I’ve avoided writing my review of Darren Aronofsky’s “psycho-sexual thriller” until I had a bit of time to get over the intense euphoria I experienced while watching the film. It has now been over a week – but I still get trembles of excitement when I think back on watching it. Simply put, this is the best film of the year – and quite possibly one of my favorite films of all time. It is sexy, scary, inspiring, beautiful, thrilling, insanely intense, and more than anything, brilliant. I’ve never before wanted so badly to turn right back around and watch the movie again. Even writing this now is getting me excited. This movie is like a drug and I want more now!

Natalie Portman is a lock for a nom and should be the front runner for her role as the beautiful ballerina Nina Sayers. She studied dance for more than a year for the role and although I’m certainly no ballet expert, she seems to have gotten it down. But what is so truly incredible about her performance is the vulnerability she projects. At the beginning of the film, Nina is so timid she barely whispers her words. The quite literal transformation she undergoes is only that much more rewarding because of where she starts. Kudos to both Portman and Aronofsky for so successfully bringing us along on Nina’s ride.

Mila Kunis and Barbara Hershey turn in career performances and Vincent Cassel nails the dynamic aspects of the villain/hero in his director character maybe better than anyone. I had previously lauded Roger Deakin’s cinematography in True Grit as good enough to finally win him the Oscar. In comparison, that movie’s western plains are a softball. Here Matthew Libatique’s camera becomes a character pirouetting on stage alongside the dancers. It is rhythmic and hypnotic and I’ve never seen anything like it. The decision to shoot handheld so close to the characters adds both an intimacy and suspense that is simply brilliant. Up close with Nina, whatever is right over her shoulder is right over yours as well – a terrifying effect manipulated here to perfection.

It is a very good year for cinema and the best picture category has some strong offerings. I still have little doubt that The Social Network will win top honors (and early signs are only making that look more likely). That doesn’t bother me at all. Black Swan is my year’s best picture and no lack of recognition can detract from my extraordinary experience of watching it for the first time. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I need to go watch it for my second.

Mike Leigh’s films do not have scripts. He works with his actors to build characters and then puts those characters in situations and watches what happens. When working with extremely talented actors such as the stars of Another Year, this can lead to brutally honest and often hilarious results. But it also explains the unpolished and sometimes even incomplete feeling you walk out of a Mike Leigh film with.

Though not necessarily the story’s protagonist, the star of the show is Lesley Manville and the tragically neurotic character she inhabits, Mary. Her performance should surely garner an Oscar nom (although she was snubbed by the Globes) – however I am a bit surprised that there seems to be no consideration that her role might be better classified as a supporting actress. There is no way that Manville has more screen time than True Grit‘s Hailee Steinfeld – yet Steinfeld is considered supporting. Color me perplexed.

Regardless of classification, Manville’s performance is stunning – even if the movie does drift a bit into melodrama at times. I’m not talking about melodrama in the telenovela sense, but at times the movie reminded me of a play set on location. Jim Broadbent, Ruth Sheen, Oliver Maltman, and the brilliantly funny Peter Wight all deserve praise for their performances as well in a film that should be on the top of every best ensemble short list. This is a character study in the truest sense of the term. Fortunately, most all of the characters turn out interesting enough to spend the time studying.

It is pretty much my policy to give Sofia Coppola a free pass. Her films all overflow with style and I know that even if I’m not blown away by the story, I’m going to enjoy the 90 or so minutes I spend in her world. This is very much the case with her latest, Somewhere – an exploration of Hollywood stardom. Stephen Dorff stars as the rather bored leading man Johnny Marco. He has the Ferrari and the girls (at least a night at a time), but is beginning to wonder what else the world has to offer him. He finds most of his pleasure in the time he spends with his daughter Cleo – played with impressive maturity by Elle Fanning. Johnny may not be the typical father, but his love for his daughter is unquestionable.

The more I reflect on this film, the more I appreciate it. Like all of Sofia Coppola’s movies, Somewhere doesn’t offer a lot of conclusions. When judged as a contained story, it can seem inconsequential – even frustrating. But the beauty is in the moments. Scenes such as Johnny explaining the banality of his entrance into the industry to a young and hungry actor are downright hilarious (and who will ever forget the pole dancing twins). There is a subtle and powerful realism to Johnny and Cleo’s relationship – Johnny watching Cleo swim in their en suite pool and later her reaction to his Italian date both come to mind. It’s addictive. You want to know if they make it work – which is probably where that niggling feeling of dissatisfaction you’re left with comes from. But hey, dissatisfaction is a big part of what this film is about. Somewhere may not be her best movie – but if you enjoy Sofia Coppola’s work and can appreciate the little moments, there is a lot here to savor.

