Untitled Document Some of the big sequel guns (Indiana Jones, Narnia) had their releases in May, but plenty of action is left for the more traditional summer months. Release dates are subject to change. JUNE 6 Kung Fu PandaThe title tells the story in this very high concept animated feature from DreamWorks. Jack Black voices […]
Marc Sigoloff
Posted inArts & Culture
Fantasy escapes
Untitled Document Children often invent fantasy worlds to escape from their own harsh realities, and filmmakers have used this as a basis for their own flights of fantasy. Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) has been lauded as a modern classic, which is more hype than reality. The fantasy scenes are the weakest element, and they […]
Posted inArts & Culture
King horror
Untitled Document The haunted-hotel-room thriller 1408 is the latest release from the cottage industry known as Stephen King. Aren’t most of his stories set in cottages? King has churned out enough books and stories to keep Hollywood busy for another century. The Internet Movie Database already lists 107 adaptations of his work, with varying degrees […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Terrible teens
Untitled Document Many recent films about troubled youth remind me of Jean-Paul Sartre’s play No Exit, in which hell is other people. The biggest problem facing teens today, according to these films, is other teens. Alpha Dog (2006) is a powerful indictment of today’s youth, but its brute honesty hindered its commercial potential. Watching the […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Fab Four on film
Untitled Document Forty years ago the Beatles changed music for the second time with the release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and it still tops lists as the greatest album ever recorded. I would choose The White Album as their greatest, but Sgt. Pepper is nothing to scoff at. The Beatles, in their […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Mr. Costner
Untitled Document Kevin Costner needs no introduction, but he seems to need a reintroduction. Audiences mistakenly think that they know what to expect from him. His taking on the role of a serial killer in Mr. Brooks certainly has surprised many of his fans. Costner is generally viewed as the strong all-American actor of the […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Hurricane Billy is back
Untitled Document Bug may have been drowned in the current flood of sequels, but it has great cinematic significance. The intense psychological-horror thriller marks the return to form of director William Friedkin. He hasn’t been this good in decades. Ashley Judd gives a fearless performance as a troubled waitress who lets a strange drifter (Michael […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The cult of Jodorowsky
Untitled Document His is hardly a household name, but the influence of Alejandro Jodorowsky goes beyond name recognition. His best-known film is El Topo (1970), which translates to The Mole, a cult classic that created the midnight-movie phenomenon of the 1970s. He was the world’s premier director of weird cinema before David Lynch stole his […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Kerasotes summer movie program
Untitled Document Kerasotes is again hosting a summer movie program for kids at ShowPlace East 8, at the Capital City Shopping Center, but there is a change in the way tickets are sold. All tickets will be sold individually at the ShowPlace East 8 box office, beginning May 1, and will not be available by […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Burning up the screen
Untitled Document The summer means blockbuster films, but for some reason the three biggest sequels were released in May. A little distance might have resulted in more money for all. Don’t worry, though — the studios have many more mindless releases to fill out the summer months. All dates are subject to change, and limited […]
Posted inArts & Culture
All is Welles
Untitled Document The Third Man (1949) is the greatest Orson Welles movie Welles didn’t direct. It is a testament to the greatness of this film that many people assume that Welles did direct it. Criterion has preserved this classic thriller on a new two-disc special-edition DVD. Joseph Cotten stars as an American who is invited […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Full house
Untitled Document Perhaps it’s a personal thing, having a grandfather who was a professional gambler during the Depression, but few occupations are as cinematically fascinating. Apparently I’m alone on this, with Lucky You folding at the box office despite its relatively realistic portrait of the game of poker and its players. Eric Bana […]
