Directed and created by me; enacted by my friend, 2008

Author: roseisthebest112 Keywords: entertainment comedy drama Improv short films spoof Added: September 5, 2008

Election 2008 - A Republic that became an Empire. The politics of the Republican Administration for the last 8 years bears a striking resemblance to another patriotic party of years ago - And a nation that stood by and did nothing. Avanti Films www.avantivisuals.com

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Tags : politics republican mccain palin obama democrat election
Envoyé : 06 septembre 2008
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This week's "One Week Only" installment collects the short films created by director Vincent Moon and producer Chryde of La Blogothèque's "Take Away Show" for Beirut's 2007 album The Flying Club Cup. They follow Zach Condon and his band into corners of Brooklyn both strange and familiar and capture performances from the record in their unique and expressive style.

When the worlds of Washington, DC political intrigue, infidelity, fitness centers and internet dating intersect and collide in a darkly hilarious fashion, you must be watching a film by the Coen brothers. Burn After Reading, Joel and Ethan Coen's follow-up to last year's critically lauded award winner, No Country for Old Men, was actually written by the duo as they were adapting No Country, but the two films couldn't be more different.

The colliding worlds in Burn After Reading involve a CIA analyst named Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich), who's summoned to a top-secret meeting only to find out that the secret is he's being demoted due to his drinking problem. Cox blows a gasket and quits rather than taking the demotion, planning to spend his new-found spare time working on his memoirs and refining his drinking. Cox is married to Katie (Tilda Swinton), a icy pediatrician with the worst bedside manner imaginable, and she's less than sympathetic to her husband's life crisis.

Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Theatrical Reviews, Festival Reports, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Oscar Watch, Toronto International Film Festival, Cinematical Indie

Continue reading TIFF Review: Burn After Reading

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Roger Ebert talks about how to read a movie.

This all began for me in about 1969, when I started teaching a film class in the University of Chicago's Fine Arts program. I knew a Chicago film critic, teacher and booker named John West, who lived in a wondrous apartment filled with film prints, projectors, books, posters and stills. "You know how football coaches use a stop-action 16mm projector to study game films?" he asked me. "You can use that approach to study films. Just pause the film and think about what you see. You ought to try it with your film class."

I did. The results were beyond my imagination. I wasn't the teacher and my students weren't the audience, we were all in this together. The ground rules: Anybody could call out "stop!" and discuss what we were looking at, or whatever had just occurred to them.

This article also contains the most information-rich paragraph I've ever read online...it's like an entire film class in 12 lines. Fascinating stuff. One of the points is that, generally, the right side of the screen is more positive. In a later comment, Ebert adds:

In all the years with Siskel and on all the incarnations of the show, I always quietly made sure I was seated on the right. When Roeper came aboard, the producers insisted I "belonged" in "Gene's seat." Sentiment won over visual strategy. Did I really think it made a difference? Yes, I really did.

Also, he should do this online...post film stills and let people leave comments, discuss, etc.

(link)

When you live in downtown Toronto, you quickly become accustomed to the people calendar -- when the streets will be silent, and when they'll be buzzing. It starts when school lets out -- young kids hit the playgrounds while the college kids head home and free up the late-night sidewalks. Every third person is now a tourist, stopping every few feet for pictures or to look at a map. On the weekends, the city often becomes a ghost town, as hordes head up north to cottages. But then it's back to school, often marked by the eager new engineers running around the city painted purple.

And just a few days later, they're joined by slick stars and a million press badges as the Toronto International Film Festival gears up. The stars are out, as are the press, the movie lovers, and the eager onlookers. Teeny boppers buzz like packs of bees around the Four Seasons and other Yorkville haunts for a peek at someone famous. It's movies and fans everywhere.

But reviews don't give you a taste of the city, nor do quick glimpses in films like Chicago and Urban Legend. You can see it retro-style with SCTV, but that city is in the past. The best way to get a taste of Toronto without being here is through Canadian filmmaker Don McKellar. Between the films he's directed and those he's acted in, you can get many tastes of this town, from exotic women to last nights on Earth. In honor of the fest, and of the wonderful T-Dot, I offer you: Childstar and Monkey Warfare.