You could be forgiven for believing that this year’s Coen Brothers offering is the spiritual sequel to No Country for Old Men. With a marketing campaign focused on top billed names Bridges, Damon, and Brolin, I was quite surprised to learn the protagonist is actually a 14 year old girl – played superbly by Hailee Steinfeld. In fact, the movie has far more John Ford than Clint Eastwood. This is the Coens’ version of the classic western and the result is a terrific trip to the picture show. While it stops short of being wholesome, this is the kind of popcorn flick that a whole family can, and should enjoy together.

It is one of those baffling things about Hollywood when someone like Josh Brolin gets top billing with only some 15 minutes of screen time – while Steinfeld, who turns in an Oscar worthy performance and is in every scene of the movie, gets relegated to the small print. Actor contracts aside, Jeff Bridges deserves his name as big as it can go. If he had been overlooked by the academy last year for his performance in Crazy Heart, there would be no doubt about him receiving his award this time around. Even so, you’d be no fool to place a tidy wager on him going back to back (John Wayne won the award for the same role in the 1969 version). Look for another likely statue for DP Roger Deakins who has been nom’d 8 times without an Oscar win. His beautiful cinematography is at least partially to thank for the film’s brilliantly formal feel. The Coen Brothers have delivered a very enjoyable classic western and a must-see for the holiday season.

The trailer for the upcoming Your Highness directed by David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express and a bunch of arty indies) is pretty damn funny. Let’s all hope that the movie lives up to this high standard. cough…cough…

Danny Boyle’s latest is the very true to life retelling of the Aron Ralston story. The vast majority of the film takes place with Ralston, played by James Franco, trapped in a narrow stone canyon. I’m sure I won’t be the only one to compare this film to Rodrigo Cortes’ Sundance prem-ing Buried – but apart from the similar predicament of the protagonist, the two are really quite different. Buried is all about the gimmick – “How can we make an interesting movie that only takes place in a confined space?” But 127 Hours starts from a different place – “What is the best way to tell the story of someone stuck in a confined space?” While the difference is subtle, it allows the filmmakers a greater amount of leeway to experiment with the idea of confinement and its effect on the character.

The greatest flaw in the film is that we all know from the beginning how it is going to end. This creates a bit of an anticlimax once we get past the gruesomeness of the final decision. However in this case, the journey becomes the destination. Boyle’s vision let’s us peer into the mind of Aron Ralston and Franco does an incredible job of bringing us along as he goes through the different stages of hope, grief, remorse, and desperation. What starts as an incredibly compelling if not very cinematic story becomes a very interesting exploration of a character in an extraordinary situation. Look for Franco to be rewarded at Oscar nom time with possibly more noms to come along for the ride.

Doug Liman (Swingers, Go, and… Jumper) had a whole lot of options on how to approach making the film adaptation of the Valerie Plame & Joe Wilson story. His decision to focus on the intensely personal side of the relationship between the husband and wife seems to have been a good one – if for no other reason than to showcase the superb acting talents of Naomi Watts and Sean Penn. That being said, the story is serious international thriller territory and the high tension suspense scenes are great. But if that was all the film had to go on, it would be pretty unfulfilling – mostly because of the incredibly frustrating trajectory of the story.

Everyone knows that Plame and Wilson got fucked by the Bush White House (specifically Cheney via Libby via Novak) but it is genuinely interesting to see how their story played out behind the news reports. There is a-whole-nother movie just in what happens when a field operative like Plame gets yanked from her cases. The Butterworth brothers’ screenplay is based on Plame’s autobiography of the same name and Liman also worked very closely with both Plame and Wilson to make sure the details were correct. Not only that – Liman actually traveled to Baghdad to shoot some of the scenes. Liman is a camera on his shoulder kind of director (he’s his own DP) and the end result is both a visceral and personal telling of a very interesting story.

AFI Fest 2010 is once again an absolutely free film festival and this year’s lineup presents some very exciting offerings. All of the free advance tickets are gone but more tickets are released online the day before a screening at 10am and at the box office the day of the screening at 10am. Here is a quick look at some of the highlights:

This year’s fest include’s the LA premieres of a whole ton of movies that have played on the fest circuit. I’ve mentioned all of these before so I won’t spend too much time. On the Hollywood front there is Aronofsky’s Black Swan, John Cameron Mitchell’s Rabbit Hole, Derek Cianfrance’s Blue Valentine, and the premiere of Ed Zwick’s Gyllenhall/Hathaway starrer Love and Other Drugs.

From the Asian film world, the fest will host LA prems of Miike’s 13 Assassins, Takeshi Kitano’s Outrage, Korean thriller The Housemaid, and the Cannes Palme d’Or winning Uncle Boonme Who Can Recall His Past Lives from Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul.

From the European continent comes Godard’s Film Socialisme, Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech, Nigel Cole’s Made in Dagenham, and the 3D documentary Cave of Forgotten Dreams by Werner Herzog.

Blank City
Celine Danhier’s debut feature docu chronicles the indie film scene in late 1970s New York City. If you have seen Edo Bertoglio’s Basquiat starring Downtown 81, then you have an idea of the bombed out Lower East Side that directors like Jim Jarmusch and Lizzie Borden used as their backdrops. This looks fascinating. Congrats Aviva!

