Most ‘new directors’ that come on the scene have a history; they’re not grown in vats or elevated to the big chair after cleaning pools and handing out blowjobs. (Oops, sorry Troy. Did you want a clean introduction you’d be OK with your mom reading?) And Troy Nixey definitely has a history; he spent over … Continue reading
I always appreciate when studios take the quiet road in their viral marketing, rather than coming up with some elaborate website/phone line/bomb hidden under a car scheme. YouTube user adin1978 is the former; seemingly a Weinstein Company employee, the person has posted a clip from I’m Not There, and now this neat little ad for … Continue reading
One of these days, I really have to see the Wallace & Gromit movie. Not that I’m exactly concerned about purity when a sorta-indie jumps up to the majors, as Aardman Animation did with Dreamworks, but Chicken Run nearly put me off my feed with respect to the animation house, and I was afraid that … Continue reading
I’d originally thought that Michael Clayton was going to be one of those movies that critics and audiences split on. It’s got a great big payoff of the sort that an adult audience just loves, but it’s also got a couple of weaknesses I’d figured would keep writers (as seen in Devin’s review) from buying … Continue reading
Few things at Toronto this year made me happier than the fact that I’m Not There, Todd Haynes’ much-questioned ‘biography’ of Bob Dylan, was good. Scratch that. Albeit uneven, the film glows with outrageously great moments, many featuring Cate Blanchett’s androgynous transformation. This is a wickedly smart and lively flick that sidesteps biopic clichés (like … Continue reading
Remember when Vin Diesel had ambitions? He wasn’t going to make any more movies like The Fast And the Furious. No, it was all interesting stuff for him. He was going to make smart movies. He had a company to make smart video games. He was going to walk down the street every day and … Continue reading
This is the spot where I could choose to emulate our own estimable Jeremy Smith and wax ebullient about the artistic success of Into The Wild. For without a proper review, which I may never actually get to, this is as good a platform as any to stake my position on Sean Penn’s first truly … Continue reading
It’s probably in Michael Caine’s contract to say things like "You should really see Christian Bale turn his head in the new Batsuit" or "this movie has the best third act of any I’ve done this decade" not to mention the eulogies at any necessary stuntman funerals.* But still, when a thespian with a halo … Continue reading
Without real assurance that Bond 22 won’t slide back to the old style of one-liners and joke setpieces (or limp policital posturing, with Paul Haggis providing the polish) I’m not sure why I care that the production team is going to Panama. Dark Horizons is reporting that Bond fansite MI6 is reporting that the production … Continue reading
Here’s a hint for potential remake strip-miners. If you want to tackle the work of a revered director, don’t start with one of their most personal movies. Remake Bringing Out The Dead, not The Age Of Innocence. Dive into Dressed To Kill, not Blow Out. Wrap your new shit around Nemesis, not Dangerously Close. And … Continue reading