With most films seeking to get out of the shadow cast by a certain caped crusader, March is a bit of a lighter month than usual, but there remains a handful of recommendations. From offbeat festival favorites to the return of the erotic thriller to what’s sure to be one of the best sci-fi tales of the year, check out our picks below.
11. Jane by Charlotte (Charlotte Gainsbourg; March 18 in theaters)
After being in front of the camera for nearly four decades, Charlotte Gainsbourg gets personal with her directorial debut. Jane by Charlotte, which premiered at Cannes before playing NYFF and beyond, is a portrait of her mother, singer and actress Jane Birkin, as the pair reflect on their creative lives. As they discuss the pains and joys of their relationship, it promises an intimate look at the intricacies of a bond formed not only by blood, but also fiercely creative drives.
11. Jane by Charlotte (Charlotte Gainsbourg; March 18 in theaters)
After being in front of the camera for nearly four decades, Charlotte Gainsbourg gets personal with her directorial debut. Jane by Charlotte, which premiered at Cannes before playing NYFF and beyond, is a portrait of her mother, singer and actress Jane Birkin, as the pair reflect on their creative lives. As they discuss the pains and joys of their relationship, it promises an intimate look at the intricacies of a bond formed not only by blood, but also fiercely creative drives.
- 3/2/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Lava is on the mind. If one was able to catch the recent Sundance premiere Fire of Love but desired a more formally bold vision of the depths of nature, look no further than Fern Silva’s endlessly fascinating debut feature Rock Bottom Riser. A winner at last year’s Berlinale, the essay film explores all facets of the Hawaiian landscape, geology, ethnography, and astronomy as scientists plan to build the world’s largest telescope on the sacred mountain Mauna Kea. Cinema Guild have crafted a fittingly adventurous trailer which we’re premiering ahead of the film’s March 4 release at Metrograph.
Glenn Heath Jr. said in our Nd/Nf review, “Images of slowly cascading liquids and particles are pivotal to Rock Bottom Riser, an experimental documentary that covers subjects as far-reaching as nautical navigation, astronomy, and killer smoke tricks. The opening drone shot high above one of Hawaii’s...
Glenn Heath Jr. said in our Nd/Nf review, “Images of slowly cascading liquids and particles are pivotal to Rock Bottom Riser, an experimental documentary that covers subjects as far-reaching as nautical navigation, astronomy, and killer smoke tricks. The opening drone shot high above one of Hawaii’s...
- 2/9/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Our annual tradition of Fantasy Double Features asks the year's Notebook contributors to pair something new with something old, with the only requirement being the films have to have been freshly seen this year.Part diary of memorable viewing during 2021, part creative prompt to think about how cinema's present speaks to its past (and vice versa), the 14th edition of our end of year poll weaves between theater-going and home-viewing so seamlessly as to suggest that early pandemic impediments from last year are now quite normal. Yet clearly that hasn't stopped us from watching, being delighted by, and thinking about movies, and the wonderful combinations below are testaments to the dynamic, idiosyncratic, and interactive vitality of moviegoing wherever and however its being practiced.CONTRIBUTORSJett Allen | Paul Attard | Jennifer Lynde Barker | Susana Bessa | Michael M. Bilandic | Ela Bittencourt | Johannes Black | Joshua Bogatin | Alex Broadwell | Celluloid Liberation Front | Lillian Crawford | Adrian Curry...
- 1/13/2022
- MUBI
One of the most beautiful films I’ve seen in the last few years, Pushpendra Singh’s The Shepherdess and the Seven Songs is finally getting a U.S. theatrical release next month. A selection at Berlinale and New Directors/New Films, the drama will come to The Museum of Modern Art, courtesy of Deaf Crocodile Films and theatrical partner Gratitude Films, beginning on January 12th, 2022 for a week-long run, followed by a spring 2022 VOD release, with support from Grasshopper Film.
The fourth feature from Singh is the second of their works adapting celebrated Rajasthani writer Vidaydan Detha, while also taking great inspiration from 14th-century Indian folklore. Divided into seven separate sections, each structured around a unique song that acts as insight into the protagonist’s inner world, the film follows a young bride, Laila (Navjot Randhawa), who marries into a tribe of nomadic Bakarwal herders. Already harassed by local police as a minority,...
The fourth feature from Singh is the second of their works adapting celebrated Rajasthani writer Vidaydan Detha, while also taking great inspiration from 14th-century Indian folklore. Divided into seven separate sections, each structured around a unique song that acts as insight into the protagonist’s inner world, the film follows a young bride, Laila (Navjot Randhawa), who marries into a tribe of nomadic Bakarwal herders. Already harassed by local police as a minority,...
- 12/17/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
It’s a story deserving its own film: Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Reza Aslani’s Chess of the Wind had three public screenings, likely recognized as the remarkable blend of mood piece, thriller, and social study it is. But a revolution comes in and, contra those implications, bans it. It is lost for decades. Then Aslani’s children find the original negative—in a junk shop, hardly the domain of masterworks. Cue Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project, a Janus acquisition, and impending Criterion release.
We loved Chess of the Wind upon its premiere last year and are elated it’s opening in theaters this fall, starting October 29 at New York’s Film Forum. Thus there’s a trailer quoting our review, in which Glenn Heath Jr. said, “Chess of the Wind is a shining example of how familiar genres and tones can meld together to form something that feels brand new.
We loved Chess of the Wind upon its premiere last year and are elated it’s opening in theaters this fall, starting October 29 at New York’s Film Forum. Thus there’s a trailer quoting our review, in which Glenn Heath Jr. said, “Chess of the Wind is a shining example of how familiar genres and tones can meld together to form something that feels brand new.
- 10/7/2021
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
While Netflix has been skipping out on film festivals in the pandemic for their own productions, they’ve still been picking up acclaimed films that have premiered over the past year. On the heels of the stellar Indian drama The Disciple, their next notable release in this regard is Tragic Jungle, arriving on June 9.
The fifth feature from director Yulene Olaizola, which premiered at Venice Film Festival last fall followed by New York Film Festival, is set in 1920 on the border between Mexico and Belize, following a group of Mexican gum workers who cross paths with Agnes, a beautiful and mysterious Belizean woman.
