Revanche is a tough slow, depressing film, but incredibly well-acted, consistently believable, and an always entertaining, modest, satisfying arty crime story. – Revanche (2008) Directed by Gotz Spielmann Australia – 122 mi. Color Criterion Spine #502 “If you plan revenge, dig two graves,” the saying goes… A prostitute trying to escape her desperate existence, her …
Shutter Island does not measure up to Scorsese’s acknowledged directorial capacity. His flair for innovation and the uniqueness of his storytelling are better directed toward a simpler design, not the blockbuster horror epic with its altogether fatuous termination. Shutter Island Directed by Martin Scorsese Shutter Island, Scorsese’s fourth film featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, recounts the unnerving …
Shutter Island definitely begs a second viewing, and while it might not rank up there with earlier Scorsese classics, it remains a masterpiece in my eyes, and a production that has set the new standard for all future psychological thrillers. Shutter Island Directed by Martin Scorsese Before seeing Shutter Island, all I knew about the …
Law breaking, music playing, and the corruption of an entire generation — it sounds like a solid foundation upon which to build a film. The 2009 film The Boat That Rocked or, in its edited and much leaner form, Pirate Radio, tries to weave together a coming of age story and a musical education. From …
When comparing these critical scenes to their counterparts in such classics as An American Werewolf in London or The Howling, they are simply not in the same league. The Wolfman Directed by Joe Johnston Joe Johnston walks into a bar and says: “Bartender, I’ve directed Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Jurassic Park III and Hidalgo. …
As expected given its torturous production history the movie is a mess but thankfully not a dud of Van Helsing proportions, it’s a handsome looking film but the interference and mangling of the material, as with The Road, is plain to see. The Wolfman Directed by Joe Johnston Woof, woof. A mere fifteen months late, …
Repulsion (1965) Dir. Roman Polanski United Kingdom – 105 minutes, B&W Criterion Spine # 483 Warning: Here be spoilers. Like flies to the gooping carcass of a skinned rabbit, Repulsion invites a lot of intellectual psychobabbling that usually amounts to the same things being said by different people. We can all pretty much agree what …
“A film that’s fun but ultimately looks like more fun to make than to watch” Meat Weed America Directed by Aiden Dillard I’m all for tits & ass in fact it was my nickname throughout kindergarten until I found out what it was and took further protection to not get the cooties. Blood and guts, …
“the violence makes the film seem like a throwback to action movies of the 1990’s, the decade in which Mel Gibson’s star was at its brightest.” Edge of Darkness Directed by Martin Campbell Martin Campbell is best known for rebooting the dated James Bond franchise with the excellent Casino Royale. In that film the director …
Great news for customers of Netflix, who announced this week that they will add hundreds of award-winning and critically acclaimed Indie Films that can be seen instantly through a string of new streaming deals. The selection of films includes works from The Criterion Collection, Gravitas Ventures, Kino Lorber, Music Box Films, Oscilloscope Laboratories and Regent …
Although the worldwide advertising market has been severely affected by recession, online advertising has appeared to be resilient during these rough times, as it has stabilized, and sometimes developed, in many countries.
It is arguable that women live in a “man’s world”. Women, it might also be argued, possess certain physical attributes of appeal to men that allow them considerable advantage under some circumstances. Such attributes coupled with certain behavioral subtleties often lay bare men’s weaknesses to a point where they seem compelled to act irrationally to …
Un Prophète is a grueling experience that will keep you utterly gripped throughout its epic 155-minute runtime. Un Prophete Directed by Jacques Audiard Director Jacques Audiard is carving quite a career as one of the most searingly talented French auteurs working today. Cresting on the wave of a number of well-received, robust Parisian thrillers including Read …
bills itself as a low-budget film bent on entertaining audiences… Daybreakers Directed by Michael and Peter Spierig Over the years several pairs of brothers have directed high-grossing, successful Hollywood films. Notable duos include the Cohen’s, the Wachowski’s, the Hughes’ and the Farrelly’s. However, the Spierig brothers from Australia will never, ever be on that list. …
There’s no Al Gore-style proselytizing here, just two 30-something Brits who are determined to become the first carbon neutral, vegetarian, organic team to reach the North Pole “unsupported”. Beyond The Pole Directed by David L Williams “Don’t be impotent. Be important!” Tackling climate change might not seem like an obvious subject for a comedy – …
On balance, Borut’s charming narration, the background footage, and the remarkable nature of the undertaking itself mean that this is a film worth seeing, even if it fails to match the ambition of the man at its centre. Big River Man Directed by John Maringouin He’s an overweight 53-year-old man who used to be a …
Tragically, there’s ample evidence onscreen of Jackson’s love for the material, but he brings to the table none of the qualities that made Creatures – another drama surrounding pubescent girls and grisly acts – such a startling breakthrough. The Lovely Bones Directed by Peter Jackson At this point, Peter Jackson probably isn’t the sort of …
What really impresses is the way the script, co-written by Ford and David Scearce, sidesteps the maudlin and the pretentious to show us how ridiculous we can be, even in our darkest moments. – A Single Man Directed by Tom Ford With fashion supremo Tom Ford at the helm, the very least you’d expect from …
10- Donnie Darko (2001) Directed by Richard Kelly Although Donnie Darko was removed from the big screen after a few weeks, it never disappeared. Thrown away by its distributor it ended up finding its audience on home video and at midnight screenings. Recurrent chats on the Internet indicated a rapidly growing fan base for the …
Hulks, high-flyers and web-slingers – it was a decade dominated by superheroes of all shapes, sizes and hues. And in the unlikely event that Batman, Superman or Iron Man failed to wow you at the box office, there were brooding, muscle-bound guys with cool gadgets (Bourne and Bond); a precocious young wizard (Harry Potter); and …
Haunting, despite often being drenched in southern Australian sunlight, and that is in no small part to the understated performances within… Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) Directed by Peter Weir Australia – 107 min. Color Criterion Collection #29. Hanging Rock is an actual place, an actual rock as it were, situated in the southwestern part …
25- Mulholland Dr. (2001) Directed by David Lynch Genre: Thriller / Mystery David Lynch delivers yet again with this brilliant, biting, hysterical, and haunting ode to Hollywood. A movie in which the pieces add up to much more than the whole and the solution to the mystery, once realized, is remarkably rewarding. Mulholland Dr. split …
39- The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) Directed by Wes Anderson Genre: Dark Comedy, Family Drama Wes Anderson’s fairy tale of a New York dysfunctional family is a wonderful, quirky, offbeat comedy-drama with the right mix of humor and poignancy. Never sentimental or predictable The Royal Tenenbaums proves that Wes Anderson remains one of the truly original …