Features
You’ve surely heard by now that the US trade papers aren’t exactly crazy for the Coen Brothers’ latest, “Burn After Reading,” which bowed in Venice last night. “Arch and ungainly” was one of the less damning descriptions in Todd McCarthy’s review, while Kirk Honeycutt was moderately kinder in calling the film “a minor piece of […]
Entries from August 2008
The Brits feeling ‘Burn’
Posted by Guy Lodge · 4:35 am · August 28th, 2008
Filed in: Daily
Shameless
Posted by Guy Lodge · 2:54 am · August 28th, 2008
Sitting at a bus stop in London’s Shoreditch at 2am, waiting for the ever-elusive night bus home, I had rather a long time to contemplate the new UK poster for “The Duchess,” Paramount Vantage’s Keira Knightley costume flick… … and my initial reaction was that, to my surprise, I rather liked it. Clean, stark, beautifully […]
Filed in: Daily
Lovin’ the Boss
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:09 pm · August 27th, 2008
Can I just say the use of Bruce Springsteen’s “The Rising” as Joe Biden’s theme of sorts on this campaign (the same song accompanied his entrance on Saturday) is adding to that tingly feeling?
Filed in: Daily
‘No End’ on YouTube
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 7:12 pm · August 27th, 2008
One of the best films of last year (and a certifiable toss-up with “Taxi to the Dark Side” for Best Doc if you ask me), Charles Ferguson’s “No End in Sight” has landed it’s own YouTube channel this week. According to the press release, it will become “the first widely released feature film to screen […]
Filed in: Daily
‘Rain of Madness’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 5:44 pm · August 27th, 2008
Filed in: Daily
On the week ahead…
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:52 am · August 27th, 2008
Next week In Contention will be launching into our extensive Oscar coverage for the season. That means the usual weekly columns from Gerard and myself, in addition to the daily musings on what might be in the Oscarweb news. Speaking of the Oscarweb, we’ll be doing the round-ups again that you might remember from Red […]
Filed in: Daily
Warner ventures into the arthouse with ‘Chanel’
Posted by Guy Lodge · 7:59 am · August 27th, 2008
Well, if nothing else, 2009’s Best Costume Design award is forespoken. Screen Daily reports that Warner Brothers is beginning production next month on “Coco Before Chanel,” a French-language biopic of the iconic fashion designer. Warner will distribute the film internationally next year. Audrey Tautou will play Chanel (presumably after flipping a coin with Marion Cotillard), […]
Filed in: Daily
‘Rachel’ not just about the women?
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:47 am · August 27th, 2008
In his autumn preview, Noah Forrest at Movie City News briefly kinda-reviews Jonathan Demme’s “Rachel Getting Married,” which will make its official bow at Venice next week. Having seen an unfinished cut, he gives it the thumbs-up, citing “beautiful music, excellent performances and a few surprises I didn’t see coming.” Most excitingly, he compares it […]
Filed in: Daily
Countdown to Venice: the future of festivals?
Posted by Guy Lodge · 5:31 am · August 27th, 2008
So the Venice Film Festival kicks off tonight with its glossiest title, the out-of-competition “Burn After Reading.” Reviews ought to start trickling in tonight, though it’s worth bearing in mind that festival fever can often give the premature illusion of critical consensus. Screen International has a very handy rundown of the festival lineup – both […]
Filed in: Daily
What is this babbling bullshit on CNN?
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:28 pm · August 26th, 2008
Someone just interviewed a blubbering idiot Hillary supporter who apparently didn’t understand what the fuck Clinton’s message was, the one she delivered not 10 minutes ago. You’re going to be faced with something you’ve never been faced with? You’d rather not vote at all than vote for Barack Obama? What kind of blind ignorant shit […]
Filed in: Daily
“It’s about the future versus the past.”
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 7:01 pm · August 26th, 2008
I’d say he knocked that comfortably out of the park…
Filed in: Et Cetera
My DVR is about to get FULL
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 4:24 pm · August 26th, 2008
Has anyone taken a moment to notice how friggin’ packed this Fall is set to be on the small screen? Just as far as the shows I watch (you guys may watch many more): “Friday Night Lights,” “The Shield,” “Lost,” “Real Time with Bill Maher,” “Heroes,” “Entourage,” “Flight of the Conchords,” “The Office”…And then there’s […]
Filed in: Daily
Jeff Wells buys into the Hawkins hype
Posted by Guy Lodge · 4:22 pm · August 26th, 2008
As Kris pointed out earlier today, Jeff Wells is no fan of Mike Leigh’s “Happy-Go-Lucky.” I suspected from the get-go that the film and Poppy, its gobby, exaggeratedly high-energy protagonist, would polarise audiences – but I still find Wells’ argument does a disservice both to the film and to his own critical perspicacity. In his […]
Filed in: Daily
That’s one hell of a still…
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 3:25 pm · August 26th, 2008
Filed in: Daily
‘Flash of Genius’ with Greg Kinnear
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 3:03 pm · August 26th, 2008
I keep forgetting to write something about “Flash of Genius,” the upcoming Universal release starring Greg Kinnear as the inventor who designed the intermittent windshield wiper, only to have Ford rip him off. It sounds like an interesting premise (based on a true story, by the way), if potentially trite on the big screen. However, […]
Filed in: Daily
Greatest movie sequels of all time?
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 2:12 pm · August 26th, 2008
Two friends of IC, Rope of Silicon and The Movie Blog, have decided this week to chart the greatest movie sequels of all time. Obviously it’s a subjective endeavor, but I thought I’d crank out my list. Pick it apart, praise it and/or add your choices in the comments below! Before getting to the list, […]
Filed in: Daily
New shot from ‘Revolutionary Road’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 1:23 pm · August 26th, 2008
From the August issue of Empire Magazine: Speaking of Empire, they’ve put together a hilarious new list: The Stupidest Character Names. I have to say, they got the #1 choice dead on. But screw ’em for sticking John Matrix up there.
Filed in: Daily
PAGE TO SCREEN: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” by Eric Roth
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 12:15 pm · August 26th, 2008
“Time is the most precious of God’s gifts. It is untouchable, unseeable, unknowable…it is as light as a feather…as heavy as a stone…Time, my darling, what precious little there is, is all we have…” I’ve known from Eric Roth for a few years now. I’ve spent some time investigating his process, picking apart his tendencies […]
Filed in: Page to Screen
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