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Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic Film Review
2008-06-27 08:08:00 Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic Film Review Read Original story
Film Review: Bigger, Stronger, Faster: The Side Effects of Being American
2008-06-18 19:09:00 Documentarian Chris Bell is not the kind of guy you’d expect to see in front of a camera conducting interviews. He’s considerably well-built but relatively short. He’s not deceptively disguised as a schlub like Michael Moore or impressively charming like many television personalities. He doesn’t even have a memorable mustache like Morgan Spurlock. But what he does have ...
Review: Iron Man
2008-06-07 21:38:00 Neil reviews Iron Man. It fares better than Indiana Jones and the crystal bling.
Review: Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
2008-06-04 15:59:00 WARNING: Contains spoilers. As hinted at earlier in the week I went to the cinema for the first time in ages last Saturday. I went to see the new Indiana Jones film. I?m a huge fan of the first two films and retain a lot of affection for The Last Crusade - in the way you might ...
Film Review- A Convenient Truth: Urban Solutions from Curitiba
2008-05-16 18:08:00 When discussing the world most progressive ?eco? cities one might toss out San Francisco for it various green initiatives (such as banning plastic bags), New York City for its effective subway...
By: Green Options
Film Review: Surfwise: The Amazing True Odyssey of the Paskowitz Family
2008-05-11 17:29:00 Chronicling the odd adventurous life of the Paskowtiz family, led by Dorian “Doc” Paskowitz, Doug Pray’s new documentary, Surfwise, is an hour and a half of engaging, memorable footage. With the glut of documentaries that have been hitting the market lately, due to the recent upsurge in the genre’s popularity, these endeavors can be hit ...
?Everest: A Climb For Peace? ? An Adventurist Film Review
2008-04-22 08:09:00 It is not very often in today’s day and age, with all that is going on around us–with our lives that seem to only go faster, that we have a moment to just stop and think about a bigger picture. Most of us that live in the United States, although at war with terrorism, have ...
By: The Adventurist
Film Review Crash and Little Miss Sunshine
2008-04-02 04:06:00 Well... they both revolve around cars in a way... but that's where the similarities end.
Short Film Review: Now You See Me, Now You Don?t
2008-03-27 14:52:00 This 2005 short film written and directed by first-time filmmaker Attila Szasz has been a darling of film festivals since its release and still remains to be shown well into 2008.
By: Geeks of Doom
Foreign Film Review: All About My Mother
2008-03-16 18:05:00 Few things are more powerful or influential than a relationship between a mother and a child. A good relationship can be tremendously rewarding and a bad one can leave both of you limping through life. Why is the bond so powerful? Your mother is your first encounter with life, with nourishment, and with survival. All foods, emotions, drinks, and medications a pregnant woman has during pregnancy become the body and mind of the baby. In the womb, everything a mother does directly influences the child she is creating. No wonder a mother's child grows up to scrutinize and evaluate every single move she makes. The child is still thinking that what his or her mother does directly influences their life intensely.Literature and film abound with explorations of just who a mother is. A mother is always an enigma. The 1999 Spanish film "All About My Mother" starring Cecilia Roth and Penelope Cruz explores the intrigue of who a mother really is in a very creative way.The acting is excelle...
Fletch's Film Review: The Bank Job
2008-03-08 09:36:00 I'm a fan of heist movies. Some, like my wife, might say that I'm a sucker for them, and they (she) would probably be right. They are to me what Jerry Bruckheimer's films must be to millions of people - (somewhat) mindless flicks that manage to entertain regardless of their quality.As for The Bank Job? It is quite possibly the most average movie ever made. Telling the "true" story of a group of Londoners recruited to snatch some loot by the British Secret Service (it's a long story), this film manages to mildly entertain you, but is one that you will most likely forget within hours of watching. There is little-to-no character development (though that's not typically a strong point for this genre, anyway), the heist itself is indubitably straightforward, as is the story, which takes almost no twists and turns. By that account, you might assume that the producers were indeed true to history, but I don't know how much that helps the film.Also missing is just about any sense...
