// Category Archive for: Movies

Ten Reasons Why You Should See In Bruges

By Michelle Patterson

In Bruges, a delightful and surprising film out of Ireland that won critical acclaim in 2008—winning a Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy Golden Globe for Colin Farrell, gaining an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay, and winning numerous awards in its native country—deserves much credit for being a genuinely black comedy.

When it is funny, it creates guffaws a-plenty and when it is black, it is inky, friends. What is most astonishing is how it manages to allow the proper amount of depth within the characterization. Yet, when one considers that the filmmaker, Martin MacDonagh, is a well-established playwright and has a Best Live Action Short Film Academy Award under his belt for his first foray into film, Six Shooter, it isn’t really that shocking. We’re also reminded that Colin Farrell can act. So, let’s settle into the Top Ten Moments of one brilliant piece of Irish filmmaking.
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The Art or the Crime?

By Jesse Roth

The arrest of director Roman Polanksi in the fall of 2009 on a decades-old arrest warrant stirred up quite a bit of controversy on many fronts. For some, it was the unexpected but welcome capture of a convicted sexual predator, allowed to run free in Europe for far too long. Others, particularly those in the Hollywood community, were quick to defend one of their own on charges they felt were unwarranted. They wanted Polanski to be free to escape his troubled past, allowed to continue to perfect the craft that made him famous.

As the debate raged on, some brought up the idea that people should boycott the films of Polanski and the actors that supported his scandalous freedom fight. In the eyes of these protestors, the viewing and enjoyment this man’s films meant supporting the actions of a child molester.

Roman Polanski then

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Nine, A Soundtrack Review

By Danny R. Phillips

I’m not much for musicals. People walking down the street, spontaneously breaking into song. . . it’s all very hokey and unrealistic to me. Generally, I think it’s a stupid genre. . . wait, does Walk The Line count as a musical? If so, I liked that one. Anyway, soundtrack albums to musicals are often more painful than the actual film, but there is something about the soundtrack of Nine that makes me let my guard down and dial down the hate just a bit.
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Legion

By Lisa Anderson

If you’ve gone to the movies in the past few months, you’re probably at least peripherally aware of Legion. It’s the movie advertised by the cardboard cutout of the winged, shirtless man with weapons in both hands. If you’ve seen the trailer, you know that its premise is that God gets fed up with humanity and sends angels to exterminate us, but that there’s a baby who can turn everything around if only it survives, and one lone angel who wants to help. Even with all of that, though, I went in not really knowing what to expect.
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Eight Reasons To Love Cillian Murphy

By Less Lee Moore

Batman Begins, 2005

8. He can play creepy.
Let’s get this one out of the way first. If I had a nickel for every time I heard or read the word “creepy” (or worse, “BUT he’s so creepy!”) associated with Cillian Murphy, well, I’d have a hell of a lot of nickels.

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Killing The Language Of Cinema?

By Less Lee Moore

The recent launch of Movieclips.com, a website featuring “over 12,000 movie clips” that one can “search, find, view, discuss and share scenes from” seems like a great idea. From a practical standpoint, trying to find YouTube movie clips can be challenging as they are often taken down due to copyright infringement issues. (Movieclips has the express permission of several of the major studios to showcase these clips.)

On the other hand, why would we need a site like Movieclips.com (or movie clips on YouTube, for that matter)?
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Things That Thrilled Me In 2009: By Allison Anders

Allison Anders is a filmmaker, director, music fan, and lover of life. She has written/directed Gas Food Lodging, Grace Of My Heart, Sugar Town, and Things Behind The Sun. She is also the founder of the Don’t Knock The Rock film and music festival. Currently, she is working on a follow up to her film Mi Vida Loca called Smile Now Cry Later.
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Sherlock Holmes

By Lisa Anderson

If you read my article in Popshifter about previous incarnations of Sherlock Holmes, you know that I was skeptical about Guy Ritchie’s take on the timeless detective. I got the opportunity to go to an early screening this week, and was pleasantly surprised. In fact, I was blown away by how much I liked it.
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Best Of 2009: By JG Thirlwell

Mainly I listen to classical, contemporary composition, soundtracks, and prog rock, and I spent most of the year writing new music of my own.
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Best Of 2009: By Danny R. Phillips

These are my favorite albums in no discernible order.
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