Archive for June, 2010

  • Review: The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

    10
    Eclipse Movie Poster

    Director: David Slade (Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night)
    Screenplay: Melissa Rosenberg, Stephenie Meyer (novel)
    Producers: Wyck Godfrey, Greg Mooradian, Karen Rosenfelt
    Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Kellan Lutz, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Bryce Dallas Howard, Billy Burke, Charlie Bewley, Xavier Samuel, Daniel Cudmore, Christopher Heyerdahl, Dakota Fanning, Cameron Bright, Noot Seer, Michael Sheen, Graham Greene, Tinsel Korey
    MPAA Rating: PG13
    Running time: 124 min.

    (3.5/5)

    Let’s speak frankly, shall we? The Twilight franchise is not now, nor will it ever be, the all encompassing beast that is Harry Potter. Regardless of how much money the studio throws into the marketing machine, it’s wasted time, effort and dollars because as proven by the previous two films and now with the third instalment The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, they’re never going to win everyone over. The reasons why are too many to argue (and mediocre films are only one of them) and quite frankly, they don’t matter. Author Stephenie Meyer’s stories were never going to appeal to everyone, the key demographic has always been the hopeless romantic (and even some of those take issue with the story) and the films based on those stories clearly haven’t won over a large chunk of the population so why bother trying? The fan base is large enough, and ever growing, that the nay sayers are drowned out, even if they yell as loud or louder than the supporters.

    Eclipse Movie StillAs clear from my thoughts on the previous two films, I am a fan and as one, I came to love these characters long before there ever was a Twilight (review) film and the movies have been a sort of icing on the cake. Some bits of the icing have been sweeter than others but Eclipse is, for this fan at least, the sweetest. By this point in the story, Bella is back with Edward and happier than she’s ever been but Victoria, the rogue vampire who has been responsible for much, though not all, of Bella’s heartache, has a new plan of attack. She’s building an army and brining them to Forks in an effort to wipe out Bella in retribution for the loss of her own mate but to do so, she first needs to dispatch the pesky Cullens who have adopted Bella as one of their own.

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • Cinecast Episode 173 – Killing Squirrels for Entertainment

    12

     
    From La-La-Land and subbing in for Gamble this week, is RowThree contributor and all around special lady Jandy Stone. Kurt & Jandy immediately get down to business talking Christians and heavenly bodies in Spanish toga epic, Agora (note *SPOILERS*). They move into the Ozarks for another (spoiler-free) look at Debra Granik’s Sundance winner, Winter’s Bone. Jandy then highlights some of her favourite indies and foreign fare taken in at last weeks Los Angeles Film Festival. The LOST Chronicles continue with Kurt eating crow, swallowing most of his past-gripes and actually enjoying Season 4 (“The Freighter“) and particularly enjoy the hell out of Season 5 (“Back to the Future“) of the show. Note: Minutiae (and *SPOILERS*) ensue. DVD Picks and more round out a darn near 3 hour gangly-sized episode.

    As always, please join the conversation by leaving your own thoughts in the comment section below and again, thanks for listening!




    To download the show directly, paste the following URL into your favorite downloader:
    http://rowthree.com/audio/cinecast_10/episode_173.mp3

    ALTERNATIVE (no music track):
    http://rowthree.com/audio/cinecast_10/episode_173-alt.mp3

     
     
     
    Full show notes are under the seats…
    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • Review: Four Lions

    5

    Director: Christopher Morris
    Screenplay: Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain, Christopher Morris & Simon Blackwell
    Producers: Mark Herbert & Derrin Schlesinger
    Starring: Riz Ahmed, Kayvan Novak, Nigel Lindsay, Arsher Ali, Adeel Akhtar
    Year: 2010
    Country: UK
    BBFC Certification: 15
    Duration: 101 min

    (4/5)

    Four Lions is the feature length debut of British writer/director Chris Morris. For those of you who aren’t familiar with his work, Chris Morris is the man behind a handful of surreal cult comedy series such as Brass Eye, The Day Today and Jam. Anyone who hasn’t heard of any of these should get them bought or rented as soon as possible, they’re twisted satire of the highest order (Jam is a bit harder to stomach, but it still has moments of genius). It’ll come to no surprise to fans that Morris has turned to the taboo subject of terrorism for his first film (this is the man that brought us the ‘Paedophilia Special’ episode of Brass Eye) and he doesn’t disappoint.

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • Johnny Depp is Rango, the chameleon with an identity crisis.

    5

    A couple of weeks ago, Andrew posted a teaser to the Gore Verbinski directed Rango, which really didn’t give us much of a clue as to what the animated feature was about. Today, we get a better look at the film and the chameleon with an identity crisis in a new trailer.

