Joann Sfar’s Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque) could well lay claim to being one of the longest cigarette commercials in movie history. In this smoke-filled take on the life of singer, songwriter and French icon, Serge Gainsbourg, even the fish in the animated opening credits sequence are puffing away.
Producer Scott Rudin and director David Fincher are taking steps in finalizing the principal cast for the Hollywood remake of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. The recent acquisition of gems Robin Wright (formerly Penn) as Erika Berger, and Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard as Martin Vanger to the team, has given rise to hope for …
Black Narcissus Directed by Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell UK – 100 minutes. Color Criterion Spine # 93 Black Narcissus is one of the seminal works in British film history. Transplanting Anglican nuns to a strange and corrupting land, their identity and peace of mind is threatened by the exotic setting. The altitude and ever …
Cult Cinema: Volume 6 In the 1980s, author Clive Barker was dubbed the new face of horror. And what a face it was, one that looked like it should be fellating both Lord Byron and Aleister Crowley during a sex magic ritual, all arched eyebrows and smooth cheeks and smoky eyes. Barker’s 1985 short story …
Brad Anderson has been on of the most underappreciated American film directors in the past ten years. His films have varied from Sundance Film Festival audience favorites Next Stop Wonderland and Happy Accidents to darker themed movies such as Session 9 and The Machinist. His last film, Transsiberian flew under everyone’s radar. The thriller starring …
Adoration Directed by Atom Egoyan After a string of critical flops, Atom Egoyan is back in a big way with the rich and vibrant Adoration, a complex portrait of teenhood, grief and simmering sociopolitical tension. Smart but oddball teen Simon (Devon Bostick) makes an unusual association while translating an article regarding Israeli airport security for …
“…grim atmospheric tale of madness and isolation.. tortures the viewer with its rich landscapes and violent twists.” Dark Nature Directed by Marc de Launay With a Chopin fueled drive into the horrific, Marc de Launay’s grim atmospheric tale of madness and isolation, Dark Nature, tortures the viewer with its rich landscapes and violent twists. Following …
Body Count: Volume 1 Horror. The much maligned, hard partying, estranged uncle of cinema. Being the reasonably presentable professional that I am by day, it often shocks people that I, a man in his thirties of above-average intelligence devotes such a large portion of his free time mentally cataloguing some of the worst movies ever …
Our column “Gone Unseen” is dedicated to those great films that many people have overlooked and or have found trouble finding distribution across the globe. My Dear Enemy Directed by Lee Yoon-ki Furthering a developing hypothesis that South Koreans are launching a charm offensive against all hallowed Western film archetypes, the splendid My Dear Enemy, …
Our column “Hidden Gems” is dedicated to those great films that many people have overlooked and or have found trouble finding distribution across the globe. Must Love Death Directed by Andreas Schaap Offhand, it’s difficult to think of another film that features both a “meet cute” and a nail gun, but in his first feature, …
—————— The Other Guys Directed by Adam McKay You’d be forgiven for hoping The Other Guys, Adam McKay’s fourth feature-length collaboration with Will Ferrell, would mark a full-on return to form for a gifted comedic performer who hasn’t had an opportunity to actually be funny since, well, McKay’s last movie, Step Brothers. As it turns …
The Disappearance of Alice Creed Directed by J Blakeson In the post-Tarantino era, a good crime movie is hard to find. A new generation of filmmakers watched Reservoir Dogs, True Romance and especially Pulp Fiction in awe, while also thinking, “I could do that.” Sadly the great majority of them could not, and the field …
Australia: home of outlandish stereotypes, Mrs. Mac’s Meat Pies, and an impressive film industry that makes Canadians like me fairly jealous. Shamefully, Australian films tend to have a difficult time being distributed outside Australia. Of course, nobody with a DVD player has to rely on the movie theatre – here are ten quite excellent Australian …
According to /film, J.J. Abrams (Star Trek) and Korean director Bong Joon-ho (Mother, Memories Of Murder) are rumored to be collaborating on an undisclosed film with Bong directing and Abrams producing. Again this is just a rumor, but the idea of the team-up is exciting news. Abrams, an inventive screenwriter and television producer created some …
Last year, the entire “Sound On Sight” team placed Giorgos Lanthimos’ family- based drama Dogtooth on their top five films of 2009 (Listen to our review on podcast #165 or read my review here). The Dogtooth director who has kept busy preparing for his next film, has also been preocupied producing Athina Rachel Tsangari’s Attenberg. …
David Webb Peoples famous for penning such screenplays as, Blade Runner, Twelve Monkeys, Unforgiven and Ladyhawke has been reported to be adapting Joe Haldeman’s The Forever War novel for Ridley Scott. The science fiction novel tells the contemplative story of soldiers fighting an interstellar war between humanity and the enigmatic Tauran species. The pithy, insightful …
For the Love of Movies: The History of American Film Criticism charts the evolution of film criticism as a means of discussing its changing face and potential non-future. Using historical context, the film offers, in particular, its opinion on the downfall of the print critic. Most of the biggest names in popular film criticism make …
The Boyfriend Dir: Ken Russell | UK 1971 | 125min. If you didn’t get enough of all the retrospective screenings of Ken Russell’s work taking place at la Cinémateque Québecoise and Fantasia this month, you might be interested in checking out a very rare cinemascope print of The Boyfriend. This is a very rare screening …
It’s past midnight in the dark Le Poste Parisie recording studio. Miles Davis steps up to the microphone, his face illuminated by the flickering cinema screen in front of him. He sees Jeanne Moreau walking slowly along the Champ-Elysses on a stormy night, her face lit only by the lights glowing inside the cafes, bars …
Cult Cinema: Volume 5 Quentin Tarantino is every video store clerk’s idol, and every film critic’s nightmare. Venerated by midnight movie buffs and Blockbuster cashiers for his unadulterated love of cult cinema, Tarantino has proved that a film school education is no match for passion, creativity, and kinetic energy. Unfortunately for film critics, this has …
Last Friday, Dinner for Schmucks, directed by Austin Powers director Jay Roach and starring Steve Carrel, Paul Rudd, and Zack Galifianakis opened to an estimated $23.3 million. The comedy follows Tim (Rudd) who is able to find the perfect guest, Barry (Carrell), for his boss’s monthly event, “dinner for idiots.” What many people don’t know …
Adam Yauch best know as one of the “Beastie Boys” and founder of Oscilloscope Laboratories is up in arms with the MPAA’s decision to hand down a “R rating” for the Holocaust documentary A Film Unfinished, due to it’s disturbing images of holocaust atrocities including graphic nudity. He has responded in saying, “This is too …
Child monsters, rampaging wrestlers, avenging vacuum cleaners and a body-popping plague – it must be FrightFest! Remember FrightFest world premiered WHISTLE from the then unknown MOON director Duncan Jones? Well, be amongst the first to spot the bright new talents of tomorrow at Film4 FrightFest’s International Short Film extravaganza. Included in this year’s fantastic programme …