Cinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.comCinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.com/media/feedlogo.gifCinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.comen-usCopyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/AFI Fest Review: Fish Tankhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/14/fish-tank-review-afi-fest/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/14/fish-tank-review-afi-fest/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/14/fish-tank-review-afi-fest/#commentsFiled under: , ,


The movies' penchant for wish fulfillment often requires them to make their triumphs monumental, but the new film Fish Tank makes a convincing case for modesty. The story of a teenage girl discovering herself in Great Britain's equivalent of a housing project, its very conception is steeped in understated humanity, but writer-director Andrea Arnold refuses to indulge melodrama at every turn, creating a film that feels like a less romantic counterpart to another recent coming-of-age story, An Education, but is just as substantial.

Katie Jarvis plays Mia, an embittered, hostile 15-year old who comes home one day to discover that her party-girl mom Joanne (Kierston Wareing) has a new boyfriend named Connor (Michael Fassbender). Though initially standoffish, she slowly succumbs to his charms, especially after he encourages her to develop her burgeoning talents as a dancer. But as she advances closer to womanhood, attracting the attention of a young man her own age, Connor becomes increasingly protective of Mia, eventually drawing her into a relationship that tests the limits - as well as the boundaries - of their fragile, fledgling emotional bond.

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]]>andrea arnoldAndreaArnoldfish tankFishTankkatie jarvisKatieJarvismichael fassbenderMichaelFassbenderTodd GilchristSat, 14 Nov 2009 17:03:00 ESTAFI Fest Review: Everybody's Finehttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/13/everybodys-fine-afi-review/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/13/everybodys-fine-afi-review/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/13/everybodys-fine-afi-review/#commentsFiled under: ,


Several months ago while Quentin Tarantino promoted Inglourious Basterds, he mentioned that he might only make a few more films before he retires because, as he said, he didn't want to make "old man" movies. If anyone is unclear as to precisely what an "old man" movie is, they need look no further than Everybody's Fine, Robert De Niro's latest film, about a father trying to reconnect with his adult children after the death of his wife.

De Niro, once an indisputable fount of actorly integrity and hard work, has in recent years played a series of characters that either demanded little of his oft-discussed commitment, or exploited his persona as an intimidating figure both on and off screen. And while the character he plays here indicates a return to the kind of character work that made him a screen icon, there's no denying that the film itself is the cinematic equivalent of career achievement award, which is why Everybody's Fine is well-done and effective but too treacly to be truly powerful.

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]]>drew barrymoreDrewBarrymoreeverybodys fineEverybodysFinekate beckinsaleKateBeckinsalerobert de niroRobertDeNirosam rockwellTodd GilchristFri, 13 Nov 2009 16:10:00 ESTAFI Fest Review: The Messengerhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/12/the-messenger-review/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/12/the-messenger-review/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/12/the-messenger-review/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Just when movies about the war in Iraq had exhausted audience interest, this summer's sleeper hit The Hurt Locker came along. And just when those same audiences thought there was only one movie about Iraq that could resonate with them, The Messenger comes along. Starring Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson and Samantha Morton, the film is not only a revelatory look at the war's logistical repercussions stateside, but an examination of the emotional toll not only battle but survival takes on soldiers, culminating in a poignant tale of redemption that counts as one of the very best films of the year.

Foster (3:10 To Yuma) plays Will Montgomery, a staff sergeant more or less waiting out his last days as a military officer after an extended tour of duty in Iraq. Although he initially (and understandably) reluctant to participate when he is enlisted to inform families of the deaths of their loved ones, he bonds with his superior officer, Tony Stone (Harrelson), and slowly emerges from his own emotional morass as a result of reaching out to these grieving families. But when he and Tony inform a mother named Olivia (Morton) of her husband's death, he becomes inextricably involved in her and her son's life, realizing that the tenuous relationships he previously participated in are no substitute for something more meaningful.