Barbershop Punk
Henry Rollins, Ian MacKaye, and many other notable musicians feature in this docu about fair use, big business, and the first amendment from first timers Georgia Sugimura Archer and Kristin Armfield.

Karamay
Xu Xin’s documentary questions the Chinese society in the wake of a horrible catastrophe that left 100s of school children dead because they had to wait for government officials to leave a burning building before they could escape. Not only does the subject matter sound pretty heavy, but the film clocks in at a hair short of 6 hours!

Casino Jack
Kevin Spacey plays Jack Abramoff in the dramatization of the documentary by the same name, This film is directed by the very recently departed George Hickenlooper.

Boy
Los Angeles finally gets a chance to see Taika Waititi’s (Eagle Vs. Shark, Flight of the Conchords) wonderfully funny coming of age story about a Maori boy in rural New Zealand. Do yourself a favor and get to see this one as it isn’t likely to get much of a release elsewhere.

Amigo
Chris Cooper stars as an American Colonel in John Sayles’ latest film which is set in the Philippine-American war.

Submarino
Thomas Vinterberg returns to Danish filmmaking with this drama about estranged brothers.

The Myth of the American Sleepover
Playing the Young Americans section, David Robert Mitchell’s indie debut is a story of teen love set in modern metro Detroit.

Today is the first day of Austin’s Fantastic Fest – undoubtedly one of the coolest film fests in the country. Set at the game-changing Alamo Draft House Cinema, Fantastic Fest features best genre and foreign genre flicks of the year. The mission is to show fun, scary, gross, hilarious, and just plain weird movies that you might not get a chance to normally see in the theater. Unfortunately, I won’t be there this year – but here is a quick look at what’s playing.

13 Assassins by Takashi Miike had its debut at Toronto and is a fitting closing night film for the fest. Other flicks playing at Fantastic Fest that I have mentioned here before include Japanese thriller Cold Fish by Love Exposure‘s Sion Sono, the stylized star-studded actioner Bunraku, and trip fest fave Enter The Void. Pretty much every HK action flick at TIFF will be at Fantastic Fest. This includes Dante Lam‘s Fire of Conscience, Andrew Lau‘s Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen, and Wilson Yip‘s Ip Man 2. Finally two other festival faves that might make their way to a theater near you, the Korean thriller The Housemaid and Matt Reeves‘s very well received Let the Right One In remake Let Me In.

The Cool

I’m not sure why but the Mel Brooks classic Spaceballs keeps coming up in conversation recently. If I was at the fest, I’d be sure not to miss this raucous Spaceballs Quote-A-Long. Another cool looking flick is the documentary Nerdcore Rising about the new brand of videogame and pop culture reference filled hip-hop known as Nerdcore. Guillermo Del Toro is involved with two Spanish language thrillers at the fest: Julia’s Eyes and Agnosia. The Butcher Bros. out-there horror which I had the pleasure of seeing at Sundance, The Violent Kind will also play.

The Kick Ass

Along with the actioners I mentioned above, there are plenty of cool martial arts flicks at the fest. Tony Jaa returns with his Muay Thai stylings in Ong Bak 3. Action choreography legend Yuen Woo-ping directs Michelle Yeoh in True Legend. Gallants is a martial arts comedy that stars a whole bunch of HK legends. Donnie Yen stars in Black Mask director Daniel Lee‘s latest, 14 Blades.

The Rising Sun

Fantastic Fest always brings in the best in Japanese Cinema – especially when it’s wacky. Co-directed by three of Japan’s wackiest, Tak Sakaguchi (Samurai Zombie), Yoshihiro Nishimura (Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl, Tokyo Gore Police), and Noboru Iguchi (RoboGeisha), Mutant Girls Squad promises to be an absolute crack up. On a bit more serious note, Yoshihiro Nakamura follows up last year’s Fish Story with the suspense thriller Golden Slumber. And a film I am very excited about: Takeshi Kitano makes his return to Yakuza films with his ultra-violent Outrage.

The Just Plain Weird

Machete Maidens Unleashed is a hilarious sounding docu about the world of 1960s-70s exploitation films in the Philippines. Norwegian Ninja tells the possibly true story of a ninja sent to spy on the USSR by Norwegian King Olav. Naan Kadavul is a “music-infused Tamil epic about a dope-smoking Vedic superman and a group of beggar slave children.” …wow. Finally – be sure not to miss the action-sci-fi-horror-sfx romp of the season, Sharktopus

Lemme know if you makes it to Austin.

The town has been buzzing about the Aaron Sorkin penned, David Fincher helmed The Social Network since the script topped the best scripts list last year. The finished product more than lives up to the hype. How great is it when after watching a movie you feel compelled to spend another hour poring through the Wikipedia entries for the characters you’ve just seen? I wanted to know more – and see more – and we will all definitely be hearing more about the filmmakers and actors as they march towards the Oscar podium.

