"Andrew Sarris once wrote about the 'bread-and-butter' Western and the 'blue ribbon' Western," writes Jeffrey M. Anderson. "The latter, ultra-serious example tried to make the Western more important by adding outside elements, but at the same time it sapped all the fun and very nearly killed the genre. Now James Mangold has brought it back with this strapping 'bread and butter' example." Not only does Jeffrey give the new 3:10 to Yuma 3½ stars out of 4, he also tips his hat to one of its stars, Peter Fonda, whose The Hired Hand is "one of the best Westerns of the 1970s." In a new interview on GreenCine, Anderson talks with Mangold and Fonda about their lively takes on the genre, and on the original film. Read article >>

Away From Her  Rent 

The Chicago Tribune called this film - the directorial debut from gifted actress Sarah Polley - nothing less than "One of the most remarkable and moving love stories the movies have recently given us." The beautiful yet unconventional story of a couple (Julie Christie, Gordon Pinsent) coming to grips with the onset of memory loss is adapted from Alice Munro's short story "The Bear Came Over the Mountain." Stanley Kaufmann of the New Republic heralded it as "extraordinary--delicate, seriously disturbing, and lovely." More at GC Daily.

Triad Election Rent  

For Johnny To, whose latest film, Exiled, was just reviewed on GreenCine, Triad Election(Election 2) "cements director's place as mob-movie master," wrote Sean Axmaker. And critics found this sequel to be the better of the two Election films: For instance, the NY Times' Manhola Dargis: "More elegantly plotted and streamlined than the first film."

Also Out This Week: American Cannibal; Griffin & Phoenix; Private Property; Snow Cake; White Palms; Liberty Bound; Skin For Sale; I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal; Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee; Film Crew: Wild Women of Wongo (those MST3K nuts are at it again, riffing on this hilariously awful "natives are restless" camp).

New and Coming Releases lists | Your Queue | Discuss! | GreenCine's review blog: Guru | GC Member Reviews

Prime Suspect 7: The Final Act Rent  

Helen Mirren's recurring role as police inspector Jane Tennison in one of the best TV police procedurals ever may have saved the best for last. Approaching retirement, Tennison investigates the murder of a missing teenage girl, but soon finds herself struggling both with an alcohol problem and the death of her father. "As viewers watch it all unfold so wonderfully, thanks to Mirren's brilliant performance," wrote Tim Goodman in the SF Chronicle, "there's also no escaping that the end is here, not just for Tennison, but for a favorite television character and a miniseries that took television to new heights."

More like this Prime Suspect 6 | Le Petit Lieutenant

Gold Diggers of 1933  Rent  

Released at the height of the depression, Mervyn LeRoy's Gold Diggers of 1933, sets the scene quickly with a routine featuring rows of highly-synchronized chorus girls sporting plate-sized, gold coin crotch pieces, doing Busby Berkeley (the dance director of the picture) routines, as Ginger Rogers sings "Let's lend it, spend it, send it rolling along," before the revelry is shut down by the Sherriff's Office for unpaid debts. By way of explaining the scene, Ginger exclaims "It's the Depression, dearie!"... Read review here >>

More like this Footlight Parade | Gold Diggers of '35

It's commendable that Kevin Smith and his View Askew production group (yes, the ones responsible for the Clerks movies, Chasing Amy and Dogma) helped produce and distribute Small Town Gay Bar, a documentary explores two gay bars in small Mississippi towns. Unless we've grown up in or--less likely--moved to a small town as an adult, we have little knowledge of what it's like to be "other" in a place where almost everybody knows your business. And the movie does give us entry into that somewhat creepy and inauspicious realm. Read review here >>

More like this Before Stonewall | Licensed to Kill

"All the hard work and the difficulty of killing someone, if that's what this character has to do, I want you to feel it and see it." That's David Cronenberg, talking to Michael Guillén about his new film, Eastern Promises. Also along for the chat is the film's star, Viggo Mortensen. Read more >>

Also: David D'Arcy talks with director Barbet Schroeder about Terror's Advocate, his documentary on one of the most controversial - and mysterious - lawyers of all time, Jacques Verges;Tilman Baumgärtel talks to Lav Diaz, widely recognized as one of the most important filmmakers working in the Philippines today, in "Digital is liberation theology"; La Misma Luna (Under the Same Moon) was met with a rousing standing ovation when it premiered at Sundance earlier this year, and James Van Maanen spoke with its director, Patricia Riggen.

Just a warning! GreenCine will be doing some server maintenance later today that may cause the site to be down periodically. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience, but don't panic - it's all good.

Also, just a brief note about those beloved cardboard inserts. With our new envelopes it is no longer necessary to stuff the cardboard inside. In fact, however well-intentioned, doing so actually causes us to pay more in postage. So, instead, keep any remaining inserts, recycle them, build a cardboard sculpture out of them, or use them to cover holes in your shoes.

**Contest alert!** A remix album of great orchestral film scores from the 20th century might seem like an odd idea, but the new collection Cinematic (Six Degrees Records) is most satisfying. Now you can win a copy of this new CD - which features remixes of Nino Rota, Ennio Morricone, and Henry Mancini - if you're one of the lucky winners in our new giveaway. Check it out! Look for another cool contest on GreenCine later this week, too.