Glenn Heath Jr. said in his NYFF review, “Fluid and far-reaching, the Rio Hondo snakes between Mexico and what was once British Honduras (now Belize). Terrain on both sides is dominated by the dense Mayan rainforest, rendering moot any notion of borders or nation-states. Yulene Olaizola’s...
The fifth feature from director Yulene Olaizola, which premiered at Venice Film Festival last fall followed by New York Film Festival, is set in 1920 on the border between Mexico and Belize, following a group of Mexican gum workers who cross paths with Agnes, a beautiful and mysterious Belizean woman.
Glenn Heath Jr. said in his NYFF review, “Fluid and far-reaching, the Rio Hondo snakes between Mexico and what was once British Honduras (now Belize). Terrain on both sides is dominated by the dense Mayan rainforest, rendering moot any notion of borders or nation-states. Yulene Olaizola’s...
- 5/17/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
From Los Reyes to Space Dogs, it’s been a strong last few years when it comes to canine-focused arthouse cinema. The latest entry in the subgenre is Stray, which marks the feature debut from Elizabeth Lo and follows the daily wanderings of Istanbul’s orphaned dog population. Shot over three years, the film premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in 2020 and will now arrive in early March via Magnolia Pictures. Ahead of the release, the first trailer has now arrived.
Glenn Heath Jr. said in his review, “Educated at Stanford’s renowned documentary filmmaking program, Lo has always brought a keen sense of cinematic rhythm to everyday human routines and patterns. But with Stray, she hands over all control to the dogs, letting their movements and distractions and glees dictate blocking and camera movement. The film’s first half is a beautiful city symphony as a result, positioning the modern...
Glenn Heath Jr. said in his review, “Educated at Stanford’s renowned documentary filmmaking program, Lo has always brought a keen sense of cinematic rhythm to everyday human routines and patterns. But with Stray, she hands over all control to the dogs, letting their movements and distractions and glees dictate blocking and camera movement. The film’s first half is a beautiful city symphony as a result, positioning the modern...
- 1/19/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Welcome, one and all, to the latest episode of The Film Stage Show! Today, Brian Roan and Michael Snydel are joined by Glenn Heath Jr. to discuss Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi thriller Tenet.
Enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. For a limited time, all new Patreon supporters will receive a free Blu-ray/DVD. After becoming a contributor, e-mail podcast@thefilmstage.com for an up-to-date list of available films.
Subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, or stream below.
The Film Stage Show is supported by Mubi, a curated streaming service showcasing exceptional films from around the globe. Every day, Mubi premieres a new film. Whether it’s a timeless classic, a cult favorite, or an acclaimed masterpiece — it’s guaranteed to be either a movie you’ve been dying to see or one you’ve never heard of...
Enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. For a limited time, all new Patreon supporters will receive a free Blu-ray/DVD. After becoming a contributor, e-mail podcast@thefilmstage.com for an up-to-date list of available films.
Subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, or stream below.
The Film Stage Show is supported by Mubi, a curated streaming service showcasing exceptional films from around the globe. Every day, Mubi premieres a new film. Whether it’s a timeless classic, a cult favorite, or an acclaimed masterpiece — it’s guaranteed to be either a movie you’ve been dying to see or one you’ve never heard of...
- 12/22/2020
- by Brian Roan
- The Film Stage
Nearly a quarter-of-a-century ago, Todd Haynes released Safe, an impeccably crafted, startling drama in which Julianne Moore’s character is encumbered by “environmental illnesses” that she believes have debilitated her. Flash-forward to 2019 and the director is returning to a similar idea albeit on a much larger scale, in which 99% of the human population has been exposed to an environmental contaminant. And this time, it’s based entirely on a true story.
Dark Waters captures the extensive fight against chemical company DuPont headed up by corporate defense attorney Rob Billot (Mark Ruffalo). When the eco-thriller/drama was first announced, it perhaps looked strange in the hands of Haynes, who is known for his deeply felt, aesthetically vivid dramas, but he brings a distinct eye and a thematic richness to this story, one that exudes horror and outrage simmering under the surface.
“Todd Haynes understands that the justice system hardly ever works...
Dark Waters captures the extensive fight against chemical company DuPont headed up by corporate defense attorney Rob Billot (Mark Ruffalo). When the eco-thriller/drama was first announced, it perhaps looked strange in the hands of Haynes, who is known for his deeply felt, aesthetically vivid dramas, but he brings a distinct eye and a thematic richness to this story, one that exudes horror and outrage simmering under the surface.
“Todd Haynes understands that the justice system hardly ever works...
- 11/21/2019
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
This podcast focuses on Criterion’s Eclipse Series of DVDs. Hosts David Blakeslee and Trevor Berrett give an overview of each box and offer their perspectives on the unique treasures they find inside. In this episode, David and Trevor discuss Eclipse Series 27: Rafaello Matarazzo’s Runaway Melodramas.
About the films:
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, film critics, international festivalgoers, and other studious viewers were swept up by the tide of Italian neorealism. Meanwhile, mainstream Italian audiences were indulging in a different kind of cinema experience: the sensational, extravagant melodramas of director Raffaello Matarazzo. Though turning to neorealism for character types and settings, these haywire hits about splintered love affairs and broken homes, all starring mustachioed matinee idol Amedeo Nazzari and icon of feminine purity Yvonne Sanson, luxuriate in delirious plot twists and overheated religious symbolism. Four of them are collected here, chronicles of men and women on...
About the films:
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, film critics, international festivalgoers, and other studious viewers were swept up by the tide of Italian neorealism. Meanwhile, mainstream Italian audiences were indulging in a different kind of cinema experience: the sensational, extravagant melodramas of director Raffaello Matarazzo. Though turning to neorealism for character types and settings, these haywire hits about splintered love affairs and broken homes, all starring mustachioed matinee idol Amedeo Nazzari and icon of feminine purity Yvonne Sanson, luxuriate in delirious plot twists and overheated religious symbolism. Four of them are collected here, chronicles of men and women on...
