The official trailer for Baz Luhrman's Australia is now online! And guess who's got it for you, right here:
Monday, May 19, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
The Cameron and Ashton Show
Who'da' thought? What Happens in Vegas is actually quite a blast - one of the most fun times to be had at theaters right now. Not to mention, I've been obsessed with this gorgeously lovable poster since its big reveal (I went ahead and removed all that pesky type).
The big reveal of my review is tomorrow - look for linkage in the Vault to the right.
The big reveal of my review is tomorrow - look for linkage in the Vault to the right.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Lonely, I'm Mr. Lonely
This is the first review I've published within a post in months. Behold:
Review: Mister Lonely
3.5 stars (out of 5)
Playing: Select theaters (Ritz Theaters in Philadelphia, PA)
I tend to shy away from films that could be defined as “art for the sake of art.” Too often, semi-talented filmmakers who strive for eccentricity presume that whatever is caught by their camera's lens becomes art in the recording process. Not so, in my opinion. Cinema is a medium of storytelling, meant to operate in conjunction with its imagery. That said, I'm also a sucker for gorgeous photography. Put that same camera into the hands of a true artist - with similar intentions but a singular vision - and the result can be something exceptional and transfixing to watch. Despite its unique subject matter, writer/director Harmony Korine's Mister Lonely doesn't have a whole lot to say thematically that hasn't been said before (and with greater effect). But it's so beautiful in its presentation that I couldn't help falling under its spell.
Review: Mister Lonely
3.5 stars (out of 5)
Playing: Select theaters (Ritz Theaters in Philadelphia, PA)
I tend to shy away from films that could be defined as “art for the sake of art.” Too often, semi-talented filmmakers who strive for eccentricity presume that whatever is caught by their camera's lens becomes art in the recording process. Not so, in my opinion. Cinema is a medium of storytelling, meant to operate in conjunction with its imagery. That said, I'm also a sucker for gorgeous photography. Put that same camera into the hands of a true artist - with similar intentions but a singular vision - and the result can be something exceptional and transfixing to watch. Despite its unique subject matter, writer/director Harmony Korine's Mister Lonely doesn't have a whole lot to say thematically that hasn't been said before (and with greater effect). But it's so beautiful in its presentation that I couldn't help falling under its spell.
The movie opens with the iconic Bobby Vinton song of the title. It plays as a man is riding a mini-motorcycle around a track, dragging a plush monkey with wings behind him (is it the monkey on his back, or the angel on his shoulder?). The man is Michael Jackson, but not the one you and I know. He's a celebrity impersonator, played by Diego Luna (the Mexican Robert Mitchum of Y Tu Mama Tambien and Criminal). Michael is a lost soul living paycheck to paycheck performing in Paris, until a gig at an old folks' home leads him to meet a Marilyn Monroe look-alike played by two-time Oscar nominee Samantha Morton (In America, Sweet and Lowdown). Marilyn invites Michael to her seaside castle in the Scottish Highlands, where impersonators like themselves congregate to...do whatever impersonators do.
Michael accepts the proposal, and when they arrive at the majestic, fog-swathed location (via rowboat), he meets an entire commune of people living as famous figures. There's the Pope, the Three Stooges, Madonna, the Queen of England, James Dean, Abraham Lincoln, Marilyn's husband Charlie Chaplin (French actor Denis Lavant), her daughter Shirley Temple (newcomer Esme Creed-Miles), and more. All of the characters go by and are called the names of their celebrity counterparts in the film, so there's no sense in saying that each is playing a role. They've all gathered to build a stage and put on spectacular, collaborative shows for an audience that may not even exist. The setting and events seem otherworldly and absurd, made all the more perplexing because they're inhabited by individuals pulled from popular culture. It's like a hippie acid trip populated by well-known faces of the twentieth century.
Running parallel to that narrative is a story about a convent of nuns deep in the jungles of Latin America who renew their faith in God when they discover that they can leap out of airplanes - sans parachutes - and land unscathed. Renowned auteur Werner Herzog makes a brilliantly hilarious appearance as the sisters' priest/pilot, who discovers their impossible abilities when one of them accidentally falls out of his private jet during a routine food drop over a needy nearby village and lives. The meaning and/or connection of the nun plot line to the rest of the movie is left entirely up to interpretation, but that should be expected from a film about a cult of impersonators living on a mountain top. Viewers will either be infuriated by the film's lack of cohesion, or embrace it as a legitimate artistic choice.
