Skip to main content

SXSW 2011: Reviewing All the Fantastic Midnight Movies

By Peter Martin (Subscribe to Peter Martin's posts), Posted Mar 20th 2011 4:30PM
Filed under: Features, SXSW Film Festival, Cinematical
Hobo With a Shotgun

As SXSW winds down, it's time to reflect on all the movies that kept audiences awake past bedtime, notably the 10 Midnight features divided between the "Midnighters" and "SXFantastic" sidebars. It was an unusually strong collection of films that stirred up vigorous debate among viewers. Which ones stood out? Which ones may be coming soon to a theater near you?

Films with Pre-Fest Distribution:

'Hobo With a Shotgun'

Pardon me for saying the obvious, but this movie is a blast, a huge slice of rowdy, rousing action. Rutger Hauer plays the titular hobo. "In an era of too much campy self-awareness, too many grindhouse homages, and too much blood-for-blood's-sake, 'HWAS' is a breath of fresh, sleazy air," our own Eric D. Snider wrote from Sundance. "First-time director Jason Eisener, expanding on the fake trailer that he and writer John Davies made in 2007 as part of a contest, takes exactly the right tone, straddling the line between imitation and parody."

The film will be available on demand (via various providers) on April 1 before hitting select theaters starting on May 6. More information is available at the official site.

After the jump: Three more that now have distribution, prospects for the other six, plus trailers -- all NSFW!
Continue Reading

'You Instead' SXSW Review: Music, Romance and Handcuffs

By Peter Martin (Subscribe to Peter Martin's posts), Posted Mar 15th 2011 2:00PM
Filed under: Reviews, SXSW Film Festival, Cinematical
You Instead

The watershed documentaries 'Woodstock' and 'Gimme Shelter' established the extremes of music festival movies, from the highs of peace, love, drugs and nudity, to the lows of overzealous security guards beating a man to death.

The fictional feature 'You Instead,' shot on location in four-and-a-half days at the real-life T in the Park festival in Scotland, definitely leans toward 'Woodstock' rather than 'Gimme Shelter.' The film, which had its North American Premiere at SXSW, deftly captures the pleasant vibe of a gigantic summertime festival where no humans or animals were harmed.

Adam (Luke Treadaway) and Morello (Natalia Tena) meet cute when they're handcuffed together shortly after they arrive separately at the festival. They're both musicians; he's part of a duo called The Make with his mate Tyko (Matthew Baynton), and she's a member of the female quartet The Dirty Pinks. The two groups get into a dispute in the parking area; Adam and Morello are in the midst of a screaming match when a passing security guard (Joseph Mydell) snaps on the cuffs and promptly disappears.
Continue Reading

Top 5 Blu-ray Picks of the Week: 'The Fighter,' 'BMX Bandits'

By Peter Martin (Subscribe to Peter Martin's posts), Posted Mar 14th 2011 5:00PM
Filed under: Features, Columns, Cinematical, Blu-ray DVDs
Yi Yi (A One and a Two)

Every week, we sift through all the new Blu-ray releases and single out the "must see" titles. Look for the column every Monday. This week: Two families in turmoil and Aussie bike racers.

Our Top 5 Picks for This Week: What to Buy or Rent

1. 'Yi Yi' (aka 'A One and a Two.') Dramatic epic about a family in turmoil. DVD upgrade. Buy.

2. 'BMX Bandits.' Australian kids ride bikes; cheesy but brilliant. Breakout role for Nicole Kidman. DVD upgrade. Buy.

3. 'The Fighter.' Academy Award–winner Christian Bale supports Mark Wahlberg in this rousing family drama. New to home video. Rent.

4. 'Au revoir les enfants.' World War II comes home to a French boarding school. Directed by Louis Malle. DVD upgrade. Rent.

5. 'Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.' Will Farrell as a '70s newscaster. Yes, it's a comedy. DVD upgrade. Rent.
Continue Reading

'Battle Los Angeles' Review: Angry Aliens vs. Simple Stereotypes

By Peter Martin (Subscribe to Peter Martin's posts), Posted Mar 9th 2011 9:00PM
Filed under: Reviews, Sci-Fi, Cinematical
Battle: Los Angeles

The eyeball-rolling starts early and often in 'Battle: Los Angeles,' an alien invasion picture that drowns in its own bathetic soap opera.

Visually arresting, with dynamic shaky-cam combat footage mixed seamlessly with a myriad of explosions and an endless army of alien footsoldiers, the film never bothers to develop the characters beyond the most rudimentary stereotypes. Thus we have Soldier Mourning Fallen Comrade, Nigerian Medic, American Virgin, Man Preparing to Get Married, Man Leaving Behind Pregnant Wife, Unexpectedly Combat-Ready Female Soldier, Devoted Father, Beautiful Civilian, and, let's not forget, Bug-Like Extraterrestrials With Nefarious Motives.

