris Bavellas whose Runaway Day was in competition in 2013, is coming with the project In the Strange Pursuit...
- 4/1/2015
- by vladan.petkovic@gmail.com (Vladan Petkovic)
- ScreenDaily
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.