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16 articles from 2009
The Notable Films of 2010: Part Seven
29 December 2009 7:16 AM, PST
| Dark Horizons
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Mother and Child
Opens: 2010
Cast: Naomi Watts, Annette Bening, Samuel L. Jackson, Kerry Washington
Director: Rodrigo Garcia
Summary: A tale of a mother and daughter, separated at birth, who struggle with the damage done by the most important person missing in their lives while a young African-Americn woman deals with an unwanted pregnancy and the adoption process.
Analysis: Scoring rave reviews in Toronto, the $7 million latest effort of Rodrigo Garcia ("Nine Lives," "Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her") once again shows off his skill at weaving multiple narratives together in clever and unexpected ways. At its heart it's an emotional family drama, but Garcia excels with his female characters which makes the involvement of Naomi Watts, Kerry Washington and especially Annette Benning thrilling.
The few criticisms levelled at the film were toward some pacing and credibility issues in the last act, but otherwise praised it for not
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- Garth Franklin
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The Notable Films of 2010: Part Seven
29 December 2009 7:16 AM, PST
| Dark Horizons
| See recent Dark Horizons news
»
Mother and Child
Opens: 2010
Cast: Naomi Watts, Annette Bening, Samuel L. Jackson, Kerry Washington
Director: Rodrigo Garcia
Summary: A tale of a mother and daughter, separated at birth, who struggle with the damage done by the most important person missing in their lives while a young African-Americn woman deals with an unwanted pregnancy and the adoption process.
Analysis: Scoring rave reviews in Toronto, the $7 million latest effort of Rodrigo Garcia ("Nine Lives," "Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her") once again shows off his skill at weaving multiple narratives together in clever and unexpected ways. At its heart it's an emotional family drama, but Garcia excels with his female characters which makes the involvement of Naomi Watts, Kerry Washington and especially Annette Benning thrilling.
The few criticisms levelled at the film were toward some pacing and credibility issues in the last act, but otherwise praised it for not
»
- Garth Franklin
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IMDb, RottenTomatoes: Movies of the Decade
27 December 2009 2:29 PM, PST
| newsinfilm.com
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At the end of the year, and especially the decade, you’re inundated with enough top lists that they themselves should be ranked. Plenty of other websites and other media outlets have been counting down basically the same best movies, which is partially the reason I spared you the numbered trips down memory lane. (But before I write myself into a hypocritical corner, I’ll still be doing my traditional top movies of the year list. Hint: New Moon isn’t on it)
That being said, here are two definitive lists of note that highlight what was critically lauded this decade on RottenTomatoes.com and what the movie fans and voters on IMDb.com felt were the best the aughts had to offer. Slashfilm compiled the top 20 from Rt and they snatched up the top 25 off IMDb for your look at how the decade fared in movies.
There are a few surprises on both lists,
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- Jeff Leins
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This week's DVD and Blu-ray releases
4 December 2009 4:06 PM, PST
| The Guardian - Film News
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Microcosmos DVD & Blu-ray, Second Sight
Life DVD & Blu-ray, BBC
It's a given that many of the strange and wonderful lifeforms we share this planet with are dying out, many species becoming extinct every year. There's some consolation to be had in that, thanks to the people behind these two nature titles, future generations will at least be able to see many of them, in glorious HD, doing something weird, funny or just plain icky in front of the cameras before they go the way of the dodo. 1996's Microcosmos has almost zero educational value, instead choosing to play up the drama in the insect world. There's a very sparse narration, but this is only there to remind you a) To relax, because you're not really learning anything, and b) That you're not watching outtakes from Starship Troopers. This is the real bug's life: fighting, eating and mating, all the time
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- Phelim O'Neill
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Documentaries of bliss
19 November 2009 3:00 PM, PST
| The Guardian - Film News
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The re-released cinematic head-trip Forest of Bliss adheres firmly to the purer school of documentary-making
The lowest form of documentary involves a presenter setting off on a journey to discover why he or she didn't yet know something about which we, the audience, were already adequately informed. Near the opposite end of the documentary spectrum are those quiet, almost anonymous films such as Être et Avoir or Sleep Furiously, in which a community is observed and recorded with minimum fuss and no overt manipulation. Beyond those are films – so seldom seen that one could be forgiven for thinking them extinct – with no presenter, no commentary, no characters, no specific setting and no narrative or story. Godfrey Reggio's Koyaanisqatsi (a Hopi Indian word meaning "life out of balance"), made in 1982, is the classic of its kind: a compilation of ravishing footage of cities and natural wonders, seen at night and in the blaze of day,
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- Geoff Dyer
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Reviews of The Cove And Oceans - Tokyo International Film Festival
19 October 2009 9:32 AM, PDT
| Collider.com
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“Oceans” and “The Cove” took decidedly different paths on their way to being screened at the 2009 Tokyo International Film Festival (Here’s my first article on the Fest). “Oceans,” from French directors Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud, a film which is at turns a breathtaking nature documentary and an exhortation to protect the beauty and majesty of the sea, was a natural choice to open the world’s only environmentally minded film festival. “The Cove,” on the other hand, almost did not make the cut despite its previous festival successes, including the Audience Award at Sundance. The film, directed by famed National Geographic photographer Louie Psihoyos, also stresses ecological responsibility but does so by exposing the shady slaughter of dolphins by fisherman in the Japanese fishing town of Taiji. Hit the jump to explore the deep blue.