By: Blog Cabins
Film Review: Alain Resnais's Black And White Masterpiece, "Last Year at Mar
2008-03-06 22:30:00 It’s a French Groundhog Day.©2008 P.L. Frederick. Some rights reserved. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License. All other copyrights owned by their respective owners.
By: Small and Big
Fletch's Film Review: In Bruges
2008-03-05 21:29:00 Two London-based hitmen head out to do a job. Something goes awry. Their penance? Spend two weeks in Bruges (Belgium), lay low, and await further instruction. Sounds simple enough, right?Not so fast. As it turns out, Ray (Colin Farrell) is not too fond of quaint, sleepy towns lacking in an adequate nightlife (or day life, one could suppose). So there's one problem. Meanwhile, his partner Ken (Brendan Gleeson) is quite taken with the Belgian hamlet famous for its historic, medieval city center, complete with an impressive bell tower and the Church of the Holy Blood, which is said to have a vial of blood from none other than Jesus himself. And while their tastes for tourist activities may differ, that pales in comparison to the wants and needs of their boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes), who just insists that the two not make a peep and sit tight until he calls, and should they miss his call...well, that's a whole other story. Let's just say Harry's a bit of an "'orrible c*nt," to use th...
By: Blog Cabins
Fletch's Film Review: Be Kind Rewind
2008-02-27 08:03:00 I have blinders on, but I'm okay with that.See, despite its faults, I can't help but love Be Kind Rewind, the fifth film from Michel Gondry. Though it lacks the impact of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or the dreaminess and worldliness of The Science of Sleep, Rewind more than makes up for it with innovation, creativity and heart bursting from its dilapidated sleeves. I know, I sound kind of like a Hallmark card. I admit it - there's something about the 45-year old Frenchmen that is infallible to me.The movie starts off slow - Mike (Mos Def) and Jerry (Jack Black) are New Jersey ne'er do wells living in a dying city just outside of Manhattan. Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover) runs the local video store, and by video, I mean VHS. It's a run-down store on a run-down block in a run-down city, located right across the street from the local junkyard that Jerry inhabits. When Mr. Fletcher leaves town, he entrusts Mike to run the store for him while he's away. Meanwhile, Jerr...
By: Blog Cabins
Fletch's Film Review: Vantage Point
2008-02-24 19:31:00 Rashomon. There - it's been said, and I can move on.Anyway, Vantage Point takes a not-so-novel concept - telling a story from several points of view - and really doesn't do much with it. The plot centers on an anti-terrorism summit taking place in Spain, where the U.S. President ("Ashton") is set to speak. On the scene are hundreds of Spaniards, scads of media, the Secret Service, tourists, and of course...terrorists. It's no spoiler to tell you that the President (William Hurt) gets shot, and almost even less of a spoiler to tell you that it's really not the President (POTUS) that gets shot, but his body double.Letting that detail out in the trailer for the film was just the first of many mistakes made by the studio/producers, seeing as how it's one of two big twists in store for the viewer, and really, the bigger of the two. I guess that just goes to show the lack of confidence that was given the picture after the final product was delivered.The film starts out pretty go...
By: Blog Cabins
Film Review There Will Be Blood
2008-02-11 03:38:00 Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Thomas Andersen knock it out of the park. Again.
Film Review The Deer Hunter
2008-02-11 03:38:00 America's prototypical Vietnam recovery film. For better or worse.
Film Review No Country For Old Men
2008-02-11 03:38:00 You know, those Coen boys may just have a future.
Fletch's Film Review: Strange Wilderness
2008-02-09 03:42:00 Rescue Dawn. Superbad. Supertroopers. God forbid - even Fletch?What do these films have in common, you ask? Well, by virtue of having their stars or co-stars (Steve Zahn, Jonah Hill, Kevin Heffernan and Joe Don Baker, respectively) appearing in Strange Wildnerness, they all feel somewhat tainted to me now (lucky for Ernie Borgnine, The Single Guy was never good to begin with). I can confidently say that Strange Wilderness will be the worst movie I will see this year. I can only hope that you don't make the same mistake, or have already (Wayward Jam from Reel Whore already has, but his take is gentler than mine).The truth is, the films of those that appear in Wilderness (this being a Happy Madison production, Adam Sandler vets Allen Covert and Peter Dante join the ride, as does Justin Long) aren't tainted, but the stars certainly are. I'd say they were selling out, but with the lo-fi, sad production values, I can't imagine the budget for this was much more than a couple hu...
