Cinema is Dope

[ View Image (1024×683) ]
[ View Image (1280×854) ]

[ View Image (1024×683) ]

[ View Image (1024×683) ]

[ View Image (1024×683) ]

The next Harry Potter as we will know by now has been moved back to next year and I certainly think it will be the one film in the series to convert many new fans. The last two books of Rowling’s series certainly raise the bar, transcendence and spectacle for everything that came before it in very sweeping fashion. Half-Blood Prince is simply one of the best stories I’ve ever read and I can’t wait to see it realized on the big screen.

Related Coverage:
::: Official Site
::: Teaser Trailer
::: MugglesNet - Best Harry Potter Fan Site
::: Official J.K.Rowling Site

(Read more…)

Share on Facebook

[ View Image (1024×768) ]

Vintage Movie Wallpaper of the Day
Thursday, August 28, 2008

As far as boxing films go, it gets no better than this 1980 Martin Scorsese one!

Amazon.com Link:
::: Buy the Raging Bull (Special Edition DVD)

(Read more…)

Share on Facebook

[ View Image (1024×687) ]

[ View Image (1024×642) ]

[ View Image (1024×431) ]

New Cinema Wallpaper of the Day
Thursday, August 28, 2008

Let the Right One In (event listing) is screening at Fantastic Fest this year and is an absolute must see!

Let the Right One In (Matt’s Review) is one of the most refreshing horror films I’ve seen in ages. Just when you think horror cinema has gotten stale or any tale revolving around vampires routine, along comes this magical film that will blow you away. It’s been a film festival charmer this year racking up awards at a dizzying pace, not to mention taking top honors at Tribeca. I’ll never forget the looks of amazement on Tim League’s (Alamo Drafthouse, Fantastic Fest) and Todd Brown’s (Twitch) face as they walked out of seeing it at the Berlin Film Festival’s European Market earlier this year.

Seeing Let the Right One In at NIFFF was one of the highlights of 2008 so far for me. Along with that it was a great experience interviewing its director Tomas Alfredson (read interview here).

(Read more…)

Share on Facebook

[ View Image (979×768) ]

Vintage Movie Wallpaper of the Day
Wednesday, August 27, 2008

One of the best wuxia films and certainly more accessible from the mid to late 60’s period of Shaw Brothers films. King Hu certainly lifts a fairly routine plot into something great with Cheng Pei-pei in top form as a soft beauty that kicks all kinds of ass when pushed to far.

The strong and more graphic fighting so often attributed to Shaw Brothers titles doesn’t really show up until 1967 with The One-Armed Swordsman. After that it really takes the early 70’s to get going.

Related Coverage:
::: Kung Fu Cinema Review by Mark Pollard

(Read more…)

Share on Facebook

[ View Image (1024×673) ]

[ View Image (1024×635) ]

[ View Image (1024×683) ]

[ View Image (1024×683) ]

[ View Image (1024×666) ]

[ View Image (1024×642) ]

[ View Image (1024×683) ]

[ View Image (1024×683) ]

New Cinema Wallpaper of the Day
Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Woody Allen romanticizes one of my favorite cities in the world in Barcelona in his latest film. I can’t wait to see all the locations shot in the film and think the setting of Barcelona should serve as an amazing back drop for its story. If you have never been to Barcelona, I can’t recommend it highly enough from its historic offerings to its fine dining along the Mediterranean coast, there is something for everyone there!

Related Coverage:
::: Cannes 2008 Press Conference
::: Cannes 2008 Photocall Video
::: Cannes 2008 Steps Interview
::: Cannes 2008 Clip from the Film
::: GreenCine Daily Post

Synopsis:

Vicky and Cristina, two young American girls, go to spend the summer in Barcelona. Vicky (Rebecca Hall) is straight-laced and about to be married. Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) is a free-spirit and very sexually adventurous.

