MCN Originals Archive for May, 2012
Django Unchained on the Croisette
The 10-minute “Django Unchained” trailer that screened for select press in Cannes – obviously not a final cut – opened on a typical Western backdrop, with slaves walking across a dusty cliff. But hey, I will tell you what you want to know…
Read the full article » 2 Comments »Cannes: After Lucia (Despues de Lucia)
I still can’t quite catch my breath. It is the ultimate nightmare of a parent – even of a 2 year old – to think they will be victims, victimizers, or perhaps worse, silent witnesses to the abuse of others when standing up for honor is only dangerous as a social abstraction.
Read the full article » 2 Comments »The Weekend Report: Shipwreck!
No one expected the trio of new national releases to unseat “The Avengers” … they just expected them to be more competitive. “The Avengers”‘ third weekend prevailed with an estimated $55.2 million with “Battleship” not quite right behind with $25.3 million. Third spot went to “The Dictator” with $16.7 million and the third freshman, “What to Expect When You’re Expecting,” slotted fifth with $10.5 million.
Read the full article »Cannes Competition review: Amour
I can’t completely relate to “Amour,” because I am fortunate enough to have a relatively healthy family that has yet to really require hospice care. Knock on wood.
Read the full article »Wilmington on Movies: The Dictator
Of course the Marx Brothers were partial to non sequiturs too, and several crtics have compared this film to both Chaplin’s The Great Dictator, and the Marx Brothers’ “Duck Soup.” But in their greatest films, Groucho, Chico and Harpo made their comedy work through sheer brazenness, through adroit asides and clever playing to the audience. That kind of wacky genius isn’t really a Cohen forte.
Read the full article »Wilmington on Movies: Battleship
Gallantly, Alex rushes out to get her said burrito, which he does by breaking into a nearby convenience store, tearing up the ceiling, stealing and (I presume) microwaving a chicken burrito and then resisting arrest, a feat of insane derring-do that so impresses the hottie, Samantha Shane (Decker) that she falls madly in love with Alex. Samantha, incidentally, turns out to be the daughter of Stone’s boss, Admiral Shane, the commander of the entire Pacific Fleet (played by Liam Neeson).
Read the full article » 1 Comment »Friday Estimates — May 18, 2012
The Avengers continues to lead the pack as expected, leaving the board game adaptation, the pregnancy book adaptation, and Sacha Baron Cohen’s The Dictator to duke it out for the other top slots. Tim Burton-Johnny Depp franchise Dark Shadows slips 61% in the wake of mixed reviews, and The Hunger Games edges closer to $400 million. A full slate of indies also debuts, including Hysteria, Lovely Molly and Polisse.
Read the full article »In Victorian England, good vibrations trump ‘Hysteria’ every time
All kidding aside, the prohibition on vibrators in Alabama — and, until recently, other several states – harkens to the 1920s, when a sharp-eyed publisher noticed that the same therapeutic gizmos being advertised in their periodicals were being used in stag films to accomplish paroxysms of a less clinical nature.
Read the full article »Cannes Competition review: Reality
There are comparisons to be made between “Reality” and “Bellissima” – they both heavily involve Cinecitta Studios, for example – but it feels somewhat unfair to pigeonhole “Reality” as simply a recreation of Visconti.
Read the full article » 3 Comments »Wilmington on Movies: What to Expect When You’re Expecting
The movie, which tries hard to leaven its sunny comedy and advice with a little darkness and realism, succeeds only in dredging up unwelcome memories (to me) of Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve, and unpleasant thoughts of a possible “What to Expect When You’re Expecting: The Musical.” Is that likely? Is that conceivable? I’m afraid to ask.
Read the full article »The DVD Wrapup: The Grey, Golf in Kingdom, Norwegian Wood, We Were Here, My Perestroika, 42nd St. Pete’s 8mm Madness … More
Normally, it wouldn’t be unusual for a filmmaker of any ethnic or cultural background to choose a Beatles song for the title of his or her movie. “Norwegian Wood,” however, is a particularly significant track in the band’s repertoire, both for its enigmatic Lennon-McCartney lyrics and George Harrison’s choice of the sitar as a lead instrument. That it was based on an affair between Lennon and a friend’s wife also set it apart from the “yeah, yeah, yeah … I wanna hold your hand” bunch.
Read the full article »SIFF 2012: Opening Weekend Preview
Because Seattle’s fest is so sprawling — we’re talking 25 days of movies here, folks — I’ve decided to try something a little different this year and do weekend previews of what’s coming up at the fest and my picks each week. I’m hoping that this will allow me to focus a little more on talking up films I’m excited about seeing and what you might want to check out at the fest as it rolls along.
Read the full article »Cannes Competition Review: Rust and Bone
Cinema math doesn’t always work out, as putting a group of talented people together on a film set doesn’t guarantee success. However, something about Rust and Bone felt extremely promising from the very beginning.
Read the full article »Cannes Competition Review: Moonrise Kingdom
Make no mistake—the true stars of this film are Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward, and should be seen because of them. These newcomers are very talented and extremely photogenic (Hayward in particular looks strikingly like a younger Emma Watson), and hopefully Moonrise Kingdom’s trajectory bestows upon these kids a brilliant acting career.
Read the full article »Wilmington on DVDs: Certified Copy, The Report
The story of “Certified Copy,” according to Godfrey Cheshire’s exemplary notes, comes from a tale of two people that director Kiarostami once told to Binoche in Tehran: a story he initially claimed was true, and had actually happened to him, but which he later confessed was a fabrication.
Read the full article »Wilmington on DVDs: The Devil Inside; My Perestroika; Who’s Minding the Store?; Who’s Got the Action?; The Spiders
Jerry Lewis, that’s who. Without Dean. And since this Frank Tashlin-written-and-directed farce — set in a department store that Jerry, as the well-meaning but accident-prone Norman Phiffler, systematically demolishes — dates from Lewis’ biggest commercial (and even artistic) period, the early ’60s, that means we’re going to see plenty of the man doing his thing: all-out slapstick, spazzy chaos and wild mugging.
Read the full article »Wilmington on DVDs: The Grey
Fitting that this movie is called The Grey, because grey it certainly is—cold, and bitter, and sunless, a suspense picture full of existential terror, untamed nature, overwhelming anxiety and relentless death, always a step or two behind. And wolves. And Liam Neeson.
Read the full article »Countdown to Cannes: Garrone, Seidl, Vinterberg
The ninth (and last) in a series of snapshots of the twenty-two filmmakers in Competition for the Palme d’Or at the sixty-fifth Festival de Cannes.
Read the full article »Countdown to Cannes: Audiard, Carax, Reygadas
The eighth in a series of snapshots of the twenty-two filmmakers in Competition for the Palme d’Or at the sixty-fifth Festival de Cannes.
Read the full article »The Weekend Report: May 13, 2011
“The Avengers” continued to hold sway, easily outpacing any potential competition with an estimated second weekend box office of $103.8 million. Granted there was but a single new national release with “Dark Shadows” that ranked second overall with an opening salvo of $28.5 million. In limited release, single mom drama “Girl in Progress” bowed with an OK $1.2 million. “Avengers” aside, the wow bow was Tollywood newcomer “Gabbar Singh” that collected $643,000 from 45 engagements for an impressive per screen average of $14,290.
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