Fincher’s expertise shines through when you walk out of the theater and realize you were completely engrossed in the details of the fascinating story and forgot to even think about it as a movie. Aaron Sorkin’s script is simply as good as they come. There is no way it doesn’t win the Best Adapted Oscar. These two are utter pros. Count me in to lobby they team up on a TV series. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s score is dense, moody, and perfect. The young actors shine across the board. Justin Timberlake and Andrew Garfield both kill it as rivals fighting to influence Zuckerberg’s tiller. Eisenberg may have played the awkward character before, but it is impossible to imagine anyone else playing Zuckerberg so well. He brings a sympathetic aspect to the unlikely bajillionaire that one can’t help but imagine might not be the real Zuckerberg’s strong suit. But it is necessary here. It brings the audience in, keeps us intently interested, and leaves us wanting more. One big advantage of telling a story this topical: the sequel is literally yet to be written.

The Social Network hits theaters Fri., Oct. 1.

The King’s Speech has been the hit of the early Fall Fests – winning the Audience Prize at Toronto and a slew of positive reviews at Telluride. These fests are often launching pads for a big awards push and The Weinstein Co. seems poised to do exactly that. While a Best Picture nom might be within reach, it seems all but decided that both Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush will receive acting noms (Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively) and screenwriting, costume, and production design noms could hitch along as well.

If the film emerges as a front runner for Best Pic then count Director Tom Hooper in for a Best Director nom – quite a boon for a filmmaker better known for his TV work (HBO’s John Adams and Elizabeth I). Hooper’s previous feature attempt was last year’s The Damned United. While that film never quite connected with audiences, its real strength was in the relationship between the two main characters: a soccer coach and his assistant. Replace The Damned United‘s Michael Sheen and Timothy Spall with The King’s Speech‘s Firth and Rush and you find a very similar dynamic. Firth is excellent as the stammering King George VI, but it is Geoffrey Rush as the King’s speech therapist and confidant that steals the show. Helena Bonham Carter turns in an admirable performance as well as the King’s perfectly witty Queen. My only complaint is the film drifts a bit too far into the melodramatic at points. Thankfully, the strong performances and touching relationships are enough to right the ship. While it might not quite make my top 10 list, The King’s Speech should at least make everyone’s must-see list.

Another season of awards mania is kicking off and TIFF’10 is in full swing. Here is a round up of the 70 or so films playing at Toronto that might be worth having on your radar.

Beginners
So far, critics have been very kind to Mike Mills’s (Thumbsucker) second feature which stars Ewan McGregor, Chrisoper Plummer and Melanie Laurent (from Inglourious Basterds). The very intelligent “oddly charming comedy” is a partially autobiographical story about a son dealing with his father’s coming-out a few years before his death.

Trust
David Schwimmer’s directorial follows up to Run Fatboy, Run has a quite different tone and is said to be considerably better in quality as well. Clive Owen and Catherine Keener star in this dark mainstream drama about a 14 year old girl whose 16 year old online bf turns out to be a 40-year old serial pedophile.

Super
Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler, and Kevin Bacon star in James Gunn’s violent superhero comedy. While reviews have been mixed, the film has made one of the notable big sales of the fest to IFC.

Cool It
Ondi Timoner (Dig!, We Live in Public) is back with this docu about climate change deniers.

Henry’s Crime
Keanu Reeves stars as a highway toll booth operator who is arrested for a bank robbery he didn’t commit in this Malcolm Venville comedy.

Let Me In
Much to my astonishment, word out of Toronto is that Matt Reeves’s (Cloverfield) remake of Tomas Alfredson’s Let The Right One In might be even better than its predecesor. The film stars the girl from Kick-Ass (Chloe Moretz) and the boy from The Road (Kodi Smit-McPhee) alongside Richard Jenkins.

Stone
John Curran (The Painted Veil) directs Robert De Niro, Edward Notron, and Milla Jovavich in what is said to be a messy thriller with some good performances.

Keep reading a whole lot more

Mark Romanek made his name as one of the most interesting directors with music videos such as NIN’s Closer, The Perfect Drug, Fiona Apple’s Criminal, and The Eels’ Novocaine for the Soul. It is therefore not surprising that his sophomore feature effort (after 2002’s One Hour Photo) is more of an atmospheric success than a captivating story. The film stars Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, and Andrew Garfield (the next Peter Parker) as clones genetically engineered for organ donation. The story begins with the three as small children in their clone-filled boarding school and follows them through the revelation and eventual acceptance of their fates. An unrealized childhood romance between Mulligan’s Kathy and Garfield’s Tommy flares up when the pair are young adults and leads them towards a long rumored hope that those who fall in true love will be spared.