- 2/1/2016
- by David Blakeslee
- CriterionCast
For Glenn Heath Jr. at Little White Lies, Joachim Trier's Louder Than Bombs, with Gabriel Byrne, Isabelle Huppert, Jesse Eisenberg, Devin Druid, David Strathairn and Amy Ryan, "doesn’t share the raw and ambiguous resolve of [Oslo, August 31st]; not many films do. But it does prove that Trier is a filmmaker passionately attuned to the types of long-gestating conflicts of miscommunication and doubt that most studio pictures often sensationalize." Screen's Dan Fainaru argues that "the success of Trier’s deceptively complicated script relies to a great extent on working with the same technical team who have been there since the beginning. They include cinematographer Jakob Ihre and editor Olivier Bugge Coutte who has tied an unusually complicated collection of puzzle pieces into one coherent picture." We've got clips and more reviews. » - David Hudson...
- 5/18/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
For Glenn Heath Jr. at Little White Lies, Joachim Trier's Louder Than Bombs, with Gabriel Byrne, Isabelle Huppert, Jesse Eisenberg, Devin Druid, David Strathairn and Amy Ryan, "doesn’t share the raw and ambiguous resolve of [Oslo, August 31st]; not many films do. But it does prove that Trier is a filmmaker passionately attuned to the types of long-gestating conflicts of miscommunication and doubt that most studio pictures often sensationalize." Screen's Dan Fainaru argues that "the success of Trier’s deceptively complicated script relies to a great extent on working with the same technical team who have been there since the beginning. They include cinematographer Jakob Ihre and editor Olivier Bugge Coutte who has tied an unusually complicated collection of puzzle pieces into one coherent picture." We've got clips and more reviews. » - David Hudson...
- 5/18/2015
- Keyframe
How would you program this year's newest, most interesting films into double features with movies of the past you saw in 2014?
Looking back over the year at what films moved and impressed us, it is clear that watching old films is a crucial part of making new films meaningful. Thus, the annual tradition of our end of year poll, which calls upon our writers to pick both a new and an old film: they were challenged to choose a new film they saw in 2014—in theatres or at a festival—and creatively pair it with an old film they also saw in 2014 to create a unique double feature.
All the contributors were given the option to write some text explaining their 2014 fantasy double feature. What's more, each writer was given the option to list more pairings, with or without explanation, as further imaginative film programming we'd be lucky to catch...
Looking back over the year at what films moved and impressed us, it is clear that watching old films is a crucial part of making new films meaningful. Thus, the annual tradition of our end of year poll, which calls upon our writers to pick both a new and an old film: they were challenged to choose a new film they saw in 2014—in theatres or at a festival—and creatively pair it with an old film they also saw in 2014 to create a unique double feature.
All the contributors were given the option to write some text explaining their 2014 fantasy double feature. What's more, each writer was given the option to list more pairings, with or without explanation, as further imaginative film programming we'd be lucky to catch...
- 1/5/2015
- by Notebook
- MUBI
In today's roundup of news and views: David Phelps on Robert Beavers, Richard Kelly on Brad Bird and Ratatouille, Todd Haynes on his forthcoming Carol with Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, a new short story by Tom Hanks, Glenn Heath Jr. on David Mackenzie, an interview with Mike Hoolboom, more from Reverse Shot on Martin Scorsese, Glenn Kenny on Bill Morrison, Julianne Moore's interview with Sarah Paulson, Charles Isherwood on a play about Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler writing Double Indemnity, Richard Brody on Alain Resnais's Muriel, remembering Oscar de la Renta, Misty Upham and more. » - David Hudson...
- 10/21/2014
- Fandor: Keyframe
In today's roundup of news and views: David Phelps on Robert Beavers, Richard Kelly on Brad Bird and Ratatouille, Todd Haynes on his forthcoming Carol with Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, a new short story by Tom Hanks, Glenn Heath Jr. on David Mackenzie, an interview with Mike Hoolboom, more from Reverse Shot on Martin Scorsese, Glenn Kenny on Bill Morrison, Julianne Moore's interview with Sarah Paulson, Charles Isherwood on a play about Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler writing Double Indemnity, Richard Brody on Alain Resnais's Muriel, remembering Oscar de la Renta, Misty Upham and more. » - David Hudson...
- 10/21/2014
- Keyframe
Every few days, we'll be rounding up some of the latest buzz and reviews coming from the Croisette—our favorite takes from trusted sources on the latest films to make their debut at the 67th Festival de Cannes.
We already have two takes on Abel Ferrara's Welcome to New York here in our Notebook, but here's another worth checking out, from Peter Labuza of The Film Stage. Saint Laurent, the latest film from Bertrand Bonello, is dividing critics. Writing for Sight & Sound, Jordan Cronk claims the film verges on convention but...
"...is a seductive, often hypnotic article of sensuality for the senses. The female form, and the way bodies interact with and are often commodified for their surroundings, are constants. When, in one of the film’s best sequences, the screen is split between runway models descending an ornate stairwell and newsreel images of concurrent wartime atrocities, political protests and the May 1968 riots,...
We already have two takes on Abel Ferrara's Welcome to New York here in our Notebook, but here's another worth checking out, from Peter Labuza of The Film Stage. Saint Laurent, the latest film from Bertrand Bonello, is dividing critics. Writing for Sight & Sound, Jordan Cronk claims the film verges on convention but...
"...is a seductive, often hypnotic article of sensuality for the senses. The female form, and the way bodies interact with and are often commodified for their surroundings, are constants. When, in one of the film’s best sequences, the screen is split between runway models descending an ornate stairwell and newsreel images of concurrent wartime atrocities, political protests and the May 1968 riots,...
- 5/20/2014
- by Adam Cook
- MUBI
Now that a new year is upon us let's reflect back on 2013. Something like a year in Latino film. Latin American filmmakers continued to kill it on the international film festival circuit. Chile, in particular, has been conquering the world one film festival award at a time.
Sadly, American Latino filmmakers were mostly absent from big name festivals like Sundance, Toronto, Berlin, and Cannes. Normally, the major Latino film festivals in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Diego offer a home to these overlooked films. The surprising collapse of the New York International Latino Film Festival this past summer and with the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival barely recovering from financial difficulties, the exhibition of American Latino indies remains in a precarious position.
