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It’s tough to find a middle ground between clever and overly artsy. Wes Anderson, for me, found this area in 2009′s Fantastic Mr. Fox. The animation was different and the writing was pretty much flawless. His newest feature, Moonrise Kingdom, isn’t as family friendly per se, but it is a great follow-up in terms of art, storytelling, and quirkiness. Doning a spectacular cast, Anderson delivers [...]
There were plenty of things working against Men in Black III before its release. First, the original sequel, Men in Black II, was a critical flop. Second, almost ten years have elapsed between films. Lastly, and probably scariest, was the fact that Men in Black III started production and filming without a final script. Production was actually stopped at one point to finish the script. [...]
Movies based on personal memoirs are nothing new. Depending on the story and the cast and the direction, they can either be wonderful or terrible. Mighty Fine falls somewhere in between with a lackluster script, yet several great performances. Told from the point of view of Natalie Fine (Jodelle Ferland), the movie tells the story of the Fine family whose patriarch, Joe (Chazz Palminteri), a [...]
The Eye of the Storm The Australian drama The Eye of the Storm is playing this weekend at the 38th Seattle International Film Festival. Based on the novel of the same name, Fred Schepisi puts a lot of emphasis on family. We all like to think our families are perfect, but we also know this sadly isn’t true. The Eye of the Storm is a [...]
Opening this weekend at the 38th Seattle International Film Festival is Matthew Lillard’s directorial debut, Fat Kid Rules The World. Based on the novel of the same name (by K.L. Going), the story uniquely focuses on male eating disorders. In this case, we get to see two extremes (the two brothers), while also presenting a story full of music, friendship, and hope. It certainly has [...]
Most women have no idea how or when the vibrator was invented; they’re just glad that it was. But the origins of the world’s most popular sex toy are revealed in Tanya Wexler’s wonderfully funny new film, Hysteria. And although it’s set in the 1800′s, the story and the characters all seem very familiar. “While it might be a 19th century story, it’s a subject [...]
Elena Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Russian film Elena got significant recognition upon its Cannes release in 2011. Taking home the Special Jury Prize, the film was picked up by Zeitgeist Films, where it was released in the U.S. this week. Likewise, it plays during the first week of the Seattle International Film Festival (specific screenings below). Plot-wise, the film follows Elena (Nadezhda Markina), as she tries to [...]
There’s one thing you can almost certainly count on when Sacha Baron Cohen is starring in a movie: outrageously offensive material. For some, this makes the film an instant “must-see,” but to others it serves as a warning. With many different forms of humor, Cohen’s Borat character will probably go down as the best. His more recent Brüno personality was met with a lot more [...]
Given the nature of Tim Burton’s movies, it’s hard to expect anything “normal” for his newest one, titled Dark Shadows. Not surprisingly, it stars Johnny Depp in a visually-stimulating, styled comedy, mixed with themes of horror and drama. However, Burton has proved himself to be hit-or-miss over the years. Although Dark Shadows looks the part, it doesn’t create characters or stories worth praising. Going for [...]
Having never been one for outdoor concerts, public toilets, or mud, I found a lot of the new movie, Tonight You’re Mine, utterly foreign. At its core, the film is a love story between two feuding rockers who are handcuffed together by a wandering hippie and have only hours to figure out a solution before they’re due to perform, although at times it seems more [...]
