Category :: Film & Film Making



Movie Review: Gran Torino (2008)

Date January 6, 2009

Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood), Thao (Bee Vang), Vu (Brooke Chia Thao), Grandma (Chee Thao) and Sue (Ahney Her) in Gran Torino
Photo: Warner Bros.

If you are an Asian reading this review (or any minority, just replace the slurs) I can only wonder how many times it would take for an ignorant old Korean […]

Journey of a Director, From Night Creature to Tender Time Traveler

Date January 4, 2009

Warner Brothers Entertainment and Paramount Pictures
David Fincher on the set of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” an old-school Hollywood romance with an eccentric streak, provides an occasion to ponder the curious case of David Fincher, a big-budget filmmaker with a taste for perversity.

In a series titled Under […]

Movie Review: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Date January 4, 2009

 
A life lived less ordinary proves it can be seen as extraordinary

Brad Pitt as Benjamin Button in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Photo: Paramount Pictures

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a story of a man born with the physical characteristics […]

Movie Review: Ballast (2008)

Date December 22, 2008

 
A tightly woven narrative that keeps you on edge

JimMyron Ross as James and Micheal J. Smith Sr. as Lawrence in Ballast
Photo: Alluvial Film Company

Ballast is a film without a flaw and this is in large part due to the fact debut […]

Movie Review: The Class (2008)

Date December 19, 2008

 
A simple story makes for a magnificent film

François Bégaudeau in The Class
Photo: Sony Pictures Classics

Sometimes simple is the best way to go in order to create a great film; that is if you have the writing talent to cobble together a […]

Timecrimes Director Masters Creepy Sci-Fi on a Shoestring

Date December 18, 2008

Timecrimes writer-director Nacho Vigalondo knows how to milk a tight budget. Spending a grand total of roughly $95 for three props — a gauze bandage, scissors and a pair of binoculars — the Spanish filmmaker crafted a time-travel thriller that packs more punch than most $100 million sci-fi epics.

Throw into the mix a naked woman, […]

‘Slumdog,’ ‘Happy’ top Satellite nods

Date December 15, 2008

International Press Academy awards were given Dec. 14

"Happy-Go-Lucky"

"Slumdog Millionaire" was named best motion picture drama and "Happy-Go-Lucky" was named best motion picture comedy or musical at the 13th annual Satellite Awards, presented Sunday at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City.

The awards, voted by the International Press Academy, also chose "Slumdog’s" Danny Boyle as best director […]

Reel Life: The Day the Earth Stood Still

Date December 12, 2008

The remake of this 1951 sci-fi classic delivers a modern warning wrapped in an ancient myth

Klaatu is back and badder than before, with Gort the robot four times the size of the original and a new message for humans to shape up and save the environment…or else.

The remake of The Day the Earth Stood […]

Movie Review: The Reader (2008)

Date December 11, 2008

 
A film some may take exception to, but it remains incredibly thought-provoking

Kate Winslet and David Kross in The Reader
Photo: The Weinstein Co.
I liked The Reader very much — perhaps more than it deserves — and while tonally it is quite similar […]

Movie Review: $9.99 (2008)

Date December 9, 2008

Jim Peck (Anthony LaPaglia) in the towel and Dave Peck (Samuel Johnson) in $9.99
Photo: Regent Releasing

$9.99 is a curious little film that was put together under some particularly interesting circumstances. A New York-based independent filmmaker (Tatia Rosenthal) and an Israeli author (Etgar Keret) came together on a stop-motion animated feature produced as an Israeli-Australian […]