“Oceans”
“Oceans” is a movie that has to been seen to be believed.
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- David Corbin
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Biggest Doc Ever?
28 September 2009 4:20 PM, PDT
| FilmExperience
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Jose here with some box office news. Reuters is reporting that Michael Jackson's This Is It has broken advance ticket records all over the world.
The documentary/concert film spans the rehearsals of Jackson's eponymous "comeback" that would've taken place in London before the entertainer's sudden death.
In cities like Los Angeles and New York, fans waited outside in line for days before the tickets went on sale yesterday morning. In Tokyo, the film sold $1 million in advance tickets. With the undying passion of Jackson fans could this eventually become the highest grossing documentary of all time? This genre hasn't been particularly lucky in the money making department.
The highest grossing documentaries stand as follows:
1. Fahrenheit 9/11 (Michael Moore) $119,194,771
2. March of the Penguins $77,437,223
3. Earth $32,011,576
4. Sicko (Michael Moore) $24,540,079
5. An Inconvenient Truth $24,146,161
6. Bowling for Columbine (Michael Moore) $21,576,018
7. Madonna: Truth or Dare $15,012,935
8. Religulous $13,011,160
9. Winged Migration $11,689,053
10. Super Size Me $11,536,423
(numbers courtesy of Box Office
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- Jose
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Interview with the directors of the documentary "Dirt: The Movie!" by Heidi Van Lier
16 September 2009 9:48 AM, PDT
| Film Independent
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For DocuWeek I had the chance to
screen the enlightening film Dirt: The Movie! Here's a little interview with
directors Bill Benenson and Gene Rosow
for your reading pleasure.
Heidi: Before we start, let me
say that I am really glad I got to see your film. I keep up on eco-issues, I
own two hybrids, feed my kid organically as often as possible, am a vegetarian,
all that, but your film was an incredibly fresh and eye-opening take on so many
issues.
Sure, I knew about the
disappearance of the bees, about water issues, and deforestation, but I'd never
even thought about the dirt. So thank you for the education.
First Question: What initially
inspired you to make this film?
Bill: Thanks for the questions and your
interest and appreciation of our film. The start of my answer would have to be
in two parts: 1. My mother, Dorothy Cullman,
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- ccohagan
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Bigger FIsh to Fry for Tokyo Film Fest: Jacques Perrin's 'Oceans' is Opener
7 September 2009
| ioncinema
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- The 22nd Tokyo International Film Festival will open with the highly anticipated, long-gestating, documentary film from Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud. I believe principal photography commenced something like five years ago on Oceans. The doc was picked up earlier this year by Disneynature for a Spring 2010 release.
Oceans is an ecological drama/documentary, filmed throughout the globe. Devoting over 70 trips to 50 places and 4 years it captures more than 100 species. Jacques Perrin (Le Peuple Migrateur) presents a tale of the
mysterious ocean and the living with the latest cinematographic equipment, capable of taking
miraculous images. The film penetrates the mysterious and fascinating marine world like never before.
Before they made even one announcement, the festival was at the center of controversy for not including Louie Psihoyos' The Cove. Jeffrey Wells (read here) was quick to point out how Alejandro González Iñárritu should consider stepping down from the head jury position,
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Noel Fielding - Zombie King!
16 July 2009 6:50 PM, PDT
| DreadCentral.com
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Had enough of zombies yet? No? Well then, you're going to be all about this update from our horror fiends across the pond! If you're living in the United Kingdom or feel like booking a flight to Herefordshire, bust out the zombie make-up and let the games begin!
As we gave you advance notice of in earily June, as a part of 2009's Big Chill festival, the sickos over at I Spit on your Rave will be heading up a balls-to-the-wall zombie festival:
Filming starts on Thursday, 6th August at the Big Chill. From 7pm we’ll be filming the highlight of the zombie festival “The Running Feast”. This will be presided over by King of the Zombies, Noel Fielding, and will be staged as a live event with music from Toddla T and other special guests. Captured humans will be released and chased through an obstacle course by hordes of hungry zombies.
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- Masked Slasher
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Paris 36 (review)
6 May 2009 9:28 AM, PDT
| www.flickfilosopher.com
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Oh my goodness, I didn’t expect this: Paris 36 is The Muppet Show in, you know, Paris in 1936. I’m sure that wasn’t the intent of writer-director Christophe Barratier (The Chorus (Les Choristes); he was also a producer of Winged Migration), and I don’t necessarily mean it in a disparaging way, but... oh my goodness, that’s exactly what this charming mess of an overlong movie is.