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]]>ben fosterBenFosterOren MovermanOrenMovermanoscilloscopesamantha mortonSamanthaMortonthe messengerTheMessengerwoody harrelsonWoodyHarrelsonTodd GilchristThu, 12 Nov 2009 15:45:00 ESTAFI Review: Fantastic Mr. Foxhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/03/fantastic-mr-fox-review-afi/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/03/fantastic-mr-fox-review-afi/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/03/fantastic-mr-fox-review-afi/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


It's not hard to like any movie that uses the Beach Boys' music, but Wes Anderson makes it especially easy. As Hollywood's foremost purveyor of hipster drama, his pedigree as a reliable selector of appropriately wistful, poignant and all-around unforgettable songs is virtually unrivaled, but Fantastic Mr. Fox exceeds even the work of his earlier films, using "Heroes and Villains," and later, "I Get Around" as populist punctuation that manages to be both specifically relevant and substantively rousing.

As an animated opus, the film is by necessity his most controlled to date, a painstakingly-designed dollhouse where he no longer controls just the music, sets, and costumes, but the performers themselves. Ironically, however, it feels like his loosest as well - a gloriously unwieldy comedy of manners submerged in the minutiae of Anderson's madcap creativity. All of which makes Fantastic Mr. Fox a celebration both of its stop-motion medium and Anderson's aesthetic, while still managing to fully document the spectacular fun in original author Roald Dahl's daffy, distinctive imagination.

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]]>darjeeling limitedDarjeelingLimitedfantastic mr. foxFantasticMr.Foxfox searchlightFoxSearchlightgeorge clooneyGeorgeClooneyjason schwartzmanJasonSchwartzmanmeryl streepMerylStreeprushmorethe life aquaticwes andersonWesAndersonTodd GilchristTue, 03 Nov 2009 10:33:00 ESTSoldier at Savannah Film Fest Rave-Reviews 'The Messenger'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/01/soldier-at-savannah-film-fest-rave-reviews-the-messenger/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/01/soldier-at-savannah-film-fest-rave-reviews-the-messenger/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/01/soldier-at-savannah-film-fest-rave-reviews-the-messenger/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,


The Messenger opened the 12th Savannah Film Festival with a bang: a sellout crowd, international press, and Hollywood stars Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster in attendance to rub elbows all night. Even without the glitz, though, Savannah was a smart place to screen the Iraq drama. Oren Moverman's film is a character study about a soldier (Foster) dealing with the aftermath of war, but like Kathryn Bigelow's Iraq film The Hurt Locker, it's about the personal toll Iraq leaves on soldiers who survive and the families of those who don't; the politics of war are hardly an issue. And so, in a city that supports two military bases and the men and women who serve them, The Messenger played like gangbusters.

Foster stars as William Montgomery, a recent Iraq returnee dealing with serious leftover issues and a new assignment to play out his final three months of service: informing families that their loved ones have been killed on duty. As Montgomery's partner, Harrelson provides moments of levity, but there were plenty of sniffles throughout the film just the same.

While it was pretty easy to figure out what the general consensus was, there were three figures in particular I was watching for a reaction - the only three uniformed soldiers in attendance, who may or may not have been connected to the production. (The film has been screened for military personnel, and Harrelson and Foster personally met soldiers at Hunter Army Airfield prior to the night's screening.) When asked what military folk have thought of his film in the post-screening Q&A, director Moverman deferred to one of the officers in the audience to share his reaction with the crowd. What follows is the unnamed soldier's impromptu review of The Messenger.

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]]>Ben FosterBenFosterOren MovermanOrenMovermansavannah college of art and designSavannah Film FestivalSavannahCollegeOfArtAndDesignSavannahFilmFestivalThe MessengerTheMessengerWoody HarrelsonWoodyHarrelsonJen YamatoSun, 01 Nov 2009 17:02:00 ESTSavannah Film Fest: Where Indie Meets Oscarhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/31/savannah-film-fest-where-indie-meets-oscar/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/31/savannah-film-fest-where-indie-meets-oscar/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/31/savannah-film-fest-where-indie-meets-oscar/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,


I'm in Savannah, Georgia to spend a week as a guest blogger for the Savannah Film Festival, an eight-day fest hosted in the historic Southern town by the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). [Read my entries in the "Voices from the Fest" section on the festival website.] As the town prepares to kick off the 12th annual festivities with the Iraq film, or rather post-Iraq film, The Messenger, I'm wondering how SFF's growing success might reflect or even influence the rise of film festivals that similarly fall somewhere in between the biggies (Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, Venice) and the little guys.