Still, there is much to celebrate. Starting in the early part of the year, at Sundance, Chilean director Sebastian Silva joined a very elite club of filmmakers -- those who have premiered two films at the same festival. His mescaline-fueled odyssey Crystal Fairy won the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award and the psychological thriller Magic, Magic starring Michael Cera went on to play Director's Fortnight in Cannes.
The Berlinale, in February, brought the much anticipated world premiere of Sebastian Lelio's fourth film Gloria and the charming Uruguayan family comedy Tanta Agua. Cementing 2013 as the year of Chile, actress Paulina Garcia won the Silver Bear for her dazzling and dynamic performance as a middle-aged divorcee in Gloria.
Mid-year, Mexican filmmakers took Cannes by storm again, winning the Best Director prize for the second year in a row. In 2013, the victor was Amat Escalante for his feature film Heli. The year prior Carlos Reygadas took home the prize for Post Tenebras Lux.
In the fall, Toronto spoiled us with Latin American riches. The gargantuan fest showcased more than 300 films from 70 different countries including the Mexican documentary El Alcalde, Venezuela's Pelo Malo (Bad Hair), Peruvian black comedy El Mudo (The Mute), the Brazilian drama O lobo atras da porta (A Wolf at the Door), and the world premiere of Fernando Eimbcke's Club Sandwich. Costa Rica made a first-time appearance at the Toronto Film Festival with Por las plumas (All About the Feathers) and the Dominican Republic showcased Cristo Rey.
Over Labor Day weekend, Eugenio Derbez, a Mexican actor most Americans had never heard of released his sleeper hit Instructions Not Included. Totally ignored by mainstream film critics, the Spanish-language family comedy went on to shatter box office records. It beat out Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine and critical darling 12 Years a Slave making it the top grossing indie film of the year. It also became the highest grossing Spanish-language film ever in the United States. A few weeks later, when Instructions opened in Derbez's home country, it became the most-watched Mexican film of all time.
Despite being snubbed by the Academy Awards (no Latin American productions made the shortlist for Best Foreign Language Film), Latino films ended the year on a high note. The triumph of our films abroad coupled with a Spanish-language box office hit at home bodes well for the Latino films of 2014.
In case you were living under a rock this past year and missed it all, we've got you covered. Thankfully, there are professionals who get paid to keep track of what Latino movies are receiving accolades, have the most buzz, and got picked up for distribution. LatinoBuzz went straight to the experts, film programmers, to ask, "What are your top 5 Latino films of 2013?"
Christine Davila, Director of Ambulante California
There is no shortage of original and compelling Us Latino writer/directors working across different genres out there, and this list proves it. These confident artists have captured fresh and mighty perspectives far too underrepresented, and they are storming through the cluster neck of homogeneity that continues to reign in film content.
Water & Power (Richard Montoya, USA)
Los Wild Ones (Elise Salomon, USA)
Delusions of Grandeur (Iris Almaraz, Gustavo Ramos, USA)
Sleeping with the Fishes (Nicole Gomez Fisher, USA)
The House that Jack Built (Henry Barrial, USA)
Marcela Goglio, Programmer at the Film Society of Lincoln Center
No special criteria in these choices, just some of the many accomplished Latin American films that, in my opinion, create universes or make statements in beautiful, original and/or powerful ways.
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
El alcalde (Emiliano Altuna/Carlos Rossini/Diego Osorno, Mexico)
La eterna noche de las doce lunas (Priscilla Padilla, Colombia)
El futuro (Alicia Scherson, Chile)
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
Carlos A. Gutierrez, Co-founder and Executive Director of Cinema Tropical
For practical purposes, my list features five Latin American films (my area of expertise) that I highly recommend, and that screened in the U.S. in 2013 (in alphabetical order):
El Alcalde / The Mayor (Carlos F. Rossini, Emiliano Altuna and Diego Osorno, Mexico)
El otro dia / The Other Day (Ignacio Aguero, Chile)
Los mejores temas / Greatest Hits (Nicolas Pereda, Mexico)
Tanta Agua / So Much Water (Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, Uruguay)
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
Lucho Ramirez, Founder & Executive Director of Cine+Mas Sf, presenter of the Cm San Francisco Latino Film Festival
There are so many works by Latino and Latin American filmmakers that merit the public and the tastemaker's attention. Compiling a list of 5 is difficult for me as a festival director because each film that we program is beloved. In addition, there are the other films I see at other fests or at theaters, particularly the bigger ones replete with distribution, celebrity, and marketing budgets. It's hard for independent, quality films to break through and that's part of the reason I seek those out. I believe there is an audience for artisanal films with substance, creativity, and diversity.
I went on memory for this list. Included are films that I saw this year that really stuck with me long after watching them. What's important to me is seeing images of Latinos by Latinos on the screen. This doesn't mean sanitized. Bless Me, Ultima is an important literary work. It was a huge accomplishment to get this on the screen for all us non-readers. Sex, Love, & Salsa packs all the punch of a big romantic comedy in very local and Latino way; Tlatelolco is a historical drama that's really well done, revisiting a chaotic time in Mexico's history but interpreted in a narrow sliver of a relationship that can't be; Porcelain Horse mixes sex, drugs, and rich-kid problems and really does something different with a crime-drama; Delusions of Grandeuer is purely Latino hipster fun.
Bless Me, Ultima (Carl Franklin, USA)
Sex, Love, & Salsa (Adrian Manzano, USA)
Tlatelolco, Summer of 68 (Carlos Bolado, Mexico)
Porcelain Horse (Javier Andrade, Ecuador)
Delusions of Grandeur (Iris Almaraz, Gustavo Ramos, USA)
Glenn Heath Jr., Artistic Director of the San Diego Latino Film Festival
De Jueves a Domingo is a fascinating and subtext-heavy debut from director Dominga Sotomayor Castillo about a family road trip that could be the beginning of the end. In Viola Shakespeare is reinvented, it's art house cinema meets the off-note pacing of jazz. My Sister's Quinceañera is an honest and poignant look at the complexities of family and identity in small town America. Aqui y Alla is riveting in its acute understanding of how the mundane adds up to something grand. Fecha de Caducidad is dark comedy at its finest.
