Digital Nation By Gary DretzkaDretzka@moviecitynews.com
Digital Nation: DVDs, VOD and HD: Looking Forward, Looking Back
Almost all of the news emanating from last year’s Consumer Electronics Show pertained to the imminent arrival of HD3D television and Blu-ray 3D. Hardware and software manufacturers had just come to an agreement on tech standards and the leading firms seemed ready to pounce on the Next Big Thing.
Read the full article »Digital Nation: Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
Too often, movies leave audiences scratching their heads in bewilderment over how some exceedingly well paid, college-educated Hollywood studio executive could have been dim-witted enough to green light such an inarguably bad picture. A critically lauded film can be equally perplexing, leaving viewers wondering if they fully grasped a director’s intentions or could articulate what…
Read the full article »Digital Nation: Four Lions
Besides December 7, 1941, two other dates will live in infamy as long as wars against tyranny are fought. Americans will continue to mark September 11, 2001, for as long as there are people who can recall the sight of New York’s World Trade Center crumbling into ash and dust. For Britons still wary of…
Read the full article »Digital Nation: Down Terrace
One of the knocks against portrayals of organized crime in American movies and television is that they tend to make criminality look like a reasonable career choice, until the bullets and subpoenas start flying, anyway. The same applies for the use of drugs, alcohol, tobacco and firearms. It’s fun until it isn’t. There’s nothing even…
Read the full article »Digital Nation: In Washington, No One Can Hear You Scream
Eliminate the birthers, tax-dodgers, bigots, wannabe witches, Flat Earth diehards and Palin-tologists from the Tea Party movement and you’ll find the righteously angry offspring of the just plain pissed-off Americans, who, in Network, opened their windows and shouted “We’re as mad as hell and we’re not going to take this anymore.”
Read the full article »Digital Nation: Barry Munday
As red herrings go, it’s tough to beat castration. The title character of Chris D’Arienzo’s truly offbeat comedy, Barry Munday, undergoes just such an operation. It’s required after the father of a promiscuous teenager slams a trumpet into crotch of the two-bit, happy-hour lothario in a movie theater. Poor Barry didn’t even have time to…
Read the full article »Digital Nation: The Other City
Contrary to much circumstantial evidence, AIDS isn’t gone … it isn’t even hiding. That’s the primary message of Susan Koch’s documentary The Other City, which takes a look at what may be, to some, the surprising fact that HIV/AIDS has not gone away. In fact, in our nation’s capital, practically within shouting distance of the…
Read the full article »Digital Nation: Bran Nue Dae
It’s taken nearly 20 years for Bran Nue Dae to make the leap from the stage to the movies. The semi-autobiographical musical was written by Broome native Jimmy Chi and his band Kuckles, based on their own experiences. Chi’s broad Aboriginal/Asian ancestry reflects the ethnic diversity of the pearling and tourism town, which is on the far northwestern corner of Australia.
Read the full article »Vincent Cassel on His Portrait of a Gangster
In gangster circles, here and abroad, there are three sure ways for a criminal to know he’s made the Big Time: 1) his mug shot is on display in post offices across the nation; 2) the cops and media have honored his nefarious achievements by giving him a cool nickname; and 3) he’s been awarded…
Read the full article »Gary Dretzka Digital Nation: Kisses
As the title of Lance Daly’s sweet coming-of-age dramedy implies, lips meet lips in Kisses. If for no other reason than those lips are on the faces of characters 13 and 11 years old, the embraces are few, but memorable. Revealing anything more about the tenor, timing or taste of those kisses would require a…
Read the full article »Music Box Films Bets on a Win with “Girl” Double-Header
Music Box Films, whose namesake theater stands within shouting distance of Wrigley Field, is playin’ two this week. And, no, Cubs icon Ernie Banks isn’t appearing in either movie. In the cinematic equivalent of a double-header, the three-year-old distribution company has released on DVD and Blu-ray The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, with The Girl…
Read the full article »What You Don’t Know About Persian Cats
It wasn’t until March, 2001, when Mullah Mohammed Omar ordered the destruction of the magnificent Buddha statues at Bamyan, that most Americans realized the Taliban weren’t your garden variety Islamic fundamentalists. After all, when the Russians exited Afghanistan, with their tails between their legs, U.S. policy returned to: out of sight, out of mind. That would…
Read the full article »Showest Serves Up Newsworthy-Lite Fare
LAS VEGAS — Exhibitor or journalist, one no longer attends ShoWest for its newsworthiness. Celebrity sightings are duly noted, as are the latest improvements in cookie-dough confections and sneak previews of tent-pole movies. The absence of any real news went out with the administration of the late, ever-quotable Jack Valenti. When Valenti was ringleader of the…
Read the full article »Showest, cont’d
When ShoWest members couldn’t be found at a screening, seminar, buffet or banquet, they likely were strolling among the booths at the concurrent trade show, noshing on popcorn, hot dogs and soda pop. It’s here that exhibitors traditionally have been introduced to the latest in concessions, projection and other technical equipment, ticketing devices, lighting fixtures,…
Read the full article »A Tale of Two Subtitled Mysteries
Although it’s difficult to argue raw numbers, statistics are only as good as the person interpreting them. Homicides and murders are especially tricky. For example, the rates at which such crimes occur can be slanted to reflect something quite different than whole numbers. In 2008, more than 14,000 “unjustified” homicides were reported to the FBI…
Read the full article »Precious Reigns at Revamped Spirits
The annual Independent Spirit Awards have been slouching toward mainstream for most of the last 10 years, or, roughly, since television fell in love with any awards show that could coax a celebrity to leave his or her Malibu cocoon for the price of a swag bag. Before that, hardly anyone walking down the red…
Read the full article »Up In The Air
Anyone who thinks Jason Reitman might have played fast and loose with the character Ryan Bingham — the dispassionate “termination facilitator” portrayed by George Clooney in Up in the Air — hasn’t been paying attention to the New York gossip rags. Six weeks after the film debuted at Telluride, Gawker and Page 6 reported that…
Read the full article »Emmy Rossum
It isn’t often that an entertainment reporter gets to extend a relationship with the subject of an interview beyond the confines of a publicity junket. Precious little time is allotted for idle chatter and there simply aren’t any good reasons for an actor or filmmaker to memorize the face of someone sitting across from them….
Read the full article »The Maid
The gifted Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Silva came to Hollywood this week to promote his critically lauded film, The Maid, not pick a fight with the Motion Picture Academy. In fact, it probably was the furthest thing from his mind. This time of the year, however, we in the reporting dodge can hardly think of anything else. The movie…
Read the full article »Bronson
As a criminal, Michael Petersen could best be described as inept. As a self-made celebrity, though, the prison-hardened thug couldn’t have been more of a success … not that he didn’t get some help along the way. As depicted in Nicolas Winding Refn’s powerful profile, Bronson, Peterson was born of a bad seed and grew ever more twisted….
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