If you’re excited to see Peter Berg and Michael Mann’s The Kingdom, please take a moment to find another April release to see instead. After testing through the roof in multiple screenings, Berg’s action picture about an FBI trio (Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper) investigating a bombing in the Middle East has been pushed … Continue reading
After a couple years of publishing, the Hard Case Crime imprint has made a name for itself among old-school crime aficionados. It has a great strategy: resurrect lost works by authors like Lawrence Block, Ed McBain and Mickey Spillane and present them alongside new fiction, all wrapped in sexy new covers for a reasonable price. … Continue reading
Quick, what was the last great volcano movie? Now, just as fast, what was the last great Roman Polanski movie? The second question is easier to answer, but that doesn’t make it much easier to get excited about the fact that Polanski has taken on Pompeii as his next project. Based on the book by … Continue reading
When I pull out my dusty DVD copies of The Professional (fairly often) and Subway (not so often) I feel like I’m falling back in time. There’s a whole generation of CHUD readers who aren’t old enough to remember when Luc Besson directed movies instead of just producing, writing and buying them. I barely remember … Continue reading
This ain’t no trailer. This ain’t no leaked clip. This is the full-bore, Direct To Google Video nightmare mashup of bikinis, blue hair and slap fighting, available for your viewing…pleasure? That’s right. DTGV is the new cinema hell. Ever since My Name Is Earl opened my eyes to both of Jaime Pressley’s charms, I’ve debased … Continue reading
Last night Darren Aronofsky brought The Fountain to Atlanta. After the film, he did a Q&A moderated by some guy named Nunziata. I missed that, but did interview the director this morning. The full text of our 40-minute talk will be up soon, but here’s a glimpse into what’s next for the director: Two part … Continue reading
Controversy is common marketing currency. It may not have done much for Pasolini, perhaps killed for making Salo, or for Theo van Gogh, definitely killed for making Submission. But less incendiary films by Scorsese, Michael Moore and Mel Gibson have all benefited from the protests of audiences and activists and the media coverage those actions … Continue reading
GERMANY MICHAEL TUCKER, PETRA EPPERLEIN In 2003, the documentary Gunner Palace became the most dramatic real account of the United States’ war in Iraq, as embedded cameraman Michael Tucker followed the 2/3 Field Artillery through Baghdad. One of the most memorable segments of the film was a nighttime raid on the Abbas home, suspected of … Continue reading
GermanyHans-Christian Schmid At long last, there’s another minor current of filmmakers making art film out of genre. (The last genuine one I remember was around the time of Don’t Look Now.) Look at Les Revenants, which ran at the festival in 2004. That was a zombie movie re-cast as social commentary. Requiem is similar, in … Continue reading