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Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007
 Lolo’s Tapas restaurant stands in a suburb of Barcelona. In it and around it the lives of several local residents (of the human and animal variety) mix, mingle, converge and separate. With their debut film, directors José Corbacho and Juan Cruz won nine awards at several Spanish and international festivals. (more…)
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Monday, May 21st, 2007
 Dave Corkery
Here’s a brief re-enactment of the conventional serial-killer-thriller that we, the audience have become accustomed to:
Act 1: Tough as nails, world-weary cop Sam ‘QuickFire’ McHardBalls is teamed up with a no-good-rookie sidekick, Johnny ‘Cannon Fodder’ McOptimist. When a series of grisly murders turn up on their desk, they realise that there’s some sick mutha out there with a taste for people-blood. McHardBalls at this point may utter; ‘I’m getting too old for this shit.’
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Saturday, May 19th, 2007
 Adolf Hitler was born on April 20 1889, so 20-04-1889. 2 + 0 + 0 + 4 + 1 + 8 + 8 + 9 Makes 32. On September 1, 1939 Germany invaded Poland and therefore set in motion World War II. 1 + 9 + 1 + 9 + 3 + 9 Also makes 32. An adult human being has 32 permanent teeth. In Judaism there are 32 Kabbalist Paths of Wisdom. It was OJ Simpson’s uniform number and the supposed age of Jesus Christ when he was crucified. 32 Is also the occult opposite number of 23, which brings us to the prove (courtesy of Wikipedia) that this disastrous disaster movie starring Jim Carrey and Virginia Madsen might as well been called The Number 32, if it wasn’t for the fact the number 23 is the centre of a Discordian belief that links the number to several tragic or shocking events or facts. (more…)
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Friday, May 18th, 2007
 There are many people who refer to their pet dogs and cats as “the other children”, and with good reason. We give our pets names, we give them shelter, feed them, and as a result, the animals adore us as much as we adore them. They also give us responsibility, and for others, they keep us company. They are, in essence, a part of the family. When tragedy strikes, there are those who are separated from the family dog or cat, as human lives are more favored. However, during and after the events of Hurricane Katrina, the treatment of some of the left behind pets is called into question by filmmaker Tom McPhee in this heartbreaking documentary.
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Friday, May 18th, 2007
 Fans worldwide literally begged David Lynch on their knees to finally release the second season of his cult hit show Twin Peaks. The first season, released on DVD in 2001, ended with the shooting of agent Dale Cooper. Copyright issues and other legal mumbo-jumbo caused the six year delay. It is such a delight to finally see the second season of what many perceive to be the best TV show ever. Last October, when I was in New York City at a special screening of INLAND EMPIRE in attendance of the director he announced the second season and they were rounding up the extras and featurettes (that eventuallty turn out rather disappointing). Warning: some minor spoilers ahead. (more…)
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Friday, May 18th, 2007
 By Tom Fitzpatrick
Films that make you think while trying to keep track of dialogue at the same time can be one of two things: frustrating or fulfilling. I loved the premise of Stranger than Fiction. I loved the idea of a character in a film realising he is a character in a novel and that his life is being both narrated and created by the same god, an author who believes in fate and yet controls the destiny of the character she has created.
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Friday, May 18th, 2007
 By Tom Fitzpatrick
Transamerica was released in 2005 to general critical acclaim. Felicity Huffman is outstanding as Bree, a transgender woman who discovers she has a son from a one night stand nearly twenty years earlier, implied as her only real sexual experience as a male youth. Bree bails her son out of jail and finds an insecure youth, desperate to be re-united with his father and whose mother commited suicide years earlier. Toby has been abused by his stepfather, earned money through prostitution, has a drug problem and is wary of anyone who seeks to help him, as Bree does by coming to his rescue in New York.
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Tuesday, May 15th, 2007
 This Turkish film describes life in a small mountain village, as seen through the eyes of three teenagers. Ömer, the imam’s son, his best friend Yakup and their female friend Yildiz all encounter different hurdles on the way to adulthood. Bes Vakit is a coming of age story with universal appeal: being a teen is an awkward experience, regardless of where you live. The alienation, the loneliness, the miserableness are apparently the same everywhere. (more…)
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Tuesday, May 15th, 2007
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Cinematical Indie  Should a movie review include references to gossip or buzz surrounding the celebrities or filmmakers involved with that movie? That's the issue that the Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) is pondering this week on the AWFJ blog. For example, a number of Georgia Rule reviews have included sly mentions of co-star Lindsay Lohan's personal life, or reminders about the rumors about her behavior on the set of that film. AWFJ isn't only considering salacious gossip, though, but also discussing whether references to the late actress/director Adrienne Shelly's life (and death) are appropriate when reviewing Waitress. The film critics and journalists responding on the AWFJ site have a variety of opinions that are well worth reading. Some reviewers note that Waitress may be receiving "softball" reviews because critics have been influenced by their feelings about Shelly's tragic death. The AWFJ members are more divided on whether it's appropriate to mention gossip about Lohan -- some feel that comparisons can be drawn between the actress and the character she plays. I'd argue that even though we are surely affected by rumors or news about a cast or crew member, and that it is impossible to be unbiased, we should at least try to be as fair as we can. Rehashing celebrity gossip seems to decrease the perception of fairness in the eyes of readers -- sometimes it even seems like a cheap shot. So what do you think? Does it bother you to read celebrity gossip, news or buzz in a movie review, or does that add welcome spice and entertainment to the piece? AWFJ doesn't have space for comments on their blog, but Cinematical does ... so feel free to share your thoughts about this issue here. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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