The highly controversial Korine (who also helmed Gummo and Julien Donkey-Boy, and wrote the scripts for Larry Clark's Kids and Ken Park) said in an interview that the side story was inspired by one of his dreams. His movie is dreamlike, alright. The random haphazardness of its jigsaw structure and its disturbing beauty are Lynchian in nature, reminiscent of the director's Mulholland Drive (right down to a scene with a red curtain and a flickering spotlight). Yet unlike David Lynch, and unlike Korine's previous work, Mister Lonely is neither dark nor foreboding. None of its characters appear to have any malicious intentions beyond the occasional selfish act. It's whimsical, funny, and happy and any discomfort arises only from the unfamiliarity of its many oddities. I'd describe it as Tim Burton's Big Fish for the even more art-house crowd.
The cinematography by Marcel Zyskind (who also shot Michael Winterbottom's Angelina Jolie vehicle A Might Heart from last year) is nothing less than breathtaking, and it steers the whole picture. There is little to take away from Mister Lonely as a text aside from it being a hallucinatory meditation on finding ones self, sprinkled with miraculous goings-on. It is understood that these people – Michael, in particular - cannot find peace with their own identities, so they take on those of others (most even display their subject's distinctive behaviors). There are also biblical references, from the nuns to the slaughtering of a herd of sheep, but none of it is so poignant as to cause any deep emotional response. It's the look of the film that achieves that, through vibrant color, handsome scenery, and exquisite composition. About halfway through, I gave up trying to decide what Mister Lonely was attempting to tell me, and reveled in what it was showing me. I submitted, drank the Kool-Aid, and joined the cult.
Michael accepts the proposal, and when they arrive at the majestic, fog-swathed location (via rowboat), he meets an entire commune of people living as famous figures. There's the Pope, the Three Stooges, Madonna, the Queen of England, James Dean, Abraham Lincoln, Marilyn's husband Charlie Chaplin (French actor Denis Lavant), her daughter Shirley Temple (newcomer Esme Creed-Miles), and more. All of the characters go by and are called the names of their celebrity counterparts in the film, so there's no sense in saying that each is playing a role. They've all gathered to build a stage and put on spectacular, collaborative shows for an audience that may not even exist. The setting and events seem otherworldly and absurd, made all the more perplexing because they're inhabited by individuals pulled from popular culture. It's like a hippie acid trip populated by well-known faces of the twentieth century.Running parallel to that narrative is a story about a convent of nuns deep in the jungles of Latin America who renew their faith in God when they discover that they can leap out of airplanes - sans parachutes - and land unscathed. Renowned auteur Werner Herzog makes a brilliantly hilarious appearance as the sisters' priest/pilot, who discovers their impossible abilities when one of them accidentally falls out of his private jet during a routine food drop over a needy nearby village and lives. The meaning and/or connection of the nun plot line to the rest of the movie is left entirely up to interpretation, but that should be expected from a film about a cult of impersonators living on a mountain top. Viewers will either be infuriated by the film's lack of cohesion, or embrace it as a legitimate artistic choice.
The highly controversial Korine (who also helmed Gummo and Julien Donkey-Boy, and wrote the scripts for Larry Clark's Kids and Ken Park) said in an interview that the side story was inspired by one of his dreams. His movie is dreamlike, alright. The random haphazardness of its jigsaw structure and its disturbing beauty are Lynchian in nature, reminiscent of the director's Mulholland Drive (right down to a scene with a red curtain and a flickering spotlight). Yet unlike David Lynch, and unlike Korine's previous work, Mister Lonely is neither dark nor foreboding. None of its characters appear to have any malicious intentions beyond the occasional selfish act. It's whimsical, funny, and happy and any discomfort arises only from the unfamiliarity of its many oddities. I'd describe it as Tim Burton's Big Fish for the even more art-house crowd.The cinematography by Marcel Zyskind (who also shot Michael Winterbottom's Angelina Jolie vehicle A Might Heart from last year) is nothing less than breathtaking, and it steers the whole picture. There is little to take away from Mister Lonely as a text aside from it being a hallucinatory meditation on finding ones self, sprinkled with miraculous goings-on. It is understood that these people – Michael, in particular - cannot find peace with their own identities, so they take on those of others (most even display their subject's distinctive behaviors). There are also biblical references, from the nuns to the slaughtering of a herd of sheep, but none of it is so poignant as to cause any deep emotional response. It's the look of the film that achieves that, through vibrant color, handsome scenery, and exquisite composition. About halfway through, I gave up trying to decide what Mister Lonely was attempting to tell me, and reveled in what it was showing me. I submitted, drank the Kool-Aid, and joined the cult.
