Marwencol Directed by Jeff Malmberg One of the more downright inspirational films here is Marwencol, the story of accidental artist Mark Hogencamp. After being targeted and beaten outside of a club one night, Hogencamp came out of a coma with severe physical and mental damage. His personal attempt at recuperation was to construct a 1/6th scale reproduction of a small …
Despite its many flaws, Alice is half a triumph. Besides being able to technically bring Lewis Carroll’s world to the screen, the film is usually enjoyable. Alice in Wonderland Directed by Tim Burton Reviewing the new Tim Burton helmed Alice in Wonderland picture is somewhat of a fool’s errand. Both Burton and Alice command a devoted …
Day One As opposed to Cannes (open only to film professionnals), the Berlin Film Festival is open to everyone, and it is possible to see people lining for hours (sometimes under the snow) in order to get tickets for films from Taiwan, Latvia or Paraguay. This gives the entire city a really festive touch, with …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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, …
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 …
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, …
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 …
Andy Baio of waxy.org has been tracking the online distribution of Oscar screeners since 2003, only to discover that every year, the piracy scene manages to release nearly every film by nomination day. Last year, all but three films were leaked in DVD quality by nomination day. According to Andy, fewer Oscar screeners leaked online …
The good folks over at /film put up a link to this great video. Some of you may remember some of the rumours floating around stating that director Wes Anderson of all people would direct the next Spiderman film. Well I think it’s a safe bet that we will never see that happen but in …
Daryl Hannah spoke to UK TV channel Film 24 about her role in Raoul Ruiz’ A Closed Book. During the interview they brought up her role in Tarantino’s Kill Bill series where she played Elle Driver. She told the channel: “He always meant it as a trilogy…Think about it. There’s always been a tradition of …
Two exciting new music promos were released this week. The first from former music video director turned filmmaker Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine and The Spotless Mind) and the second by Indie fave David Lynch. Here is Michel Gondry’s promo clip for Mia Doi Todd and David Lynch’s introduction clip for Ariana Delawari’s album Lion of …
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 …
The nine-day film SXSW film fest opens March 12 with the world premiere of Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass, starring Aaron Johnson, Cholë Grace Moretz and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who will all attend a Conversation panel at the SXSW Film Conference, along with the comic’s writers, Mark Millar and John S. Romita. 119 features will be screened, including …
LOS ANGELES, CA (Feb 1, 2010) – Lakeshore Entertainment’s chairman and CEO Tom Rosenberg announced today that Lakeshore will re-team with writer / actor Kevin Grevioux and director / award-winning special effects designer Patrick Tatopoulos of the UNDERWORLD franchise on I, FRANKENSTEIN. Production is scheduled to begin in July of 2010. I, FRANKENSTEIN is a contemporary …
Johnny Depp has reportedly divulged that he’s set to direct a documentary based on Keith Richards, the Rolling Stones guitarist and the inspiration for his Jack Sparrow character in Pirates of The Caribbean. It was on the set of the third instalment that they met, in which Richards played Capt. Jack Sparrow’s father. As The …