    With Johnny Depp voicing the protagonist, as well as Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Bill Nighy, Ray Winstone, Alfred Molina, Harry Dean Stanton, and Timothy Olyphant leading their voices, there is plenty of talent surrounding this project. After watching the trailer, I’m very interested. This looks to be a quirky and unique animated feature. We will have to wait until March 4, 2011 to find out.

    Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.

  • Directory of World Cinema: Australia & New Zealand Available via Free Download

    1

    The latest volume of Intellect’s Directory of World Cinema series is currently available to download in a PDF file. This book is edited by Ben Goldsmith and Geoff Lealand and provides several essays and reviews focusing on Australian and New Zealand cinema. Like the previous volumes in the series (which so far consist of Japan and American Independent), it serves as an accessible and convenient guide for those wanting to expand their knowledge of this particular area of world cinema. It appears to be quite wide-ranged in its scope, covering well-known directors like Peter Weir and Baz Luhrmann, the legendary Ozploitation genre (and the 2008 documentary Not Quite Hollywood that celebrates it) and many less well-known films (for me, at least) that will no doubt inspire people to build up their Netflix and Zip lists.

    You can download the book in its entirety here. It will be officially released in stores on October 15th, 2010.

  • Fernando Meirelles (City of God) comes to London

    0

    A quick announcement for any fellow Brits out there. Fernando Meirelles, the man behind films such as City of God, The Constant Gardener and Row Three favourite (not one of mine though I must say) Blindness is coming to London tonight as part of Festival Brazil, a celebration of the country’s cultural heritage. I’m not going to be able to make it down there, but if any of our readers can make it I’d love to hear what you thought of it.

    Festival Brazil’s In Conversation With Fernando Meirelles will take place on 29 June at 6.45pm at Canning House, London SW1

  • DVD Review: Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage

    0
    Rush Poster

    Director: Sam Dunn, Scot McFadyen (Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey, Global Metal, Iron Maiden: Flight 666)
    MPAA Rating: NR
    Running time: 117 min.

    (4/5)

    As someone who grew up with a father who loves rock music, I was introduced to Rush at an early age. I always loved the music but over the years my taste shifted and with it my love affair with some bands while others took a foothold in the pantheon. Rush never quite entered that level of rock god status for me but they’ve always been a band I liked and then Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen came along.

    Rush Movie StillOver the last few years the pair have become synonymous with rock documentaries from heavy metal in Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey to fandom (Global Metal (review)) and most recently bringing to the screen Iron Maiden: Flight 666. With their eye turned home, their latest takes on Canadian legends Rush and the result is the unforgettable tribute Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage.

    Dunn and McFadyen begin with the band’s early heavy metal days as high-school entertainers and follows through on their long career of change and discovery. Using archival footage and in depth interviews with band members Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart, we follow Rush as they grow from bar band to global superstars and the road isn’t always easy. There are insights into the early days of touring, the difficulties of being a band with substance (the making of “2112” was particularly eye opening to me), and the constant struggle to be the best musicians they can be while still being true to the music. Rush is a band that made a conscious effort never to “sell out” and their ever changing sound goes a long way to support that.

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • DVD Review: Tell Tale

    0
    Tell Tale Movie Poster

    Director: Michael Cuesta (Twelve and Holding)
    Writers: Dave Callaham, Edgar Allan Poe (short story)
    Producers: Michael Costigan, Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Martin Shore, Christopher Tuffin
    Starring: Josh Lucas, Lena Headey, Brian Cox
    MPAA Rating: R
    Running time: 93 min.

    (2/5)

    Josh Lucas. He’s handsome, charming and has the makings of a great romantic lead but he’s working outside of the Hollywood machine. I’m not certain that’s necessarily his choice but his last two projects have been well under the radar. I disliked Death in Love so much I didn’t finish it and yet I returned to see Tell Tale but with a cast that also includes Lena Headey and Brian Cox, the attraction shouldn’t come as too much of a shock.

    Tell Tale Movie StillLoosely, very loosely, adapted from Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart,” Josh Lucas portrays Terry Bernard, a single father who has recently received a new heart. His daughter suffers from a rare genetic disease and between the two illnesses, his second home is the local hospital. Lena Headey plays Dr. Elizabeth Clemson, the specialist Terry deals with regarding his daughter’s illness and after a regular appointment, Elizabeth makes a move and the two start, reluctantly at first, dating. Terry’s post heart transplant recovery is going well until he comes into contact with a paramedic, causing his new heart to do all sorts of strange things. Though at first he thinks it’s in his mind, Terry soon finds himself in the midst of solving the mystery of were his new heart came from.

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • Film on TV: June 28-July 4

    6
    The-General.jpg
    The General, playing Sunday on TCM.

    The beginning of June marked the one year anniversary for this column, and in that time we’ve featured over 400 different films spanning years from 1903-2008 and representing more than eighteen different countries and pretty much every genre. I think that’s not bad at all. But I’m the first to admit that I haven’t seen everything, so I’m going to start including just title and basic info for films that I’ve heard positive things about but haven’t seen myself; if you have seen a film that’s listed without a blurb (or know of something else that’s playing that I didn’t mention at all), please feel free to write a little blurb and either send it to me (jandy AT rowthree DOT com) or post it in the comments, and I’ll include it for any future showings of that film, credited to you. That’s open to either R3 contributors or readers.