For starters, a brief look at SFF's line-up and star-studded guest list. The festival begins today, October 31, with The Messenger, a Sundance entry that has Oscar possibilities but more likely will make a run at the Indie Spirit Awards. Stars Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster will be in attendance. (I will be attempting to run into them at the local Starbucks or wherever it is that Hollywood actors hang out when they visit other cities.) Another Oscar hopeful, the Emily Blunt-starring period biopic The Young Victoria, is screening the following day.

And then there are the almost certain Oscar pictures: George Clooney in The Men Who Stare At Goats; Lone Scherfig's An Education; Michael Haneke's Cannes winner The White Ribbon; Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker, with star Jeremy Renner in attendance; and Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, which will bring both director Lee Daniels and his star Gabourey Sidibe to town.

Read on for more about this year's Savannah Film Festival.

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]]>AdamAn EducationAnEducationDear Lemon LimaDearLemonLimaMercyPrecious:BasedOnTheNovelPushBySapphiresavannah college of art and designSavannah Film FestivalSavannahCollegeOfArtAndDesignSavannahFilmFestivalSCADthe city of your final destinationThe Hurt LockerThe Loss of a Teardrop DiamondThe men who stare at goatsThe Messengerthe white ribbonTheCityOfYourFinalDestinationTheHurtLockerTheLossOfATeardropDiamondTheMenWhoStareAtGoatsTheMessengerTheWhiteRibbonWhatever WorksWhateverWorksJen YamatoSat, 31 Oct 2009 19:02:00 ESTIndie Roundup: Deals, 'Smithereens,' More 'Maid,' AFI Festhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/28/indie-roundup-deals-smithereens-more-maid-afi-fest/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/28/indie-roundup-deals-smithereens-more-maid-afi-fest/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/28/indie-roundup-deals-smithereens-more-maid-afi-fest/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Cinematical's Indie Roundup

Indie Roundup, your weekly dose of what's happening (slightly) outside the mainstream.

Deals. Via our friends at indieWIRE, we learn that Brian Baugh's faith-based To Save a Life will be released by Samuel Goldwyn Films in January 2010. The film follows an "all-American teen" boy dealing with the aftermath of a friend's death. Cross-cultural romantic drama Cairo Time, starring Patricia Clarkson, will hit theaters and on-demand home viewing systems sometime in the new year, courtesy of IFC Films. Bradley Rust Gray's The Exploding Girl will open in early 2010 through Oscilloscope Laboratories. Zoe Kazan stars as a young college woman dealing with conflicting romantic feelings while home in New York for spring break.

Online / On Demand Viewing. Two recommendations this week, both for titles that are newly available through Amazon's VOD service. Susan Seidelman's Smithereens is a quintessentially New York picture and a fiercely independent experience from a time when indies were few and far between. It's a blast of fresh air about Wren (Susan Berman), a rough-talking young woman, and her travails through the seedier side of life as she tries to make something of herself. It's essential viewing, especially if you've been disappointed by one too many slick faux-indies. Musician Richard Hell is great, too.

Much less essential, but no less vital viewing, is Arlene Nelson's Naked States, which trails along as Spencer Tunick engineers massive works of art composed by live, naked human flesh. Tunick is a fascinating photographer / hustler, and so are the people who decide to bare all for the sake of art.

Activity of a different kind, Chilean cleaning, and AFI Fest -- after the jump!

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]]>afi festAfiFestantichristindie roundupindie weekend box officeIndieRoundupIndieWeekendBoxOfficenaked statesNakedStatesparanormal activityParanormalActivitysmithereenssouth asian film festivalSouthAsianFilmFestivalspencer tunickSpencerTunicksusan seidelmanSusanSeidelmanthe maidTheMaidPeter MartinWed, 28 Oct 2009 19:32:00 ESTScreamfest Review: The Fourth Kindhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/28/the-fourth-kind-review-screamfest/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/28/the-fourth-kind-review-screamfest/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/28/the-fourth-kind-review-screamfest/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


I'm not sure exactly what quality it is that real people possess and actors lack, but any time a film pretends to document real behavior, either literally or as a reenactment, something is almost always missing. Sometimes the problem is a deliberate decision to enhance events with artificial emphasis or drama, and sometimes it's simply too great a sense of self-awareness in the actor, who knows he or she is performing. But while there are a precious few movies that nail that authenticity, notably the recent underdog-blockbuster Paranormal Activity, such is certainly the case in The Fourth Kind, a film that purports to build an argument for alien abductions using "actual" footage from case studies.