De Jueves a Domingo (Dominga Sotomayor Castillo, Chile)
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
My Sister's Quinceanera (Aaron Douglas Johnston, USA)
Aqui y Alla (Antonio Mendez Esparza, Mexico)
Fecha de Caducidad (Kenya Marquez , Mexico)
Diana Vargas, Artistic Director at the Havana Film Festival New York
In Gloria Paulina Garcia's performance is unforgettable and the way the director talks about the middle life crisis of a woman that seems unremarkable until she finds out she can make her own choices and maybe to be single is not that bad, haha. La Sirga portrays the crude reality of the Colombian conflict without showing explicit violence, through impeccable cinematography. In a cinema verite style, La jaula de oro shows 3 Guatemalan adolescents experiencing the harshness of the journey of those who want to immigrate to U.S. 7 Cajas, the biggest Paraguayan box office hit, is as entertaining as well done. With an impeccable screenplay and Guarani dialogues, the film shows a country that usually don't have a strong representation in the festivals around the world. Sibila de Teresa Arredondo (Chile). Sibila Arguedas is the widow of one of the most iconic public figures in Peruvian literature. She's also Chilean and a political prisoner, accused of being a Sendero Luminoso collaborator. This documentary made by Sibila's niece brings to light one of the most fascinating, enimagtic and contradictory characters of the last century.
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
La Sirga (William Vega, Colombia).
La jaula de oro (Diego Quemada-Diez, Mexico)
7 Cajas (Tana Schembori, Juan Carlos Maneglia, Paraguay)
Sibila (Teresa Arredondo, Chile)
Juan Caceres, Director of Programming at the New York International Latino Film Festival
2013 was a great year for Latin American films. Ecuador, Panama, Guatemala and Paraguay, countries with no real infrastructure for filmmaking, all were present in festivals. Chile in particular showed no sign of slowing down their own presence on the festival circuit, taking home prizes at the major festivals. I think it's no coincidence that they share this wonderful genuine camaraderie where there is a support system that includes producing each others projects to simply rooting for one another when it comes to award nominations (you can go to all their Fb pages and occasionally they have each others films as their cover pics! It's uber dope). It's as real as it gets and I think it's something lacking here in the Us. So my list is the Chilean films you should not miss.
Gloria, (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
No (Pablo Larrain, Chile)
Il Futuro / The Future (Alicia Scherson, Chile)
El verano de los peces voladores / The Summer of Flying Fish (Marcela Said, Chile)
Las cosas como son / Things The Way They Are (Fernando Lavanderos, Chile)
Marlene Dermer, Director/Programmer at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival
It has been really hard to narrow it to five I have to say. I find Latino cinema and its creators in a wonderful period. It’s alive and beats like a heart. There is so much talent in our communities and they are doing some of the most interesting work in world cinema. It's thought provoking or personal and universal. It's also tough to include U.S. works with Latin American work because there are many more countries and many with support. This year in our festival we had the largest showcase of U.S.A. films which was very exciting to see. As a programmer for 22 years I find it stimulating to discover all these new voices coming up in our community and truly sharing the screens at festivals and theaters around the world. There is a new generation in every country, that is very exciting and promising for the future of cinema, our community and the audio visual world.
Club Sandwich (Fernando Eimbcke, Mexico)
Pelo Malo (Mariana Rondón, Venezuela)
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
O lobo atras da porta (Fernando Coimbra, Brazil)
Tanta Agua / So Much Water (Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, Uruguay)
Written by Vanessa Erazo. LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
Sadly, American Latino filmmakers were mostly absent from big name festivals like Sundance, Toronto, Berlin, and Cannes. Normally, the major Latino film festivals in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Diego offer a home to these overlooked films. The surprising collapse of the New York International Latino Film Festival this past summer and with the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival barely recovering from financial difficulties, the exhibition of American Latino indies remains in a precarious position.
Still, there is much to celebrate. Starting in the early part of the year, at Sundance, Chilean director Sebastian Silva joined a very elite club of filmmakers -- those who have premiered two films at the same festival. His mescaline-fueled odyssey Crystal Fairy won the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award and the psychological thriller Magic, Magic starring Michael Cera went on to play Director's Fortnight in Cannes.
The Berlinale, in February, brought the much anticipated world premiere of Sebastian Lelio's fourth film Gloria and the charming Uruguayan family comedy Tanta Agua. Cementing 2013 as the year of Chile, actress Paulina Garcia won the Silver Bear for her dazzling and dynamic performance as a middle-aged divorcee in Gloria.
Mid-year, Mexican filmmakers took Cannes by storm again, winning the Best Director prize for the second year in a row. In 2013, the victor was Amat Escalante for his feature film Heli. The year prior Carlos Reygadas took home the prize for Post Tenebras Lux.
In the fall, Toronto spoiled us with Latin American riches. The gargantuan fest showcased more than 300 films from 70 different countries including the Mexican documentary El Alcalde, Venezuela's Pelo Malo (Bad Hair), Peruvian black comedy El Mudo (The Mute), the Brazilian drama O lobo atras da porta (A Wolf at the Door), and the world premiere of Fernando Eimbcke's Club Sandwich. Costa Rica made a first-time appearance at the Toronto Film Festival with Por las plumas (All About the Feathers) and the Dominican Republic showcased Cristo Rey.
Over Labor Day weekend, Eugenio Derbez, a Mexican actor most Americans had never heard of released his sleeper hit Instructions Not Included. Totally ignored by mainstream film critics, the Spanish-language family comedy went on to shatter box office records. It beat out Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine and critical darling 12 Years a Slave making it the top grossing indie film of the year. It also became the highest grossing Spanish-language film ever in the United States. A few weeks later, when Instructions opened in Derbez's home country, it became the most-watched Mexican film of all time.
Despite being snubbed by the Academy Awards (no Latin American productions made the shortlist for Best Foreign Language Film), Latino films ended the year on a high note. The triumph of our films abroad coupled with a Spanish-language box office hit at home bodes well for the Latino films of 2014.
