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If Seattle-based filmmaker Lynn Shelton had an actual career hump to get over, she has most certainly done so on the strength of her third feature, the hilariously perceptive Humpday. Since its premiere at this year's Sundance, the officially too-often-cited "mumblecore bromance" was picked up by Magnolia Pictures after a bidding war, played SXSW and Cannes, and in the interim, had its buzz cranked a few more decibels when Shelton won the 2009 "Someone to Watch" Spirit Award for last year'sMy Effortless Brilliance. And that title's a fine turn of phrase for the success she's receiving from her deceptively simple new comedy. Aaron Hillis chatted with Shelton and her two co-stars for a new podcast... Read more >> |
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In This Dispatch:
- What's New: [Rec], Mad Men, and more.
- What We're Watching: Menage, Bardleys, and Night Train.
- Explore: Karlovy Vary Film Festival dispatch.
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Spanish horror film that was quickly remade (and not too poorly) here in the US as Quarantine, but the original is, writes FearNet's Scott Weinberg, "a shock-a-minute mini-masterpiece of sound design, tricky jolts, and wonderfully distressing tension. As with Blair Witch, Cloverfield, and Diary of the Dead, the 'found footage' technique takes a little getting used to (as do the English subtitles), but once we get knee-deep in the non-stop creeps 'n' carnage, there's little denying that [REC] is a whole lot of ferociously scary fun." |
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There was no sophomore slump for AMC's acclaimed drama set in the world of 1960s ad men (and women). "There was enormous pressure to do the near-impossible, which was be better than season one, sustain both the hype and the acclaim, plus add viewers," San Francisco Chronicle critic Tim Goodman told Variety. "I was worried (creator) Matthew Weiner might implode. But the very first episode of season two proved nobody had to worry, the genius was still there." Adds the NY Times: "The series is more than a period piece. It’s a sleek, hard-boiled drama with a soft, satirical core. " |
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Menage starts off with a bang: a couple in a bar, Antoine and Monique, are having a nasty argument into which an unknown third party, Bob, suddenly intrudes. Soon they take to Bob, as well (and he to them), in even more startling fashion. Because Bob is played by Gerard Depardieu, and Antoine and Monique by Michel Blanc and Miou-Miou – three icons of French cinema – and the movie itself is written and directed by Bertrand Blier, France’s long-time bad boy of the movies, you can expect... read review >>
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John Gilbert (1897-1936) wasn't as strong a swashbuckler as Fairbanks, nor as strong a lover as Valentino, but he had a little of both qualities, and he was quite good in his own right. He was a major star in his day, but died young, from the bottle, and today if he's known at all, it's as one of the parade of men with whom Garbo wiped the screen... Now a new two-disc DVD set from Flicker Alley hopes to set the record straight. It contains two film..." read review >>
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A throwback to earlier days, styles, plot devices and modes of transportation, Night Train just manages to provide a good time both despite and because of its adherence to old-fashioned formula. From the beginning -- as two train conductors ( Danny Glover and Matthias Schweighoefer) debark from adjoining cars at the same moment – writer/director Brian King provides a nostalgic and rather appealing “look” to his film. Despite a budget that... read review >> |
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Ronald Bergen reports on GC Daily: "I usually go every year to the Karlovy Vary Film Festival (which wrapped Saturday night) to catch up on East European films, mainly in the section which they call "East of the West." I also go for the less elevated reasons of renewing my acquaintance with many in the critical fraternity, enjoying the atmosphere of this pretty spa town (formerly known as Karlsbad), and going to social gatherings, the best being at the neo-baroque Grand Hotel Pupp (pronounced "poop"). Despite the wet weather, none of this disappointed." More >>
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