Playing exaggerated versions of themselves, Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel go to a party at the house of James Franco. Surrounded by all of their Judd Apatow bros, including Jonah Hill, Michael Cera and Craig Robinson (star of the similar, simultaneous Rapture-Palooza) — all playing even more greatly exaggerated versions of themselves — they party it […]
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Posted inArts & Culture
The Hangover Part III
In response, for this summer’s The Hangover Part III, director Todd Phillips and the gang did something totally different. Complained the multiplex populace, “It’s not enough like the first one!” America, you fickle, fickle bastard. What’s funny about the whole thing is that both sequels are, well, funny. Yet The Hangover Part III just can’t […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Shiver
That’s where the fun of Shiver starts. That’s where the fun of Shiver stops. In Portland, a killer (John Jarratt, Wolf Creek) who calls himself The Gryphon (sounds like “Griffin”) delights in offing women and, as the aforementioned line has it, keeps their heads in jars as trophies. His latest target is a secretary […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Room 237
Only the first of these is true. Just don’t tell the unseen interviewees of Room 237, Rodney Ascher’s extraordinary documentary about all the crazy conspiracy theories surrounding Kubrick’s 1980 horror classic, The Shining. You’ve heard about The Shining, right? It’s the film that Kubrick loaded with subliminal messages and made synchronic when simultaneously played forward […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Captain Phillips
The British-born director always had a penchant for going against the mostly jingoistic American style of docudrama filmmaking — where we absolutely at all times need a bad guy who goes against our collective nationalist ideals to root against — with films such as the 9/11-based United 93, which presented the hijackers in a very […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Europa Report
Among the six-member crew are a few recognizable faces who nonetheless disappear into their roles, including Elysium villain Sharlto Copley and Dragon Tattoo trilogy star Michael Nyqvist. Unfortunately, as with the case of so many found-footage films, there’s not much of a story here. It’s all build-up to a final image that leaves audiences asking, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
In the House
High school literature teacher Germain (Fabrice Luchini, Ozon’s Potiche) is fed up with the student body at large, but impressed with the quality of writing by 16-year-old Claude (Ernst Umhauer, The Monk). For an early assignment, the student turns in a rather voyeuristic, true story about visiting the home of his awkward classmate, Rapha (newcomer […]
Posted inMusic
Know your Django
Thanks to Quentin Tarantino, we all know the “D” is silent. But if his is the only Django you know … well, friend, you don’t know Django. For one thing, he’s not African-American, but Italian. He’s not a slave, but a Civil War vet. He’s now 47 years old and drags a coffin behind him […]
Posted inNews
At least they’re not murdering his music
In the prologue, a couple puts the 1977 hit on repeat and then gets murdered before it cycles into oblivion. You guessed it — bits play through the movie as neighbors pass the window and see, uh, Bernie and Pal, so to speak, propped up on the couch. We don’t want to give too much […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Rush
Instead, it’s a rather drab biopic about 1970s-era Formula One jerks that compete against each other in a high-speed pissing contest that totally leaves the audience out of the argument. In capable hands, this might have been an exciting, daring look inside this world, with the competitive nature of the drivers giving the viewer an […]