- R. Kurt Osenlund
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Iron Efficiency
Four past Oscar contenders - Robert Downey Jr., Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Terrence Howard - work together to make Jon Favreau's Iron Man one of the best superhero movies to ever grace the screen. Sleek, mature, and truly awesome, this new blockbuster benfits greatly from its casting, namely the somewhat vanguard choice of Downey Jr. as the lead.
Catch my review to learn more - CLICK HERE. Do it!
Catch my review to learn more - CLICK HERE. Do it!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Far From a Horror Film
Brideshead Revisited may sound like the next teen slasher flick, but on the contrary, it's a lush literary adaptation based on the bestselling 1945 novel Brideshead Revisited, The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder by English author Evelyn Waugh. It tells the story of a WWII Captain who gets increasingly involved with the members of the rich family who own the castle at which he's stationed.
It was made into a PBS miniseries in 1981, starring Jeremy Irons, John Gielgud, and the great Laurence Olivier. This new film version - directed by Britain's Julian Jarold - stars Emma Thompson, Michael Gambon, Greta Scacchi, Matthew Goode, and Perfume's Ben Whishaw as the lead characters. The trailer is great (it was brought to my attention by a fellow aristocrat who also appreciates classy cinema); here's hoping the film is too. Take a look:
It was made into a PBS miniseries in 1981, starring Jeremy Irons, John Gielgud, and the great Laurence Olivier. This new film version - directed by Britain's Julian Jarold - stars Emma Thompson, Michael Gambon, Greta Scacchi, Matthew Goode, and Perfume's Ben Whishaw as the lead characters. The trailer is great (it was brought to my attention by a fellow aristocrat who also appreciates classy cinema); here's hoping the film is too. Take a look:
Sunday, May 4, 2008
17th Philadelphia Film Festival
Last month, I had the privelege of covering selected events and screenings for Philadelphia's 2008 Film Festival. I had interned with the Film Society who puts on the show last year, so it was quite interesting to be on the other side - as press. The films I saw (4) ranged from very good to very draining, but the collective experience was one for the books...er, the blogs.
Below is the link to my kick-off article, which covers the opening night festivities, including the opening night selection - the sweet, harmonious documentary Young@Heart. Following that is my wrap-up article, which has been pasted into the body of this post because the website where it could normally be found is apparently under some serious construction. No worries, it's been some time since I posted something really substantial and scroll-worthy. Enjoy.
Artist profiles highlight the 17th Philadelphia Film Festival:
One critic's coverage of selected events
by R. Kurt Osenlund
“There are over 500,000 words in the Oxford English Dictionary, but we just want to focus on one tonight. Just one little word: thanks.”
So said Development Director Thom Cardwell to a packed crowd at Chestnut Street's Prince Music Theater on April 15, paving the way for the 2008 Phildelphia Film Festival's Closing Night celebration. It would be Cardwell's final audience introduction for the 17th annual event, in which he expressed his gratitude to guests, filmmakers, curators, staff, and volunteers.
“It takes a lot of people to put a festival together,” he said. “It's not a singular sensation.”
The evening, however, was just that – a sensational night of awards, of music, a night that would wrap-up nearly two weeks of showcasing nearly 250 films from around the world and the artists who helped bring them to the screen.
Cardwell mentioned at least two of those artists in his speech, The Deal star William H. Macy and What We Do is Secret director Rodger Grossman, both of whom were Festival guests. But many more gifted individuals were recognized during the Festival's 13-day run, including Artistic Achievement Award recipient John Leguizamo, Rising Star Award recipient Shane West, and the star of Closing Night herself, legendary folk-rocker Patti Smith.
