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To be a gnome or not be a gnome; that is the question. And the answer, my friends? Go “gnomal” with the most “GNOMETASTIC” film of the year (and my pick for Best Animated Feature at Oscar 2012) - GNOMEO & JULIET!! If I died today, it would be with a smile on my face and a song in my heart after seeing GNOMEO & JULIET. I smiled, laughed, teared up, got goosebumps, smiled some more, laughed a lot more, tapped my toes, danced in my seat and had a grin from ear to ear the entire time...and when the...
One rock. One man. The forces of nature. A really crappy off-brand Leatherman tool. 127 hours. Who else but Danny Boyle, screenwriter Simon Beaufoy, and actor James Franco could turn that combination into one of the most exciting, suspenseful and triumphant films of the year? The answer - no one. Aron Ralston is a mountaineer and extreme sport athlete who lives for the adrenalin rush of doing the impossible, the unthinkable and even the reckless and unsafe. His greatest passion is rock...
Empowering! Inspirational! Sally Hawkins is entrancing. Miranda Richardson is the icing on the cake. Bob Hoskins is deliciously fun. The human spirit captured on the screen in each character is uplifting and energizing. What am I talking about you ask? None other than MADE IN DAGENHAM - director Nigel Cole's spotlight on yet another group of courageous brave women who have made a difference. Cole previously brought us the ebullient "Calendar Girls" based on the true story of a group of post 50...
There are two definitions of the word "conviction." The first, is "an unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence." The second, used in a legal sense, is "the verdict that results when a court of law finds a defendant guilty of a crime." With CONVICTION, we have the perfect blend of both meanings on a multitude of levels. We see the conviction of Tony Goldwyn in his execution and direction of the film. We see the conviction of each actor in their respective performances. We...
Let's face it, each of us has some secret desire harboring within us to be a gourmet chef, or at least a gourmet diner. Remember those mud pies you made in the backyard and served to mom and dad? Or those great culinary creations mixing 10 brands of cereal and then smothering it all in chocolate and strawberry jelly? Yes, there's a little bit of chef and/or foodie in all of us and while many may not admit it, I suspect there is a lot of guilty pleasure television viewing going on thanks to the...
The Oscar race is off and running this week when SECRETARIAT jumps out of the gate. Emotional, sweeping, epic, horses, a true story, a strong woman, a once-in-a-lifetime athlete, core values of strength/integrity/determination/competitive spirit, and lots and lots of heart - EVERYTHING that makes Disney, Disney, and Randall Wallace a brilliant filmmaker; and what makes SECRETARIAT the quintessential horse movie. As if the story of SECRETARIAT himself isn't enough of a dream, the film is the stuf...
Back in late 1978, there was a little unrated gem of a film that played around the country called "Day of the Woman" aka "I Spit on Your Grave." I saw that original film on its initial release and, ironically actually did a detailed technical analysis and "review" of it for my film class. (I got an A+) The film was considered so horrific that "legitimate" theatres in Philadelphia wouldn't show it and it was relegated to the XXX theatres in Center City "way off" from the "classy" areas of the...
Think back to your high school days. Wasn’t there at least one person who made you miserable? One person that always seemed to one up you, get in your face and make your life a living hell? Sure there was. And didn’t you always wish you had the courage to turn the tables and teach these “nightmares” a lesson? Sure you did. And even when we each look deep into ourselves years and even decades later, don’t you still harbor at least some of those feelings, wishing for revenge but glad you never...
When George Bernard Shaw wrote “Youth is wasted on the young”, he obviously didn’t know of writer/director Nicholas Fackler. Now only 26 years old, at age 17 Fackler began writing what would ultimately become LOVELY, STILL. Capturing the exuberance, magic and wonder of falling in love for the first time, Fackler went beyond the story of a first love, and turned this into a love story for the ages and for any age. The end result is LOVELY, STILL. Magical, memorable, tender, sweet and fille...
Who else but Robert Rodriguez (and maybe Quentin Tarantino) could create a fake Mexploitation movie trailer, run it during another film, and have it turn into such a cult phenomena that he had no choice but to make the actual film on which the trailer was allegedly based? Perhaps even more memorable than the Now Showing feature "Grindhouse" itself at which it debuted, the trailer for MACHETE not only wet the palette leaving us begging for more, but created indelible images impossible to forget....
Anyone familiar with Anton Corbijn' s photography recognizes and appreciates his austere, simple, yet powerful, elegance - particularly with his black & white or tint works. He has a very metaphoric eye which enables him to tell an entire story with one frame, evoking and provoking introspective thought and emotion, a gift that bodes well for his transition to film. He needs no words to tell a story, something that makes him the perfect director for THE AMERICAN. Based on Martin Booth's novel...
The Ninth Roman Legion is legendary. Their bravery. Their brutality. Their superiority. A true fighting machine with cunning and strength. Centurions all. Raised in 65 BC in Spain, Julius Caesar first commanded the Legion in 61BC, bringing them to Gaul in several years later when they were a commanding presence during the Gallic Wars. Although Caesar disbanded the Legion after his final victory during an African campaign in 46 BC, after his death, Octavian recalled the veterans and they once...
