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| EFC STATS |
| Movies Listed: |
20070 |
| Total Ratings: |
227837 |
| Total Reviews: |
23228 |
![[76885177 Hits]](/cgi-bin/gd.cgi?76885177)
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| ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2010) |
"Tim Burton, 3-D, Johnny Depp, and a bottle of Jergens"
brianorndorf says... "As witnessed throughout much of his filmography, Tim Burton has the uncanny ability to reach astonishingly dark moods while still maintaining a jovial atmosphere worthy of his riotous imagination. Occasionally, the shadows get the best of him. Much like “Batman Returns” and “Mars Attacks,” “Alice in Wonderland” is a Burton vehicle with four flat tires, attempting to pull off a tricky juggling act of whimsy and violence, using author Lewis Carroll’s legendary novel as a playground for the blandest of fantasy visions. It’s a drab feature film molded with garish CGI and acted as if there wasn’t a director on set at all. It’s far from deplorable, but it does represent the filmmaker at his most persistently ineffective." (more)
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| GHOST WRITER, THE |
"The type of movie that sneaks up on you from behind"
brianorndorf says... "It’s been some time since Roman Polanski made something as cagey and good-naturedly twisted as “The Ghost Writer.” He’s been off vacationing inside of his youthful trauma during the last decade (“The Pianist,” “Oliver Twist”), which makes his new film a cunning achievement, steered by one of the filmdom’s sharpest minds. Verbose but lovingly toxic, “The Ghost Writer” nails a perfect pitch of paranoia with a distinctly retro flair, restoring some needed maturity to the bustling business of thriller cinema." (more)
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| BROOKLYN'S FINEST |
"Same shield, different day"
brianorndorf says... "Director Antoine Fuqua has built a career on mediocrity, hitting a few cinematic highlights (“Training Day”), but mostly sticking to the comfort of generic thrillers devoid of sensational feats of filmmaking. As imperfect as it is, “Brooklyn’s Finest” is perhaps the closest Fuqua will ever come to true greatness, revealing a deft command of nerve-racking criminal moods and multi-character tragedy, showing something approaching range while working out a screenplay soaked in oily despair. Missteps abound, but “Brooklyn’s Finest,” when firing on all brooding cityscape cylinders, is a convincing, commanding motion picture." (more)
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| AJAMI |
"A place of war, time for families"
brianorndorf says... "“Ajami” is an Israeli picture that closely mirrors the work of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu during his emotionally turbulent years with “Amores Perros,” “21 Grams,” and “Babel.” Observing the ominous nature of violence and its crushing aftermath, “Ajami” is a striking raw nerve of a feature film, holding to a steady path of dread, but keeping the story on its toes by jolting back and forth through locations and time. It builds patiently, but fascinatingly, providing a portrait of humanity struggling in one of the more volatile areas of the Middle East." (more)
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| MINISTERS, THE |
"Boondock taints"
brianorndorf says... "Here we have a picture concerning a pair of bible-quoting brothers who justly kill in the name of God. Sound a little familiar? Well, much of “The Ministers” is poorly reheated leftovers from superior criminal adventures. That’s not to suggest “The Boondock Saints” is of any hearty cinematic value whatsoever, but I’ll take Troy Duffy’s Bushmills bravado over the chronic clumsiness of writer/director Franc Reyes any day of the week." (more)
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| GOOD GUY, THE |
"Good and Gooder"
Jay Seaver says... "Tommy Fielding (Scott Porter) is a pretty good guy, especially considering he's a Wall Street trader. He doesn't overindulge; he isn't pressuring his girlfriend Beth (Alexis Bledel) to have sex even though it's been a couple months and his ex Christie (Jeane Fournier) is obviously still available. When one of his traders gets a better offer, he wishes him well and tells his boss Cash (Andrew McCarthy) that he'd like to promote tech whiz Daniel Seaver (Bryan Greenberg), because he's honest." (more)
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| BROOKLYN'S FINEST |
"A collection of genre clichés and missed opportunities."