By: Blog Cabins
US-Iraq Chaos: No End In Sight (2007)
2008-01-23 02:08:00 No End in Sight (2007) is a sober, revelatory and absolutely vital documentary which reveals what really happened in Iraq since the US invasion. Directed by Charles Ferguson, No End in Sight is a thoroughly aggravating, tear-jerking viewing experience that uncovers the horrendous errors made by the US government in their invasion of Iraq. The producers of this ...
By: Unique Muslimah
Film Review - Heima
2008-01-07 02:29:00 Title: Heima (At Home)Artist: Sigur RósDirector: Dean DeBloisReleased: November 5th, 2007Our first film review! It should have come a while back but I've only just got round to finally watching it. Heima is a truly beautiful film documenting Sigur Rós' homecoming tour. Shot during the summer of 2006 (with additional material from 2007) the film is a mix of several open air and intimate shows, short interviews and utterly stunning Icelandic scenery. The film really encompasses the Icelandic spirit of being truly free from the shackles of the world.The band often talk about giving something back to their homeland and the Icelandic people. It's clear they love their country and this is clearly demonstrated by their open air acoustic protest of the 'monstrous' kárahnjúkar dam. This concert in particular is full of poignancy with the wonderful scenery that surrounds them as they play.This film is definitely worth a watch if you have any appreciation of Sigur Rós' music and/or ...
There Will Be Blood - Film Review
2008-01-04 00:43:00 “There will be Oscar Gold” _ There will be Blood _ Title: There will be Blood Hopkins as Dr. Lecter. Nicholson as Jack Torrance. Bogart as Sam Spade. Brando as Vito Corleone. It is hard to picture anyone else in these roles. Once you see There Will be Blood you will forever associate Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel ...
2007 Holiday Film Review Guide: One Modern, Four Vintage Films You Shouldn?
2007-12-20 23:33:00 New HollywoodChicago.com critic Patrick McDonald has just published his 2007 holiday film review guide derived from actual Chicago conversation. Four films make the 2007 guide from deep in the past with one modern film rounding out the top five.?Santa Claus Conquers the Martians? (1964)This came out of the schlock era of Hollywood that began in the drive-in era of the 1950s to about the mid-to-late 1960s. It?s a ?B? movie that has developed a cult following because it is so bizarre.?The Lemon Drop Kid? (1951)I was totally absorbed. I thought this was the undiscovered Christmas classic that people can put into their library to counter the usual sentimental goo.?Holiday Inn? (1942)I had never seen this film until I watched it two weeks ago. I put it on the list because our mutual friend kept chiding me for my love of the film ?White Christmas?. ?The better film is ?Holiday Inn,?? he would always say. ?You have to see ?Holiday Inn?.? Indeed.?Mister Magoo?s Christmas Carol? (1962)Every ...
Taare Zameen Par Film Review
2007-12-20 17:46:00 Here is a short review of the highly anticipated Taare Zameen Par courtesy Buzz 18.Ishaan Nandkishore Awasthi (Darsheel Safary) is all of eight and has repeated his third grade already. Papa Awasthi is one angry middle-aged man who wants Ishaan to be like his older brother Yohaan (Sachet Engineer) – a winner. Caught between the father and son is the mother (Tisca Chopra) who cannot decide for herself what is right and what's not. Things reach a head and Ishaan is packed off to a boarding school. Far away from home and family, the otherwise lively Ishaan withdraws into a shell and refuses to participate in anything whatsoever. But unknown to everyone around him and definitely not by the parameters of his father, Ishaan is a winner. And it is upto his art teacher Ram Shankar Nikumbh (Aamir) to show the world what a unique child he is.