In case you were living under a rock this past year and missed it all, we've got you covered. Thankfully, there are professionals who get paid to keep track of what Latino movies are receiving accolades, have the most buzz, and got picked up for distribution. LatinoBuzz went straight to the experts, film programmers, to ask, "What are your top 5 Latino films of 2013?"
Christine Davila, Director of Ambulante California
There is no shortage of original and compelling Us Latino writer/directors working across different genres out there, and this list proves it. These confident artists have captured fresh and mighty perspectives far too underrepresented, and they are storming through the cluster neck of homogeneity that continues to reign in film content.
Water & Power (Richard Montoya, USA)
Los Wild Ones (Elise Salomon, USA)
Delusions of Grandeur (Iris Almaraz, Gustavo Ramos, USA)
Sleeping with the Fishes (Nicole Gomez Fisher, USA)
The House that Jack Built (Henry Barrial, USA)
Marcela Goglio, Programmer at the Film Society of Lincoln Center
No special criteria in these choices, just some of the many accomplished Latin American films that, in my opinion, create universes or make statements in beautiful, original and/or powerful ways.
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
El alcalde (Emiliano Altuna/Carlos Rossini/Diego Osorno, Mexico)
La eterna noche de las doce lunas (Priscilla Padilla, Colombia)
El futuro (Alicia Scherson, Chile)
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
Carlos A. Gutierrez, Co-founder and Executive Director of Cinema Tropical
For practical purposes, my list features five Latin American films (my area of expertise) that I highly recommend, and that screened in the U.S. in 2013 (in alphabetical order):
El Alcalde / The Mayor (Carlos F. Rossini, Emiliano Altuna and Diego Osorno, Mexico)
El otro dia / The Other Day (Ignacio Aguero, Chile)
Los mejores temas / Greatest Hits (Nicolas Pereda, Mexico)
Tanta Agua / So Much Water (Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, Uruguay)
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
Lucho Ramirez, Founder & Executive Director of Cine+Mas Sf, presenter of the Cm San Francisco Latino Film Festival
There are so many works by Latino and Latin American filmmakers that merit the public and the tastemaker's attention. Compiling a list of 5 is difficult for me as a festival director because each film that we program is beloved. In addition, there are the other films I see at other fests or at theaters, particularly the bigger ones replete with distribution, celebrity, and marketing budgets. It's hard for independent, quality films to break through and that's part of the reason I seek those out. I believe there is an audience for artisanal films with substance, creativity, and diversity.
I went on memory for this list. Included are films that I saw this year that really stuck with me long after watching them. What's important to me is seeing images of Latinos by Latinos on the screen. This doesn't mean sanitized. Bless Me, Ultima is an important literary work. It was a huge accomplishment to get this on the screen for all us non-readers. Sex, Love, & Salsa packs all the punch of a big romantic comedy in very local and Latino way; Tlatelolco is a historical drama that's really well done, revisiting a chaotic time in Mexico's history but interpreted in a narrow sliver of a relationship that can't be; Porcelain Horse mixes sex, drugs, and rich-kid problems and really does something different with a crime-drama; Delusions of Grandeuer is purely Latino hipster fun.
Bless Me, Ultima (Carl Franklin, USA)
Sex, Love, & Salsa (Adrian Manzano, USA)
Tlatelolco, Summer of 68 (Carlos Bolado, Mexico)
Porcelain Horse (Javier Andrade, Ecuador)
Delusions of Grandeur (Iris Almaraz, Gustavo Ramos, USA)
Glenn Heath Jr., Artistic Director of the San Diego Latino Film Festival
De Jueves a Domingo is a fascinating and subtext-heavy debut from director Dominga Sotomayor Castillo about a family road trip that could be the beginning of the end. In Viola Shakespeare is reinvented, it's art house cinema meets the off-note pacing of jazz. My Sister's Quinceañera is an honest and poignant look at the complexities of family and identity in small town America. Aqui y Alla is riveting in its acute understanding of how the mundane adds up to something grand. Fecha de Caducidad is dark comedy at its finest.
De Jueves a Domingo (Dominga Sotomayor Castillo, Chile)
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
My Sister's Quinceanera (Aaron Douglas Johnston, USA)
Aqui y Alla (Antonio Mendez Esparza, Mexico)
Fecha de Caducidad (Kenya Marquez , Mexico)
Diana Vargas, Artistic Director at the Havana Film Festival New York
In Gloria Paulina Garcia's performance is unforgettable and the way the director talks about the middle life crisis of a woman that seems unremarkable until she finds out she can make her own choices and maybe to be single is not that bad, haha. La Sirga portrays the crude reality of the Colombian conflict without showing explicit violence, through impeccable cinematography. In a cinema verite style, La jaula de oro shows 3 Guatemalan adolescents experiencing the harshness of the journey of those who want to immigrate to U.S. 7 Cajas, the biggest Paraguayan box office hit, is as entertaining as well done. With an impeccable screenplay and Guarani dialogues, the film shows a country that usually don't have a strong representation in the festivals around the world. Sibila de Teresa Arredondo (Chile). Sibila Arguedas is the widow of one of the most iconic public figures in Peruvian literature. She's also Chilean and a political prisoner, accused of being a Sendero Luminoso collaborator. This documentary made by Sibila's niece brings to light one of the most fascinating, enimagtic and contradictory characters of the last century.
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
La Sirga (William Vega, Colombia).
La jaula de oro (Diego Quemada-Diez, Mexico)
7 Cajas (Tana Schembori, Juan Carlos Maneglia, Paraguay)
Sibila (Teresa Arredondo, Chile)
Juan Caceres, Director of Programming at the New York International Latino Film Festival
2013 was a great year for Latin American films. Ecuador, Panama, Guatemala and Paraguay, countries with no real infrastructure for filmmaking, all were present in festivals. Chile in particular showed no sign of slowing down their own presence on the festival circuit, taking home prizes at the major festivals. I think it's no coincidence that they share this wonderful genuine camaraderie where there is a support system that includes producing each others projects to simply rooting for one another when it comes to award nominations (you can go to all their Fb pages and occasionally they have each others films as their cover pics! It's uber dope). It's as real as it gets and I think it's something lacking here in the Us. So my list is the Chilean films you should not miss.
