3 articles from 2008
15 July 2008 4:58 PM, PDT | From ifc.com | See recent IFC news
By R. Emmet Sweeney
Since the formation of his Milkyway Image production company in 1996 in Hong Kong, Johnnie To has been the most imaginative (and prolific) director of genre films in the world. Mainly known stateside for self-reflexively stylish gangster flicks like "The Mission" (1999) and "Exiled" (2006), he's also produced a slew of hit romantic comedies (including the delirious 2002 supernatural love story "My Left Eye Sees Ghosts"). Whatever the subject, his films hum with the skill of a committed craftsman, every shot jiggered for maximum lucidity and intensity. There's no wasted motion in a To film -- every gun crack or eye-poke carries the weight of the character behind it.
To's collaborated with screenwriter and Milkyway co-founder Wai Ka-Fai on his most daring projects, including the bodybuilding Buddhist thriller "Running on Karma" (2003), and they reteam again for "Mad Detective," which recently screened at the New York Asian Film Festival and which
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5 June 2008 2:13 PM, PDT | From blogs.suntimes.com/ebert | See recent Roger Ebert's Blog news
When I caught up with "Iron Man," a broken hip had delayed me and the movie had already been playing for three weeks. What I heard during that time was that a lot of people loved it, that they were surprised to love it so much, and that Robert Downey Jr.'s performance was special. Apart from that, all I knew was that the movie was about a big iron man. I didn't even know that a human occupied it, and halfway thought that the Downey character's brain had been transplanted into a robot, or a fate equally weird.
Yes, I knew I was looking at sets and special effects--but I'm referring to the reality of the illusion, if that make any sense. With many superhero movies, all you get is the surface of the illusion. With "Iron Man," you get a glimpse into the depths. You get the feeling,
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Roger Ebert
10 January 2008 | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news
Nominees for the Writers Guild of America Awards have been announced, with a few suprises and notable omissions. Original Screenplay nods went to four comedies -- Juno, Knocked Up, Lars and the Real Girl, and The Savages -- and one drama, Michael Clayton, while the films up for Adapted Screenplay are four critical favorites -- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Into the Wild, No Country for Old Men, and There Will Be Blood -- and one surprising left-field contender, the thriller Zodiac, released back in March. Missing from contention were such high-profile films as Atonement, Charlie Wilson's War, and Sweeney Todd, which were also passed over for the Directors Guild of America awards. Documentary nominees were The Camden 28, Nanking, No End in Sight, The Rape of Europa, Sicko and Taxi to the Dark Side. The WGA Awards will be handed out on Saturday, February 9th.
3 articles from 2008