Filed under: Comedy, Home Entertainment, Trailers and Clips, Friday Night Double Feature

Continue reading Cinematical's Friday Night Double Feature: That Lovely City Called Toronto

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Interview: Richard Attenborough on his sense of humour, his films, and the pain of bereavement

Though nothing has been made official yet, Nikki Finke over at Deadline Hollywood says the deal is done to bring both Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi back for Spider-Man 4 and 5. Not only that, but Finke also claims the exclusive on a story we broke right here at Cinematical months ago (thanks for the credit Nikki) -- that Sony plans to shoot both films back to back, not just because it's cheaper, but also because we were informed that James Vanderbilt's (Zodiac) script included a story arc that encompassed two films, not one.

As far as Kirsten Dunst goes, she currently does not have a deal, but Finke claims her character will return and Sony is not interested in recasting her. Villains? While there's been no announcement yet, a source claims that "once you find out who the villain is, you'll know who's playing him." Naturally, that leads everyone to believe that Dylan Baker will reprise his role and ultimately become The Lizard. Should they continue along the same path Spider-Man 3 went down, one imagines another villain (or two) will show up, perhaps as a way to tease us into the fifth film. I'm sure more will arrive online soon, so until then ... are you happy about Maguire and Raimi returning to the franchise?

Spider-Man 4 is currently scheduled to arrive in May, 2011.

Filed under: Action, Casting, RumorMonger, Fandom, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels

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Look, I'm thinking the same thing you are: Here comes Hollywood to screw up another one of our beloved franchises by re-imagining it for this new, hip generation. Whenever they try to mess with nostalgia, it always comes back to bite them in the ass -- but could things be different with a franchise like Ghostbusters, which gave us two films ... and, let's admit it, only one real classic? Here are five ways to make a cool Ghostbusters sequel ...

1. Get the Apatow crew involved

When you look back at the original Ghostbusters, you see names like Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis and Ivan Reitman. Back in 1984, these were the folks who made us really laugh. These were the young-ish voices of the time; the guys you wanted to pay money to see because you knew they'd be worth it. Today, the same can be said for guys like Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Steve Carell, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Michael Cera and Craig Robinson. At least a few of those names should show up in the sequel in order for it to have a really good shot of succeeding with fans.

2. Get a director who understands the franchise (ie: Harold Ramis or Ivan Reitman)

While there's a very good chance we'll end up seeing Judd Apatow's name tossed around as producer (no way he's directing this), the best way to hold on to what we love about Ghostbusters is to bring on a man who was there for the first two and knows what, exactly, makes this franchise work. Ramis has been working with the Apatow clan a lot lately (directing Year One, appeared in both Knocked Up and Walk Hard), and is perfectly capable of directing and acting in a film (Hello Egon cameo!). He'd by my choice for this, and, I'm sure, will also lend his voice to the script.

Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, RumorMonger, Fandom, Remakes and Sequels, Lists

Continue reading Friday Five: Ways to Make a Cool 'Ghostbusters' Sequel

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hi everyone.
i have just bought my imac and think i am now sorted but the dvd i was using before are proving a bit naff and making more coasters than discs.
what brand do you all use ( not to expensive) - its to make back ups of the kids films.!:)

INTERVIEW - Présidente du jury du 34e Festival du film américain de Deauville, elle devra départager onze films en compétition.

Welsh ragga-metal band SKINDRED has finished filming the video for its new single, "Trouble".

Cinematical has just received this exclusive poster for Happy-Go-Lucky (click image to enlarge), directed by Mike Leigh (Vera Drake, Secrets & Lies). The film, which premiered in Telluride and is currently screening at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, stars Sally Hawkins as an eternally optimistic teacher living and working in North London. Apart from the exclusive clip we debuted on Cinematical earlier in the week, Kim had this to say about the film: "All in all, I quite liked Happy-Go-Lucky; it's certainly one of Leigh's more mainstream-friendly films, and will appeal to moviegoers beyond the dress-all-in-black, gloom-and-doom cinephile crowd, while still retaining enough of the Leigh touch to satisfy most of the purists."

Happy-Go-Lucky will arrive in theaters with a smile on October 10.

Filed under: Comedy, Independent, Fandom, Movie Marketing, Toronto International Film Festival, Posters

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Cinematical has just received the first trailer for Nights and Weekends, written, starring and directed by Joe Swanberg and Greta Gerwig. The film, which first premiered during this year's South by Southwest Film Festival (or SXSW), follows one couple struggling to maintain a long distance relationship, and all the ups and downs that go along with that. Not only does it rank among Swanberg and Gerwig's best to date, but, as I said in my review, both "do a tremendous job tapping into everything we love about our relationships, as well as everything we hate - and they do this with moments, glances, kisses and tears. No score. No set pieces. No set up and payoff."

