Margaret is a pointless drama starring Anna Paquin that has been on the shelf for over five years. After sitting through this bleak two-and-half-hour melodrama surrounding a bright but antagonistic teen suffering growing pains, I am left wondering why filmmakers bothered to take it down.
The best thing I can say about the violent indie horror/thriller You’re Next is that it had a kick-ass heroine and some creepy animal masks. Sweeping the Fantastic Fest Awards last month, You’re Next wowed the crowds but left me wondering what all the excitement was about (and seriously questioning the crowd‘s taste in horror movies).
Real Steel envisions the only future where the sport of boxing is still relevant; one in which all the boxing is done by giant robots, and humans merely control them from outside of the ring. I admit I was skeptical at first, but Real Steel’s unique concept, superior special effects, and endearing family-oriented story won me over.
Tom Six, wearing his trademark white cowboy hat, sat down with me recently to discuss the disturbing sequel to his body horror The Human Centipede. Premiering at Austin's weird and wacky genre film fest Fantastic Fest, The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence not only out-grosses the original film, but stands out as one of the most deranged movies I've ever watched.
Melancholia's controversial director Lars von Trier is making headlines again, this time for vowing that he will not be making anymore public statements. The fallout after his statements about being a Nazi sympathizer at the Cannes film fest earlier this year continue; not only has he been banned from Cannes, but today he was questioned by French police concerning charges of violating a French law against the justification of war crimes.
Retreat sports some high-caliber actors in what is a claustrophobic home-invasion thriller a la Straw Dogs. Premiering (U.S.) at Fantastic Fest 2011, Retreat stars Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later), Thandie Newton (M:I 2) and Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot).
If there’s one thing you can say about Tom Six and his newest body horror movie The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence, it’s that he knows how to make a crowd squirm. If having one movie about a demented German doctor sewing three people together ass to mouth wasn’t bad enough, now there’s a sequel that involves 12 people (and then some).
Based on a true story, this inspirational tale about a Little Dolphin Who Could hits theaters September 23rd and will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy all over. Since it’s hard to dislike even a mediocre “animal hero” pic, Dolphin Tale will swim into your heart despite a modicum of melodrama and a heavy dose of predictability.
Moneyball is more interesting than your typical sports drama thanks to the direction. Bennett Miller takes a rather grey, cement-enshrouded setting and gives it a little pizzazz.
Tarsem Singh's upcoming stylized epic action pic Immortals is gaining momentum this week with Relativity's announcement that it will be unveiling Immortals-based graphic novel art at three select gallery openings. Austin will get a peek at the 'Immortals: Gods and Heroes' artwork on September 24th, smack in the middle of Fantastic Fest 2011 mayhem and fun, with the gallery unveiling of 'Immortals: Gods and Heroes--Art from the Graphic Novel'.
