Cinema Libre Studios specializes in consciousness-raising documentaries about a variety of left-leaning subjects—some of its better-known releases include “Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War On Journalism” (2004) and “Angels in the Dust” (2007). The studio is currently preparing to release Oliver Stone’s controversial new documentary “South of the Border” (2009) featuring Raul Castro and Hugo ... more >
Archives for August 2010
ARCHIVES
French actor Gérard Depardieu throws weight around
Juliette Binoche in the line of fire
While giving an interview to Austrian magazine Profil during the Salzburg music festival, actor Gérard Depardieu (Green card, La vie en rose) made some pretty heinous comments about Juliette Binoche, an actress who for all intents and purposes is his female equivalent in both stature and experience--you might say she's the people's actress. Responding to a question about director Leos Carax (he ... more >
Vincent Lindon in Paris
Celebrities, style, and substance--made in France
I was having breakfast at Le Sélect, a famous Left Bank cafe in Paris, when I noticed Vincent Lindon seating at the terrasse. I started to think about celebrity, comparing France’s politics of fame with those of the U.S. How do celebrities handle frontality in public here? They don’t, apparently. The French love celebrity, but they generally don’t think of movie actors as celebrities. Johnny ... more >
Piranha 3D
I think we're going to need a bigger movie
Elisabeth Shue and Jerry O'Connell
Directed by Alexandre Aja
French director Alexandre Aja whose credits include the debatably interesting High Tension (2003) and the universally panned The Hills Have Eyes remake (2006), has finally found a niche in which his incompatible thirst for violence and dearth of critical thinking are perfectly matched: the camp creature-feature horror genre. The title of this magnum opus is Piranha 3D, a loose remake of a 1978 ... more >
THE VANISHING ON 7TH STREET
A surefire spookfest
The Vanishing on 7th Street is a new horror film making the rounds of the festival circuit (starting with Toronto in September) from director Brad Anderson, whose resume includes the creepfests Session 9 (2001) and The Machinist (2004). Starring Hayden Christensen—when was the last time he headlined anything?—the film is like a mashup of the current post-apocalypse genre; think Danny Boyle’s 28 ... more >
Flipped
A coming-of-age romantic comedy
Madeline Carroll and Callan McAuliffe
Directed by Rob Reiner
Is this all that I have to look forward to? Three or four decades of looking back to the good old days? While I remain at an age when I can effectively deny the presence of gray hairs, I’m still displeased with this future. When I’m sixty, will I look back or will I look forward? Rob Reiner’s Flipped doesn’t help. This 1960s puppy love story plays as if someone hacked all the locks on the ... more >
READERS COMMENTS
By ALI NADERZAD - August 31, 2010Comments that readers append to wire reports are getting more attention-grabbing; sometimes they come pouring in, like a torrent of well-meaning utterances on the wisdom of this or that. Try going to the HuffPost to read readers’ answers to the article about the Depardieu–Binoche Ultimate Fighting Championship and you'll see what I mean.This morning I was glancing ... more >