Nimrod Antal’s first film, Kontroll, was one of the better movies I saw in 2005 (read my original review right here). Set in the strange world of subway ticket inspectors in Budapest, it was a movie that announced Antal as a major talent. After that film Antal, who was born in the US but had … Continue reading
So Hostel II‘s got another poster out (see a larger version here). And this one got to me. Not in the way naked beheaded lady tried to both titillate and disturb you, or even the way adiposed meat tested the gag reflex of vegetarians everywhere. No, this one’s relatively benign– but its subtle implication is … Continue reading
Few films deserve to be considered automatic Oscar contenders, but, as of today, John Patrick Shanley’s big-screen adaptation of his 2005 Tony Award winning Doubt can pretty much be placed at the front of the 2008 class. That’s what happens when you cast Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman as the leads in an explosive … Continue reading
So here we are again. Hot. MOST INTERESTING FILM OF THE WEEK Look, I’m not interested in guessing on this one; I want to proselytize. So I’m going to say this: Hot Fuzz will make $100 million dollars this weekend. Sure, it’s only on 700 screen, which barely counts as a wide release, but this … Continue reading
Douglas Coupland’s novel Generation X hit at the exact right moment for me – I was feeling untethered and unsure of my place in the world around me, and here was a book very much about that same thing. Coupland’s been writing witty, incisive books very much of the moment for the last couple of … Continue reading
The speculation is over. Let the speculation begin. After weeks of bowel-churning suspense, Cannes Film Festival President Gilles Jacob and Artistic Director Thierry Fremaux (both loyal CHUD readers) have revealed the official "In" and "Out of Competition" selections for this year’s cinematic shindig, and the big story isn’t what made it (we kinda knew that … Continue reading
Everyone has more or less known that Star Trek XI would be a reboot of some sort, most likely including James T Kirk. Now, in Star Trek Magazine, J.J. Abrams has confirmed Kirk’s presence in the finished script and announced that the team is into pre-prep…whatever that means. I think that’s the stage in film … Continue reading
I don’t care what your thoughts are on Vacancy; go put Nimrod Antal’s Kontroll at the top of your Netflix queue. Despite a not-so-convincing serial killer subplot, Kontroll is one of the best and most entertaining bits of urban paranoia to surface in a long time. So even if Vacancy is not good, Antal’s still … Continue reading
If you ever doubt the power of a megaton cinematic bomb to destroy a career, just look at Tank Girl and Lori Petty. Her resume prior to hopping into bed with a Mangaroo was promising: Free Willy, Poetic Justice and…er…In The Army Now? OK, but she was in Point Break. That’s got to count for … Continue reading
Not everyone has the opportunity to be a fat guy and cash in on the whole "funny fat guy" shtick. However, CBS made the King of Queens’ "fat guy married to a hot chick sitcom" template into a twelve-tittied milking machine, and no one can be happier about that than Kevin James. All good things … Continue reading