While much of the movie's so-called source material carries the convincing roughness and deficiencies of homemade, handheld recording, too much of it seems far too calculated, both in its technical proficiency and the performances contributed by its "real" people. Further, its accompanying reenactments by recognizable actors undermine the possibility that audiences can take its case seriously, all of which adds up to thriller that unravels easily even if it nevertheless occasionally qualifies as a scary good time.

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]]>Milla JovovichMillaJovovichOlatunde OsunsanmiOlatundeOsunsanmithe fourth kindTheFourthKindwill pattonWillPattonTodd GilchristWed, 28 Oct 2009 15:02:00 ESTScreamfest Review: The Human Centipede (First Sequence)http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/27/screamfest-review-the-human-centipede-first-sequence/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/27/screamfest-review-the-human-centipede-first-sequence/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/27/screamfest-review-the-human-centipede-first-sequence/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Regular Cinematical readers will remember that I've famously said I can never watch Ruggero Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust thank to violence it commits against animals, but I have definitely seen my share of gross, weird, and deeply disturbing movies. Until recently, the most f*cked up thing I've ever watched is probably Jorg Buttgereit's 1987 film Nekromantik, which climaxes - literally - with a guy stabbing himself to death as he ejaculates blood. But Sunday's offerings at Screamfest offered a new contender in this dubious competition to show audiences the depths of human depravity: specifically, The Human Centipede is precisely the kind of cult sensation that earns immortality on the merits of its gobsmacking levels of gore, despite the fact that all in all it's really not a very good film.

Dieter Laser stars as Dr. Heiter, a reclusive German surgeon who specializes in separating conjoined twins. Pining for the loss of his beloved 3-dog - in fact, rottweilers that he surgically attached end-to-end - Heiter recruits a series of unwitting victims, including a trucker, two American tourists (Ashley C. Williams and Ashlynn Yennie), and a Japanese playboy (Akihiro Kitamura), for his latest experiment. But when his victims give him more trouble than he expects - including unwanted attention from the authorities - Dr. Heiter is forced to decide whether to abandon his latest project, or protect it from the outside world - with their and his very lives, if necessary.

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]]>akihiro kitamuraAkihiroKitamuraashley c. williamsAshleyC.Williamsashlynn yennieAshlynnYenniedevin faraciDevinFaracidieter laserDieterLaserscreamfestscreamfest 2009Screamfest2009the human centipedeThe Human Centipede First SequenceTheHumanCentipedeTheHumanCentipedeFirstSequencetom sixTomSixTodd GilchristTue, 27 Oct 2009 15:48:00 ESTSam Rockwell Talks Oscar Nom: "Dreams Are Nice"http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/27/sam-rockwell-talks-oscar-nom-dreams-are-nice/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/27/sam-rockwell-talks-oscar-nom-dreams-are-nice/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/27/sam-rockwell-talks-oscar-nom-dreams-are-nice/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Moon has been the little movie that did, thanks to director Duncan Jones's tireless traveling, interviews, audience Q&As, fan interaction, and, of course, because it's a kick-ass sci-fi movie. Jones has even gone so far as to create an online petition to get Sam Rockwell nominated for a Best Actor Oscar - heck, it even has its own Twitter hashtag. You can also follow Jones on Twitter for more Moon news, and keep track of his campaign for a Rockwell nom on his blog.

Earlier tonight at a screening for Gentlemen Broncos, there was an audience Q&A session with actors Sam Rockwell, Michael Angarano, Halley Feiffer, and Mike White, and writer/director Jared Hess. (Jemaine Clement, I'm sad to say, was not there.) As for Duncan Jones's campaign, Rockwell said, "Well, you know, dreams are nice. It's very flattering. Very, very flattering. Very nice. I mean it's obviously the director so he has an agenda [audience laughs] but it's nice to see that. We worked really hard on that film." (The audience, by the way, clapped hard at the mention of Jones's campaign.)