Gloria, (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
No (Pablo Larrain, Chile)
Il Futuro / The Future (Alicia Scherson, Chile)
El verano de los peces voladores / The Summer of Flying Fish (Marcela Said, Chile)
Las cosas como son / Things The Way They Are (Fernando Lavanderos, Chile)
Marlene Dermer, Director/Programmer at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival
It has been really hard to narrow it to five I have to say. I find Latino cinema and its creators in a wonderful period. It’s alive and beats like a heart. There is so much talent in our communities and they are doing some of the most interesting work in world cinema. It's thought provoking or personal and universal. It's also tough to include U.S. works with Latin American work because there are many more countries and many with support. This year in our festival we had the largest showcase of U.S.A. films which was very exciting to see. As a programmer for 22 years I find it stimulating to discover all these new voices coming up in our community and truly sharing the screens at festivals and theaters around the world. There is a new generation in every country, that is very exciting and promising for the future of cinema, our community and the audio visual world.
Club Sandwich (Fernando Eimbcke, Mexico)
Pelo Malo (Mariana Rondón, Venezuela)
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
O lobo atras da porta (Fernando Coimbra, Brazil)
Tanta Agua / So Much Water (Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, Uruguay)
Written by Vanessa Erazo. LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
- 1/1/2014
- by Vanessa Erazo
- Sydney's Buzz
Universal Pictures Denzel Washington as legendary spy Tobin Frost in the action-thriller “Safe House”
This week in multiplexes, “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace” gets a deluxe 3d rerelease, but there are plenty of other choices for those unwilling to venture to a galaxy far, far away. We’ve got a jungle quest (“Journey 2: The Mysterious Island,” starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Josh Hutcherson), rogue CIA agents on the run (“Safe House,” starring Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds...
This week in multiplexes, “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace” gets a deluxe 3d rerelease, but there are plenty of other choices for those unwilling to venture to a galaxy far, far away. We’ve got a jungle quest (“Journey 2: The Mysterious Island,” starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Josh Hutcherson), rogue CIA agents on the run (“Safe House,” starring Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds...
- 2/10/2012
- by WSJ Staff
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
Reviewer: Glenn Heath Jr.
Rating (out of 5): ****½
Mike Leigh's rapturous Topsy-Turvy, now on a lovely new DVD from Criterion (supervised by cinematographer Dick Pope), isn't so much an argument against auteurism, but a concurrence for the beauty of collaboration. Over the course of the sweeping multi-character narrative, Leigh mixes performance, practice, and discourse with effortless precision, showing the "symptoms of fatigue" concerning the artistic process, but also the power of sudden inspiration.
W.S. Gilbert (Jim Broadbent), Sir Arthur Sullivan (Allan Corduner), the troupe of actors led by Richard Temple (Timothy Spall), the costume designers, set decorators, choreographers, producers, and couriers all make a substantial impact on the gloriously textural production of "The Mikado", yet no one artist can claim sole ownership. Leigh's methodical pre-production methodologies (often made up of months of rehearsals) literally appear in front of the camera, and avenues of disappointment and possibility seem organically woven into the mise-en-scene.
Rating (out of 5): ****½
Mike Leigh's rapturous Topsy-Turvy, now on a lovely new DVD from Criterion (supervised by cinematographer Dick Pope), isn't so much an argument against auteurism, but a concurrence for the beauty of collaboration. Over the course of the sweeping multi-character narrative, Leigh mixes performance, practice, and discourse with effortless precision, showing the "symptoms of fatigue" concerning the artistic process, but also the power of sudden inspiration.
W.S. Gilbert (Jim Broadbent), Sir Arthur Sullivan (Allan Corduner), the troupe of actors led by Richard Temple (Timothy Spall), the costume designers, set decorators, choreographers, producers, and couriers all make a substantial impact on the gloriously textural production of "The Mikado", yet no one artist can claim sole ownership. Leigh's methodical pre-production methodologies (often made up of months of rehearsals) literally appear in front of the camera, and avenues of disappointment and possibility seem organically woven into the mise-en-scene.
- 3/29/2011
- by underdog
- GreenCine
Reviews for Rango are all over the map, some calling it "a miracle," others calling it "soulless."
"...some kind of a miracle: An animated comedy for smart moviegoers, wonderfully made, great to look at, wickedly satirical, and (gasp!) filmed in glorious 2-D."
— Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
"Rango is an absolutely wonderful film that almost inexplicably blends adventure with introspection, a sumptuous Western with surrealist tendencies about the infuriating but ultimately rewarding quest for identity."
— Jason McKiernan, filmcritic.com
"...turns an assembly line of classic western themes and iconography into a bustlingly fresh genre ecosystem."
— Glenn Heath Jr., Slant Magazine
"I don't know what this surreal splash of trippy performance art is exactly, but a kiddie cartoon about good, bad and ugly desert critters dressed as cowboys and townsfolk doesn't cut it."
— Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"...for all its genre-bending cleverness and technical dexterity, Rango's overstuffed plot fails to consistently blend...
"...some kind of a miracle: An animated comedy for smart moviegoers, wonderfully made, great to look at, wickedly satirical, and (gasp!) filmed in glorious 2-D."
— Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
"Rango is an absolutely wonderful film that almost inexplicably blends adventure with introspection, a sumptuous Western with surrealist tendencies about the infuriating but ultimately rewarding quest for identity."
— Jason McKiernan, filmcritic.com
"...turns an assembly line of classic western themes and iconography into a bustlingly fresh genre ecosystem."
— Glenn Heath Jr., Slant Magazine
"I don't know what this surreal splash of trippy performance art is exactly, but a kiddie cartoon about good, bad and ugly desert critters dressed as cowboys and townsfolk doesn't cut it."
— Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"...for all its genre-bending cleverness and technical dexterity, Rango's overstuffed plot fails to consistently blend...
- 3/4/2011
- by reelz reelz
- Reelzchannel.com
Reviewer: Glenn Heath Jr.