Leguizamo graced Philadelphia film-goers with his dynamic presence on the night of April 10, when he accepted his award prior to a 7:00 pm screening (also at the Prince) of his film The Take, directed by Philly native Brad Furman. Flashing his razor-sharp grin and delivering hilarious one-liners not unlike those of his many screen counterparts, Leguizamo sat down on stage for a pre-show Q&A with longtime Philadelphia Inquirer film critic Carrie Rickey. The Columbia-born, Queens-raised actor matched wits with Rickey, and answered questions about on-set quarrels with former co-stars, how he feels about the industry's representation (or lack thereof) of his culture, and what truly inspires him about showbiz.
“The passion that's behind people like Brad [Furman] is the reason I'm in the business,” he said. “[It's] people like me who are hungry to do great things that attract me to [it].”
The Take features Leguizamo in one of his meatier roles, as an armored truck driver who seeks revenge after a robbery nearly kills him and the aftermath tears his world apart. Shot in a guerilla style that effectively conveys its frantic tone, the movie plays like a cross between The Fugitive and Falling Down, but looks and feels like a '70's thriller. Though it suffers from a saccharine ending, it's an impressive feature debut for Furman, who was also on hand to thank his family, his friends, and his city.
“It's great to be home,” Furman said. “I wore my Philadelphia T-shirt.”
West also showed up at the Prince to claim his honor, just before a 7:00 pm showing of Grossman's What We Do is Secret, in which he portrays '70's punk icon Darby Crash. West is only the second recipient in the short, 2-year history of the Festival's Rising Star category, following 2007's debut honoree, actor Mark Webber. Rugged and down to earth, West expressed humility upon accepting the award, while also looking to the future of his career.
“It feels like this is kind of the beginning for me,” he said, observing the good ink his performance in Secret has earned him thus far.
Surely, the work West displays in the hard-rocking biopic of the hard-living Crash (and his band “The Germs”) is a far cry from the actor's earlier turns in teen fluff like 2000's Whatever it Takes and 2001's Get Over It. He digs deep – literally - into the skin of the bisexual, self-mutilating, and eventually, suicidal musician, whose death in 1980 was overshadowed by the far more public demise of John Lennon.
Rock star Patti Smith's life could also warrant one helluva musical biopic, but instead gets the documentary treatment with Steven Sebring's exhausting Patti Smith: Dream of Life, the Festival's Closing Night Selection. The film was unveiled just after local radio hosts Michaela Majoun and Robert Drake of WXPN gleefully announced the winners of the Jury and Audience Awards for the best of the fest, in 10 categories including Feature, Documentary, and Animation (for a full list, go to www.phillyfest.com). Sebring's entry, while relentlessly passionate for its subject, never had a chance to rank among them.
Hired by SPIN magazine to photograph Smith over 10 years ago, Sebring took the opportunity above and beyond the original job description, documenting the next decade of the musician's life on 16 mm. Dream of Life is the overly long, aimless, and haphazardly edited result of that documentation, which will leave everyone other than die-hard Smith fans scratching their heads and checking their watches. The definition of “art for art's sake,” Sebring's film demands way too much from the viewer, somehow managing to present one mundane sequence after another in the life of a woman whose interesting story deserved a much better platform on which to be told.
Thankfully, Smith made a crowd-pleasing appearance after the movie's credits rolled, righting all the wrongs of Sebring's misguided work with her wonderfully disheveled, kooky, and human stage demeanor. She brought the audience to its feet with a performance of her hit single “Because the Night,” and like Furman, she too paid tribute to her Philadelphia area roots.
“Infinite things [about Philadelphia] have influenced me,” she said. “Thomas Payne, Thomas Jefferson, William Penn, The Mummers' Parade, ...Scrapple. It's not just memories, it's part of who I am everyday.”
The Closing Night screening/performance was followed by the Closing Night Party, held at the luxurious Top of the Tower on the 50th floor of Arch Street's Bell Atlantic Building. Catered with a menu of hand-carved meats, featuring cocktails by P.I.N.K. Vodka, and fueled by tunes selected by DJ Robert Drake (moonlighting from his announcing gig), the bash ended the Festival with style.