Romanek makes some very mature decisions and his muted style is quite striking. Adam Kimmel does gorgeous things with dreary English photography creating a memorable earthy palette. This is refelected brilliantly in the costume design which serves as a window into the repressed emotions of the characters. All three leads give stunning performances – nothing new for Knightley but very encouraging to see from Mulligan’s as a follow-up to her Oscar nom’d performance in An Education. Given that all of these elements hit, it is particularly dissapointing that the story is a bit of a miss. I couldn’t help thinking over and over that this must be a much better book. Critical moments in the plot seem to happen at the wrong time or are never shown at all. It seems odd that the characters never really question their roles in this world. But the most grievous fault is that the romance between Kathy and Tommy is tragically underdeveloped. I needed to fall in love with Kathy if I was going to truly mourn for her plight and it simply never happened. Romanek’s film is admirable in its competent style – but unfortunately just doesn’t deliver as a love story.

The festival season is kicking into high gear. Venice is winding down, Telluride just wrapped up, and big daddy Toronto kicks off tomorrow. Most of the movies we will be talking about at Oscar time have just premiered or will premiere this month. Here is a quick look at 10 films that have had people talking from Venice and Telluride. Watch for a more in depth look at the Toronto lineup coming soon.

Black Swan – Darren Aronofsky’s follow up to The Wrestler is shaping up to be one of the most devisive films of the season. It’s premiere at Venice had many top critics split. Though most agree on the film’s quality, it sounds more like one of those films you appreciate rather than enjoy. There is, however, a general consensus that Natalie Portman’s performance will be good enough for a very strong Oscar push. But with the very crowded Best Actress category this year, it won’t be quite the slam dunk it might have been in years past. The trailer highlights the handheld styling which didn’t seem like a hit to me, although it certainly will increase what appears to be the film’s most noticeable feature: it’s dark and brooding milieu. …Well most noticeable after Mila Kunis that is.

Miral – The consensus seems to be that Julian Schnabel’s latest is no Diving Bell and the Butterfly. The film stars Slumdog Millionaire‘s Freida Pinto as a Palestinian orphan (she’s Indian btw). It sounds like Pinto’s lack of experience may be partially to blame for the film’s shortcomings though reviews have not been kind to Schnabel’s tackling of such a difficult story either. It remains to be seen if the Weinsteins are able to translate the spark plug subject matter into box office receipts or if this one will make a quick appearance on the art house circuit before getting lost in the awards shuffle.

Somewhere – I’ve been a huge fan of everything Sofia Coppola has done, even the critically panned Marie Antoinette . So it is no surprise that I am pretty excited for her follow-up. The film tells the story of a young girl (Elle Fanning) and her Hollywood star father (Stephen Dorff). Reviews from Venice have been positive. No one is calling it revolutionary, but it is competently told story that doesn’t stray too far from Coppola’s lovely style. Sounds exactly like what I want.

Never Let Me Go – Mark Romanek has often been called one of the most visionary directors working today due to his incredible music videos (NIN, Jay-Z, The Eels, Fiona Apple). Therefore, I was surprised to realize that Never Let Me Go is only the second feature he has helmed (the first being 2002’s One Hour Photo). This film is adapted from a dystopic Japanese novel by screenwriter Alex Garland (28 Days/Weeks Later, Sunshine) and stars IT-girl Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, and future Peter Parker Andrew Garfield. Reviews after its Venice and Telluride unspoolings have been mixed but call it powerful and have universally praised the acting. I am hoping to see it soon and have some more thoughts here.

The King’s Speech – Tom Hooper’s period comedy about the stuttering King George VI has been the early darling of the Fall fests. Critics have consistently put it forward as the film to beat in the run to Oscar gold and called Colin Firth’s Best Actor nom and Geoffrey Rush’s supporting nom sure things. Hooper has so far been better known for his TV success (John Adams, Elizabeth I) than for features (last year’s The Damned United). That may be changing this season.

I’m Still Here – Comparisons have already been made between Casey Affleck’s “documentary” and Banksy’s Exit Through the Gift Shop. Echoes of “Is it real?” can be heard all the way from Venice. But from early accounts, the movie isn’t half of what Banksy’s film is. What could potentially be an interesting look at celebrity is reported to instead be an ego driven star-studded prank. As one review put it, the film is more like an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm than a documentary. The question isn’t necessarily whether or not Joaquin Phoenix and Affleck orchestrated the quitting-acting-for-hip-hop stunt for this movie – but rather why anyone should care.

Meek’s Cutoff – I missed Kelly Reichardt’s last feature Wendy and Lucy – but by all accounts it was a bit slow. Reports from Venice about her take on the Western genre seem to echo that sentiment. One review reported that by minute 40, a quick glance around found most people sleeping. Another report called it more boring than watching paint dry. Too bad because star Michelle Williams is supposed to be quite good and I’ve always found the Oregon Trail subject matter particularly interesting.