Look, we have Pigoil (Gérard Jugnot), the Kermit-esque theaterhand who helps his fellow greasepaint-monkeys occupy the Chansonia music hall. There’s Milou (Clovis Cornillac: A Very Long Engagement), the Gonzo-like lighting guy -- he’s a union agitator and fancies himself a communist, because that was like calling yourself a beat in the 1950s (it’s good for getting chicks as well as being a smack in the face to the establishment). There’s Jacky (Kad Merad), who is Fozzie,
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- MaryAnn Johanson
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Lemon of the Week: Disney and their Trailer for Ocean
26 April 2009
| ioncinema
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-
Tied with the release of Earth, Disneynature have added the odd confection of a preview trailer for the long delayed Jacques Perrin documentary film. The trailer spends more than half of the allocated 120 seconds at making some sort of self-congratulatory link between the manufactured animal kingdom television documentary films of before, and have tied it to the feature that comes from the person who gave us Winged Migration. I find it odd that Disney feels the need to step in front of what will surely be as breathtaking a docu film as Perrin's first film, and with adage that 'nature writes its own screenplays'
only reminds viewers of what not to expect in Oceans. This week's Lemon of the Week goes to the marketing folk from Disneynature who created such a lame trailer.
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Earth (review)
23 April 2009 12:51 PM, PDT
| www.flickfilosopher.com
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It’s not that this lovely-to-look-at nature documentary is bad: it’s just that it’s completely redundant as a film. Adapted from the 11-part BBC nature series Planet Earth -- which has been available on DVD for eons -- it feels as truncated as it is, cut down in an unforgivable fashion from the grand, sweeping story of our planet that much-longer version told into something staccato and disjointed. I thought, as the film opened with winter at the North Pole, that it was going to move us through a full year of life on our planet (much as the far superior Winged Migration did), and it does indeed appear to take that tack for the first few sequences, moving on to stop-motion spring in bloom in the subarctic forests, baby birds learning to fly, newborn polar bears greeting the world, and other bits of utterly adorable sweetness and
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- MaryAnn Johanson
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Disney’s Oceans Trailer
22 April 2009 2:45 PM, PDT
| FilmJunk
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So I guess nature documentaries are back in vogue again. Ever since March of the Penguins made $127 million back in 2005 and won the Academy Award for Best Documentary, we've been seeing a lot of similar attempts to bring lavish landscapes and cute creatures to the big screen with varying success. Then Oprah re-ignited the craze by plugging the Planet Earth series on her show, and now Disney has launched Disneynature, a spin-off label dedicated solely to nature films.
With their new film Earth hitting theatres today in order to coincide with Earth Day, Disney has also unveiled the trailer for their 2010 Earth Day release, Oceans. Yep, you better get used to it -- this is going to become an annual tradition. (I get the feeling that they may be missing the point of Earth Day by turning it into a big commercial venture, but what do I know?) The cool
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- Sean
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DVD: Review: Winged Migration / Fly Away Home
7 April 2009 10:00 PM, PDT
| avclub.com
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In 2002, French producer Jacques Perrin had a modest international hit with Winged Migration, a beautifully photographed film about the astonishing journey birds make each year from one habitat to another. Buoyed by contemplative music, minimal-but-well-placed narration, and non-enhanced close-ups of birds in flight, Winged Migration followed the old Disney “true-life adventure” mold in subtle ways, crafting the migratory patterns of birds into mini-narratives marked by perilous encounters with pollution and hunters. Perrin, whose Microcosmos took an intimate look at the world of insects, prefers immersion to explication with his nature films, but like most movies about the animal kingdom
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This Week on DVD: Yes Man, Doubt, The Day The Earth Stood Still
7 April 2009 9:33 AM, PDT
| FilmJunk
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An Oscar-nominated film, new comedies from Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler, and a mediocre Keanu Reeves sci-fi remake... that pretty much sums up this week's DVD releases. If you ask me, you'll probably want to save your money, although I wouldn't mind seeing I.O.U.S.A. (a pretty timely documentary from the director of Wordplay) and I've heard good things about Donkey Punch. There's also a 3-disc collector's edition release of No Country for Old Men out this week, plus Tango & Cash on Blu-ray.
Doubt [1] (DVD, Blu-ray [2])
Yes Man [3] (DVD, Blu-ray [4])
The Day The Earth Stood Still [5] (DVD, Blu-ray [6])
Bedtime Stories [7] (DVD, Blu-ray [8])
The Tale of Despereaux [9] (DVD, Blu-ray [10])
Not Easily Broken [11] (DVD, Blu-ray [12])
Bricktown [13] (DVD, Blu-ray [14])
Donkey Punch [15]
Shuttle [16]
I.O.U.S.A. [17]
Cleopatra: 75th Anniversary Edition [18]
No Country for Old Men: Collector's Edition [19] (DVD, Blu-ray [20])
Beverly Hills: 90210: Season 7 [21]
Max Fleischer's Superman:
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- Sean
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16 articles from 2009
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