Rating (out of 5): ***
As far as remakes go, A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop, Zhang Yimou's colorful and ultimately punishing period piece riff on Blood Simple, might be one of the strangest in recent memory. Jumping from the dark, beguiling, and smoky Texas landscape of the original to a textured, barren mountain region of China, Zhang situates an oddly static locale where his patented surrealist color scheme can intertwine with American genre conventions. Isolated by a sea of soot-covered mountain sides and an endless teal sky, the titular noodle shop feels like its own doomed city-state, with owner Wang (Ni Dahong) as the fascist dictator, his abused wife (Yan Ni) and the three workers a citizenry of angry imbeciles waiting for chance to free them of suffering. But we get the sense that even if these messy peons were granted individualism, they'd let...
Rating (out of 5): ***
As far as remakes go, A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop, Zhang Yimou's colorful and ultimately punishing period piece riff on Blood Simple, might be one of the strangest in recent memory. Jumping from the dark, beguiling, and smoky Texas landscape of the original to a textured, barren mountain region of China, Zhang situates an oddly static locale where his patented surrealist color scheme can intertwine with American genre conventions. Isolated by a sea of soot-covered mountain sides and an endless teal sky, the titular noodle shop feels like its own doomed city-state, with owner Wang (Ni Dahong) as the fascist dictator, his abused wife (Yan Ni) and the three workers a citizenry of angry imbeciles waiting for chance to free them of suffering. But we get the sense that even if these messy peons were granted individualism, they'd let...
- 2/15/2011
- by GreenCineStaff
- GreenCine
Loads of voice talent — Michael Caine, Jason Statham, Emily Blunt, James McAvoy, and Maggie Smith — don't push this Shakespeare update over the top.
"Shakespeare with lawn ornaments turns out to be an unexpectedly winning proposition..."
— Justin Chang, Variety
"For adults, Gnomeo & Juliet lacks wit, but the gnomes, artfully chipped and scratched, have a nifty 3-D tactility, and the title duo makes for an off-kilter pair of romantic action figures."
— Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
"...like watching an over-extended sketch. The first few minutes make you laugh. The next bring a slight smile. The rest of the time you are silent, the joke and the accompanying freshness having long gone stale."
— Bill Gibron, filmcritic.com
"...looks like an assembly line of parts from better film ... yet the film manages to create a unique mixture of whimsy, heartache, and tenderness that transcends its familiar structure."
— Glenn Heath Jr., Slant Magazine
"Rewatching The Lion King...
"Shakespeare with lawn ornaments turns out to be an unexpectedly winning proposition..."
— Justin Chang, Variety
"For adults, Gnomeo & Juliet lacks wit, but the gnomes, artfully chipped and scratched, have a nifty 3-D tactility, and the title duo makes for an off-kilter pair of romantic action figures."
— Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
"...like watching an over-extended sketch. The first few minutes make you laugh. The next bring a slight smile. The rest of the time you are silent, the joke and the accompanying freshness having long gone stale."
— Bill Gibron, filmcritic.com
"...looks like an assembly line of parts from better film ... yet the film manages to create a unique mixture of whimsy, heartache, and tenderness that transcends its familiar structure."
— Glenn Heath Jr., Slant Magazine
"Rewatching The Lion King...
- 2/11/2011
- by reelz reelz
- Reelzchannel.com
Reviewer:Glenn Heath Jr.
Rating (out of 5): *½
“The Millennium Trilogy” adapts Stieg Larrson's uber-popular books series into a cinematic war of attrition, a languishing, trite, and plodding trilogy of films so laborious the thriller tropes that should be exciting quickly turn to narrative quicksand. Occasionally harrowing and always slimy, The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo offers promising first shots across the bow, introducing journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) and computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) as an extremely oddly-matched duo investigating a string of serial murders. The Girl Who Played With Fire loses the first film's chilly aesthetic for a more bland television look, digging narrative trenches and expanding the front to include Lisbeth's dangerous familial past. Finally, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest prolongs the crummy boob tube craftsmanship while merely repeating the convoluted patterns and devices hammered home in the first two entries. While so much...
Rating (out of 5): *½
“The Millennium Trilogy” adapts Stieg Larrson's uber-popular books series into a cinematic war of attrition, a languishing, trite, and plodding trilogy of films so laborious the thriller tropes that should be exciting quickly turn to narrative quicksand. Occasionally harrowing and always slimy, The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo offers promising first shots across the bow, introducing journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) and computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) as an extremely oddly-matched duo investigating a string of serial murders. The Girl Who Played With Fire loses the first film's chilly aesthetic for a more bland television look, digging narrative trenches and expanding the front to include Lisbeth's dangerous familial past. Finally, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest prolongs the crummy boob tube craftsmanship while merely repeating the convoluted patterns and devices hammered home in the first two entries. While so much...
- 2/1/2011
- by GreenCineStaff
- GreenCine
In "development hell" for years, including George Clooney and Kevin Smith once attached as star and director, it looks like The Green Hornet maybe should've stayed there.
"...deliver(s) the goods for a punchy 3D breakout."
— Peter Debruge, Variety
"There's not much traditional in The Green Hornet, and nothing that is quite perfect, but in this hodge-podge of creativity, this kinky mess, there is unbridled zest and an almost innocent sense of joy. And that, in its way, is heroic."
— Jason McKiernan, filmcritic.com
"Despite the rumors and the graveyard January opening, The Green Hornet doesn't suck. But don't expect it to hang together either, what with the clashing tones and melting logic."
— Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"...a superhero movie so in love with itself that it alienates the viewer from the first frame."
— Glenn Heath Jr., Slant Magazine
"...an almost unendurable demonstration of a movie with nothing to be about.
"...deliver(s) the goods for a punchy 3D breakout."
— Peter Debruge, Variety
"There's not much traditional in The Green Hornet, and nothing that is quite perfect, but in this hodge-podge of creativity, this kinky mess, there is unbridled zest and an almost innocent sense of joy. And that, in its way, is heroic."
— Jason McKiernan, filmcritic.com
"Despite the rumors and the graveyard January opening, The Green Hornet doesn't suck. But don't expect it to hang together either, what with the clashing tones and melting logic."
— Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"...a superhero movie so in love with itself that it alienates the viewer from the first frame."
— Glenn Heath Jr., Slant Magazine
"...an almost unendurable demonstration of a movie with nothing to be about.
- 1/14/2011
- by reelz reelz
- Reelzchannel.com
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