The Way Back – One movie which has garnered a lot of speculation is Peter Weir’s tale of a group of men who escape a Soviet labor camp in 1941. While early reports from Telluride have been very positive, there is some question as to whether the film will be moved forward from its scheduled January release in time for awards eligibility. Weir’s credits include a number of great films from Witness and Dead Poets Society to The Truman Show and Master & Commander. Given that he has been nom’d for 6 Oscars and never won, I’m guessing the film’s distrib Newmarket gives it a push.

Tabloid – Errol Morris has made some of the best documentaries of all time (The Thin Blue Line, The Fog of War) and it sounds like his latest is up there as well. Tabloid tells the hilarious story of beauty queen turned S&M hooker turned tabloid queen Joyce McKinney. From all accounts, the movie was the star of Telluride and should make a splash when it makes it to theaters (hopefully) soon.

127 Hours – Yet another big director with a big follow-up (Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire in this case), Danny Boyle’s latest stars James Franco as that dude who cut off his own arm after a rock climbing accident. Critics have been mixed on the film – skewing a bit more positive – with many singing Franco’s praises. Could it be his year for a nom? The trailer evokes Into the Wild and the scenery looks gorgeous – but sitting for two hours watching a guy trapped by a rock sounds like a horrifying experience. Here’s hoping Boyle’s mastery of the medium can make it an enjoyable journey.

The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Austin is probably the coolest movie theater in the country. Not only do they have the killer food and drink at your seats setup, but their love for cinema is unmatched. This summer, the Alamo is taking their show on the road, bringing 9 classic films in a series titled “We Are All Workers” across the country (including three dates in California). What’s even cooler – the Alamo has commissioned artist Olly Moss to make a new poster for each film in the series. Check out all the posters in hi-res here.

Official Site for Alamo Roadshow

It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, the directing duo behind Half Nelson and Sugar. So the fact that their new feature stars Zach Galifianakis and looks amazing has me doing backflips. It is set for release September 24th. Here is the official page.

There are some great blurbs about what else the fall movie calendar has in store in this article on iW.

This year’s LAFF has been moved from its recent Westwood home to the considerably more interesting Downtown Los Angeles. Theaters include The Downtown Independent, The Orpheum, and the Regal 14 at LA Live. This should be a good opportunity to check out some interesting venues. Here’s a look at a few highlights, beginning with the flicks I’m going to try to hit. Lemme know if you are interested in joining.

MANDRILL – This raucous Chilean spy actioner was one of my favorite films at the awesome Fantastic Fest last Fall. I would definitely be into seeing it again if we had a good crew.
Screens Tues 6/22, 7:45pm, Regal & Sat 6/26, 10pm, Independent

TINY FURNITURE – This NYC Indie by Lena Dunham was the darling of this year’s SXSW.
Screens Sat 6/19, 7:30pm, Regal & Mon 6/21, 10pm, Regal

THE TILLMAN STORY – I missed this Afghan War docu at Sundance but it has been lauded as one of the year’s best. It is directed by Amir Bar-Lev who directed My Kid Could Paint That and co-produced the Sundance hit Katrina docu Trouble the Water.
Screens Sat 6/19, 9:35pm, Regal & Sun 6/20, 1:30pm, Independent

AIN’T IN IT FOR MY HEALTH: A FILM ABOUT LEVON HELM – Jacob Hatley’s docu about The Band drummer/vocalist got some great write-ups at SXSW.
Screens Sun 6/20, 7pm, Regal & Fri 6/25, 9:45pm, Regal

MONSTERS – This sounds like a pretty interesting indie sci-fi about a pair battling across an alien infested swath of land between Mexico and America.
Screens Weds 6/23, 10:15pm, Regal & Sat 6/26, 7pm, Independent

PARADE – LAFF has a few good Japanese offerings this year including this Tokyo drama from Isao Yukisada.

GOLDEN SLUMBER – Another of LAFF’s Japanese offerings is this absurd sounding adventure by Yoshihiro Nakamura.

UDON – Filed under ones that got away, this 2006 comedy by Katsuyuki Motohiro revolves around Japan’s famous noodle. It is presented by LA Times’ Jonathan Gold.

DOG SWEAT – This film, shot clandestinely in Iran, is a verite examination of current Iranian society.

THE PEOPLE VS. GEORGE LUCAS – Expect this 6/23 FORD THEATER screening of the Star Wars creator docu to be a raucous time.

ANIMAL KINGDOM – David Michod’s Australian crime drama was a big hit at Sundance. It is well worth checking out in its LA premier.

THE RED CHAPEL – Another Sundance flick, this docu takes you into North Korea with a group of Danish absurdist political street performers.

DOWN TERRACE – I’ve mentioned this British indie a few times since its Fantastic Fest unspooling. It bodes well that it made the LAFF program as well.

FOUR LIONS – This British Office style terrorist comedy was one of the first flicks I reviewed at Sundance. It certainly has its funny moments.