“They've really rolled out the red carpet for us,” observed Grossman of the city's refined hospitality; and while not all of the films featured in the Festival were the best representations of their talents, artists like him were the highlights of a cinematic smorgasbord that continues to enthrall Philadelphians each year.
Below is the link to my kick-off article, which covers the opening night festivities, including the opening night selection - the sweet, harmonious documentary Young@Heart. Following that is my wrap-up article, which has been pasted into the body of this post because the website where it could normally be found is apparently under some serious construction. No worries, it's been some time since I posted something really substantial and scroll-worthy. Enjoy. 
Artist profiles highlight the 17th Philadelphia Film Festival:
One critic's coverage of selected events
by R. Kurt Osenlund
“There are over 500,000 words in the Oxford English Dictionary, but we just want to focus on one tonight. Just one little word: thanks.”
So said Development Director Thom Cardwell to a packed crowd at Chestnut Street's Prince Music Theater on April 15, paving the way for the 2008 Phildelphia Film Festival's Closing Night celebration. It would be Cardwell's final audience introduction for the 17th annual event, in which he expressed his gratitude to guests, filmmakers, curators, staff, and volunteers.
“It takes a lot of people to put a festival together,” he said. “It's not a singular sensation.”
The evening, however, was just that – a sensational night of awards, of music, a night that would wrap-up nearly two weeks of showcasing nearly 250 films from around the world and the artists who helped bring them to the screen.
Cardwell mentioned at least two of those artists in his speech, The Deal star William H. Macy and What We Do is Secret director Rodger Grossman, both of whom were Festival guests. But many more gifted individuals were recognized during the Festival's 13-day run, including Artistic Achievement Award recipient John Leguizamo, Rising Star Award recipient Shane West, and the star of Closing Night herself, legendary folk-rocker Patti Smith.
Leguizamo graced Philadelphia film-goers with his dynamic presence on the night of April 10, when he accepted his award prior to a 7:00 pm screening (also at the Prince) of his film The Take, directed by Philly native Brad Furman. Flashing his razor-sharp grin and delivering hilarious one-liners not unlike those of his many screen counterparts, Leguizamo sat down on stage for a pre-show Q&A with longtime Philadelphia Inquirer film critic Carrie Rickey. The Columbia-born, Queens-raised actor matched wits with Rickey, and answered questions about on-set quarrels with former co-stars, how he feels about the industry's representation (or lack thereof) of his culture, and what truly inspires him about showbiz.“The passion that's behind people like Brad [Furman] is the reason I'm in the business,” he said. “[It's] people like me who are hungry to do great things that attract me to [it].”
The Take features Leguizamo in one of his meatier roles, as an armored truck driver who seeks revenge after a robbery nearly kills him and the aftermath tears his world apart. Shot in a guerilla style that effectively conveys its frantic tone, the movie plays like a cross between The Fugitive and Falling Down, but looks and feels like a '70's thriller. Though it suffers from a saccharine ending, it's an impressive feature debut for Furman, who was also on hand to thank his family, his friends, and his city.
“It's great to be home,” Furman said. “I wore my Philadelphia T-shirt.”
West also showed up at the Prince to claim his honor, just before a 7:00 pm showing of Grossman's What We Do is Secret, in which he portrays '70's punk icon Darby Crash. West is only the second recipient in the short, 2-year history of the Festival's Rising Star category, following 2007's debut honoree, actor Mark Webber. Rugged and down to earth, West expressed humility upon accepting the award, while also looking to the future of his career.“It feels like this is kind of the beginning for me,” he said, observing the good ink his performance in Secret has earned him thus far.
Surely, the work West displays in the hard-rocking biopic of the hard-living Crash (and his band “The Germs”) is a far cry from the actor's earlier turns in teen fluff like 2000's Whatever it Takes and 2001's Get Over It. He digs deep – literally - into the skin of the bisexual, self-mutilating, and eventually, suicidal musician, whose death in 1980 was overshadowed by the far more public demise of John Lennon.
