Still got your panties in a wad about the end of the Sopranos? Get over it. Maybe you can click here and let Hilary Clinton shock you out of any post-finale trauma. (Seriously, her video is hilariously dumb.) James Gandolfini certainly isn’t going to help you. He’s going back to HBO in the fall, but … Continue reading
I look at Walt Becker and think: there’s a guy I’d hire for a Gillette commercial. I expect seven-bladed razors to fly at his face any second now, swirling around in a CGI orgy of shaving cream and impeccably cut whiskers. Guy’s face is rugged enough to use as a location for Marines recruitment commercials.But … Continue reading
The documentary Visions of Light, about the process of cinematography, was a revelation for me. It arrived just as I was becoming more deeply interested in the intricacies of filmmaking, and perfectly articulated core concepts about how to intertwine visuals and narrative. It’s got brilliant tales like William Fraker’s story about Roman Polanski telling him … Continue reading
In Twin Peaks, when Bob killed his notable second season victim, the Giant appeared to Dale Cooper* and uttered a line that has been part of my lexicon ever since: "It is happening again." Spoken with incredible gravitas, it implies bad things that cannot be stopped. So the line wells up from within me every … Continue reading
Cinematical has a link up that points to a Flickr account holding eight photos of hot man on the street action that should get Batman detail obsessives foaming and speculating until the next similar photos surface. The location: Chicago, where The Dark Knight will be shooting for the next few weeks. The subjects: Maggie Gyllenhaal … Continue reading
It’s easy to find commentary about the one-note nature of summer films. Doesn’t take a think tank to understand that May through July are given over to sixteen year old boys, with the occasional nod to 30-year old boys through a film like Ocean’s Thirteen. Counter-programming is an easy way for a studio to make … Continue reading
I only just saw Brick recently. I’m embarrased about that, but also relatively OK with my lateness, because it’s one of those movies that’s so good I actually get a little angry. How dare some kid show up and mix all these elements together so they make perfect sense? As someone who writes the occasional … Continue reading
So this is the Fantastic Four in 2007. Body by CGI. Direction by Kodak. Fantasticar by Dodge. Yeah, it’s got a Hemi.* Stan Lee and Jack Kirby launched a new era of comic book superheroes with this team. They were real(ish) people with relationships and problems…like a grumpy Mole Man living under New York City. … Continue reading
With Ice Cube and Tyler Perry as the loudest voices of the moment, the state of mainstream black filmmaking is so rancid that any new venture is likely to be met with either open arms of joy or deep suspicion. (Spike can’t carry an entire culture on his shoulders, though I know he tries, and … Continue reading
BUY IT AT AMAZON: CLICK HERE!STUDIO: New LineMSRP: $34.98RATED: RRUNNING TIME: 119 MinutesSPECIAL FEATURES:• Commentary by director Guillermo del Toro• Director’s prologue • The Power of Myth featurette• Pan and the Fairies featurette• The Color and the Shape featurette• The Charlie Rose Show with del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón and Alejandro González Iñárritu• Animated comic prequels … Continue reading