When so many movies are released each weekend and trailers often seem better than the movie itself, what should one do? In this precarious situation, we consult the The CineMagic 8-Ball (TM) to help us see through the nebulous marketing haze. Doing so just might save us all a disheartening trip to the cinema and spare us unnecessarily springing for $7 popcorn. See what the 8-Ball says about this week’s releases… ——————————————————————————————————————————————- SAFE Mei, a young girl whose memory holds a priceless numerical code, finds herself pursued by the Triads, the Russian mob, and corrupt NYC cops. Coming to her aid is an ex-cage fighter whose life was destroyed by the gangsters on Mei’s trail. Statham…
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[IFFBoston Review]…Sleepwalk With Me
If Sleepwalk With Me does one thing well, it’s strike a balance between truth and delusion. For a film that grounds itself so heavily in reality while simultaneously reveling in the dreams of its protagonist, equilibrium is paramount; mercifully, the line between waking life and fantasy is never irreparably, irresponsibly blurred. We may not be able to immediately identify when our protagonist is dreaming– neither can he– but Sleepwalk With Me clues us in quickly enough so as to avoid leaving us in the lurch, establishing a clear relationship between the stages of awareness experienced by Matt, the aimless, disconnected, would-be comedian serving as our anchor. And why not? Dreams…
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42nd Annual USA Film Festival – Schedule of Events
April is a busy month if you’re a film fan and from state to state you’ll likely find no shortage of great (sometimes back to back) film festivals. New York has Tribeca, Boston has the Independent Film Festival of Boston (which our own Andrew Crump is covering) and Dallas has two that nearly overlap. The Dallas based USA Film Festival only runs from April 25th – 29th but hosts a lot of note-worthy films and talent in those 5 days. All programs will be held at the Angelika Film Center Dallas. Below is the official Festival brochure which lists the films, special events, tributes, and actors/filmmakers coming to our neck of the woods.…
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Video Interview…’The Pirates! Band of Misfits’ Director Peter Lord
Peter Lord and Aardman Animation have helped change stop-motion animation over the last 40 years. In his newest film The Pirates! Band of Misfits, his first directing gig since Chicken Run in 2000, the Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) sets out on a mission to defeat his rivals Black Bellamy and Cutlass Liz for the Pirate of the year Award. The quest takes Captain and his crew from the shores of Blood Island to the foggy streets of Victorian London. Go,See,Talk got to sit down with this titan of the industry and one of the animation world’s most experienced and resprected artists, Oscar-nominated and BAFTA winning director Peter Lord. Here is the video from…
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Ohhh, Look…'Sound of My Voice' Featurette
If you’ve seen the first 12 minutes of Zal Batmanglij‘s Sound of My Voice then you should already be on board for the latest creepy but compelling story from Brit Marling. She got a lot of attention (mixed but still pretty positive) after writing and starring in the Mike Cahill directed Another Earth. Below is a featurette which give us a little more info on what to expect in this film. Those of you wanting to stay in the dark about this film might want to skip it, but if you, like us, were mesmerized by those 12 minutes you probably have stopped reading and are already playing the video… For those of you unfamiliar with the film…
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Sweet 2nd Trailer…'G.I. Joe: Retaliation'
Last December we got to see just what Jon M. Chu has in store for us in his follow-up to 2009’s G.I. Joe The Rise of Cobra. That first trailer looked pretty slick and probably had even the most avid naysayer going Yo Joe!. Now we get a simply awesome second trailer that looks even better. As one of the few people who really dug the ridiculousness of Stephen Sommers’ Rise of Cobra, I have to tell you that this gives me chills. Not only are they expanding on the very clever storyline from the first film but now they’re bringing in the big guns to make this look oh so…
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"What’s New on Blu?” – Week of 04/23/12
Whether you rent or buy movies, Blu-ray offers the ultimate in sight and sound. Streaming is convenient, but if you plan on watching the movie more than once, you need Blu. Check out what’s hitting the shelves this week… ——————————————————————————————————————————— NOTE: What’s New on Blu? is back this week now that the DIFF has concluded. If you haven’t seen all of the exciting stuff posted about the DIFF here on our site, check out the link here. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol needs no introduction. This is the fourth installment in a franchise that most people thought was complete with a trilogy; well think again. Leave it to Tom Cruise…
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[DIFF Review]…Juan of the Dead
Considering zombies are the walking dead, it’s surprising to see how popular they have become. They are mindless beasts that are incredibly uninteresting. Maybe that’s why they are perfect targets for horror comedies. Juan of the Dead is clearly a riff on the title of Edgar Wright’s horror comedy Shaun of the Dead, yet Juan manages to be creative enough to keep from feeling like a retread and instead makes a case why two films with similar titles and similar premises can exist in the same universe. Clocking in at 96 minutes, the film is perhaps a bit meandering at points but keeps the story moving forward with laugh after…
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[DIFF Review]…The Pact
Nicholas McCarthy brings his previous short film (which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2011) to its full feature potential at the 2012 DIFF. It’s all sorts of eerie and scary, though not so much straight up horror The Pact is more of a horror mystery. It’s the blending of those two genres that make this extremely atmospheric work on many levels. In short it’s entirely effective and well crafted. In a way it’s fitting that it is being shown at the same Festival where master of horror Takeshi Shimizu is screening his film TORMENTED. Could make for a great Double Feature. Annie and her sister have begrudgingly returned home for their mother’s funeral.…
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[DIFF Review]…My Way
Unbelievable, True Story, and Epic are but a few terms used to describe this absolutely amazing film from Korean director Je-kyu Kang. My Way tells the story of two childhood friends whose lives are drastically changed when they are both forced to enlist in the Army. WWII serves as the backdrop for an almost Shakespearean story about friendship, passion, loyalty and pride. The only thing more amazing than the scenes and sequences in the film is the fact that it’s all based on true events which have only recently come to light in the last 6 years. During the time when pre-WWII Korea was being colonized by Japan, many Korean workers were employed…
