Archive for May, 2008

  • 23 May

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    Screen Shot Quiz #42

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    Lets stay in the 80s.

    screenshot 42
  • 22 May

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    Music Legend To Be Immortalized on Film

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    Amalia RodriguesBut which music legend ask you? The answer to that is Amália Rodrigues. Who is that ask you? Why, Portugal’s ambassador of fado of course!

    Rodrigues may not be a household name but she took fado to the masses and, I’ll argue, put Portugal on the musical map. Now, nine years after her death, there are news coming from Cannes that she will be the subject of a feature film titled Amália which will follow her transformation from poverty-stricken youth to national treasure and international star.

    The film will star Sandra Barata Belo as Amália and the project will be directed by Carlos Coelho da Silva. This gives me a little pause because da Silva’s only other film is the very mediocre The Crime of Father Amaro (aka O Crime do Padre Amaro). But who knows? Maybe we’ll have another La Vie En Rose on our hands… I’m not completely convinced but I’m certainly excited to see if that’s the case.

    The film will apparently be completed before the end of the year and ready for distribution in 2009. I’m hopeful it’ll get a bit of love from the festivals and if all goes well, I’ll have the opportunity to see it on the big screen.

    And just so you have a taste of what makes her such an icon, be sure to check out this little video of Amália performing live in Bucharest circa 1965.

  • 22 May

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    Saramago Responds to Blindness

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    Blindness OnesheetThere have been less than stellar reviews making waves on the internet about Blindness (our review), Fernando Meirelles’ adaptation of the brilliant José Saramago novel, which stars Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Alice Braga, Don McKellar and Gael García Bernal among others.

    Perhaps expectations were too high or maybe folks are just missing something. I know they’re completely different films but I get the same vibe from Blindness as I did from The Fountain – can’t put my finger on why but I have this feeling in my gut that I’m going to love this movie and if this next bit is any indication, I may be in for more than I bargained for.

    Doing my daily reads I came across the most interesting of all responses to the film. Dave Poland has posted a short video clip of José Saramago’s reaction after seeing the film for the first time. The video speaks for itself – if you speak Portuguese. For the rest of the world, I’ve included the translation which comes care of one of Mr. Poland’s readers.

    The transcription…

    Saramago says:

    - Fernando…

    Meirelles, sensing that maybe the writer is feeling obligated to say something, interrupts him:

    - You don’t need to…

    But Saramago doesn’t stop:

    - I’m as happy after watching this film…

    He pauses… And then he completes the sentence:

    - … as I was when I finished writing the book.

    Fernando: “Really? You don’t know how happy this makes me.”

    And then he leans forward and kisses Saramago’s forehead.

    Sweet indeed.

  • 22 May

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    Steve McQueen’s Hunger Trailer

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    Hunger Movie StillI know what your thinking and no, not that Steve McQueen; they haven’t brought him back in full CG for a new film. I am talking about the first time English director who happens to share the late star’s name.

    McQueen’s film Hunger has been generating some good buzz at Cannes and I fight caught wind of it listening to IFC’s Cannes dispatch. The film stars Micheal Fassbender as Bobby Sands, the famed IRA member who led the 1981 hunger strike, in which Irish Republican prisoners were seeking to regain status as political prisoners, and retells the last six weeks of his life.

    I was curious hearing the set-up of the film which I took to understand includes extended scenes of silence bookending a long take in the middle in which Sands plots out his plan for the hunger strike. There are a number of reviews out there for the film and most of them suggest this is a film to watch.

    Hunger was picked up by IFC Films so we can expect to see it roll out, likely in limited release, later this year. I managed to track down a big chunk of the trailer for the film which I’ve included below. The quality isn’t very good and it stops abruptly with no ending to be found but for the time being, it certainly gives you an idea of what to expect and it certainly looks excellent. I’ll update the post once a full trailer emerges.

    Trailer is tucked under the seat!

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 22 May

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    Screen Shot Quiz #41

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    This movie is set for a remake in the near future.

    screenshot 41
  • 22 May

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    Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

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    Indiana Jones 4 One-sheet

    Director: Steven Spielberg (Jaws, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, War of the Worlds, Munich)
    Story: George Lucas, Jeff Nathanson
    Screenplay: David Koepp
    Producers: Frank Marshall
    Starring: Harrison Ford, Shia Lebeouf, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Ray Winstone, John Hurt
    MPAA Rating: PG-13
    Running time: 124 min

    reprinted from MoviePatron
    Since last we caught up with Dr. Jones, he’s apparently had countless adventures with lots of friends and unsavory characters alike. All of which are vaguely alluded to in the opening thirty minutes or so of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. From serving with honor in the military, fighting wars, traversing the jungle and somehow still managing to find time as a part time archeology professor. It’s unfortunate that we didn’t get to go along for the ride over the past twenty years, but we’ve finally caught up with Indy on quite possibly his most exciting, and most preposterous, adventure he’s ever been a part of.

