Whit Stillman has returned to feature filmmaking after a 14 year absence with his latest movie Damsels in Distress. The reaction from those who were able to see the film upon its early release has ranged from bemused nostalgic welcoming to callous rebuffs from those immune to the charms of Stillman’s affectionate observations of the "urban haute [Read More]
There have been a lot of remakes and when it was originally announced that Zac Effron was going to be filling the shoes of Kevin Bacon in the remake of Footloose it seemed liked they were going to Disney-fy one of MTV Generation’s first movies. Then director Craig Brewer was brought on board and Effron’s name quietly disappeared from the [Read More]
The notion that General Orders No. 9 is a ghost was born from the necessity to communicate at once the mystery it preserves, the perspective it exhibits, and the polarized reactions it will continue to yield. For some, this equation reinforces their belief that the film is a transparent spook; they can see right through [Read More]
Snow On Tha Bluff is a raw and vivid, hybrid documentary/narrative film that cuts through the hype and mythology to deliver a clear-eyed, uncensored look at gangsta life—and death—in the inner city. Director/writer Damon Russell teams up with co-writer and lead actor Curtis Snow, a charismatic, self-described dope dealer and robbery boy, to [Read More]
Rebel without a Deal tells the story of Vincent Rocca who shot his first movie in five days for 11K and nearly landed a multi-million dollar deal with National Lampoon. After the fallout from losing that deal, he recovered and released the movie through Warner Bros. where it went on to gross over a million [Read More]
James Brooks makes the kind of Romantic Comedies that are not high concept. They never involve bounty hunters apprehending their exes as meet-cutes or journalists on a story who happen to fall in love. They usually involve people who would like try to stay out of a relationship because they’ve got better things to worry about but wind up in them [Read More]
The original Tron has the distinction of being among the first three films I remember seeing in the theater as a kid and not coming away overly in love with. As a 9-year old I knew that for all the snazzy 1982 visuals it wasn’t a great film. The other two were The Black Hole [Read More]
Remakes have always been a tricky minefield. You can stumble on magic and get An Affair to Remember (1957), a remake of Love Affair (1939), that surpasses the original–no small feat since Love Affair is still a damn good film. Or as the Coen Brothers have discovered themselves with their 2004 remake of The Ladykillers, [Read More]
Being the 50th animated feature in the Mouse House’s storied and unmatched run should be pressure enough. However, coming after the very good yet only partially satisfying The Princess and the Frog, the first film in Disney’s revived and refocused animated unit under Pixar’s John Lasseter, the expectations for Tangled were [Read More]
There are few organizations more identified as the embodiment of The Black Power movement of the 1960′s and 1970′s than The Black Panthers. Although the group went beyond the political, pushing for economic justice as well as cultural and community development, the standard image in the minds of most is dozens of stoic young black [Read More]
To say I was looking forward to Paranormal Activity 2 would be an understatement. Thought sequels rarely are better than the first, I would take a weaker version of the first Paranormal over the current strain of horror movies that seem closer to watching a creative snuff film than actually being scary. [Read More]
The new Clint Eastwood directed movie, Hereafter, starring Matt Damon, takes place in 2004 and 2005, opening with the terrible Tsunami that tore through Southeast Asia . [Read More]
Never Let Me Go, based on the 2005 novel by Kazuo Ishisuro, follows the reminiscing of Kathy, played by Cary Mulligan, as she looks back at three key times in her life with her friends Ruth and Tommy, played by Keira Knightly and Andrew Garfield, and how those moments led to her life now. [Read More]
When it comes to the current state of comedies, outside of Adam Sandler and his go to group of director friends like Dennis Dugan and Frank Coraci, filmmaking collaborations are a rarity. Even more of a rarity are pairings that work more often than not—yes that was a backhanded Sandler-Dugan dig. The Other Guys, another [Read More]
When The Expendables was first announced, there were portions of the net that went nuts. Just the idea that Sylvester Stallone was writing and directing a film that would feature some of the biggest, most influential action stars of the last 30 years was enough to guarantee that audiences would get the most balls to [Read More]
Whether its sentimentality or simply a solid story well told by very engaging performers, it must be said that Chan and Smith are both in excellent form here, a good movie is a good movie and The Karate Kid delivers a potent crane kick... [Read More]
In 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn’t commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else [Read More]
Russell Brand’s Aldous Snow was one of the best parts of 2008’s FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL. A recovering drug addict and alcoholic, the acerbic Snow was the very definition of the Nightmare Next (the a-hole who dates your ex after you). He’s super-awesome at sex, he’s a world famous rock star and worse, he’s likeable. Even [Read More]
Thirty years have passed since The Blues Brothers hit theaters. In that time 10 more Saturday Night Live movies have gone from sketch to screen. It goes without saying that the critical and box office track record has been abysmal. The assumed mediocrity of SNL movies has now joined the likes of Star Trek‘s Odd [Read More]
A new Battle of Atlanta is brewing at the AFF! Whether a coincidence or a tongue in cheek programming decision, two films with the word “battle” leading the title are screening on the same day within hours of each other! Twice! Ironically, both films have a civil conflict of sorts as part of the plot. [Read More]