Rock star Patti Smith's life could also warrant one helluva musical biopic, but instead gets the documentary treatment with Steven Sebring's exhausting Patti Smith: Dream of Life, the Festival's Closing Night Selection. The film was unveiled just after local radio hosts Michaela Majoun and Robert Drake of WXPN gleefully announced the winners of the Jury and Audience Awards for the best of the fest, in 10 categories including Feature, Documentary, and Animation (for a full list, go to www.phillyfest.com). Sebring's entry, while relentlessly passionate for its subject, never had a chance to rank among them.Hired by SPIN magazine to photograph Smith over 10 years ago, Sebring took the opportunity above and beyond the original job description, documenting the next decade of the musician's life on 16 mm. Dream of Life is the overly long, aimless, and haphazardly edited result of that documentation, which will leave everyone other than die-hard Smith fans scratching their heads and checking their watches. The definition of “art for art's sake,” Sebring's film demands way too much from the viewer, somehow managing to present one mundane sequence after another in the life of a woman whose interesting story deserved a much better platform on which to be told.
Thankfully, Smith made a crowd-pleasing appearance after the movie's credits rolled, righting all the wrongs of Sebring's misguided work with her wonderfully disheveled, kooky, and human stage demeanor. She brought the audience to its feet with a performance of her hit single “Because the Night,” and like Furman, she too paid tribute to her Philadelphia area roots.
“Infinite things [about Philadelphia] have influenced me,” she said. “Thomas Payne, Thomas Jefferson, William Penn, The Mummers' Parade, ...Scrapple. It's not just memories, it's part of who I am everyday.”
The Closing Night screening/performance was followed by the Closing Night Party, held at the luxurious Top of the Tower on the 50th floor of Arch Street's Bell Atlantic Building. Catered with a menu of hand-carved meats, featuring cocktails by P.I.N.K. Vodka, and fueled by tunes selected by DJ Robert Drake (moonlighting from his announcing gig), the bash ended the Festival with style.
“They've really rolled out the red carpet for us,” observed Grossman of the city's refined hospitality; and while not all of the films featured in the Festival were the best representations of their talents, artists like him were the highlights of a cinematic smorgasbord that continues to enthrall Philadelphians each year.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Side-Splitting
Two comedies are cruising through theaters at the moment, one a bona-fide hit, the other a train wreck of a miss. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, the latest from Judd Apatow's funny machine, uses its locale, female presence, and unconventional approach to craft a near-perfect rom-com. Harold and Kumar: Escape from Guantanamo Bay, on the other hand, uses a foolish over-confidence of its lead characters, an offensive amount of braindead humor, and a senseless plot to become what will likely - and had better - be one of the worst movies of 2008.
Look at that poster mash-up... ain't it cute? You know what would be even cuter? Click the links below and read my reviews of these two movies, which stand at either end of the spectrum of success. And for Pete's sake (Pete should be capitalized, no?), DON"T go see H&K:EFGB!!!
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Harold and Kumar: Escape from Guantanamo Bay
Monday, April 28, 2008
More Moore
While we're on the subject of the uber-gifted Julianne Moore, here's a look at another film she has coming up in '08, Fernando Meirelles' epidemic thriller Blindness. Will it be a Children of Men or a Freedomland? We shall see...
Thursday, April 24, 2008
First Look: SAVAGE GRACE
What I know about this movie:
It stars Stephen Dillane (The Hours), Hugh Dancy (Evening), and the great Julianne Moore in what appears to be her juiciest role in years. It's directed by queer filmmker Tom Kalin, who almost co-directed John Cameron Mitchell's Hedwig and the Angry Inch. It looks beautiful.
What IMDb knows about this movie:
"The true story of the beautiful and charismatic Barbara Daly, who married above her class to Brooks Baekeland, heir to the Bakelite plastics fortune. Their only child is a failure in his father's eyes, and as he matures and becomes increasingly close to his lonely mother, the seeds for tragedy are sown."
It opens May 30. Here is the trailer (which, given the profanity, must be international). Draw your own conclusions:
It stars Stephen Dillane (The Hours), Hugh Dancy (Evening), and the great Julianne Moore in what appears to be her juiciest role in years. It's directed by queer filmmker Tom Kalin, who almost co-directed John Cameron Mitchell's Hedwig and the Angry Inch. It looks beautiful.