By: Our Bollywood
Film Review: Romance & Cigarettes
2007-12-20 15:38:00 Listen to Zach and Bill’s podcast review of Romance & Cigarettes at MovieBonfire Filmed in 2005, John Turturro’s third foray into the writer/director realm of filmmaking is finally making the theatrical rounds as Turturro himself tours with the film - partly to garner exposure for the 2008 DVD release and partly to ensure that everyone involved in the production ...
Muay Thai Chaiya (Kongkiat Komesiri-2?007) Thai film review : ????????? ???
2007-12-20 07:42:00 Muay Thai Chaiya is one of Thailand’s latest and greatest martial arts film about three friends, Piak (Akara Amarttayakul), Pao (Thawatchai Penpakdee), and Samor (Sonthaya Chitmanee)–an unbreakable trio of young courageous kids from southern Thailand who emerge in the local muay thai scene, training in the special techniques and philosophies of Chaiya, passed on to ...
Unique?s ?Make Me a Muslim? TV Review
2007-12-16 23:29:00 Make Me a Muslim was aired to British audiences tonight on Channel 4. I was lucky enough to watch it via a special invitation on DVD. It is a three-part documentary-drama showing a handful of British non-Muslim men and women (six to be precise) giving up their materialistic life for a spiritual three-week Islamic lifestyle, ...
By: Unique Muslimah
Unique?s Film Review of the Kite Runner (Part II)
2007-12-15 22:18:00 It was too hard for me to write more about the film, The Kite Runner, on Thursday. I was traumatised by the events I had witnessed on the wide screen. It was all so real, delivered to me in front of my very own eyes. I came home and immediately wrote a brief analysis on ...
By: Unique Muslimah
Film Review: The Singing Revolution
2007-12-13 16:42:00 “What role can singing play when a nation is faced with annihalation by its neighbors?” asks narrator Linda Hunt in James Tusty’s new Estonian historical documentary The Singing Revolution. In this case, the answer is “plenty.” The Singing Revolution is a moving documentary that, among other things, explores the years between 1986 and 1991 when members ...
Unique?s Film Review of The Kite Runner
2007-12-13 15:52:00 Prior to an invitation I received to watch an advanced screening of The Kite Runner, I was ignorant and forgetful of Afghanistan and its people; it is quite easy to be ‘out of sight, out of mind’. However, after watching the movie today, adapted from the international best-seller by Khaled Hosseni, I will be haunted by the images ...
By: Unique Muslimah
Beowulf - Film Review
2007-12-08 06:36:00 The old meets new in this blockbuster animated film from Robert Zemeckis. “Old” being the ancient poem Beowulf and “new” being the cutting edge 3D technology employed by the visionary director Robert Zemeckis. Here, the pioneering director takes a second stab at the visual gimmickry that he used in Polar Express in where... [ This is a content summary only. Visit PinoyBlogoSphere.com for full links, other content, and more! ]
The Golden Compass - Film Review
2007-12-08 06:34:00 Plot Review Let me preface this review by stating coming into the film I had no clue about the book this movie is based on, Philip Pullman?s His Dark Materials trilogy. But based on the hullabaloo I can surmise its hugely popular in Caucasian land and its decidedly anti-Christian but I?m here to review a film and ... [ This is a content summary only. Visit PinoyBlogoSphere.com for full links, other content, and more! ]
Aaja Nachle Film Review
2007-12-01 19:32:00 Aaja Nachle came, saw and tanked! The movie has been panned by the critics and given thumbs down by the audience. Considering this was Madhuri Dixit’s comeback film, the film failed to meet the audience expectations and the only saving grace was MD. Here is a review from TOI who shred the film apart. As for Madhuri, she still got, not that we doubted that for a second.Review:THE dhak-dhak diva returns, alas, minus the dhak-dhak . Surely, this was hardly a comeback vehicle for Bollywood's biggest female star, who once posed a challenge at the hustings to all the male superstars. Maybe, Madhuri thought this was `decent' enough, befitting her new status as suburban wife and mother. But for the viewers, it's an ekdum thanda reprisal of her screen career, minus all passion, romance and the adrenalin-thump that was almost always associated with her. Think Dil , Bet...