The only character who's explored to any degree is Staff Sergeant Nantz, played by Aaron Eckhart at his most heroic. And, frankly, we hear entirely too much about him. As the story begins, he's completed his 20 years of service in the Marines and wants out. Not least of his motivations is an incident in Iraq in which the men in his unit were killed, while he survived.

Raise your hand if you know where this is going.
Continue Reading

Top 5 Blu-ray Picks of the Week: 'Excalibur,' Miyazaki's 'Nausicaä'

By Peter Martin (Subscribe to Peter Martin's posts), Posted Mar 7th 2011 8:30PM
Filed under: Features, Columns, Cinematical, Blu-ray DVDs
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

Every week, we sift through all the new Blu-ray releases and single out the "must see" titles. Look for the column every Monday. This week: two Oscar nominees, a Miyazaki classic and a rousing King Arthur epic.

Our Top 5 Picks for This Week: What to Buy or Rent

1. 'Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.' Miyazaki. Dying planet, warring nations, dreams of peace; beauty, grace and power. Buy.

2. 'Excalibur.' King Arthur with blood and sex. DVD upgrade. Buy.

3. 'Inside Job.' Academy Award-winning documentary. New to home video. Rent.

4. 'Four Lions.' Terrorism can be funny. New to home video. Rent.

5. 'Exit Through the Gift Shop.' Academy Award-nominated doc. DVD upgrade. Rent.
Continue Reading

Actors We Miss: Jerry Orbach

By Peter Martin (Subscribe to Peter Martin's posts), Posted Mar 4th 2011 8:00PM
Filed under: Features, Cinematical
Jerry Orbach

Today's wide release of 'Beastly,' a teenage riff on 'Beauty and the Beast,' casts our minds back to Disney's great animated musical version in 1991, which featured a charming performance by an actor who would soon become much better known as a TV detective on 'Law and Order.'

Jerry Orbach played Lumière in 'Beauty and the Beast,' the singing, madly flirtatious French candlestick holder, a role that flowed naturally from his extensive experience in musical stage productions. (He was an original cast member of 'The Fantasticks' and starred in 'Guys and Dolls' and 'Chicago,' among others.) This writer saw him in a revival of '42nd Street' on Broadway in 1982, which rocked my world because I'd seen him the previous year as a corrupt cop in the gritty 'Prince of the City.' How could a dirty cop also be a good singer and dancer?

Personal experience always shapes our perceptions, of course, so maybe your lasting image of Orbach is from his role in 'Dirty Dancing' as the stern Dr. Houseman (pictured above), the father of dance- and boy-crazed heroine Baby (Jennifer Grey). With a scowl on his face and steam blowing out of his ears, he disapproves initially of any kind of relationship between playboy Johnny (Patrick Swayze) and his darling daughter, but finally caves in at the end because he loves his little girl.
Continue Reading

Blu-ray Picks: 'Bambi,' 'Out of Sight,' 'The Cable Guy'

By Peter Martin (Subscribe to Peter Martin's posts), Posted Mar 1st 2011 10:15AM
Filed under: Features, Columns, Cinematical, Blu-ray DVDs
Bambi

Our Top 10 Picks for This Week:

1. 'Bambi.' My first movie with my mother; Walt Disney terrified me. DVD upgrade. Buy.

2. 'Out of Sight.' George Clooney romances Jennifer Lopez. Slick and sensual. DVD upgrade. Buy.

3. 'The Cable Guy.' Demented Jim Carrey terrorizes Matthew Broderick. DVD upgrade. Rent.

4. '127 Hours.' Oscar host cuts off arm in drama based on real life. New to home video. Rent.

5. 'Love & Other Drugs.' Other Oscar host takes off clothes in romance based on real life. New to home video. Rent.

6. 'Daughters of Darkness.' From 1971, when vampires were dark and erotic, not sparkly and chaste. DVD upgrade. Rent.

7. 'Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould (Director's Cut).' Piano prodigy. Rent.

8. 'Burlesque.' Cher sings! Christina dances! We have better things to do! New to home video. Skip.

9. 'Faster.' Duane Johnson beats up people. New to home video. Skip.

10. 'Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster.' Sequel. Really? Kill me now. Direct to home video. Skip.

After the jump: See our rating system in action, read in-depth coverage on a personal pick by yours truly (hint: it ain't the deer movie), vote in our poll for "Must Buy of the Week," share the Blu-rays you've been watching lately and catch up on the latest release announcements.
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Hot Topics

From Our Partners