WAITING FOR SUPERMAN – Davis Guggenheim’s public school Sundance docu is currently known as WAITING FOR because of Time Warner’s reluctance to allow them to use “Superman” in the title. Pfff

PEE WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE – It’s not every day you get a chance to see this Tim Burton/Paul Reubens classic on the big screen. Reubens is scheduled to to be there in person.
Screens Sat 6/26, 1pm, The Orpheum

Just wow. I have no problem calling this my favorite advertisement of all time. Huge soccer stars, World Cup, Kobe, and a sick sick concept.

Can you name everyone?

Jump to find MY LIST OF STARS and see BEHIND THE SCENES

Don’t get mad at me Seattle film fans – I just heard someone on iW refer to your wonderful fest that way and couldn’t help but repeat it. With 260 features, SIFF is the biggest fest in the country. It is a great opportunity for NWers to see the movies making the fest rounds from the previous year and to catch some otherwise hard to find foreign films. SIFF’s website format makes it hard to weed through the multitude of titles (just put the director under the damn title), but here is what caught my eye in the quick look I took at the program.

The Sentimental Engine Slayer – Wow I somehow missed hearing about this one when it prem’d at Rotterdam and then played at Tribeca, but this is the debut feature from Omar Rodriguez Lopez (yep, of The Mars Volta fame) who wrote, directed, and stars in this tripped out sounding film. Peep the trailer and move this one to the top of your list.

Farewell – Christian Carion’s French Cold War spy thriller is his follow up to 2005’s Joyeux Noel.

Leaves of Grass – Coming off an acclaimed premier at SXSW, this pot growing drama from Tim Blake Nelson screens as part of a Tribute to Ed Norton that includes screenings of 25th Hour, Fight Club, and American History X (what… no Death to Smoochy?).

American Faust: From Condi to Neo-Condi – This is the first I have heard of Sebastian Doggart’s (a former Project Runway producer) political docu that delves deep into the career of Condoleeza Rice as “a woman whose pursuit of power has both destroyed her values and hurled America into a perilous new direction.”

The Milk of Sorrow – This challenging sounding Peruvian film by Claudia Llosa was nom’d for the Foreign Language Oscar.

The Dancer and the Thief – Fresh off his fantastic performance in the Foreign Language Oscar winning The Secret in Their Eyes, Ricardo Darin stars as a reformed thief in veteran filmmaker Fernando Trueba’s post-Pinochet era romantic-thriller. This screens as part of a New Spanish Cinema program at the fest.

Skeletons – This British black comedy by Nick Whitfield about skeleton extractors (like the ones in closets) has a decisively Gondry-esque surreal sound to it and might be worth a gander.

Micmacs – I’ve mentioned it a number of times and I am still looking forward to catching the latest from Jean-Pierre Jeunet.

Ondine – Neil Jordan’s (The Crying Game, Interview with a Vampire) Colin Farrell starring mermaid story never quite caught hold after its Toronto prem – but it hung around long enough to play at Tribeca last month and again at SIFF.

This Way of Life – Call me fascinated with New Zealand, but this documentary about a family living in New Zealand’s Ruahine Mountains and their struggles with modernity sounds incredibly interesting. Just check out the trailer.

The Trotsky – Jay Baruchel stars as the young Canadian reincarnation of the Socialist revolutionary in this Jacob Tierney comedy hit from Toronto.

Down Terrace – I’ve heard nothing but good about this British gangster flick which screened way back at Fantastic Fest.

Life During Wartime – Paul Reubens and others star in Todd Solondz’s (Welcome to the Dollhouse, Happiness) latest dark comedy.

Under the Mountain – You may think Jonathan King’s New Zealand based film will be a fresh take on the youth adventure genre, but it is snores-ville as evidenced by its unimpressive reception at Fantastic Fest.

JAPANESE FLICKS

RoboGeisha – Get ready for wacky as you delve into Noboru Iguchi’s wild world of genital weaponry.

Air Doll – Hirokazu Kore-eda (Still Walking, Nobody Knows, After Life) returns with this odd tale of a man and his doll.

K-20: The Fiend with 20 Faces I was no big fan of this big budget action flick starring Takeshi Kaneshiro back at Fantastic Fest.

Kanikosen I don’t know much about the Japanese director who goes by Sabu (Unlucky Monkey), but this film about Japanese-Russian relations in the early days of the 20th century takes place on a crab canning ship and sounds suitably wacky.

ASIAN TOUR

Bakal Boys – This Filipino docu-drama tells the story of the young metal divers in the heavily polluted Manila Bay.

Little Big Soldier – Jackie Chan’s latest action comedy takes place in way ancient China.

At the End of Daybreak – There aren’t a whole lot of movies that make it here from Malaysia. This noir-ish drama could be interesting.

City of Life and Death – You might remember this stylish Rape of Nanking drama from my Toronto write-up way back in September

Mundane History – Thai filmmaker Anocha Suwichakornpong’s first feature sounds like an impressive exploration of art and life.

