— by MARIUSZ ZUBROWSKI — Making a film like “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans” requires a fearless determination, and luckily, director Werner Herzog has just that. His unorthodox portrayal of brilliance is presented in the lead character, Terrence McDonagh[...]
Author Archive
Two Battle Scenes from ‘Red Cliff’
— by ROBERT DeFEIS — John Woo, who is no stranger to making great action films, is the writer/director of this Chinese epic film. Woo based this movie on the Battle of Red Cliffs and the events during the end of the Han Dynasty. So, for me, with Woo directing a film about an immense[...]
Under Review: ‘Planet 51’
— by JOEL CRARY — Compared to “Wall-E,” the Pixar animated film about a robot who journeys into outer space and finds out more about humanity’s place in the grand scheme of things, “Planet 51” is pretty inert. It’s a film about first contact[...]
Trailer Talk: ‘Bitch Slap’
— by ROBERT DeFEIS — This may be the weirdest trailer you will ever see, so be prepared. “Bitch Slap” is described as “a post-modern, thinking man’s throwback to the ‘B’ Movie/Exploitation films of the 1950s to ’70s as well as a loving, sly parody of the[...]
A Clip From ‘Transylmania’
— by JON MARTINCIC — The movie audience has had way too many “fad” movies. Yet, as a whole, we still demand more. Vampires seem to be the current stop for the trend — thanks to Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” — and now we have “Transylmania.”[...]
Trailer Talk: ‘The Private Lives of Pippa Lee’
— by JASON EAKEN — If there is a more skippable movie out this year than “The Private Lives of Pippa Lee” someone please let me know. It’s not that it was made by untalented people — the cast boasts Robin Wright, Julianne Moore, Maria Bello and Alan Arkin[...]
Trailer Talk: ‘Crazy Heart’
— by MARIUSZ ZUBROWSKI — I like Jeff Bridges. He was one of the reasons that I enjoyed “The Men Who Stare at Goats.” What reaction did I get when I first watched the trailer to “Crazy Heart”? Pure delight. The outstanding actor’s filmography[...]
Trailer Talk: ‘Nine’
— by JASON EAKEN — The second trailer for Rob Marshall’s upcoming film, “NINE,” which opens in limited theaters on Dec. 18 (expanding wide Christmas Day), is much like the first — except that it’s completely different. Like the first, the trailer is entirely[...]
13 Clips From ‘Tapestries of Hope’
— by JASON EAKEN — “Tapestries of Hope” tells the story of women, specifically those in Zimbabwe. The documentary, by Michealene Cristi Risley, focuses on the continuing rape and abuse of an untold number of women in a country in which notions of independence and liberation[...]
Trailer Talk: ‘Leaves of Grass’
— by ROBERT DeFEIS — This is one of those trailers where you watch it and you just say, “Wow, that was weird,” but the more you think about it, the more you like it. Edward Norton was a big part of liking it, as he plays twin brothers in this comedic thriller. Now, when[...]
Edward Woodward (1930–2009)
— by BEN FOWLER — Veteran actor Edward Woodward passed away yesterday at the age of 79. The British-born actor — who had been suffering from a number of illnesses, including pneumonia — passed away in hospital his agent, Janet Glass, confirmed. Woodward was only 5 years old[...]
Under Review: ‘The Messenger’
— by MARIUSZ ZUBROWSKI — What do the films “2012,” “Zombieland” and “The Messenger” have in common? Yes, they all star Woody Harrelson, but they are also all apocalyptic films in one way or another. No, “The Messenger” does not portray[...]
Review: Fantastic Mr. Fox
— by MARIUSZ ZUBROWSKI — Wes Anderson has made a name for himself by directing films such as “The Darjeeling Unlimited” and “Bottle Rocket.” His brand of humor for the older demographic is his “whistle with the clicking noise,” but he plans to expand[...]
Trailer Talk: ‘The Good Soldier’
— by TOM ELCE — Compiled of the memories and ruminations of soldiers of multiple generations, the new Lexy Lovell and Michael Uys film “The Good Soldier” appears to take on an approach to documentary filmmaking not unlike that you’ll see from similar pieces on[...]