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Archive for July, 2007
Friday, July 13th, 2007
On Thursday's General Hospital:
There was some tension on Thursday's GH, some of it leading up to the Night Shift which began its run on Soapnet at 11:00 pm last night.
Robin and Patrick received the decree they were to spend the next three months working Saturday nights in the emergency room. Both whined and whimpered about how it was unfair, but ultimately agreed that it was worth it to save the man (who didn't have health insurance), though by the episode's end it seemed in question if the procedure had saved his life. Robin wanted to stay at the hospital and wait for the latest battery of tests, but Patrick insisted they head home and get some rest before their night time shift.
I guess it's a topical issue, hospitals needing to operate in the black to function, but I'm having a hard time understanding where Dr. Ford is coming from. I suppose it's supposed to be that way, the viewer isn't supposed to like the authoritative figure, but it seems like the 'punishment' pill would be easier to swallow if I felt Robin and Patrick were in the wrong.
Diane walked in on Sonny's meeting with Ric and once they were alone he told his lawyer what the DA's evidence was against Jason – the digital voice recorder. Diane admitted it was bad, and would be hard evidence to refute. Bernie showed up to let Sonny know the shipment delivery went horribly wrong: the merchandise was confiscated, two of their men were in jail, and Logan was no where to be seen.
What a wonderful playful scene with Bernie and Diane. Do we have a new power couple in the making here? As far as the rest of it goes — ho, hum, I'm so over the mob stories.
Lulu, in the meantime, fretted over why Logan never showed up back at the club and, with a little help from Maxie's chiding, believed it was because he wasn't interested. After talking about it with Carly, she went to his place and found out he feared what Sonny would do to him for losing the shipment. Logan tried to push her away, saying he wasn't interested anymore, and she almost believed him. That is until she turned to leave and realized he had been shot.
Boy, I can't be the only one seeing a Luke and Laura flashback with this set-up. Lulu with her innocent way about her (though she's certainly not as much as they tried to portray her yesterday) and Logan was all tough, scarred, and trying to push Lulu away for her own good.
Spinelli saw Jerry and Carly talking and jumped in to try and save the "Fair Valkyrie" from the "Unhinged One" only to be humiliated by Jerry. Taking refuge in the diner with Georgie, he came to the conclusion he needed to do something about his wimpiness. Later, Georgie returned his forgotten wallet to him at the penthouse and found him with Jason's gun. Quickly assessing the situation, she decided it would be a good idea to give him a crash course in firearm safety.
It certainly looks like an accident just waiting to happen!
On Friday's GH:
- Sam confronts Jerry. Anna's back. But why? Liz sneaks in to visit Jason.
 Wife, mother, aspiring novelist, and music editor at BC Magazine, Connie Phillips spends most of her time in a fantasy land of her own creating. In reality, she writes about music, television, and the process of writing, when she’s not cheering on her kids at equestrian events. Contact: Phillips.connie@gmail.com
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Friday, July 13th, 2007
Captivity
Directed by: Roland Joffe
Written by: Larry Cohen and Joseph Tura
Starring: Elisha Cuthbert, Daniel Gillies, Pruitt Taylor Vince
At: suburban theaters
Running time: 85 minutes
Rated: R (strong violence, torture, pervasive terror, grisly images, language, and some sexual material)
One star
By Ty Burr
Globe Staff
Scarier than anything in "Captivity" was the drive to Danvers I had to go through to see it. The new horror film, a wan, derivative entry in the torture-porn cycle, didn?t screen for critics and is playing only in a few suburban multiplexes before scampering to DVD. This is what?s known as sneaking into town.
It?s a "Saw" rip-off with less smarts. (Take a moment, please, to allow that sentence to sink in.) Jennifer (Elisha Cuthbert of "24" and several not-so-hot movies) is a supermodel taken captive by a mysterious hooded man (Pruitt Taylor Vince); she awakens in a dungeon outfitted with surveillance cams and file drawers that pop out of the wall bearing unpleasant things.
Every so often she?s taken to a dank operating room, strapped to a table, and made to watch snuff films of previous victims. At one point, the villain forces her to drink a blender concoction made from eyeballs, ears, and less obvious body parts. You?ll probably want to skip the slushie on the way in.