SUNDANCE HITS

Quite a few of Sundance’s best narrative films are making their NW premier at SIFF – including the official fest fave, Debra Granik’s Winter’s Bone. One of my personal faves, Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil will be playing as a midnight film along side one of the less popular midnighters, the Adrian Brody + Sarah Polley starrer Splice. The John Lennon as a young man Nowhere Boy is playing – as is the James Franco as Allen Ginsberg Howl. Two more flicks that I caught, Cyrus which stars John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, and Marisa Tomei and the Jesse Eisenberg orthodox Jew ecstasy smuggling movie I enjoyed, Holy Rollers.

SUNDANCE DOCS

There are also some great Sundance docs at the fest – including one I am still excited to see, Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child. Restrepo which won the Docu Grand Jury prize will be there, as will the other big war docu The Tillman Story. The Oath, about a Guantanamo detainee won a special cinematography prize and Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work had a whole lot of buzz. A couple domestic topics, 8: The Mormon Proposition about California’s anti-gay Prop. 8 and the Davis Guggenheim directed public school expose Waiting for Superman are both playing. Finally, one film I enjoyed about Chinese domestic migration Last Train Home is also on the bill.

For more on these Sundace flicks, check out my Sundance Wrap from earlier this year.

VCFest – now known as the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival – begins today at a variety of sites across LA. Here is a quick look at a few of the notable films on the fest’s slate:

The People I’ve Slept With – USA
Quentin Lee and Koji Sakai team up for this rollicking sex and identity comedy starring Karin Anna Cheung. This film serves as the fest’s U.S. Centerpiece.
Screens Sat 5/1 7:00pm at DGA

Bodyguards and Assassins – Hong Kong
VC’s closing night film is a big budget HK historic actioner directed by Teddy Chan. The film takes place in the wild west that was Hong Kong in 1906 and stars such notable HK actors as Donnie Yen, Tony Leung Ka Fai, and Simon Yam.
Screens Thurs 5/6 7:00pm at The Aratani (in Little Tokyo)

She, A Chinese – China
This film from female filmmaker Guo Xiaolu looks to be an interesting character piece about identitiy and gender roles in modern China. It is preceeded by the short film Let Fly by UCSB Film grad Laurie Tsou. Congrats Laurie!
Screens Sun 5/2 4:00pm at Sunset 5.

VC’s Digital Posse – USA
Speaking of UCSB Film grads, VC’s popular Armed with a Camera shorts program is back and includes the short film Slip and Slide by Ms. Emily Lu. A collection of 10 other short narratives and docus screen along side. Pretty cool.
Screens Weds 5/5 8:00pm at The Aratani (in Little Tokyo)

Clash – Vietnam
If you enjoyed 2007’s The Rebel (which I loved), then you might want to catch this actioner directed by The Rebel‘s 1st AD Le Thanh Son and starring The Rebel stars Johnny Nguyen and Veronica Ngo.
Screens Sun 5/2 7:00pm at DGA

Beijing Taxi – China
Female director Miao Wang has put together a modern day portrait of China’s capital from the perspective of three taxi drivers in the days preceding the 2008 Olympics.
Screens Sun 5/2 6:30pm at DGA

The Taqwacores – USA
Straight from critical acclaim at Sundance, Eyad Zahra’s story of a Pakistani-American punk rock and identity makes its LA debut at VC.
Screens Fri 4/30 10:00pm at DGA

Last Train Home – China
I was a big fan of this Chinese migration documentary at Sundance.
Screens Sat 5/1 3:30pm at Sunset 5

The Chinese Connection – Hong Kong
Don’t miss this free outdoor screening of the 1972 Bruce Lee classic. It screens in the Madang Courtyard (Western & 6th) on Friday 4/30 at 8:00pm.

Villon’s Wife – Japan
Tadanobu Asano and Takaku Matsu star in Kichitaro Negishi’s highly decorated drama set in 1947 Tokyo.
Screens Fri 4/30 7:30pm at Sunset 5 and Weds 5/5 4:30pm at Downtown Independent

The Mountain Thief – Philippines
This interesting sounding narrative explores the poorest of the poor who live in Manilla’s largest dump. Writer/Director Gerry Balasta went so far as to cast the actual inhabitants, teaching them how to act in the process.
Screens Sat 5/1 12:30pm at DGA and Sun 5/2 5:00pm at DGA

Adrift – Vietnam
“Bui Thac Chuyen’s seductive and atmospheric rumination on sexual awakening as modern day Vietnam enters a social and moral crossroad.”
Screens Weds 5/5 7:00pm at Downtown Independent

Red and White – Indonesia
This historical drama set against Indonesia’s 1947 struggle for independence boasts the highest budget of any Indonesian film and is said to have some pretty impressive battle scenes.
Screens (for FREE) Fri 4/30 5:00pm at DGA

Hope you can make some screenings.