    The story begins in 1957 and Indy is once again up to his neck in bad guys. This time it’s Cate Blanchett and the Russians who are looking for some mysterious box in a military warehouse in the middle of the desert; somewhere in New Mexico. What it is they are looking for and why is a mystery that will unravel as the story progresses. Working with an old friend, Indy obviously escapes and sets out in search of a missing colleague with the help of a young punk (played by Shia Lebeouf) named Mutt, who has a letter written in an ancient language that appears to be a sort of map leading to a lost city of gold. All of this of course ties in with the Russians and their plans with the mysterious box. The new adventure takes Indy though small, secluded villages, the deepest jungles of South America, raging rivers and even an ancient Mayan temple.

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 22 May

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    Back Catalog Fill: Kino’s Spring Sale

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    Kino On Video LogoI thought I’d pass this along since I seem to have missed the announcement that the sale has even started.

    Kino, the DVD distributor which holds a dear place in my heart for putting out hard to find classics, is having a pretty massive sale with savings of between 20% and 30% on their entire catalog. If that’s not enough, they’re also offering free shipping on all order over $50 – to both the US and Canadian customers. BONUS!

    True, there’s very little in their catalog that may appeal to mainstream audiences but for the art/classic/obscure film fan, there are some great gems in their collection including: the newly restored edition of Battleship Potemkin, The Art of Buster Keaton box set, Kihachiro Kawamoto’s The Book of the Dead, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen or maybe a little Wong Kar-Wai?

    There’s something for everyone and with these sale prices, it’s well worth spending a little time digging through their catalog for a gem. Sale ends May 31st.

    Happy shopping!

  • 22 May

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    The Stangers’ Games (Yes. Another One Sheet)

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    It has been a busy week for one sheets around here, apologies for those looking for more words and less pictures!

    I was over a the fabulously sharp (and essential reading) slasher blog Final Girl, when I noticed the new poster for the upcoming horror film The Strangers. Now I’ve liked all previous one sheets (here and here and here) and the trailer. Curiously, Stacey over at Final Girl seems to think that this is in fact not a remake of Ils. He is right insofar as none of the Ils writers given any credit on the IMDb (not that that is always accurate or anything!), but at the very least the 2008 American film is almost identical in basic story to the 2005 French film and even the conceit of ‘based upon true events.’

    If this new one sheet isn’t a blatant rip off the best posters in recent memory, than I don’t know what is. They even stole the ‘Film title in the middle of the poster’ design on top of the teary battered woman motif. Here is a question for you: Why The Strangers would they even want to sip from the cup of box-office poison that Funny Games‘ flagon overfloweth with during its disastrous limited release a couple months ago (even starring one of the great current great A-List actresses at the top of her game) by associating with the Haneke film? The Stangers only has Scott Speedman and Liv Tyler in the casting department – hardly Naomi Watts, Michael Pitt and Tim Roth. I still hold out for The Strangers to be a surprise gem, but it looks like the marketing team has to be reigned in a bit (see also here. Oi! This film has a lot of posters!) – This bit of theft makes me want to hate the film before I’ve bought my ticket.

  • 22 May

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    Hidden Treasures – Week of May 25th

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    Here are this week’s Hidden Treasures. Enjoy!

    Jules et Jim (1962)
    Jules et Jim is the chronicle of a failed experiment, undertaken by three people who love each other very much, yet are ultimately doomed by their inability to recognize that friendship and romance do not always mix well. Jules (Oskar Werner), a shy German living abroad, has found a good friend in Jim (Henri Serre), an outgoing Frenchman. It’s a friendship that blossoms over time, forged in the streets of Paris, where both men enjoy their share of the single life in the days leading up to World War One. Then, one day, Jules and Jim are introduced to Catherine (Jeanne Moreau), a woman whose rare beauty captures both of their hearts. A free spirit, Catherine, in turn, loves both Jules and Jim, and through the years each man will have a turn at possessing her. Yet Catherine, whose nature is unpredictable, is ultimately a treasure neither can truly own. The mission of Truffaut’s Jules et Jim was to get below the surface, to expose the truth lying just under the artifice. At first, Catherine appears to be the embodiment of both men’s perfect woman, yet as time wears on (and thanks to a wonderful performance from Moreau), she becomes a much more complex character, whose deep love for both Jules and Jim threatens any chance she might have at forming a lasting relationship with either one. This situation also takes its toll on Jules’ and Jim’s friendship. Ultimately, both consent to share Catherine, convinced that such an unusual combination of romance and friendship may, in fact, be the perfect condition under which love will blossom. However, this arrangement only results in each man feeling unsatisfied, unfulfilled, and driven by the desire to possess her exclusively. As it turns out, neither Jules nor Jim were truly prepared for this so-called ‘perfect’ union, and one might argue that Catherine, despite her outer worldliness, was also well out of her league.