They meet a flamboyant, Spanish artist (Javier Bardem) and his beautiful but insane ex-wife (Penelope Cruz). They all become involved in romantic adventures that are either hilarious or harrowing, depending on your point of view. Barcelona is seen as a very beautiful, romantic city like New York was in the movie, Manhattan.

- Woody Allen

(Read more…)

Share on Facebook

[ View Image (1024×710) ]

Vintage Movie Wallpaper of the Day
Monday, August 25, 2008

It’s the landmark ninkyo eiga (chivalry films) yakuza film, Theater Of Life: Hishakaku by Tadashi Sawashima. Give yourself 10 points if you can name the actor and actress in this still.

Theater Of Life: Hishakaku (Jinsei Gekijo - Hishakaku) will be screening as part of the Japan in Black program at this years San Sebastian International Film Festival (more info).

Japanese Cinema:
::: Jason Gray
::: Mark Schilling’s Tokyo Ramen
::: Midnight Eye
::: Nippon Cinema
::: Outcast Cinema
::: Ryuganji
::: Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow

(Read more…)

Share on Facebook

[ View Image (1024×768) ]

[ View Image (1024×683) ]

[ View Image (1024×683) ]

[ View Image (1024×683) ]

It won the Grand Prize at last years Cannes and has done a fairly extensive film festival tour since then, yet I’ve somehow managed to miss it. While the film itself seems to be divisive, there is no mistaking the amazing cinematography it seems to possess.

Japanese Cinema:
::: Jason Gray
::: Mark Schilling’s Tokyo Ramen
::: Midnight Eye
::: Nippon Cinema
::: Outcast Cinema
::: Ryuganji
::: Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow

(Read more…)

Share on Facebook

[ View Image (1024×733) ]

Vintage Movie Wallpaper of the Day
Sunday, August 24, 2008

High and Low (Tengoku to jigoku) will be screening as part of the Japan in Black program at this years San Sebastian International Film Festival (more info).

Japanese Cinema:
::: Jason Gray
::: Mark Schilling’s Tokyo Ramen
::: Midnight Eye
::: Nippon Cinema
::: Outcast Cinema
::: Ryuganji
::: Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow

Amazon.com Link:
::: Buy the High and Low - Criterion Collection
(Read more…)

Share on Facebook

[ View Image (1024×683) ]

[ View Image (1024×707) ]

[ View Image (1024×683) ]

[ View Image (1024×643) ]

[ View Image (1024×666) ]

[ View Image (1024×740) ]

New Cinema Wallpaper of the Day
Sunday, August 24, 2008

The buzz seems to be fairly positive on this film from Shochiku. Yoji Yamada has apparently crafted a well made tear-jerker that should get a good life on the festival circuit.

Related Coverage:
::: Hollywood Reporter review by Maggie Lee

Japanese Cinema:
::: Jason Gray
::: Mark Schilling’s Tokyo Ramen
::: Midnight Eye
::: Nippon Cinema
::: Outcast Cinema
::: Ryuganji
::: Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow

(Read more…)

Share on Facebook

[ View Image (1024×577) ]

Passion, the debut from Ryusuke Hamaguchi will compete with 13 other films at the upcoming 56th San Sebastian International Film Festival for its New Directors Award. Passion features the cast of Aoba Kawai, Ryuta Okamoto, Fusako Urabe, Nao Okabe and Kiyohiko Shibukawa.

Synopsis:
Here is a couple who have their wedding close at hand. In the middle of the celebration party where their friends get together, it is accidentally exposed that the prospective groom had an affair in the past. That night, the couple spend time apart… In this film, we see a rash and frivolous love tapestry woven by men and women in their twenties next door, displayed in Yokohama at night –or it may seem a metaphysical study of love. What will their conclusion bring at the end? Impressive? Ridicule? First work.

Japanese Cinema:
::: Jason Gray
::: Mark Schilling’s Tokyo Ramen
::: Midnight Eye
::: Nippon Cinema
::: Outcast Cinema
::: Ryuganji
::: Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow

(Read more…)

Share on Facebook