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]]>BAFTABIFADuncan JonesDuncanJonesfeaturedGentlemen BroncosGentlemenBroncosMoonOscarOscar campaignOscarCampaignSam RockwellSamRockwellJenni MillerTue, 27 Oct 2009 09:03:00 ESTScreamfest LA Starts Todayhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/16/screamfest-la-starts-today/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/16/screamfest-la-starts-today/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/16/screamfest-la-starts-today/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


You know it's October when there's not merely a multitude of horror films finding their way into theaters, but a full-fledged film festival of them to fill your appetite for flayed and filleted flesh. The eight-year-old Screamfest LA starts Friday, October 16 with a screening of The Tournament and runs through October 25; in addition to offering some 20 feature films, three shorts programs and an awards dinner, horror fans will get an opportunity to see upcoming theatrical releases ahead of time, and maybe even hobnob with a few of their favorite stars. All of the films are being screened in the heart of Hollywood at Grauman's Chinese Theaters.

While we'll be covering more of the festival as it progresses, check out a couple of the must-see movies that are screening in its first few days:

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]]>finalehouse of the devilHouseOfTheDevilscreamfest 2009Screamfest2009the human centipedethe revenantthe tournamentTheHumanCentipedeTheRevenantTheTournamentvampire girl vs. frankenstein girlVampireGirlVs.FrankensteinGirlTodd GilchristFri, 16 Oct 2009 14:18:00 ESTAFI Fest: See 'Dr. Parnassus,' 'Bad Lieutenant' and More - For Free!http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/15/afi-fest-see-dr-parnassus-bad-lieutenant-and-more-for-f/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/15/afi-fest-see-dr-parnassus-bad-lieutenant-and-more-for-f/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/15/afi-fest-see-dr-parnassus-bad-lieutenant-and-more-for-f/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


When it comes to film festivals, cinephiles have a lot to choose from. But if you're in Los Angeles from October 30 - November 7, there's only one film festival that will have The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, The Road, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Werner Herzog's Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Youth in Revolt, A Single Man, and tons more buzzed-about indie, foreign, and genre gems - ALL FOR FREE. That's right, folks: AFI Fest is giving free admission for every single one of their films this year, so how can you possibly resist?

As Peter Martin wrote back in May, AFI's groundbreaking move to free ticketing is a daring experiment. (Tickets can be reserved online and via phone starting October 16.) I suppose the rationale is that if the cost of a ticket precludes film goers from attending, why not make it even easier to participate? One look at AFI's line-up, released yesterday, pretty much makes the decision for you.

Get the full list of (FREE! ) AFI Fest screenings after the jump.

Continue reading AFI Fest: See 'Dr. Parnassus,' 'Bad Lieutenant' and More - For Free!

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]]>AFI FestAfiFestfilm festivalJen YamatoThu, 15 Oct 2009 10:03:00 ESTPolanski Loses First Bid for Releasehttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/06/polanski-loses-first-bid-for-release/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/06/polanski-loses-first-bid-for-release/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/06/polanski-loses-first-bid-for-release/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The complicated story of Roman Polanski and his flight from the US over 30 years ago is starting to get very, very simple - at least when it comes to the law. The NYT reports that Polanski (and his legal representatives) have lost the appeal to have the director released from a Zurich jail following his arrest for a 2005 international warrant. The appeal was rejected by the Swiss Justice Ministry and a spokesperson for the ministry was quoted as saying the reason they rejected the request was that they felt "there is a high risk of flight" -- and it's not like you can blame them, the man does have a habit of disappearing when in the middle of a sticky situation.

That hasn't stopped his legal representatives from asking Switzerland's highest criminal court to free Polanski, but representatives from the Justice Ministry even submitted letters explaining their opposition to freeing the director. However, there is still a chance the director could be freed, and according to the NYT, "The Federal Criminal Court has said it will rule in the case in the "next weeks," and a verdict in either direction can be appealed to the country's highest judicial body, the Federal Tribunal."

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]]>appealarrestedfilm festivalFilmFestivalnew york timesNewYorkTimesroman polanskiRomanPolanskiswitzerlandZurichJessica BarnesTue, 06 Oct 2009 18:15:00 ESTCinevegas 2010 Cancelled - Who Else is Hurting?http://www.cinematical.com/2009/09/27/cinevegas-2010-cancelled-who-else-is-hurting/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/09/27/cinevegas-2010-cancelled-who-else-is-hurting/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/09/27/cinevegas-2010-cancelled-who-else-is-hurting/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

You couldn't turn a corner in Telluride this year without hearing a festival manager or volunteer gushing thanks to the festival's many sponsors for continuing to support Telluride despite, to quote Charlie Kaufman, today's wintry economic climate. Telluride, a posh film industry mainstay, appeared to weather the storm: the $680 "Festival Passes" -- the most common, middle-of-the-road choice for Telluride pass-holders (passes run from around $300 to over $3000) -- didn't sell out for the first time in recent memory, but the festival was well-attended, the movies plentiful, and apart from the speech-making, the only sign of trouble was that Omaha Steaks provided flatiron instead of sirloin for the event's annual Labor Day picnic.