    The Odd Couple (1968)
    The teaming of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau to star in The Odd Couple seemed a natural pairing, what with their success two years earlier in Billy Wilder’s uproarious comedy, The Fortune Cookie. Armed here with some hilarious Neil Simon dialogue, the two veteran actors display a natural chemistry, and their teamwork helped transform The Odd Couple into one of the funniest movies of the 1960’s. Neat-freak Felix Unger (Lemmon) falls into a deep depression after his wife throws him out of the house. With nowhere to turn, he pays a visit to his divorced friend, the slovenly Oscar Madison (Matthau), who invites Felix to move into his apartment. Even though Felix and Oscar have very little in common, they somehow find a way to make this arrangement work. Things begin to fall apart, however, when Felix is less than enthusiastic about a dinner date with the new neighbors, a pair of British sisters named Cecily (Monica Evans) and Gwendolyn (Carole Shelley). When the date ends abruptly, Oscar blames Felix, and, before long, the two old friends are at each other’s throats. Both actors do enjoy a few funny moments on their own (at the beginning of the film, Lemmon’s Felix, whose despair over his failed marriage has driven him to attempt suicide, plans to do so by jumping from a hotel window. Unfortunately, he throws his back out trying to get the window open). However, it’s the scenes where Lemmon and Matthau are together that truly stand out. I could point to countless examples of their perfectly timed give-and-take, but my favorite is most definitely the ‘meatloaf incident’. In this sequence, Felix is busy in the kitchen preparing a meatloaf for their dinner date with the sisters from upstairs. Oscar arrives home late, and is chastised by Felix for not getting there sooner to help with the meal. As time passes, Oscar discovers that Felix is actually upset because he had timed his meal to be done at 7:30, and now, at eight o’clock, his meatloaf is drying out. “Can’t you pour some gravy over it?” asks Oscar. When Felix points out that they have no gravy, Oscar, obviously a novice in the kitchen, says that he assumed gravy just automatically ‘came’ with the meat. Before long, Felix is threatening Oscar with a ladle. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of The Odd Couple is how little the movie has aged. After 40 years, it still manages to generate some hearty laughs. Of course, the credit for this must go to Lemmon and Matthau, whose timing is so precise that it’s almost scientific. Of all the films in which they appeared together, including The Front Page, Buddy Buddy and Grumpy Old Men, I don’t believe they ever again matched the comedic precision on display here. The Odd Couple proved to be the perfect teaming of two immensely talented comedians, with each one, in turn, playing their perfect role.

    Run Lola Run (1998)
    Run Lola Run has an incredible energy to it. In the very first scene, director Tom Tykwer gets our adrenaline pumping. From the moment the security guard (Armin Rohde) looks into the camera and says, “here we go”, Run Lola Run barely stops to take a breath. After completing a transaction for the mob, Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu) was on his way to deliver 100,000 DM to local crime boss, Ronnie (Heino Ferch), when he accidentally left the bag containing the money in a subway car, remembering it only as the train was speeding away. With exactly twenty minutes to go before he’s expected with the money, Manni calls his girlfriend, Lola (Franka Potente), and asks her for help. Lola spends the next twenty minutes running through the streets as quickly as she can to reach Manni, who’s on the other side of town, all the while trying to figure out how she can get her hands on such a large sum of money. It seems that Lola has a limited number of options available to her, and before Run Lola Run is complete, we will have seen three of them. This is what makes Run Lola Run such a fascinating film. Crammed within its 80 minute running time are three different versions of the exact same story. We watch Lola’s run through the streets play out three separate times, each one slightly modified so that the results are completely different. By approaching the entire film from an almost philosophical standpoint, and addressing the notion that the slightest alteration to any event, whether it be turning left instead of right, or looking up instead of down, could drastically change the outcome of said event, director Tykwer does more in Run Lola Run than merely excite our senses; he also dares us to think. With such an ingenious approach, and combined with rhythmic techno music to keeps things hopping, Run Lola Run will positively blow you away.