Mel Valentin says... ""Brooklyn’s Finest," Antoine Fuqua’s ("Tears of the Sun," "King Arthur," "Training Day," "The Replacements") latest film, premiered last January at the Sundance Film Festival. The original distributor, Senator Distribution, went bankrupt, leaving Fuqua and his film in limbo. Overture Films picked "Brooklyn’s Finest" at the Venice Film Festival last September and set distribution for the first week in March (and here we are). The version we’re seeing, however, is 20 minutes shorter than the version that premiered last January at Park City, Utah. It also includes a slightly different ending (for one character at least). Despite the changes Fuqua made in the interim, "Brooklyn’s Finest" remains a collection of genre clichés and missed opportunities, ultimately relegating it to the misfire category." (more)
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| ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2010) |
"Whatever you do, don't go into that rabbit-hole."
Mel Valentin says... "Lewis Carroll’s 1865 children’s/fantasy novella, "Alice in Wonderland" has been adapted and re-adapted (and re-re-adapted) for stage, screen, and television more than twenty times (the earliest adaptation dates to 1951). Walt Disney adapted "Alice in Wonderland" as feature-length animated film in 1951. Now, more than a half a century later, a live-action/computer animated iteration arrives on 3D and IMAX screens thanks or, to be more accurate, no thanks to filmmaker Tim Burton ("Sweeney Todd," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "Big Fish," "Planet of the Apes," "Sleepy Hollow," "Mars Attacks!," "Ed Wood," "Batman Returns," "Edward Scissorhands," "Batman"), a hefty production budget, and a team of computer animators. Despite the best visual effects that money can buy, "Alice in Wonderland" isn't visually impressive (far from it, actually). It's also, unsurprisingly, narratively clichéd." (more)
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SXSW ’10 INTERVIEW – “MARWENCOL” DIRECTOR JEFF MALMBERG
by Jason Whyte |
| "“Marwencol is a documentary about an artist named Mark Hogancamp who created a 1/6th-scale WWII-era town in his backyard as a means of recovering from a brutal attack. A few years into his homemade therapy, his photographs of his town are discovered by the “art world.” The question is, will he take a chance and re-enter society as an artist, or will he stay in the safety of his own world?” Director Jeff Malmberg on the film “Marwencol” which screens at this year’s South By Southwest Film." (more) |
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SXSW ’10 INTERVIEW – “LIKE A PASCHA” DIRECTOR SVANTE TIDHOLM
by Jason Whyte |
| "“Welcome to the biggest brothel in Europe, a clear blue eleven story high house in the middle of Cologne, Germany. More than 200 women from all over the world work here. If you ask them why, they will tell you it’s the way it’s always been. More than 700 men come here every day. Inside these walls, no daylight ever reach in. “Orgasm guaranteed”, a sign says, ”Only 30 EURO”.
But what is it that is for sale here, really? Is it an orgasm or something else? According to Sonia, prostitute since ten years, a lot of her customers cry with her. Is true satisfaction and closeness really for sale? Three years in the making, the film centres around the stories of some of the brothel’s residents and visitors to discover what it is it that men ultimately need. The result is surprising.” Director Svante Tidholm on the film “Like a Pascha” which screens at this year’s South By Southwest Film." (more) |
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SXSW ’10 INTERVIEW – “DANCE WITH THE ONE” DIRECTOR MIKE DOLAN
by Jason Whyte |
| "“Dance with the One is an emotionally explosive drama about two brothers, Nate and Sitter Hitchens, and their hippie outlaw father, Owen, who have never gotten over the tragic death of the boys’ mother and Owen’s wife. The family’s frayed attempts to survive emotionally become physical when Nate makes his family the target of a lethal drug runner.” Director Mike Dolan on the film “Dance With The One” which screens at this year’s South By Southwest Film." (more) |
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SXSW ’10 INTERVIEW – “THE RIDE” DIRECTOR MEREDITH DANLUCK
by Jason Whyte |
| "“The Ride is about Cowboys, bull riding, rock and roll, wild west punk cowboys. Feeling more like narrative fiction than a straight up doc, the film floats through this rough and tumble world, seamlessly connecting people and places together. It’s a portrait of America told by these mythical archetypes.” Director Meredith Danluck on the film “The Ride” which screens at this year’s South By Southwest Film." (more) |
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SXSW ’10 INTERVIEW – "CRYING WITH LAUGHTER" DIRECTOR JUSTIN MOLOTNIKOV
by Jason Whyte |
| "“Crying with Laughter is a darkly comedic revenge thriller exploring the theme of memory. The story of two men who haven’t seen each other for 25 years, and who, on meeting up again, go and deal with an incident from their past that one cannot remember but that the other cannot forget.” Director Justin Molotnikov on the film “Crying With Laughter” which screens at this year’s South By Southwest Film." (more) |
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SXSW ’10 INTERVIEW – " WAR DON DON" DIRECTOR REBECCA RICHMAN COHEN
by Jason Whyte |
| "“In the heart of Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, United Nations soldiers guard a heavily fortified building known as the “special court.” Inside, Issa Sesay awaits his trial. Prosecutors argue that Sesay is a war criminal, guilty of crimes against humanity. His defenders insist that he is a reluctant fighter who protected civilians and played a crucial role in bringing forging the peace. “War Don Don” tells the story of a sensational trial with unprecedented access to prosecutors, defense attorneys, victims and, from behind bars, Sesay himself.
