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« July 2007 | Main | September 2007 »
Friday, August 31, 2007 - 13:45:25
Here are trailers for some very interesting films. "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," which stars Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck (you'd think Terence Malick directed it if you didn't know any better), a red band trailer for "No Country for Old Men" that is quite violent, the international trailer for "The Kingdom" directed by Peter Berg, produced by Michael Mann and starring Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jeremy Piven, Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner, "Grace is Gone," the Sundance hit starring John Cusack that might rip us all apart, the international trailer for "Michael Clayton" starring George Clooney, and a new trailer for David Cronenberg's lastest film "Eastern Promises."It's not a very strong weekend for movies in Little Rock. "Death Sentence" starring Kevin Bacon and John Goodman opens. It registers a whopping 13% Cream of the Crop rating at rottentomatoes.com. Desson Thompson of The Washington Post writes, "In "Death Sentence," Kevin Bacon may not be the baddest dad who ever cocked a shotgun to defend his family, but he's the most insanely resolute -- and the least understandable." Lou Lumenick of The New York Post describes the film as "a very belated and very silly follow-up to "Death Wish.""
"Balls of Fury," which looks absolutely stupid is also here. Kevin Crust of The Los Angeles Times notes, "Goodness, gracious, there's no greatness in "Balls of Fury," a lifeless pingpong comedy that ricochets from one flat gag to the next. The only novelty it can boast of is that it's a sports spoof without Will Ferrell." The movie's rocking a strong 37% on Metacritic. As my friend Matt O. would say, F@*% this movie.
Rob Zombie thought it was a good idea to remake "Halloween." Why? This movie is so sorry no one bothered to review it.
"My Best Friend," which opens at Market Street Cinema is probably worth a look. Robert Koehler of Variety thinks so. "Patrice Leconte is in a light but thoughtful mood in "My Best Friend," a buddy movie that actually ponders the nature of what it is to be a buddy."
"Artic Tale," from the folks that brought you the delightful "March of the Penguins" also screens at Matt Smith's west Little Rock gem of a theater. Ella Taylor of Village Voice writes, "A smarmy score, some orgiastic farting from a herd of walruses, and a modicum of cutesy anthropomorphism from narrator Queen Latifah prove a small price to pay for this stunningly photographed narrative documentary about a year in the endangered life of Arctic ice floe."
Tuesday, August 28, 2007 - 08:07:41
Got big plans for your Labor Day? The Telluride Film Festival kicks off in Colorado. Telluride is the only festival to keep its line-up and its guests a secret until the festival opens. Anne Thompson of Variety has this piece on the festival. She speculates that Todd Haynes' Dylan bio-pic "I'm Not There," Noah Baumbach's "Margot at the Wedding," Tamara Jenkins' "The Savages," Julian Schnabel's "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," and Cannes festival winner "4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days" will all make an appearance. New York Magazine's Fall Preview issue is on newstands. Logan Hill profiles Christian Bale who stars in "3:10 to Yuma" and "I'm Not There" and Viggo Mortensen and David Cronenberg, the actor and director team behind "Eastern Promises." Hill also interviews Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin from the upcoming Coen Bros. film "No Country for Old Men," Nicole Kidman, star of the latest Noah Baumbach project "Margot at the Wedding" and Jodie Foster of "The Brave One." Internet rumors swirled yesterday about the apparent hospitalization of Owen Wilson as a result of a suicide attempt. While suicide has not been confirmed, Wilson has been hospitalized and issued this statement: "I respectfully ask that the media allow me to receive care and heal in private during this difficult time.'' Wilson stars in Wes Anderson's new film "The Darjeeling Limited" which opens the New York Film Festival later this month.Sunday, August 26, 2007 - 16:48:01
I've wrapped my weekend moviegoing. I caught "Superbad" for the second time on Friday night. Equally funny, if not moreso. It's certainly the funniest movie I've seen a long time. Absolutely worth the ticket price. I also caught the first of several Jane Austen films. This one, "Becoming Jane" stars Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy. The film left me feeling . . .fine. It was sweet and pretty and all together generally blah. But that's not to say it's a bad film. It's not. It's just not that interesting. And finally, I saw "Paris je t'aime" which I thought was splendid. It's a compilation of short films from directors such as Gus Van Sant, Alfonso Cuaron, Alexander Payne, Wes Craven, and Ethan & Joel Coen about the City of Lights.Friday, August 24, 2007 - 14:02:21
The final line-up for the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival has been announced. The festival runs from September 6 - September 15. Here's what Anne Thompson of Variety has to say about some of the top festival entries:I've already screened Julie Taymor's audacious Beatles musical Across the Universe (a must-see, no matter how far out it gets); Tamara Jenkins' Sundance hit The Savages, which should get noms for Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laua Linney; Neil Jordan's smart psychological actioner The Brave One (which should earn Jodie Foster serious Oscar buzz for her performance as a vengeful victim of violence); Terry George's intense drama Reservation Road, which pits Mark Ruffalo against Joaquin Phoenix; Julian Schnabel's exquisitely crafted French-language The Diving Bell and the Butterfly; Paul Haggis's In the Valley of Elah (a strong Oscar contender thanks to a fierce performance by Tommy Lee Jones); the Coen brothers' No Country for Old Men (also starring Jones, it should last through the entire Oscar season; Javier Bardem will score many kudos, no matter what).
Jeff Wells of Hollywood-Elsewhere has a list of 55 must see films at the festival.
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