    Monday, June 28

    6:05am – IFC – Broadway Danny Rose
    It’s lesser Woody Allen, but it’s still Woody Allen. Danny Rose (Woody) is a theatrical agent whose clients always leave him when they start becoming successful. His current client, a has-been tenor trying to make a comeback, gives him further grief by having an affair with a young woman (Mia Farrow) with gangster connections. Not very substantial, but enjoyable.
    1984 USA. Director: Woody Allen. Starring: Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Nick Apollo Forte.
    (repeats at 12:05pm and 5:30pm)

    10:15am – IFC – I Heart Huckabees
    Not too many films take philosophy as their base, but this one basically does, following a man (Jason Schwartzman) plagued by coincidence who hires a couple of existentialists to figure out what’s going on.
    2004 USA. Director: David O. Russell. Starring: Jason Schwartzman, Isabelle Huppert, Dustin Hoffman, Naomi Watts, Mark Wahlberg, Lily Tomlin, Jude Law.
    (repeats at 3:35pm, and 4:45am on the 29th)

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • LAFF 2010 Review: Dog Sweat

    0
    LAFF-Banner.jpg
    Dog Sweat.jpg

    (4/5)

    I find myself endlessly fascinated by underground Iranian film and literature that promise to show what life in Iran (often specifically Tehran) is like without the usually omnipresent government filter. I quite enjoyed No One Knows About Persian Cats (review), another film in this vein, but I thought it wasn’t as strong or cohesive as it could’ve been. Dog Sweat basically has all the things I liked about Persian Cats, and none of the weaknesses.

    Dog Sweat follows several interconnected young people trying to navigate the universal perils of youth and relationships with the added pressure that comes with being young in Tehran. Mahsa wants to be a singer, but it’s forbidden for women to be solo singers, so she’s recording secretly with a couple of friends (who may or may not be trustworthy). Two men who are best friends and perhaps more are being pushed by their families into meeting women, even though they find fulfillment in each other. Relatively outspoken feminist Katie winds up having an affair with her cousin’s husband, while her brother Dawood enters a shy romance with her friend Katherine. Finally, a man dealing with the grief of his mother’s death in an auto accident attacks a group of fundamentalists.

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • Trailer: The Extra Man

    0
    ExtraMan

    From the directors of American Splendor and The Nanny Diaries and based on a novel by Bored to Death creator Jonathan Ames, The Extra Man stars Kevin Kline as a poor, eccentric playwright who takes a young writer, played by Paul Dano, under his wing. Also starring John C. Reilly sporting an epic beard and Katie Holmes in her first movie in years, the movie has plenty of talent surrounding it and early word is that Kline has another magnificent;y quirky performance to tack onto his resume. I’m looking forward to it, if only to see Dano, who I still think is one of the most exciting young actors working today.

    The Trailer is tucked under the seat.

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • Review: Tetro

    1

    Director: Francis Ford Coppola
    Writer: Francis Ford Coppola
    Producer: Francis Ford Coppola
    Starring: Vincent Gallo, Alden Ehrenreich, Maribel Verdú, Silvia Pérez, Rodrigo De la Serna, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Carmen Maura
    MPAA Rating: R
    Running time: 127 min.

    After many years of basically working as a Hollywood gun for hire following his legendary triumphs in the 1970s, it seems Francis Ford Coppola is currently in the midst of an artistic resurgence. While I haven’t heard or read too many glowing reviews of 2007’s Youth Without Youth, it nonetheless appears to be a far more visionary and fulfilling work for him than what can be found in the 1990s phase of his career. Tetro continues this trend, widely publicized as being Coppola’s first original screenplay since The Conversation and a highly personal work.

    The film begins with seventeen year-old Bennie (Alden Ehrenreich), who works as a waiter on a cruise ship, arriving in Buenos Aires in the middle of the night at the home of his brother Angelo (Vincent Gallo). He is greeted by Miranda (Maribel Verdú of Pan’s Labyrinth and Y Tu Mama Tambien), Angelo’s girlfriend. In the morning, he is finally reunited with the emotionally unstable Angelo, who disappeared over ten years ago, abandoned his writing, refuses to be associated with his family and stubbornly insists that he be called Tetro. As Bennie becomes accustomed to life in Tetro’s neighborhood, he discovers pages of his writing and goes about decoding them, gradually learning more about his brother’s strained relationship with their intimidating father (Klaus Maria Brandauer), a world-renowned composer, and the reasons for his self-imposed exile.

    » Read the rest of the entry..

Page 1 of 812345»...Last »