Some of the less entrenched film events apparently are not so lucky. The increasingly popular CineVegas, for example, recently announced a hiatus for 2010, so that regular attendees -- of whom Cinematical is one (or more) -- had better make other plans for next June. Part of the problem, as The Hollywood Reporter notes, is that unlike Telluride and a great many other film festivals, CineVegas is not a non-profit, which makes sponsorships harder to come by.

Still, though CineVegas may have been minor compared to Toronto, Sundance, etc., it was certainly a major regional player. Several of the lower-profile events with which I'm familiar -- the San Francisco International Film Festival, the Mill Valley Film Festival, the Philadelphia Film Festival -- have gone ahead as planned this year. (The latter was affected by a feud among two major Philly film scene heavyweights, but that's neither here nor there.) The Hollywood Reporter article linked above notes a number of other events that have felt the pinch, though it only cites one other one -- the Jackson Hole Film Festival -- that was canceled entirely for budgetary reasons. How have festivals, repertory venues, and indie art houses fared in your neck of the woods?

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]]>cinevegasEugene NovikovSun, 27 Sep 2009 20:03:00 ESTScreamfest Announces Lineup, Prepares Blood for Curdlinghttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/09/23/screamfest-announces-lineup-prepares-blood-for-curdling/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/09/23/screamfest-announces-lineup-prepares-blood-for-curdling/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/09/23/screamfest-announces-lineup-prepares-blood-for-curdling/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Should you find yourself in Los Angeles between Oct. 16 and 25 with your blood unchilled and your hair not standing on end, perhaps you should pop in at Screamfest and take care of that. The ninth annual Screamfest Horror Festival -- one of the largest such fests in the country -- announced its lineup today, with 20 features and five shorts programs all being hosted at Grauman's Chinese Theaters in Hollywood.

The opening night film is The Tournament, in which the world's top assassins (Ving Rhames among them) get together to kill one another for the entertainment of pay-per-view audiences. The closing night film is The Fourth Kind, starring Milla Jovovich as a psychologist studying a series of alien abductions in Alaska. So, you know. The usual stuff.

In between are films with delightful titles such as Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl (from Japan!), Necromentia, The Human Centipede, Mutant Swinger from Mars, and Reykjavik Whale Watching Massacre (from Iceland!). And hey, what do you know, it's the long-awaited Cabin Fever 2 (no involvement from Eli Roth) and the not-at-all-awaited Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead! And The House of the Devil, which I saw at Tribeca and kinda liked and which is by the same guy, Ti West, who made Cabin Fever 2! Why, there's something here for everyone! (Except children and old people.)

You can check out the Screamfest site for details on all the films and ticketing information.

[Via Fearnet.]

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]]>screamfestEric D. SniderWed, 23 Sep 2009 10:45:00 ESTOh, The Horror(s): FanTasia Report #3http://www.cinematical.com/2009/07/19/oh-the-horror-s-fantasia-report-3/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/07/19/oh-the-horror-s-fantasia-report-3/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/07/19/oh-the-horror-s-fantasia-report-3/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,



Dread (UK/US): I'm going to act like I don't know how Clive Barker's original short story played out, as I didn't know when going into the film, but that still leaves this adaptation a bit too long-winded for its own good. Stephen (Jackson Rathbone) and Quaid (Shaun Evans) team up for a college project on what people fear most, and sure enough, this little social experiment of theirs goes too far. It's an interesting premise, eventually carried out to a foreseeable but intense climax, shot moodily throughout by first-time director Anthony DiBlasi, but the redundant dorm-worthy moralizing delivered by our fairly obvious villain and a tacked-on ain't-that-wicked twist only make it more apparent that Dread was a story perhaps better deserving of, say, a "Masters of Horror" episode rather than a feature-length treatment.

