This heartwarming, humanist and gender-blurring pic about life imitating art imitating life could possibly be his most accomplished work. All About My Mother Directed by Pedro Almodovar With All About My Mother, Pedro Almodovar shifts away from his earlier, more kinky and offbeat views of sex and relationships. Here, he is more concerned about conventional …

Cinema as we know it is under threat from cell phones – those super-slim, shiny and increasingly seductive devices around which 21st-century life revolves. No, I’m not talking about the popcorn-munching, Apple-loving text addicts, whose glowing handsets ruin the big-screen experience for the rest of us. And I’m not losing any sleep over the DIY …

150- The Birthday (2004) Directed by Eugenio Mira Genre: Horror, Dark Comedy A young man attends his girlfriend’s father’s birthday party held at a luxury hotel. Just as they arrive, weird things start to happen and guests and hosts alike become exceptionally aggressive. Shot in real time (a la Hitchcock’s Rope), The Birthday begins as …

Fish Tank Directed by Andrea Arnold – “less politically inclined than Ken Loach or theatrically mannered than Mike Leigh – the film operates in a realm well-trod in UK cinema and serves as a welcome antidote to the adrenaline-fueled demands of the summer season.” – The UK has a proud tradition of social realist cinema, pioneered by …

This may be the year the Oscars get out of their ratings slump. The expanding of the Best Picture category from five to ten was a smart move. Its big enough to include red state crowd pleasers (The Blind Side), fan boy fare (District 9), the biggest movie ever (Avatar), and at least one ballsy …

The Last Station feels more like a stuffy old British play than actual history The Last Station Directed by Michael Hoffman The Last Station presents the fascinating last year in the life of Russian giant Leo Tolstoy, watered down by a cavalcade of coming-of-age story and biopic clichés. It’s too bad, because there is so …

Wu-tang, originating from Staten Island, NY, aka Shaolin, burst onto the scene in the early 90’s. Ever since, the group has had a significant impact on a wide range of artistic mediums, including film. Whether it’s RZA spinning a slick, unique bass line to complement a flick, or Method Man lighting up an L and …

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 …

5. Sara Polley – Away From Her (2006)– The first word that comes to my mind in regards to this film is serene. Polley is so successful in her capitalization of that feeling in fueling her narrative. The void, rural landscape of Northern Ontario mimic the inner turmoil of the protagonists in this film, fusing the …

#10- Werewolves On Wheels (1971) Directed by Michael Levesque Werewolves on Wheels was produced by Paul Lewis, a frequent collaborator with Dennis Hopper who had only two years before directed the quintessential biker road movie Easy Rider. Werewolves is the directorial debut of Michel Levesque, who would go on to work as Art Director on …

The Transformers franchise will continue on with a third installment, according to Tyrese Gibson who plays Sergeant Epps. On his twitter page, @Tyrese4Real,  he informed the world, ” Transformers 3: Is full throttle full steam ahead…Michael Bay gave me the start date…and I can’t share.” The untitled Transformers movie is due to be released July …

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, …

It was only four years ago that Viacom Chairman Sumner Redstone vowed that Tom Cruise would “never work” with Paramount Pictures again. Well, never say never. Paramount announced its plans this week to release a fourth in the Mission Impossible saga.  While I think they are highly overestimating the interest of fans, Paramount has seen …

According to The Playlist, various sources from the European media are reporting that Lars Von Trier told Danish television that Penelope Cruz will take the lead in his psychological disaster film, Melancholia. Shooting will reportedly take place in Sweden and Germany on a $5 million dollar budget with the ultimate goal to premiere the film …

Warner Bros. has turned to Christopher Nolan to help develop a new Superman movie. According to Deadline Hollywood, Nolan who rebooted the very successful Batman franchise has been asked to play a “godfather” role and ensure The Man Of Steel gets off the ground after a 3 1/2-year hiatus. Warner Bros. has a lot of …

IFC Films has announced that it has acquired the U.S. rights to Todd Solondz’s Life During Wartime, his part sequel/part variation on his 1998 Indie hit Happiness. The film features many characters from Happiness only played by different actors this time around. The cast includes Ally Sheedy, Allison Janney, Shirley Henderson, Ciaran Hinds, Paul Reubens, …

/film is always a great place to find interesting and cool new videos featured on YouTube. Here is three clips of Quentin Tarantino telling stories from the Directors on Directing panel in Santa Barbara this weekend. The clips were originally posted by Jeff Wells.

Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption) has been cast in Green Lantern, the Martin Campbell-directed comic book adaptation of the ongoing popular DC Comics series. According to Heat Vision, Robbins will play Senator Hammond, a former astronaut who becomes infused with psychic powers and telekinetic abilities. The character who does not appear in the comic book …

I recently sat through the clumsily titled “Version You’ve Never Seen” cut of The Exorcist, only to conclude that it should have remained unseen. Another 10 minutes of footage, including the laughable spider-walk scene and a feeble new ending have done nothing to improve William Friedkin’s horror classic. But, as the DVD market is flooded …