  • 21 May

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    Steven Soderbergh’s Che Clips

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    Guerilla Movie StillA little earlier today I shared with the other Row Three contributors what appeared to be the first reactions to Steven Soderbergh’s upcoming film Guerilla the first of a pair of epic films, the second being The Argentine, starring Benicio Del Toro as Argentine revolutionary Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara de la Serna. That first review came care of Hollywood insider Jeffrey Wells and the title of his post says it all: “Che IS Brilliant”.

    I was already interested in Soderbergh’s film but reading Wells’ little review made me that much more excited and now I’ve discovered a couple of short clips from the film that give an idea on what to expect.

    The first is the Cannes trailer which is tiny and can be found at AlloCiné – just scroll down to the bottom to find it. WOW. Yeah, the video quality is a bit shoty but still – the controlled chaos is pretty awesome.

    The second, somewhat similar clip comes from the guys at AOL but it’s fabulous. Not that much longer but you certainly get a better sense of Soderbergh’s vision.

    Guerilla will apparently open later this year. No word yet on when we can expect The Argentine.

  • 21 May

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    Making Sense of Synecdoche, New York (Sort Of)

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    Synecdoche, NY Movie Still

    I‘ve been seeing a lot of information flying around the net about Charlie Kaufman’s new film, his directorial debut, Synecdoche, New York. I’d seen a few photos and been intrigued because let’s face it, with a cast that includes Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Samantha Morton, Emily Watson, Michelle Williams, Dianne Wiest and Hope Davis, your bound to be doing something right. And it’s not like we’re talking about a guy with no film experience. Though this might indeed be his first time behind the director’s chair, Kaufman is no shy newcomer to Hollywood having written the fantastic scrips for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Adaptation. and Being John Malkovich.

    So here was have a great cast with a talented writer, some interesting pictures and more interesting clips that have recently hit the web. As a whole, it all sounds great but I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around this story. After reading various synopsis, I found this one, care of Peter over at /Film to be the most complete and the one that confused me the least. Peter gives us this:

    Philip Seymour Hoffman as a theater director named Caden Cotard, whose life in Schenectady, New York is looking bleak. His wife Adele has left him to pursue her painting in Berlin, taking their young daughter Olive with her. A new relationship with the alluringly candid Hazel has prematurely run aground. And a mysterious condition is systematically shutting down each of his body’s autonomic functions. Worried about the transience of his life, he moves his theater company to a warehouse in New York City. He directs them in a celebration of the mundane, instructing each to live out their constructed lives in a growing mockup of the city outside.

    Alright. So we have an idea of what to expect of the story which gives a bit more sense to the three clips that have been released. Worry not, the clips give nothing away but they provide an idea of what to expect. What has me really scratching my head is that along with this description, we must take into account the title of the film. No, it’s not really the name of a location in NY. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, synecdoche is:

    A figure of speech by which a part is put for the whole (as fifty sail for fifty ships), the whole for a part (as society for high society), the species for the genus (as cutthroat for assassin), the genus for the species (as a creature for a man), or the name of the material for the thing made (as boards for stage).

    Oi. It’s more fun to wrap my head around this video I found at Filmmaker Magazine but which was apparently posted by Mike Jones of Variety on how to pronounce that strange word:



    All of Kaufman’s films have required multiple viewings from me and I have a feeling this one will be the same but from everything I’ve read and seen so far, I’m very excited to see what he has in store for us. At the moment, Synecdoche, New York does not have a release date though it will play in Cannes later this week. In the meantime, be sure to check out the cool clips below.

    Clips tucked under the seat!

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 21 May

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    Raiders: The Adaptaion Part 2?

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    VF What the River Takes Graphic

    So maybe not but it does come from the same guys!

    Good news today care of an article over at Vanity Fair confirming old news that Eric Zala and Chris Strompolos, the producer/star and director of Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation (our review) are working on a new project. I say old news because when Colleen and I had a chance to speak with Chris at the Vancouver screening of the film, he mentioned he was working on pitching this project. At the time, he didn’t share too many details and though we don’t get too much more from the folks over at Vanity Fair, we do get a basic sense of what to expect.

    The film, titled What the River Takes, is an entirely original story which Zala describes as a “Southern gothic action adventure.” Here’s the plot synopsis care of Zala himself:

    A young man, haunted by his father’s disappearance and presumed death, discovers eight years later his father is still alive and being held captive by a mysterious river cult. In search of his father, he goes up river, all the while hunted by the man responsible for his father’s abduction.

    Southern gothic action adventure? Count me on board! The guys are currently shopping the story around while also continuing to tour with Raiders: The Adaptation as it makes its way across the US on various charity screenings. Lots of new dates recently added so be sure to check the website for details.

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