When Jason Bateman first talked to me last year about an upcoming film of his called "the Baster", it sounded incredibly amusing (particularly as he described it with his patented droll ironic delivery). When I heard that Josh Gordon and Will Speck, the team who brought us the Will Farrell vehicle "Blades of Glory" had directed, my hopes based on Bateman’s recommendation dropped, believing that the film would go for the guffaws rather than have any defined comedic substance and heart. On s...
A beautiful translation of life and story to the big screen, director Bruce Beresford combines the amazing true story of noble ballerina Li Cunxin with exquisitely breathtaking performances of some of the world’s most famous ballets - Dante’s Inferno, Swan Lake and even Chinese ballets that were performed for Mrs. Mao. Aiming for the heart and hitting it every time, MAO’S LAST DANCER is not only breathtaking, but meticulously enchanting. Li Cunxin was born to poverty in Qingdao, China. Pover...
Anyone who has ever questioned my admiration for and loyalty to Sylvester Stallone need only watch the first 10 minutes of THE EXPENDABLES to understand how and why I respect him and his work and have for over 30 years - and it’s beyond the fact that I’ve worked as crew on several of his films. His impassioned guerrilla style of filmmaking and his 360 degree intellect, keen sense of awareness and instinct, demand for perfection and an innate ability to turn on a dime in order to meet his own...
For years the work of Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki has been renowned the world over. With a simple philosophy of good storytelling and engaging hand-drawn anime encompassing various artistic palettes and techniques, Miyazaki set the bar high for a standard of excellence - a bar that he always met and often surpassed. We now have the pleasure of welcoming a new Miyazaki to the fold, Hayao's son Goro who, with his debut feature, TALES FROM EARTHSEA proves that the apple doesn't fall from the...
I have always been one who liked to look behind the public veneer and get to the crux of a person or an issue, finding that more interesting than what meets the eye. One of those individuals for me has always been Hugh Hefner. At first blush, what comes to mind for many when one hears the name Hugh Hefner is Playboy, sex, centerfold, mansion parties and Playboy Bunnies. Now while it’s true that Playboy and all that its fantasy entails is the cornerstone of Hugh Hefner and his empire, once you g...
There is often nothing more evocative, or provocative, then the blend of teenage angst, money, madness, absent parenting, the pretense and pretend of early adulthood, too much freedom, a lack of accountability and responsibility, alcohol, sex and drugs. Just take a look at what’s on television every week, or look at many of the teens in high school today in certain areas of the country. 20+ years ago, "Less Than Zero" captured the decadence and heartbreak of this teenaged turmoil with a t...
Rich, young, beautiful and the belle of the ball. We should all be so cursed. But what happens when despite all of your "gifts", you still crave one thing above all others - a father’s love for his little girl? And what happens when your wealth and beauty and the appearance of "having it all" makes you a prime target for ransom from a supposedly loving father? If you’re Alice Creed, nothing good. Danny and Vic became buddies in prison. With time on their hands and nothing better to do than plo...
Approximately 25% of America’s active military force returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Statistics released by the Pentagon in May 2010 are sobering. In 2009, 1,224 soldiers received a medical discharge due to PTSD - an increase of 64% since 2005 and which accounts for 1 in 9 medical discharges. For the first time in 15 years, mental health disorders caused more solider hospitalizations that any other medical condition, including physical i...
THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE. The very words warm you as you are flooded with joyous memories and images of what may be the most iconic ten minutes of film in the history of movies. Just thinking about a little mouse named Mickey with his oversized red robe and blue sorcerer’s hat covered in golden moon and stars conducting a symphony of magical mops and brooms gone awry, brings a smile to your face and your heart, and maybe even a few goosebumps. And you wonder - how can anything compare with thi...
first heard about the Mustang Ranch and owners Sally and Joe Conforte during my college days back in 1976. I was intrigued by their entire story. The first legal brothel in the United States, the Mustang Ranch was located just outside Reno, Nevada and Sally and Joe were somewhat of a novelty to say the least. Sally, daughter of a prostitute, and Joe, your average wannabe mafioso-type, seemed like the ideal coupling combining brains, brawn and breasts. (Needless to say, Sally was the brains of...
Oliver Stone is legendary for his excellence as a filmmaker. “Wall Street”, “JFK”, “W”, “Nixon”, “Born on the Fourth of July” are just the tip of the iceberg. He is equally known for controversy as to alleged historical accuracies or implications of conspiracy theories he espouses in many of his “fictional” scripts. But the tables turn when you start talking accuracy, information and education in his documentaries, as they are inscrutable, and never moreso than with SOUTH OF THE BORDER. Wh...
With the Fourth of July upon us, what better way to celebrate than to remember and honor the men and women who, for over 200 years, have fought for and defended the freedoms that we as Americans hold so dear, the freedoms that make up the very core and foundation of what America is. As of year end 2009, there were approximately 1.6 million service members in the U.S. Armed Forces with 1.13 million stationed within the United States. An excess of 516,273 U.S. military are deployed in...
By now, you all know me well enough to know that I will kill for a great horror film. Sure, I like the blood and guts and slashing and hacking that often comes with the genre, but when I find a horror film that tantalizes both the mind and the senses, well, I just die. Thankfully, we've got a real champion of indie films and the horror genre in Larry Fessenden and Glass Eye Pix, who took a big bite of the great line-up of films at the 2010 LA Film Festival with BITTER FEAST, a deliciously...