In Krio, war don don means “the war is over,” and although today Sierra Leone is at peace, the specter of war remains ever-present. Can the trial of one man uncover the truth of a traumatic past? International justice is on trial for the world to see.” Director Rebecca Richman Cohen on the film “War Don Don” which screens at this year’s South By Southwest Film." (more) |
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SXSW ’10 INTERVIEW – "CITIZEN ARCHITECT" DIRECTOR SAM WAINWRIGHT DOUGLAS
by Jason Whyte |
| "“In 1993 the late architect Samuel Mockbee started the Rural Studio, a design/build education program, in which students create striking architecture for impoverished communities in rural Alabama. Guided by frank, passionate interviews with Mockbee, Citizen Architect: Samuel Mockbee and the Spirit of the Rural Studio shows how a group of students use their creativity, ingenuity and compassion to craft a home for their charismatic, destitute client, Jimmie Lee Matthews, known to locals as Music Man because of his zeal for R&B and Soul records. The film reveals that the Rural Studio is about more than architecture and building. Mockbee's program provides students with an experience that forever inspires them to consider how they can use their skills to better their communities. Interviews with Mockbee’s peers and scenes with those he’s influenced infuse the film with a larger discussion of architecture’s role in issues of poverty, class, race, education, citizenship and social change.” Director Sam Wainwright Douglas on the film “Citizen Architect: Samuel Mockbee and the Spirit of the Rural Studio” which screens at this year’s South By Southwest Film." (more) |
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SXSW ’10 INTERVIEW – A NY THING DIRECTOR OLIVER LECOT
by Jason Whyte |
| "“The guy loves the girl so much that he flies after her, from Paris, all the way to New York… to end up staring at her kissing her official boyfriend… And then starts the chase to gain her heart back, with many encounters on the way, including drugs, violence, poetry, nonsense humor, tenderness, some funny sex and a bunch of gorgeous songs, before everything comes back to normal… or not...” Director Oliver Lecot on the film “A NY Thing” which screens at this year’s South By Southwest Film." (more) |
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SXSW ’10 INTERVIEW – “THE PARKING LOT MOVIE” DIRECTOR MEGHAN ECKMAN
by Jason Whyte |
| "“The Parking Lot Movie is about a very special Parking Lot in Virginia and the select group of Parking Lot Attendants that have worked there over the years. Using both interviews as well as day-to-day footage of the Parking Lot, the documentary details the Parking Lot Attendant’s peculiar sense of Parking Lot justice. Additionally, this documentary explores themes relating to the American Psyche and the American Lifestyle. It is also a celebration of a highly successful and incredibly innovative business model.” Director Meghan Eckman on the film “The Parking Lot Movie” which screens at this year’s South By Southwest Film." (more) |
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A GUIDE TO THE 13TH ANNUAL EUROPEAN UNION FILM FESTIVAL: WEEK ONE
by Peter Sobczynski |
| "In 1998, Chicago’s Gene Siskel Film Center first presented the European Union Film Festival, a month-long program designed to highlight the newest films emerging from the EU member nations. Over the years, it has grown into an annual event that is one of the largest such showcases and has offered viewers a canny mix of previews of highly anticipated films as well as smaller titles that might otherwise never be seen in these parts. This year, the 13th Annual European Union Film Festival kicked off on March 5th with Fernando Treuba’s “The Dancer and the Thief” and will be screening 59 films from all 27 EU nations, including new works from such noted filmmakers as Neil Jordan, Catherine Breillat, Jacques Rivette and Peter Greenaway, not to mention the local premiere of the Academy Award-nominated animated film “The Secret of Kells.”" (more) |
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'MAY I ADMIRE YOU AGAIN TODAY?'
- Duckie, Pretty In Pink
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