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Friday, May 30, 2008 - 07:18:11
"Sex and the City" is finally here. Carina Chocano of the Los Angeles Times likes it. "For a film that delights in indulging in frivolity at every possible turn, it examines subjects that most movies don't dare graze for their terrifying seriousness. And when it does, the movie handles them with surprising grace, wit and maturity. In other words, it's a movie for grown-ups of all ages." Manohla Dargis of the the New York Times does not. "I wish Ms. Parker had let that bee in her bonnet go silent, because the movie that she and Mr. King have come up with is the pits, a vulgar, shrill, deeply shallow — and, at 2 hours and 22 turgid minutes, overlong — addendum to a show that had, over the years, evolved and expanded in surprising ways."
You can also catch the horror flick "The Strangers" and the indy film "The Year My Parents Went on Vacation" in Little Rock this weekend.
You can also catch the horror flick "The Strangers" and the indy film "The Year My Parents Went on Vacation" in Little Rock this weekend.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - 08:09:49
Sydney Pollack died yesterday of cancer at the age of 73. Pollack, a film director, producer and actor, is perhaps best know for directing the Oscar-winning epic "Out of Africa" with Robert Redford and Meryl Streep. He also directed "Three Days of the Condor," "Tootsie," and 'The Way We Were," among others. Recently, he appeared opposite George Clooney in "Michael Clayton," which he also produced.My SP Top 10:
1. "Three Days of the Condor"
2. "The Way We Were"
3. "Out of Africa"
4. "Tootsie"
5. "Jeremiah Johnson"
6. "Iris" (executive producer)
7. "Sense and Sensibility" (executive producer)
8. "Husbands and Wives" (actor)
9. "Eyes Wide Shut" (actor)
10. "Michael Clayton" (actor, producer)
Sunday, May 25, 2008 - 18:23:57
CANNES FILM FESTIVALThe French film "The Class" won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Interestingly, the film was a unanimous verdict of the jury in a line-up that included "The Changeling" from Clint Eastwood, "Che" from Steven Soderberg, "Three Monkeys" from Nuri Bilge Ceylan (who won the directing prize), and "Synedoche, New York" from Charlie Kaufman, among others. Runners up were two Italian films: "Il Divo" and "Gomorrah."
Benicio Del Toro won the top male acting prize for his portrayal of Che Guevara. Let the Oscar talk for him begin.
Friday, May 23, 2008 - 07:46:45
Indy IV is here (actually, it opened last night). " Though the film stars a relaxed and capable Harrison Ford as everyone's favorite intrepid archaeologist and boasts supporting players ranging from Cate Blanchett as a superb villainess to Shia LaBeouf as the inevitable youngster, the real heroes of this film are director Steven Spielberg and the veritable army of superb technicians who turn the film's numerous stunts and special effects into trains that insist on running on time," writes Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times.
"The Visitor" starring Richard Jenkins arrives at Market Street Cinema. "The Visitor is precisely the sort of film Hollywood has abandoned, a literate and low-key character study of an ordinary man in depressingly average straits. It honors measured gestures and suggests that small acts of kindness can be heroic and life-changing," notes Philip Martin of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
"Young @ Heart" is also here. Enjoy the long weekend.
Sunday, May 18, 2008 - 15:44:45
LITTLE ROCK FILM FESTIVALMOVIEGOER REVIEW: SILHOUETTE CITY
It's more in-depth piece, and is posted over at In Contention. Check it out.
Friday, May 16, 2008 - 11:37:42
MOVIEGOER REVIEW: WAR EAGLE, ARKANSASIt wasn't until a relatively unknown scribe named Billy Bob Thorton penned the film "Sling Blade" that people began to view Arkansas as a place for serious filmmaking. Recently, with the release of Joey Lauren Adams' film "Come Early Morning" and Jeff Nichols' "Shotgun Stories," Arkansas has seen its stature enhanced; both of these films were critical darlings. Finally, filmmakers, producers, writers and musicians are collaborating on quality Arkansas projects, and people around the world are taking notice.
That wonderful trend continues with "War Eagle, Arkansas," the opening film of the Little Rock Film Festival, and a deeply emotional and somber tale about two friends, one with a speech impediment and the other cerebral palsy. It's based on a true story of two Arkansas boys, Vincent and Tim, and the film's producer, Vincent Insalaco, captured their story.
Graham Gordy, who has another film, "The Love Guru," out in a few weeks (he co-wrote the script with Mike Myers), took Vincent and Tim's story and readied it for the screen. His work is admirable, mighty fine in fact, and the words these characters speak embody the everyday challenges they faced and the hearwarming friendship they developed.
Luke Grimes and Dan McCabe, two extraordinary young actors, play the film's primary characters, Enoch and Wheels. The boys live in a small Arkansas town, and not unlike most boys, they spend their time playing video games, talking dirty about girls and loving baseball. If the film finds its way into mainstream distribution, Mr. McCabe will be an Oscar contender.
Enoch lives with his grandfather, Pop, played by Brian Dennehy, and his mother, Belle, played by Mare Winningham. These are small roles, but vital, and they are well executed. James McDaniel, who has distinguished himself in television and roles in smaller films, brings important themes of race into context as a black preacher named Jack.
Themes of race and religion, quite common in the American South, are very present, and everyone struggles with them. But this is primarily a story about friendship in a small Arkansas town, what it means, and how difficult it is to maintain when life forces intervene.
Accentuated by a subtle and beautiful score by Will Churchill, "War Eagle, Arkansas" tugs at the heart and re-invigorates the spirit. Simply, it's as good as it gets.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - 10:02:30
CANNES FILM FESTIVALFernando Meirelles new film "Blindness" starring Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo and Gael Garcia Bernal opened the Cannes Film Festival this morning. Jeff Wells of Hollywood Elsewhere files this comment,
"Two or three people clapped at the end of the press screening. The reception at the press conference was on the muted side. The movie, I fear, is going to be generally "meh"-ed when it opens, and audiences are almost certainly going to steer clear. I respected Blindness -- I certainly agree with what it's saying -- but it didn't arouse me at all. Opening-night films at big festivals are often underwhelming on this or that level -- bland, suckish, so-so. I'm sorry to be saying what I'm saying as I worshipped Meirelles' City of God and very much admired The Constant Gardener. But the truth is that Blindness is more than a bit of a flub. For what it's worth, the pacing, performances and tech credits are first-rate."
The festival kicks into high gear next week with back-to-back screenings of James Gray's "Two Lovers," Clint Eastwood's "Changeling" and Steven Soderbergh's 4-hour Che Guevara pic "Che" which will be released as two films ("Guerilla" and "The Argentine") in the fall.
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