Like most films that carry the Swanberg and Gerwig name, it's experimental and it definitely takes risks in the way it conveys the story -- but that's also what makes it unique and a pleasure to watch. Instead of searching for plot points, you're forced to share this couple's most intimate moments together -- and not only does it feel raw, fresh and funky, but also satisfying and somewhat therapeutic.

IFC Festival Direct will bring Nights and Weekends to your living room via On Demand beginning September 24, and the film will also enjoy a theatrical run at New York's IFC Center beginning October 10th. Check it out, and let us know what you think. See the trailer below ...

Filed under: Drama, Independent, Romance, Movie Marketing, Trailers and Clips

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The set-top-box market is slowly but surely building. Every company seems keen on getting a device out there and in to our living rooms capable of streaming video from the Internet. And there’s now a new contender on the scene.

We already have market leader Apple TV, as well as other alternative such as VUDU. But there are many more devices entering the fray.

New Competition

May saw the release of the sub-$100 Roku box complete with Netflix streaming capabilities built in. Since then, Roku has stated its intention to increase its content partners, with YouTube and Hulu the front runners to be added in the future.

Then there is the emergence of games consoles as a viable device for video distribution. The Wii has the BBC iPlayer, the Xbox 360 is due to get Netflix, and the PS3 is getting its own video download service.

LG BD300

At the end of July, we saw the first sighting of a forthcoming Blu-ray and streaming video hybrid from LG called the LG BD300. Now the company has filled in the details.

The LG BD300 is set to be released and available in the US from October. It will retail for $399.99 but for that you’ll get full Blu-ray capabilities coupled with the ability to stream movies and TV episodes from Netflix (assuming you choose to subscribe).

HD… Sort Of

But while the machine will enable users to watch Blu-ray films in full 1080p glory, the content streamed from Netflix will only be close to DVD quality.

Netflix is looking at offering HD quality downloads in the future but for now, you’ll have to purchase Blu-ray discs to experience a true high definition future.

A Tough Time Competing

Luckily, due to the Internet connection, the new player will be equipped with BD Live, meaning its guaranteed future-proof due to constant firmware upgrades. But seeing as that is something the Playstation 3 already does, it’s not that big a deal.

It’s satisfying to have the first Blu-ray player also able to stream content on the market, but with the Roku box being available for $300 less, and the PS3 and Xbox 360 also offering real (and cheaper) alternatives, the LG BD300 will have a tough time competing.

[PR News Wire]

Related Ad

Buy the ‘LG BD300 hybrid player’ from Amazon

In case you haven't noticed, Cinematical has officially kicked off its coverage of the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival with reviews of two of the biggest films screening this year: Rachel Getting Married and The Brothers Bloom. We have so much in store for you this year, it's best if you just sit back, relax and thank your lucky stars that someone else is in charge of fighting the crowds, the snarky journalists and the lack of sleep.

Most of our coverage will land on the main page here, but you'll always be able to find everything in one place over on our official TIFF Hub. Additionally, down there to the right of your screen you'll see a special Cinematical TIFF Widget housing quick links to all our TIFF coverage. Best of all, you can snag that and put it wherever you want (your site, your friends' site, the site of a total stranger) -- this way you (and your readers) will always know what's going on in Toronto. Could we make it any easier?

So, are you ready to check out a sneak peak of this fall's hottest movies? Do I even need to ask that? Enjoy the coverage, and let us know if there's anything you'd especially like to see.

Filed under: Site Announcements, Festival Reports, Fandom, Toronto International Film Festival

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Ce n'est point de la mauvaise foi cinéphilique que de confesser qu'aujourd'hui, les films de ce calibre n'existent plus. Au fur et à mesure qu'on voit et revoit ce Voyage au bout de l'enfer, on consta[...]

INTERVIEW - Présidente du jury du 34e Festival du film américain de Deauville, elle devra départager onze films en compétition.

INTERVIEW - Présidente du jury du 34e Festival du film américain de Deauville, elle devra départager onze films en compétition.

Former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen reportedly shot footage for her new video, "Enough", during a break on her recent South American tour.

The Phoenix Lander confirmed the presence of water ice on Mars a few weeks ago. Now the lander searches for a bigger prize: thin films unfrozen water buried underground that could support microbial life.