Haunting views of Venice’s waterways

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In pictures: Venice in Solitude

Russian director Alexander Sokurov wins the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion for Faust, a look at the corrupting nature of power.

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Faust wins top Venice film award

Hollywood star George Clooney will open this year’s Venice Film Festival with a political drama which he has directed, produced, co-written and acted in.

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Clooney film to open Venice gala

The artwork of the 54th Venice Biennale is more subdued and less experimental than in years past.

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Old Patina Encircles Fresh Art in Venice

Lindsay Lohan will stay away from the clink this time. The actress’ lawyer entered a plea deal on Wednesday on her behalf. Lohan pleaded no contest to misdemeanor theft of a necklace from a Venice jewelry store, though she was not physically in court….

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Lindsay Lohan Avoids Jail

Images of Pope Benedict’s historic visit to Venice

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Holy oar

Tobias Rehberger’s mind-bending optical illusions take up residence at a Finnish cafe German artist Tobias Rehberger likes to shake things up. Since stepping on the scene 15 years ago, he’s turned to a variety of mediums to toy with perception, consistently challenging his audience to see the “things which cannot be seen.” His latest work transforms the interior of a cafe in Finland’s cultural capital Turku into a mind-boggling display of criss-crossing lines, an installation he conceived in collaboration with Artek . Logomo Cafe , as it’s called, is the second collaboration between Rehberger and Artek, and a more subdued extension of the first. In 2009 the creative Finnish design studio tapped Rehberger to draw on the decorative WWI “razzle dazzle” style of painting to create a “visually disorienting environment” for the cafeteria at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni . Debuting at the Venice Biennale, the dizzying array of harsh black and white stripes and contrasting geometric furniture made for a Beetlejuice-like effect, winning him a Golden Lion award. While the Logomo installation draws on a similar palette and stripe-obsessed sensibility as the cafeteria, this time Rehberger came up with a more airy design, using longer lines throughout the space, extending them onto the windows and accenting only with neon orange. The Rehberger installation will be on view through 18 December 2011 at the Logomo Cafe in Turku, Finland.

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Nothing Happens For A Reason

Lindsay Lohan’s jewelry-store saga isn’t going well for the troubled actress, who is accused of stealing a $2,500 necklace from a boutique in Venice, California. TMZ reports prosecutors will charge Lohan with grand theft larceny, a felony crime that…

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Lohan to Be Charged with Felony: Report

Sofia Coppola wins the coveted Golden Lion award for her new film Somewhere as the Venice Film Festival comes to a close.

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Award winners at the Venice Film Festival

Director Sofia Coppola has taken the top prize at the Venice Film Festival for her fourth film, Somewhere.

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Coppola takes Venice film prize

Darren Aronofsky’s chilling film on a ballerina’s crumbling psyche Having already made a strong debut at the Venice Film Festival and ran as a sneak preview at Telluride this past weekend (where I saw it), Darren Aronofsky’s new picture Black Swan virtuosically mixes ballet, dark psychological drama and a standout performance by Natalie Portman to great cinematic effect. Shot by Matthew Libatique , viewers will recognize the harsh blue light and overall eerie look to the film from his previous work with Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream and The Fountain). The camerawork recalls the director-cinematographer team’s previous collaborations too, as it follows the careening choreography or zeroes in on characters’ anxiety with short jerky movements. Jarring photography and other bold moves like these generally divide filmgoers into fans or foe of Aronofsky’s ambitious projects, and this work similarly polarizes audiences. Unlike his last film, 2008′s lauded Wrestler (which saw the director playing it relatively safe with the blue-collar story of a past-his-prime wrestler), Black Swan’s similar story of intense physical struggle is instead couched in the world of the New York Ballet. The setting’s stunning visuals and the high stakes of the professional dance world lend themselves well to Aronofsky’s over-the-top style—the costumes by Rodarte alone perfectly and gorgeously express the rapidly-unraveling mental state of Portman’s character. Similarly, many are already whispering “Oscar” regarding the actress, who so far has only been nominated (for her 2004 role in Closer). To focus solely on Portman however is to miss some other excellent casting, namely Winona Ryder as the scorned ballerina and Barbara Hershey as an overbearing mother. Coupled with Aronofsky’s masterful direction (Oscar-winning or not), Black Swan makes for the kind of ultimately satisfying cinematic experience that can only be achieved by a scope as grand as the director’s. It’s best seen in theaters when it comes out 1 December 2010. In the meantime, check out the trailer on iTunes .

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Black Swan

Film stars from Hollywood and around the world are gathering for the start of the 67th Venice Film Festival.

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Stars poised for Venice film gala

Film stars from Hollywood and around the world are gathering for the start of the 67th Venice Film Festival.

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Stars poised for Venice film gala

Film stars from Hollywood and around the world are gathering for the start of the 67th Venice Film Festival.

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Stars poised for Venice film gala

Film stars from Hollywood and around the world are gathering for the start of the 67th Venice Film Festival.

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Stars poised for Venice film gala