Fall Lineup

So far, 2008 seems like an above average year for movies. All summer, we’ve been fed by Hollywood with great stuff from the Apatow clan (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Pineapple Express), the now iconic Christopher Nolan with The Dark Knight, from Bekmambetov with the scorchingly awesome Wanted.  Terrific stuff like Roger Donaldson’s The Bank Job and David Mamet’s Redbelt have come to us from across the pond.  Marvel made history with the crazy success of Iron... Read More

Teeth

If pictures of untreated herpes outbreaks, horror stories about crab infestations, and Tom Hanks portrayal of a gay man with AIDS in Philadelphia isn’t enough to make you consider celibacy…perhaps this film will make you rethink.  The premise of Teeth makes me shudder with terror.  I thought the risks you take when having sex can be avoided with a condom, or a pill.  It turns out this is not always true. Teeth is a perfect blend of horror, thriller and black comedy. ... Read More

The King

The King is one of those subtly disquieting movies that often doesn’t get the attention it deserves because of a lesser known cast, or the fact it’s independent, or else…well, I’ve never understood why people ignore good films. Released in 2005, The King was written and directed by James Marsh.  Previous to this film, Marsh had directed a few films, but nothing of note.  He currently has a documentary doing the art house theater tour called Man on Wire... Read More

Ghost Town

This mediocrity of this film was so frustrating, I wanted to throw up twenty minutes into it.  Co-written, and directed by David Koepp (the guy who directed box-office disappointments like Secret Window, and Stir of Echos), Ghost Town is barely able to keep the attention of it’s audience, most of the time leaving the viewers bored and less-than-impressed with Ricky Gervais’ tired tricks from the British version of The Office. Stylistically, Koepp had nothing to say. ... Read More

The Proposition

In preparation for the upcoming masterpiece (is it too early to call it that?) of cinema, The Road, I chose to watch 2005′s The Proposition since director John Hillcoat directed them both.  I’m not one for westerns, even if they take place in Australia (as The Proposition does), but this film is beautiful. Nick Cave wrote this script in under three weeks.  He also wrote the original score that accompanies the film (don’t worry, it’s not the hokey music... Read More

Noise

Noise brings much more to the table than first meets the eye. This little-seen Australian beaut from writer/director Matthew Saville (who has mostly worked on Australian TV until now) packs a punch. God bless you Sundance, for bringing Noise to our attention. The main character Graham McGahan (Brendan Cowell) has tinnitus, which is a malfunction of the ear causing a constant high-pitch ringing, and dizzy spells. He trys to get time off work (fearing he has cancer) but has no... Read More

Transsiberian

Transsiberian is one hell of a fantastic ride! Do what you can to see this little-seen gem.  Before this film, I hadn’t seen anything by director Brad Anderson (unless I happened upon an episode of The Shield that he directed, and I didn’t know it) besides The Machinist, but from now on, I’ll be on the look out for this guy’s next projects. The film follows an American couple: Roy (Woody Harrelson), and Jessie (Emily Mortimer).  They just spent two weeks... Read More

Choke

Hitting theaters this Friday is Choke, coming to us from the ‘incendiary author of Fight Club!’  Who doesn’t get excited when the words ‘from the [insert pronoun here] who brought you Fight Club!;  Like most angsty young men, I hopped on that train when it came through.  Tyler Durden, Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, they became my heroes.  I wanted the ‘Save Marla Singer’ t-shirt (but never found one).  And I also started reading everything that... Read More

Towelhead

Be prepared to be shocked when watching Alan Ball’s feature-length directorial debut. The unflinchingly dark creator of HBO’s Six Feet Under, True Blood, and writer of the Oscar-winning film American Beauty, Ball went straight for the jugular with Towelhead, hoping to mix things up a little bit.  And that, he certainly does. Towelhead is based on the novel of the same name by Alicia Erian (an interesting name for the author of such a racially charged work).  The... Read More

Lords of Dogtown

Lords of Dogtown is a difficult film to review. It’s difficult because I’m not quite sure what it was. Was it a skate film? Was it supposed to have a plot? I think the answer to both these questions is yes, when the affirmative should have only been for the latter. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke (writer and director of the film Thirteen), this film doesn’t know where it’s going half the time.  The shots are often beautiful, filmed in a grainy style... Read More