What IMDb knows about this movie:
"The true story of the beautiful and charismatic Barbara Daly, who married above her class to Brooks Baekeland, heir to the Bakelite plastics fortune. Their only child is a failure in his father's eyes, and as he matures and becomes increasingly close to his lonely mother, the seeds for tragedy are sown."
It opens May 30. Here is the trailer (which, given the profanity, must be international). Draw your own conclusions:
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
First Look: AUSTRALIA
Yeah, I know every other blog has been buzzing about it for months, but Movie Buddy has not yet made a single mention of Baz Luhrman's 1940's Down Under epic. Set for a November 14 release, the new film from the man behind Molin Rouge! and William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet is one of my most anticipated titles of '08. Oh, and did I mention it stars these two pretty people? :
More to come...
More to come...
Sunday, April 20, 2008
The Beauty of Life
A rocky start to my weekend had me a little down in the dumps. Thankfully, someone very near and dear to my heart found numerous ways to remind me of how truly beautiful life can be, including showing me the obviously relevant Life is Beautiful from 1998. I had always wanted to see the highly acclaimed film, which was nominated for 7 Oscars and won 3 (for Best Original Score, Best Foreign Language Film, and Best Actor for writer/director/star Roberto Benigni). After 10 years, I finally did, and the timing was perfect.
When the Nazis take over Italy in the 1930's, Jewish book keeper Guido Orefice (Benigni) must use his steadfast sense of humor to keep his family intact and alive. With a charm that's reminiscent of a Chaplin classic, the film is a big-hearted model of selfless love that's often surprisingly hilarious in spite of its morbid setting. Needless to say, it lifted my spirits - out of the dumps and into the clouds.
When the Nazis take over Italy in the 1930's, Jewish book keeper Guido Orefice (Benigni) must use his steadfast sense of humor to keep his family intact and alive. With a charm that's reminiscent of a Chaplin classic, the film is a big-hearted model of selfless love that's often surprisingly hilarious in spite of its morbid setting. Needless to say, it lifted my spirits - out of the dumps and into the clouds.Thursday, April 17, 2008
Dawn of the Dead
Where has Your Movie Buddy been? Oh, this and that - about town, finding writing gigs that actually pay, you know. But two weeks and no postings? For shame! To celebrate my return and confirmation of existence, I've included the masterful opening credits of Zack "300" Snyder's 2004 remake of George A. Romero's classic Dawn of the Dead. It immediately follows the film's first 10 relentless minutes, which for me, ranks among the most terrifying movie beginnings of all time. The film is one of my favorite horror flicks, a genre to which I don't normally respond so well. Extra points for including "When the Man Comes Around" by the great Johnny Cash. Enjoy it with one eye open:
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Black Maria
I was recently asked to do a piece on the New Jersey-based Black Maria Film Festival, which made its Doylestown, Bucks County stop on March 31. Celebrating its 27th anniversary, Black Maria unveiled 12 of its 60-plus short films for 2008 at my very favorite movie house, Doylestown's County Theater.
(That's last year's poster, but ain't it pretty?) I had the pleasure of not only interviewing the founder and learning about the festival's history, but also attending the festival itself. Fun stuff. Refreshing and off the beaten path. Catch both articles here:
April Fool's Day
Okay, so it's actually one hour into April 2nd, but I searched out "April Fool's Day" on YouTube, and found this:
That's right, a straight-to-DVD slasher film starring a handful of unknown, pretty young things. The best thing about movies like this is their unintentional hilarity. So concludes my recognition of this silly holiday - one that warrants an even sillier movie to share its name.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Say it Ain't So!
An article published in today's New York Times focuses on the ever-growing trend of weekly and daily publications laying off film critics due to a shaky economy. It is true what they say: the arts always get axed first. I've had stories about small town school board meetings see 100% more pay than an insightful movie review. Trust me, the review was more interesting. It's a shame that the powers that be can't always recognize the importance of cultural critics.
The discouraging story, entitled "Now on the Endangered Species List: Movie Critics in Print" and written by NY Times' media columnist David Carr (who also blogs at The Carpetbagger during Oscar season) can be read in full HERE.
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