If you’re willing to forget its source material, Ender’s Game is a thoroughly enjoyable movie. Those who have difficulty with compartmentalization should steer clear.
Short film round-up
As someone who isn’t too fond of Wes Anderson’s feature films, I was pleasantly surprised by Castello Cavalcanti, an eight-minute short commissioned by Prada that stars Jason Schwartzman as a 1950s race car driver who has an unfortunate crash in a small Italian town. Though certainly stylish, it’s a little subtler than Anderson’s usual efforts, and…
Entertainment news round-up for Nov. 14
Jack Black and Tim Robbins have signed on to star in HBO’s upcoming series The Brink. The dark comedy will follow three men as they deal with a geopolitical crisis. Black will play a Foreign Service officer, while Robbins has been cast as the U.S. Secretary of State. The two will also serve as producers on…
Critic finds ‘How I Live Now’ juvenile, angst-ridden
How I Live Now may be based on a young adult novel, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that it’s incredibly juvenile.
Entertainment news round-up for Nov. 12
A&E is planning a documentary series about the Wahlberg brothers. The show, entitled Wahlburgers, will give a behind-the-scenes look into a hamburger restaurant that Mark, Donnie and Paul Wahlberg opened in their hometown of Dorcester, Massachusetts. The series will premiere on A&E on January 22, 2014 at 10:30 pm. For more information, click here. Anna Karenina director…
Short film round-up
One of the highlights of the ABCs of Death 2 short film contest is M is for Marble, a delightfully horrific three-minute short from Zac Blair. The plot centers on an inanimate object that manages to wreak havoc on three roommates. Blair’s got a definite flair for visual tension, and the camera work is superb. To watch the film…
Entertainment news round-up for Nov. 6
James Badge Dale has joined Cate Blanchett in the cast of writer-director David Mamet’s upcoming Blackbird. Dale will play a military major trying to discover the truth about his grandfather who worked for the US special ops in the 1960s. For more on the project and on Dale’s career, click here. The Bold and the…
Critic enjoys quiet charm of ‘All the Real Girls’
It’s very easy to dismiss David Gordon Green as a frivolous filmmaker, considering that his two biggest releases, Pineapple Express and Your Highness, fall into the stoner comedy genre. However, a deeper look into his filmography reveals a different, more nuanced side of his directorial style. For an example, one need look no further than All the Real…
Critic finds ‘All is Bright’ a waste of talented actors
The most marked characteristic of All Is Bright is that it’s a colossal waste of Paul Giamatti and Paul Rudd.
Entertainment news round-up for Nov. 4
Paramount Production Studio is offering fans the opportunity to see Anchorman 2 two days early. “Supertickets” for the screenings will go on sale on November 26. The studio has not yet provided ticket prices or any additional details, but fans can register at AnchormanMovie.com for more information. To read more on supertickets and on Anchorman 2, click…
Short film round-up
Fans of stand-up comedy will love Omid Singh’s Subway, in which the comedian and filmmaker recounts the tale of an unfortunate public transportation experience. The three-minute short combines shots of Singh telling his story with a dramatization of the event, doubling the humor and delivering maximum impact in a brief amount of time. A winner at…
Entertainment news round-up for Oct. 30
Daniel Radcliffe is set to star in Gold, which tells the story of athlete Sebastian Cole’s rivalry with Steve Ovett in the years leading up to the 1980 Olympic Games. The film will be directed by The Woman In Black helmer James Watkins, with a script by Slumdog Millionaire scribe Simon Beaufoy and How to Train Your Dragon screenwriter Will Davies….
Entertainment news round-up for Oct. 29
Paramount has moved the release date of Martin Scorsese’s upcoming The Wolf of Wall Street from November 15 to December 25. The move was reportedly based on Scorsese’s ability to finish the film in time. The movie is based on Jordan Belfort’s memoir of the same name and will star Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, and Matthew McConaughey….
Critic finds ‘C.O.G’ a bore
If I hadn’t known that C.O.G. was based on an essay by humor writer David Sedaris, I might have mistaken it for the world’s most twisted Hallmark movie.