Fletch's Film Review: Lions for Lambs; Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
2007-11-21 06:46:00 A couple short takes so that I can catch up before the holiday:Lions for LambsWhen your in high school (or maybe college), often times, though not often enough, your teachers might bring in a movie to demonstrate a theme or analogy to the current events of the day. Covering the Civil War in history class? Watch Glory. Covering Watergate? How bout All the President's Men? Not coincidentally, the star of that film is the director/co-star of this one, which I might show if I were covering the ongoing war in the Middle East.A bit unfortunately though, the movie feels a bit too much like class, which (as I alluded to with the marketing efforts previously) is probably the chief reason it's failing at the box office. It's preachy. It's lecture-y. It doesn't feature splashy action or much of a plot to speak of, and the sets are sparse, to say the least.But that's a shame, because Robert Redford has a clear message for its audience, and it's a powerful one that gives the film...
By: Blog Cabins
Fletch's Film Review: Southland Tales (part I)
2007-11-19 17:40:00 I normally post my reviews in the order that I see them, partly due to topicality (a review of a two-month old movie has less impact than that of a new release), but mostly because it's freshest in my head right after I see it (obviously). I have to break that trend today.Saw Southland Tales Friday. In case you haven't heard of it/much about it, it's the latest from Donnie Darko writer/director Richard Kelly. It's about...well...It's about a lot of things. It has a lot of characters. It is either one of the best or one of the worst movies that I've ever seen. At the very least, in accordance with the previous sentence, it is amongst the more interesting movies you could see for awhile, and definitely should be seen, for the spectacle of it all if for no other reason.At this point, I'm not even adequately prepared to give it a proper review. I need to see it again and will soon. Until then, if you saw and/or liked Donnie Darko at all (or Brazil or Twelve Monkeys, for starters)...
By: Blog Cabins
Fletch's Film Review: Lars and the Real GIrl
2007-11-14 17:00:00 Or, When Good Actors Make Questionable Choices.I don’t want to give the impression that Lars is a bad film, but I have to wonder if, 15 years from now, will Ryan Gosling see a still from this film, and wonder to himself “WTF was I doing starring opposite a blow-up doll?!?”Oh, that’s right – “Bianca” isn’t a blow-up doll; she’s the 21st century version, a 100-lb. hunk of plastic made to look as real as possible - and she does. That said, this tale of a damaged-almost-beyond-repair young man plays out like one of the best Hallmark made-for-TV movies ever (which I think is both a compliment and an insult).The Swedishly (?) named Lars is a simple guy living in an unspecified northern Midwestern town. He lives in the converted garage next to the house occupied by his brother Gus (Paul Schneider) and Gus’s wife Karin (Emily Mortimer). Karin, as we learn, is always trying (and failing) to pull Lars out of his shell, and his house, and get him to join them for breakfast ...
By: Blog Cabins
Om Shanti Om Film Review
2007-11-12 11:07:00 The verdict is in. Om Shanti Om has emerged a winner in the showdown of the year as Saawariya has been panned by critics and audience alike! Well we had not doubt since they call SRK, King Khan for a reason!Here is a review of the movie courtesy Rajeev Masand. I can't think of another film that packs in as many laughs as director Farah Khan's Om Shanti Om. It's set in the seventies and features Shah Rukh Khan as Om Prakash Makhija, a Bollywood junior artiste who's got stars in his eyes and a crush on the country's biggest female star, Shantipriya, played by newcomer Deepika Padukone. Om Shanti Om takes one of Hindi cinema's most popular film themes of that period - the reincarnation drama - and turns it on its head by constructing a story set around that very theme, but in a whole new context.
