Archive for September, 2009

A still from "Harishchandrachi Factory"

The India film Harishchandrachi Factory, directed by Paresh Mokashi, has been submitted to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for consideration for nomination in the 2010 Oscars. The film was selected by the Film Federation of India over this past weekend, and is about the “father of Indian cinema,” Dada Saheb Phalke, and how he journeyed to England in 1913 to learn how to make films (specifically his first film, Raja Harishchandra).

To learn more, read the full article courtesy of Variety.com.

Lee Pace and Catinca Untaru

I finally got around to seeing Tarsem Sigh’s The Fall (2006), and boy was all the hype true. Word of mouth had this film pegged as an incredible effort that cinema enthusiasts simply must find a way to see, and I back this consensus.

Filmed at over 26 locations in 18 different countries, ranging from Spain to India, the scenery alone is worth giving the film a hard look. Gorgeous landscapes fill the 1:85:1 frames and leave you sitting in awe at their raw beauty. From the landscapes, to all aspects of the production design, it is easily one of the prettiest-looking movies ever.

The story somewhat resembles The Princess Bride, with a man telling a young child a fantastical story that gets depicted in dreamlike sequences. However, this aspect is where the connection begins and ends. Everything else about the narrative is delightfully and intricately constructed with enough originality that the immersion one experiences should disguise any allusions to other tales.

The visual style of the fairy-tale story takes a lot of inspiration from the paintings of Salvador Dali with its surreal, flowing, and elegant costumes, set designs, and choreography. Also, the colors are as vibrant as could be, making everything together look absolutely stunning.

One of the many beautiful costumes

The acting, to the leads’ credit (Lee Pace and Catinca Untaru), is actually able to match the level of quality of the aesthetics. Pace’s role as a man heart-sick to the point of severe depression is restrained impressively well, never hinting towards a melodramatic performance style that’s easy to fall into. His success with this is commendable because it helps separate the real-world diegesis from the fantasy tale even further, which may not sound significant but because the effect is very appropriate for the narrative it becomes important. Untaru plays the role of a little naïve Spanish girl who becomes captivated by Pace’s tall tale. Child actors are seldom impressive, but her talent is absolutely undeniable. She is able to carry scenes when she’s alone on screen, and her rapport with Pace is remarkable in its realistic, natural feel. Great acting chemistry is the kind that feels one-hundred percent real, and Pace and Untaru succeed with flying colors.

The Fall, as best as I can find, is most readily available via Netflix. Online downloads might be obtainable, however we can’t condone seeing pirated movies. I would, though, advise that everyone should one way or another find a way to view this spectacular film.

Note: Movie-Thoughts.com plans on eventually writing a piece on The Fall for our Deep Thoughts column. So be sure to see the film and then keep an eye out!

Christian Bale

In a Hollywood era that seems to favor making the remake as opposed to gambling on fresher projects, I would not put it past several production studios to consider remaking – yet again – the tale of Dracula. The popular Twilight series will get another financial boost once New Moon is released on November 20^th, and HBO’s True Blood series has so far been very successful in finding a fairly large audience as well. Vampires are “in” right now it seems, however they don’t appear to be anywhere near as frightening or evil as they once were in the Bella Lugosi, Christopher Lee, Max Schreck, or even Frank Langella days. They have turned from being classic movie monsters epitomizing depravity to hopeless romantics who fall in love with humans and are more concerned with coven politics than feeding their animalistic hunger. Read the rest of this entry »

Director: Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s Eleven, Erin Brockovich, Traffic)

Screenwriter: Scott Z. Burns (The Bourne Ultimatum), Kurt Eichenwald (book)

Cast: Matt Damon (Bourne trilogy), Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap series), Melanie Lynskey (Two and a Half Men series)

Length: 1h 48m

Synopsis: The FBI decides to go after an agri-business conglomerate with a price-fixing accusation, based on the evidence submitted by their star witness, biochemist/executive turned informant Mark Whitacre (Damon). Mark spends over two years building a case for the FBI, but as soon as the investigation gets public there turn out to be more secrets than anyone could have guessed. Read the rest of this entry »

December 17, 2010

Disney Studios has released that it officially plans to release its 3D sequel of their 1982 film Tron on December 17, 2010.

The new film, Tron Legacy, is another film on a growing list that will be simultaneously released on regular theater screens as well as IMAX screens. The film is supposed to take full advantage of IMAX’s visual technology.

Source: Variety

City of Life and Death - directed by Lu Chuan

Variety.com has released an article that explores the different reactions from filmgoers and critics at the three most recent film festivals, which include Venice, Telluride, and Toronto.

Author Todd McCarthy notes the differences in reactions of films like Lebanon, Life During Wartime, and City of Life and Death, with the reasons for the differences being either unknown or speculative, but nevertheless worth noting. Overall it is an informative and interesting read.

Universal released a notice that it will not spend any more advance money towards developmental projects for the rest of the 2009 fiscal year. This means, that any project not already green-lit, in production, or on the “fast track” will not get any funding until January.

The move is not unprecedented, but is unusual. It appears that Universal has used up all of or most of its yearly budget, and that is what prompted the decision. Negotiations with writers and companies are expected to get more difficult with delays in development being mandatory.

Source: Variety

Eastwood and Damon - "Invictus"

Clint Eastwood will direct Matt Damon in a supernatural thriller titled Hereafter, written by Peter Morgan. Eastwood and Damon will be releasing another film this winter (Dec. 11) called Invictus where the two developed a rapport. Morgan has written such nominated films like The Queen and Frost/Nixon.

Production is set to begin on Hereafter this fall.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

May 6, 2011

For those who haven’t yet heard, a release date had been announced for Columbia Picture’s fourth Spider-Man movie, which is May 6, 2011.

This will make Spider-Man 4 the third superhero movie scheduled to come out that summer, accompanied by Thor (June 17) and The First Avenger: Captain America (July 22).

Director Sam Raimi and actors Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst will return. Gary Ross is currently writing the script.

Source: Variety

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight: Batman Becomes a Westerner

The character of Batman as presented in director Christopher Nolan’s 2008 film The Dark Knight represents many of the iconographic elements that comprise what is known as the Westerner. The caped crusader can more accurately be distinguished as being more medieval (that is, consisting of character traits more attuned to medieval literature) in most of his filmic representations, such as Tim Burton’s Batman (1989), and such a connection does not completely stop with Nolan’s most recent feature as even the film’s title outright labels its hero a “knight.” But despite this, Nolan has introduced the character of Batman to the world of cinema in a new way that displays him more as a western idol reminiscent of the days of John Wayne. American audiences gorged themselves on this newest version of the classic superhero, amassing a domestic box office revenue of over $530 million (second only to Titanic‘s $600 million+), and the reason for this may be found in the social structure of its viewers. Read the rest of this entry »