Read the rest at Horror Squad.

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]]>anthony diblasiAnthonyDiblasiclive barkerCliveBarkerdavid morleyDavidMorleydreadfantasia film festivalFantasiaFilmFestivalfantastic fest 2009FantasticFest2009jackson rathboneJacksonRathbonemutantsshaun evansShaunEvanstokyo gore policeTokyoGorePolicevampire girl vs. frankenstein girlVampireGirlVs.FrankensteinGirlyoshihiro nishimuraYoshihiroNishimuraWilliam GossSun, 19 Jul 2009 17:03:00 ESTHappy Asia Fun Time: FanTasia Report #2http://www.cinematical.com/2009/07/16/happy-asia-fun-time-fantasia-report-2/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/07/16/happy-asia-fun-time-fantasia-report-2/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/07/16/happy-asia-fun-time-fantasia-report-2/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,




Power Kids (Thailand): So it's been over two decades since Die Hard made the movie pitch infinitely more efficient, and far by it from me to botch tradition, because this flick is basically Die Hard in a hospital... only with four ass-kicking kids going up against terrorists instead of one intrepid adult cop. Did I mention that they're after the donor heart for their youngest brother's emergency surgery? The kids, I mean, not the terrorists (they're there for the U.S. Ambassador, natch). And kick ass, they do, while taking a fair share of licks in return. Power Kids feels like it was made in the spirit of a Saturday matinee and was meant for kids of all ages, despite all the close-range semi-automatic fire and sepia-toned war flashbacks (not to mention the occasional f-bomb from the boorish American), but if the idea of some moppets Muay Thai-ing their way through bad guy after bad guy sounds good to you, I struggle to think that this would disappoint.

More coverage at Horror Squad!

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]]>fantasia film festivalFantasiaFilmFestivalinstant swampInstantSwampkumiko asoKumikoAsolegendary assassinLegendaryAssassinpower kidsPowerKidssatoshi mikiSatoshiMikiwu jingWuJingWilliam GossThu, 16 Jul 2009 20:03:00 ESTNorthern Exposures: FanTasia Report #1http://www.cinematical.com/2009/07/15/northern-exposures-fantasia-report-1/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/07/15/northern-exposures-fantasia-report-1/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/07/15/northern-exposures-fantasia-report-1/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,



After a long flight on my part and a far longer drive for both of us, Scott Weinberg and I have finally arrived in Montréal for the FanTasia International Film Festival (their thirteenth, our first). The genre-heavy festival lasts for nearly three weeks; alas, we've but one to spare, so without much further ado, here's a look at what I've seen already and what I hope to see before Scott tips his own hand with a title or two to recommend.

Of the features playing, I can highly recommend Michael Paul Stephenson's Troll 2 doc, Best Worst Movie; the Aussie revenge thriller, The Horseman (not to be confused with the barely-seen Dennis Quaid vehicle, Horsemen); and Paul Solet's beautifully bloody baby horror, Grace. Those looking for something a bit stranger might end up being a bit more fond of Black and The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle than I was, though I also seemed more easily pleased by the Nazi zombies of Dead Snow than most, so I guess it all balances out. My enthusiasm for the ultra-kitschy likes of Alien Trespass and Lesbian Vampire Killers, not to mention the admittedly boundary-pushing Deadgirl, is all a bit less than what's already been mentioned, so let's just leave those at that.

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]]>8th Wonderland8thWonderlandalien trespassAlienTrespassbest worst movieBestWorstMovieblackdead snowdeadgirlDeadSnowfantasia film festivalFantasiaFilmFestivalfantastic festFantasticFestfeaturedflorida film festivalFloridaFilmFestivalgracehirsutei sell the deadISellTheDeadjordan laddJordanLaddlesbian vampire killersLesbianVampireKillersmichael doughertymichael paul stephensonMichaelDoughertyMichaelPaulStephensonmontrealmutantspark chan-wookParkChan-wookpaul soletPaulSoletritesxswsxsw2009the chaserthe childrenthe eclipsethe horribly slow murderer with the extremely inefficient weaponthe horsemanthe immaculate conception of little dizzleTheChaserTheChildrenTheEclipseTheHorriblySlowMurdererWithTheExtremelyInefficientWeaponTheHorriblySlowMurderWithTheExtremelyInefficientWeaponTheHorsemanTheImmaculateConceptionOfLittleDizzlethirsttrick r treatTrickRTreattroll 2Troll2yesterdayWilliam GossWed, 15 Jul 2009 15:32:00 ESTTop 10 Stormtrooper Crossovershttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/17/top-10-stormtrooper-crossovers/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/17/top-10-stormtrooper-crossovers/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/17/top-10-stormtrooper-crossovers/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,