Eventually the heroine discovers another captive, a hunk named Gary (Daniel Gillies), and the two trapped rats plot their revenge. Yes, it?s one of those movies that deplores sadistic acts visited upon nubile, trussed-up women while indulging the audience?s pleasure in same.
"Captivity" is stylish in a low-budget way, but it?s wholly pointless. There?s a twist fans of the genre will see coming a mile away, not to mention plot holes the characters could escape through. More bothersome is that Cuthbert?s character?s so bland (and the actress such a road show Kirsten Dunst) that it?s tough to care what happens to her.
I found myself caring more for poor Roland Joffe, who has sunk from directing "The Mission" and "The Killing Fields" to this. The script?s credited to Larry Cohen and Joseph Tura; Cohen, of course, is the B-movie veteran who has given us "It?s Alive," "Maniac Cop," and "Phone Booth," but his gift for inspired sleaze deserts him here (aside from the amusingly gruesome fate of Jennifer?s Bichon Frise).
Finicky film freaks will recognize "Joseph Tura" as the name of Jack Benny?s character in the classic ??To Be or Not To Be,?? which means someone?s hiding under a pseudonym and it?s probably Joffe. Anyway, the oddest thing about "Captivity" is that the movie?s a Russian-American co-production shot in a Moscow studio. How nice that the two former enemy superpowers can at last agree on something: that the world needs more crappy horror movies.
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Friday, July 13th, 2007
 Tom Fitzpatrick
He’s back and this time it’s personal. Yes Harry and Lord Voldemort square off in the fifth instalment of the Potter franchise and as with so many ‘kids and adults both enjoy them’ films; this one is a lot darker.
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Friday, July 13th, 2007
One of these things is not like the other... Runtime: 32 sec
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Friday, July 13th, 2007
This early claymation Green Giant is what nightmares are made of. Runtime: 30 sec
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Friday, July 13th, 2007
Nexus Productions director Celyn has created this enchanting 30 second TVC for Ben & Jerry’s through Paris based agency, Leg. Production time was around 5 weeks and the creative was very much a collaboration between Celyn and the agency. Leg came to Celyn with an initial storyboard and animatic, which he developed further. He then set about character design in his inimitable fashion before beginning production.
Celyn was very hands-on during the production process, animating elements such as the van, photographers and crowd. He and his small team have succeeded in creating a charming spot which, in the final shot, superbly manages to depict crowd chaos without seeming messy or cluttered. I put this down to a really clever use of colour palette and composition. I particularly like the two chefs running with their massive spoon. There’s something very Python-esque about the way they hop.
Posted in Filmmaking | No Comments »
Friday, July 13th, 2007
The French Film Festival begins at the MFA, providing your chance to see some excellent Gallic flicks that will otherwise not be released in this country. Thank you, Bo. The Globe's Ethan Gilsdorf has the details.
Three can't-miss propositions this weekend, providing you can get past the mobs trying to see "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (which isn't so bad itself):
"Rescue Dawn" -- It looks like "just" another POW survival story until you look at it through the lens of Werner Herzog movies, at which point it becomes eerily overwhelming. I don't know how Christian Bale does it, but he's a completely different guy in each movie. You can also get your classic Herzog fix at the Brattle, and if you haven't seen "Aguirre" yet, now's the time. A more apt metaphor for our current misadventures abroad I can't imagine.
"Talk to Me" -- Is there a greater joy these days than watching Don Cheadle act? He finally gets a live one in the role of Petey Greene, DC disc jockey of the 1960s. See this for him and for Kasi Lemmons' infectious filmmaking -- and for Taraji P. Henson (with Cheadle, above) -- rather than for the extended, problematic mope that sinks the last third.
"Lady Chatterley" -- Achingly slow, quiet, gentle, hot adaptation of an early version of the D.H. Lawrence novel. In French. Bring a sense of patience and your significant other.
Tonight kicks off the annual "Summer Double Features" series at the Harvard Film Archive, easily the finest conglomeration of hard-to-find oldies, cool surprises, and inspired pairings in town. (My God! Elaine May's "A New Leaf" next Thursday!) Check their calendar and mark yours accordingly -- the series is an education in itself.
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