It is so bad that I wish there were a bunch of other movies featuring dead mice in dioramas, just so I could say, “This is the stupidest movie with dead mice in dioramas that I’ve ever seen. “ Paul Rudd is a financial analyst aiming for a promotion. To land the job, he must impress his boss at a dinner attended by the company executives. At this dinner, each person invites the strangest person ... more >
Archives for July 2010
ARCHIVES
Dinner for Schmucks
Who'll have the last laugh?
Steve Carell, Zach Galifianakis and Jermaine Clement
Directed by Jay Roach
U.K. FILM COUNCIL TO BE SCRAPPED NEXT YEAR
By ALI NADERZAD - July 27, 2010The British fund that gave us films by Andrea Arnold and Ken Loach will be no more as of next April. The decision to totally disband this fund of major cinema arts follows recent changes at the top and the unavoidable cost-cutting measures that it behooves one to engineer. But the Film Council? Talk about a slap in the face. The news are especially incredible for ... more >
News: Ayn Rand Novel now a Movie
Production has wrapped on “Atlas Shrugged, Part I,” which is based on the widely read 1957 novel. Paul Johansson ("One Tree Hill") directed and the cast includes Grant Bowler, who previously appeared in “True Blood” and “Ugly Betty,” and Nick Cassavetes. The film got made with only fifteen millions but with people such as Harmon Kaslow in the producer chair such sums can go a long way. “Our goal ... more >
Get Low
A tale right out of the hog and hominy state
Robert Duvall, Bill Murray and Sissy Spacek
Directed by Aaron Schneider
"Get Low," the directorial debut of cinematographer Aaron Schneider is as breezily gentle as its quaint 1930s Appalachian setting and crackly bluegrass score. The ever-so-slight story, in which a Tennessee backwoods hermit (Robert Duvall) arranges his own “funeral party,” takes awhile to get moving; at times, the movie is molasses-paced, and the potential loopy energy of the premise begins to ... more >
Countdown to Zero
A cool examination of a potential catastrophe
“There are 23,000 nuclear weapons in the world,” the film announces, “and we don’t know where they are.” British filmmaker Lucy Walker’s "Countdown to Zero" (Magnolia Pictures) is a sober but captivating investigation into the dangers of nuclear weapons, exposing a variety of present-day threats and featuring insights from a host of international experts and world leaders who advocate total ... more >
Salt
An action hero worth her ...
Angelina Jolie, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Liev Schreiber
Directed by Phillip Noyce
Here we go again. This summer has been so bad for movies that they’re now starting to look alike. “Salt” is another one that comes down to one big long chase and yet it can’t come up with nearly enough intrigue, suspense, or decent action sequences to help you get rid of the blah feeling. Angelina Jolie plays CIA agent Evelyn Salt, who is accused by a Russian defector of being an assassin for ... more >
Spellbinding I am Love
A Screen Comment favorite this year
Tilda Swinton, Edoardo Gabbriellini and Alba Rohrwacher
Directed by Luca Guadagnino
[rating=5] Those longing for Fellini and Bergman, have I got a film for you. Everything about “I am love” is over-the-top and when the plot drags and the pounding John Adams soundtrack stops, the cinematography is breathtaking. Tilda Swinton, who also produced and helped conceive the film with director Luca Guadagnino (this is the second time he directs Tilda Swinton— “The Protagonists” in ... more >