By: Our Bollywood
Fletch's Film Review: Gone Baby Gone
2007-11-07 18:18:00 I’m sure it’s an unfair comparison, and it may seem blasphemous to some, but I liked Gone Baby Gone more than Mystic River. Maybe it’s a factor of being able to relate more to Casey Affleck than to Sean Penn; or maybe it’s because the Shakespearean melodrama at the end of River was not only a huge turnoff, but the lasting image the film has for me; or maybe it’s just because I think Tim Robbins’ performance was more laughable than laudable (and I’m normally a big fan). What can I say – I’m the same guy that’ll take Casino over GoodFellas any day of the week.I say it’s an unfair comparison because they really are two separate entities, and are directed by two different people at that, but it’s a pretty inescapable one as well. As a reader commented, Dennis Lehan’s novels are not all templates of one another, but these two (at least) do share some commonalities, not only in terms of story (female goes missing form the rough streets of south Boston) but in ter...
By: Blog Cabins
?Happily Ever After? is Only the Beginning
2007-11-06 18:54:00 In all the Disney films we’ve watched and the tons of chick flicks out there, we are made to believe that the couple have found true love and then live happily ever after while riding off into the sunset. I don’t know about you but even as a child watching, I always wondered what happened NEXT. ...
By: Unique Muslimah
Pyschological Warfare or an Innocent Film?
2007-11-01 01:12:00 Is the new two-part series BRITZ a new tactic to remind viewers that the terrorist threat is very real while we go about our lives thinking otherwise? The BRITZ shows a young Asian Muslim man who joins the MI5 (intelligence service) and helps track down British Muslim terrorists. Is this drama part of a psychological warfare to ...
By: Unique Muslimah
Fletch's Film Review: Confusions of an Unmarried Couple
2007-10-30 21:27:00 About a month ago, I was contacted by an independent filmmaker based out of Toronto. His name is Brett Butler (sadly, not the former L.A. Dodger, and gladly, not the annoying-voiced comedienne) and his latest film is the one in the title above. He and his brother Jason have their own production company (http://www.subprod.com/) up there where they've made a few films, all on low budgets.Brett and the gang have been taking Confusions on the festival circuit and have won and/or been nominated for a few awards ("the Audience Choice Award for Best Film at the Indiana University South Bend Video and Film Festival, as well as being nominated for Best Film at the Swansea Bay Film Festival in Wales, and Best Comedy at the Southern Winds Film Festival in Oklahoma). As part of this publicity, I assume they're contacting a number of movie bloggers in an attempt to get some more press. Well, I took him up on the offer and received a screener DVD a few weeks back, finally getting to watch it a...
By: Blog Cabins
Lions For Lambs - Film Review
2007-10-30 16:54:00 I predict that the new Robert Redford-directed film Lions for Lambs [United Artists] will be far more popular with a segment of bloggers, political junkies, media, and high schools/college campuses than with the general movie market masses. The conversation in the film is intense and action scenes are few and far between. There are six distinctly differing points of view presented in the film
By: Iddybud Journal
Stardust Film Review
2007-10-26 11:39:00 Stardust is a film based on a book by Neil Gaiman. I cannot comment on how closely the film sticks to the book as I have not read it. So this is an unbiased, seeing the film cold review! A brief synopsis of the film is (taken from the BBC Website Review): In the village of Wall, next door to fairyland, shop-boy Tristan woos the village beauty by promising to fetch her a star they see fall. On his quest to retrieve said star, which turns out to be a lovely, if angry young woman - the two encounter murderous princes, wicked witches, and lightning-poacher sky-pirates. Plus, of course, the essential fairytale ingredients of true destiny and hearts' desire I have to say I really enjoyed the film. It is beautifully filmed, well written and acted with pretty flawless special effects. The lead of the film, Charlie Cox, is very good and ably supported by a host of Mostly British acting talent. The two American supporting actors deserve praise. Michelle Pfeiffer is brilliant as the witch La...
Fletch's Film Review: Michael Clayton
2007-10-25 05:46:00 Spending the weekend out of town and coming back to the grind with a 3 day backup of work can really wreak havoc on the whole blogging schedule. (For the record, I went to Puerto Penasco aka Rocky Point to hang out, drink beer, drink tequila, watch the Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers concert, enjoy yet another sandstorm and sit at the border for close to four and a half hours. At least the sandstorm didn't hit until the day we left.)Anyway, I'm back and am two reviews behind schedule, the first of which, as you can tell from the title of this post, is Michael Clayton. Due to the whole "lots of work, not a lot of time" scenario, I'll attempt to keep them short and sweet, but somehow I know they'll end up being the same length as any other review I've done, thanks in no small part to rambling, incoherent prefaces such as this. On to the review...I read this line in another review of Michael Clayton, but it's good enough that it warrants my blatant stealing and reprinting here (I...
