'Rosemary's Baby' Steps

Happy Halloween, y'all. I've been trying like hell to get myself a copy of Roman Polanski's satanic classic, to no avail (yes, I know Amazon.com is always an option, but I'm determined to find an in-store copy -- don't I remember seeing them just last year in every Halloween bargain bin?). Anyhoo, in place of my purchase, I'm linking to a handful of articles on "Rosemary's Baby," the movie I wish I were watching today.

* Roger Ebert's 1968 review of the film can be found HERE.
* The Guardian calls it the No. 2 horror film of all time HERE.
* Terrifying news that Michael Bay is remaking the movie (news which, THANK GOD, was later denied) can be read HERE.
* The 2007 New York Times obituary for "Rosemary's Baby" author Ira Levin can be found HERE.
* Love this -- InventorSpot.com names Rosemary's little demon among the Top Ten Baby Halloween Costumes HERE.
* Nick Carr at The Huffington Post looks at the Dakota, then and now (well, 2009), HERE.

'Hereafter' Review

Sorry, Clint, but your latest really killed my evening. Don't I remember feeling this sort of disappointment before? Ah, yes -- last year, after "Invictus."

Read my review of "Hereafter," Eastwood's new misfire, now online at SouthPhillyReview.com. CLICK HERE.

'Rabbit Hole' Poster and Trailer

I'm a big John Cameron Mitchell fan, and I'm really hoping this based-on-a-play grief drama marks the renaissance of Ms. Nicole Kidman. Behold, something to still be excited about as 2010 winds down:

'Conviction' Review

Great performances and on-point casting go a long way in this Betty Anne Waters biopic, but not long enough. It's all way too "Law & Order" for the big screen.

Read my full review of "Conviction," now online at SouthPhillyReview.com. CLICK HERE.

'Red' Review

Helen Mirren fan, are you? Then you may want to see her wield weapons like a pro in "Red," an adaptation of a comic book few people have ever heard of. Otherwise, this perpetually depreciating action comedy isn't much worth your dough.

My full review of "Red" is now online at SouthPhillyReview.com. CLICK HERE.

'Never Let Me Go' Review

I finally caught up with the Mark Romanek drama "Never Let Me Go" last night, after sadly missing a screening a few weeks back. I whipped up a quick review this morning, facing some fears and offering some criticisms, of course.

The review is now up on the soon-to-be-revamped Good Life Blog. CLICK HERE

19th Philadelphia Film Festival preview

This year's Philadelphia Film Festival boats the finest lineup I've seen in close to six years of covering and/or being involved with film fests in Philly. The roster includes "Black Swan," 127 Hours," "Uncle Boonmee" and the lovely and heart-wrenching "Blue Valentine," which had the great pleasure of seeing on Monday (it's the love story of the year). Below is a snippet of the preview article before the jump.

FROM BUCKS LOCAL NEWS: I've never been so excited over a local film festival as I was at the press party for the 19th Philadelphia Film Festival, where reps from hosting organization The Philadelphia Film Society announced a stunning roster of hotly anticipated movies. Based on the hype out of previous 2010 fests and what I've seen myself, I've culled a list of 10 can't-miss picks from the crop of over 100 domestic, foreign and documentary features. You'll see language like “best” and “finest” used generously in the passages ahead, and it's no hyperbole, folks. It speaks to the quality of the programming of this year's event, unfolding from Oct. 14 through 24 at six venues throughout the city.

READ MORE

Difference Makers in the Movies

My latest assignment for South Philly Review is an article pointing out individuals in films who make a difference, a topic selected especially for the paper's "Difference Makers" issue. With this guideline, my choices are narrowed down to, oh, every other film that's released.

I tried to keep my selections within the brackets of the last 20 years, and also tried to highlight a few less obvious change-makers, whose good deeds don't necessarily make headlines or follow formulas.

Check out which movies made the cut over at SouthPhillyReview.com. CLICK HERE. And, tell me, which titles would you add?

'It's Kind of a Funny Story' Review

Actually, it kind of sucks.

Read my full review of "It's Kind of a Funny Story," now online at SouthPhillyReview.com. CLICK HERE.

'The Tempest' Trailer

Well, it certainly looks tempestuous...