San Diego ComicCon is almost upon us, and you know what that means -- stormtrooper costumes. Lots and lots of them. The white-armored villains have become so prevalent at every geek gathering that they hardly attract much notice, so they've had to get creative. Nowadays, you see Imperial Stormtroopers breaking rank and adding all kinds of weird and wonderful things to their standard issue armor, and becoming something weirdly meta in the process. Some of them, like the Elvis Stormtrooper, have become con celebrities in their own right (he's even got his own website, where he's reached a Kirk Lazarus level of crossover) and you can barely escape a con without a photo of them.

Galactic Binder has collected ten of the best stormtrooper crossovers they've seen. Seeing so many gathered in one place suggests that costumed Stormtroopers are becoming so ubiquitous that they'll soon attract as little attention as a plain Stormtrooper. Hell, maybe ordinary troopers will become so rare that spotting one will be like seeing a unicorn in the wild ...

So, check out the gallery below, and tell us your favorite. I'll echo Galactic Binder and give a special gold star to the samurai stormtrooper for going full circle by referencing Kurosawa.

Gallery: Imperial Stormtrooper Crossovers



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]]>DragonConImperial StormtroopersImperialStormtroopersSan Diego ComicConSanDiegoComicconStar WarsStarWarsStormtrooper crossoversStormtrooperCrossoversWonderConElisabeth RappeWed, 17 Jun 2009 19:02:00 ESTIndie Roundup: Kristen Stewart's 'Handkerchief,' Philly 'Pressure,' Fest Newshttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/03/indie-roundup-kristen-stewarts-handkerchief-philly-pressur/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/03/indie-roundup-kristen-stewarts-handkerchief-philly-pressur/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/03/indie-roundup-kristen-stewarts-handkerchief-philly-pressur/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Indie Roundup (collage of images)

Rewinding the past seven days of the wonderful world of independent films:

Deals. Twilight fans will have the opportunity to see Kristen Stewart in a different type of role later this year. In Udayan Prasad's The Yellow Handkerchief, based on a story by Pete Hamill, Stewart jumps into a stranger's car. She and the driver (Eddie Redmayne) are soon joined by a newly-released convict (William Hurt) as they travel through rural Louisiana toward a hoped-for reunion with the ex-con's beloved (Maria Bello). Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired U.S. rights and is planning a theatrical release, according to indieWIRE.

Hans-Christian Schmid's legal thriller Storm will also hit theaters later this year, indieWIRE says, courtesy of Film Movement. Kerry Fox stars as a prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague; she must convince a witness (Anamaria Marinca from 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) to testify in order to convict a former officer of war crimes.

Box Office. Arriving with this year's Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in hand, Yojiro Takita's Departures took the #1 spot among indies. Set in and around a Japanese business tasked with preparing bodies for burial, the drama earned $8,327 per screen at the nine theaters where it opened in New York and Los Angeles, Box Office Mojo reports.

Also performing well in its debut weekend, Pressure Cooker grossed $8,151 at one theater in New York. The documentary, directed by Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker, follows a high school culinary arts class in Northeast Philadelphia, where teacher Wilma Stephenson tries to help her students earn college scholarships. We've embedded the fiery trailer below.

After the jump: Outfest lineup, plus Transformers 2 in Los Angeles.

Continue reading Indie Roundup: Kristen Stewart's 'Handkerchief,' Philly 'Pressure,' Fest News

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]]>departureshans-christian schmidHans-christianSchmidkerry foxKerryFoxkristen stewartKristenStewartmaria belloMariaBellopaper manPaperManponyopressure cookerPressureCookerstormthe yellow handkerchiefTheYellowHandkerchieftransformers revenge of the fallenTransformersRevengeOfTheFallenwilliam hurtWilliamHurtPeter MartinWed, 03 Jun 2009 21:02:00 EST