After all, the title stands for “child of God,” and the main character does go on something of a spiritual journey.
‘Satellite of Love’ weakened by stilted screenplay
Satellite of Love would probably be a great movie, if it didn’t have some of the worst dialogue I’ve ever had the misfortune of hearing. Directed by Will James Moore, it’s gorgeously shot, beautifully acted, and abysmally written, making for a profoundly disappointing experience.
Short film round-up
For a sweetly melancholic treat, take a look at Reflections, a five-minute animated short from Bosmat Agayoff & Alon Ziv. It’s a sad little coming-of-age story that’s told through the eyes of a man named “Barnie,” whose desire to stay young is illustrated by the childish reflection that taunts him from various reflective surfaces. The sharp 2D…
Entertainment news round-up for Oct. 22
Stephen Lang is set to reprise his role as Colonel Quaritch in future Avatar sequels, despite his character’s apparent death in the first film. Also returning to the franchise is Sam Worthington, who recently revealed that the movie will begin shooting in October of next year. Director James Cameron has already selected screenwriters for all three sequels,…
British drama ‘Wreckers’ quietly thrills
There’s just something about British drama that puts its American counterpart to shame. There’s a subtlety to it, a sense of quiet tension, that places it leaps and bounds above many of the films being made here on this side of the pond. A terrific example of this phenomenon is Wreckers. Written and directed by…
Entertainment news round-up for Oct. 24
Time Warner Cable has made a deal to carry Al Jazeera America, significantly expanding the audience of the cable news network backed by the Qatar government. TW Cable will add the channel for basic digital cable subscribers in New York, L.A. and Dallas within the next six months, with further expansion to follow. “We said…
Critic finds ‘33 Postcards’ falls short in length, material
As a fan of tight, quick, succinct filmmaking, I rarely accuse a movie of being too short. In the case of 33 Postcards, however, I can’t help but blame its skimpy length for the bulk of its problems. Directed by Pauline Chan, it’s a slight, sappy drama that feels too unfinished to pack much of a punch.
Short film round-up
One of the highlights of this year’s No Budget Film Festival was Andrew Crabtree’s Planning Ahead, which won the festival’s Critic’s Choice Award. A sweetly acerbic little tale, it stars Emma Fasler and Bill Daddario as an engaged couple struggling to plan their wedding without losing their minds. In a mere seven minutes, Crabtree sends his…
Critic unimpressed by festival film ‘Ex-Girlfriends’
Ex-Girlfriends is not a very good movie. It’s also not a very original movie, borrowing a little too heavily from the likes of Woody Allen and Whit Stillman to feel like a film of its own. Nevertheless, it’s a mildly entertaining little diversion that strikes a few honest chords. Written and directed by Alexander Poe,…
Critic perplexed by classic animated film
I’m not entirely sure why I enjoyed The Last Unicorn so much as a child. Then again, I can’t really say I dislike it now. What I can say, however, is that it is one of the strangest animated films I’ve ever seen. Released in 1982 and adapted from Peter S. Beagle’s 1968 novel of…
Entertainment news round-up for Oct. 17
Meryl Streep will receive the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s annual Monte Cristo award, given each year to an individual singled out for their contributions to the theater. The award will be presented at an April 21 ceremony in New York City. Past recipients include Michael Douglas, Christopher Plummer, Kevin Spacey and Brian Dennehy. For more information…
Entertainment news round-up for Oct. 11
Idaho residents will not be able to see Cannes Palme d’Or winner Blue is the Warmest Color due to the state’s obscenity laws. The Flicks, the only arthouse theatre in the area, has declined to screen the NC-17 rated film, which violates Idaho Code 23-614. The law prohibits any acts of simulated sex, as well as any…
‘Waking Ned Devine’ is a modern classic
It may be slightly premature to call Waking Ned Devine a classic – after all, it was released in 1998 – but I’m reasonably certain that it will stand the test of time. Written and directed by Kirk Jones, it’s a sweet, simple comedy with plenty of heart and just enough bite. The film is…
