Posted by andrescanella on December 29, 2008 · Comments Off on DVD Releases for the Week of Dec. 30, 2008
The week of December 30th is transition time. The shopping season has come to an end, and the next day beckons a new year for film. On the DVD front, this means nearly zilch of interest this week. Most notably for Montrealers, Sebastien Rose’s Le Banquet, which premiered at the Montreal World Film Festival in … Continue reading →
Posted by andrescanella on December 27, 2008 · Comments Off on Late Review: Four Chapters (Chaturanga)
Suman Mukhopadhyay’s Four Chapters (Chaturanga) is a film that deals with timeless issues: religion vs. reason, the status of women, and the dichotomy of Western ideas vs. Eastern ideas. Based on a novel by Novel-prize winning Rabindranath Tagore, the film is about Sachish, a man wrestling with the numerous ideas and worldviews life has to offer, and … Continue reading →
Posted by andrescanella on December 23, 2008 · Comments Off on DVD Releases for the Week of Dec. 23, 2008
By turns funny, scary and wholly independently-produced, the Duplass brothers’ Baghead is a strange film that asks the question: is someone with a bag on his head staring in from the window frightening or hilarious? Part slasher, part comedy about slashers, and part meta-text about indies, it is definitely the most intriguing release of the week.
Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged with Abolfazl Jalili, Badghead, Burn After Reading, Celine, D.J. Caruso, David Koepp, Delbaran, Eagle Eye, Ghost Town, Jay & Mark Duplass, Jean-Claude Brisseau, Joel & Ethan Coen, Makoto Kamiya, Resident Evil: Degeneration, Saul Dibb, The Duchess
Posted by andrescanella on December 22, 2008 · Comments Off on Mastery of Theme, Not Form
Review: Doubt (2008) Doubt, like its ending, is likely to leave audiences split. Its many strong points are weighed down by minor contrivances. It is a film heavy on plot and character – only natural given its stage roots – that fails to take full advantage of its new medium in terms of subtlety and … Continue reading →
Posted by andrescanella on December 21, 2008 · Comments Off on Viewer’s Guide to the ’09 Golden Globes
Festival season has come to an end for both Montreal and most of the rest of the world. Now all eyes turn to the slew of critic association lists and the upcoming film award ceremonies in the new year. Airing on the 11th of January, the Golden Globes is the first major ceremony of 2009. … Continue reading →
Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged with Bolt, Burn After Reading, Changeling, Danny Boyle, David Fincher, Doubt, Everlasting Moments, Frost/Nixon, Golden Globes '09, Gomorra, Happy-Go-Lucky, Il ya longtemps que je t'aime, In Bruges, Kung Fu Panda, Last Chance Harvey, Mamma Mia!, Milk, Pineapple Express, Rachel Getting Married, Revolutionary Road, Ron Howard, Sam Mendes, Slumdog Millionaire, Stephen Daldry, The Baader Meinhof Complex, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, The Duchess, The Reader, The Wrestler, Tropic Thunder, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, WALL-E, Waltz with Bashir
Posted by andrescanella on December 18, 2008 · Comments Off on Post-Xmas Pop Madness with DJ XL5
Running from December 25th to January 8th, Cinema du Parc has announced it will be hosting a series of audio-visual event mash-ups by DJ XL5. Like at a dance club, DJ XL5 compiles eccentric pieces of video, from animation to advertising to trailers to pieces of B-movies, and runs them in an 105 minute clip … Continue reading →
Posted by andrescanella on December 17, 2008 · Leave a Comment
Part of the Montreal World Film Festival’s official selection in World Competition, Departures (Okuribito), directed by Yojiro Takita, is a picture of emotional beauty. Celloist Daigo Kobayashi departs from city life with his wife after the orchestra disbands and moves back to his home town in rural Japan. His job searching leads him to an ad in … Continue reading →
Posted by andrescanella on December 10, 2008 · Comments Off on Before Penn There Was Milk
In anticipation of Gus Van Sant’s Milk, Cinema du Parc will have a limited time screening of the 1984 Oscar-winning The Times of Harvey Milk, directed by Rob Epstein. Considered one of the greatest American documentaries, and told in a traditional biographical style, this audio-visual historical document is essential viewing before watching the new narrative … Continue reading →
Posted by andrescanella on December 8, 2008 · Comments Off on DVD Releases for the Week of Dec. 9, 2008
How to look past the obvious choice this week? Acclaimed by critics and the second highest grossing film of all time in North America, The Dark Knight is ready to eclipse all other releases this week as top sell, top rental. Any attention for other films will likely be reduced to nil. And while this second … Continue reading →
Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged with A Hole in the Fence, Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild!, Burn the Bridges, Christopher Nolan, D.W. Young, Emiko Omori & Wendy Blair Slick, Europa, F.W. Murnau, Flow: For Love of Water, Francisco Franco, God and Gays: Bridging the Gap, Horton Hears a Who!, Irena Salina, James Marsh, Jimmy Hayward & Steve Martino, Lars von Trier, Le cas roberge, Luane Beck, Man on Wire, Mia Goldman, Nicholas Gyeney, Open Window, Ozer Kiziltan, Passion and Power: The Technology of Orgasm, Peter & the Wolf, Raphael Malo, Suzie Templeton, Takva: A Man's Fear of God, The Dark Knight, The Falling, Todd Stephens, Werner Herzog
Posted by andrescanella on December 7, 2008 · Comments Off on Brazil Film Fest’08 Review: Bossa Nova
Fifty years ago, a new musical style emerged in Brazil; it mixed the sexy beat of samba with the smooth cool of jazz: bossa nova was born. To celebrate its golden anniversary, Bruno Barreto’s film, also named Bossa Nova and dedicated to musician Antonio (Tom) Jobim, was chosen as the opening film for the 2nd edition of … Continue reading →
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