By: Blog Cabins
Anime Film Review: Tekkon Kinkreet
2007-10-18 18:33:00 We hear the words ?masterpiece?, ?stunning? and ?breathtaking?...
By: Neverslair Blog
Fletch's Film Review: Eastern Promises
2007-10-04 07:43:00 Every once in a while, I'll see a great film that leaves me more or less speechless. This isn't some gasp over how great it is or due to shock or anything, but for whatever reason, it just doesn't leave me overflowing with criticism (in the general sense). This may be a lacking on my part to be able to successfully apply critical thinking to all mediums and articles, or perhaps it's a flaw in the film that it just doesn't give you much material in terms of theme or tone. Or maybe it's just because sometimes I'm content admiring the quiet beauty that comes with watching Patrick Swayze perform martial artsy yoga in Roadhouse.Eastern Promises is one of these films that leaves me lacking a response. To be sure, it's very good, if not great. It demonstrates the power of loyalty, brotherhood, family, motherhood and a myriad of other topics that have been covered by many a mob picture before it. The fresh part this time, as simple as it is, is that it centers on a Russian family th...
By: Blog Cabins
Fletch's Film Review: Across the Universe
2007-10-02 01:17:00 If your 13 year old is struggling in their US History class, Julie Taymor's Across the Universe may just be the film to help him or her out. It's perfect in terms of being a Cliff's Notes educational tool - it's written at a 5th-grade level, it skims the surface of many a major event both political and cultural (Vietnam, MLK, hippies, the British Invasion, Bono), and it's a lot quicker to watch this two-hour flick than it would be to read On the Road or Ken Kesey or something like that.For those unaware, Universe is Taymor's ode/tribute to The Beatles, a wannabe Moulin Rouge-esque musical filled with nothing but songs from the Fab Four. It's also derivative, shallow and somewhat unbearably literal. For the "Hey Jude" number, wouldn't you know it - someone sings directly to a character named Jude. Ditto Prudence. As for Lucy (the female lead's name), I kept waiting and waiting and waiting for "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" to be played, only to have to wait until the end cr...
By: Blog Cabins
Ploy ???? (2007): Thai movie - film review
2007-09-14 17:51:00 Ploy is an artsy Thai relationship film by Bpen-ake Ratana-ruang ??????? ?????????? starring Lolita Bpun-yo-paat ????? ???????? (Dang), Pornwit Sarasin ?????? ?????? (Wit), Apinya Sagoon-jarern-sook ?????? ???????????? (Ploy), Tuck-sagorn Bpradup-poang-sa (Mhoo), Ananda Everingham ?????? ?????????????? (bartender) and Pornthip Bpaa-bpa-nai ??????? ??????? (Maid).
Fletch's Film Review: 2 Days in Paris
2007-09-13 01:16:00 All this summer, we had been waiting. I was, you might have been, Hollywood and some little (maybe) studio certainly was. Waiting for that one indie to catch fire, to go from making $40,000 one week to $2 million to the next, on the way to grossing $20 or $30 or even $50 million plus. Where has our Napoleon Dynamite been?Well, you can probably see where this is going. Unfortunately, it's no longer summer (except for here in Arizona, where it's still well over 100 degrees every day...but I digress). It's September. Kids back in school, fall TV season shifting into gear and the sports seasons returning/kicking it up a notch. Meanwhile, 2 Days in Paris has barely grossed $2 million total in over a month. For shame.Outside of the much hyped (and deservedly so) Knocked Up and Superbad, this is the funniest movie of the year. Outside of that, it's also the best "romantic comedy" you've seen in the past 20. True, saying a romantic comedy is great is practically an oxymoron these days,...
By: Blog Cabins
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