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here for 2010 OVERVIEW!
NEW
MOVIES! FEBRUARY 16 - FEBRUARY 22, 2010
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AS IT IS IN HEAVEN (dir: Kay Pollak, Not Rated) – Some nice Swedish farming people form a choir and sing with each other in this Oscar-nominated drama from veteran director Kay Pollack. |
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BAD BIOLOGY (dir: Frank Henenlotter, Not Rated) – The legendary director of BASKET CASE, BRAIN DAMAGE and FRANKENHOOKER returns from self-imposed exile with another quirky horror-comedy hybrid. |
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^BLACK DYNAMITE (dir: Scott Sanders, R) – Did you know your favorite new movie is a loving throwback to the exploitation films of the 70s? If you need convincing, just wait for Richard Nixon’s kung-fu scene. |
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BLACK WHITE + GRAY (dir: James Crump, Not Rated) – The crazy New York art world of the 70s and 80s that spawned the still shocking work of provocateur extraordinaire Robert Mapplethorpe is explored in this acclaimed documentary. |
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CABIN FEVER 2: SPRING FEVER (dir: Ti West, Unrated) – No Eli Roth on board so I don’t really see the point. But at least Rider Strong has returned. It’s not much. But it’s something. |
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COCO BEFORE CHANEL (dir: Anne Fontaine, PG-13) – The only French person that the majority of Americans don’t want to slap, Audrey Tautou, plays the legendary fashion icon before she was a fashion icon. |
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DEAD TONE (dir: Brian Hooks / Deon Taylor, R) – I’m really excited that Flavor Flav and Rutger Hauer finally got to work together. Even if it’s for this prank call gone wrong horror flick. |
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FROM MEXICO WITH LOVE (dir: Jimmy Nickerson, PG-13) – The guy that coordinated all the fighting stunts in ROCKY, RAGING BULL and FIGHT CLUB makes his directorial debut with this boxing drama about a young Mexican migrant farmworker trying to make it as a prizefighter. |
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GOOD HAIR (dir: Jeff Stilson, PG-13) – Man, I learned so much from this terrific Chris Rock documentary. Like never, ever touch a black lady’s hair. Even if her hair is actually from India. |
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HALO LEGENDS (dir: Shinji Aramaki / Hideki Futamura, PG-13) – If you’re one of those stoners that isn’t motivated enough to play video games, here’s one for you. It’s based on a videogame but doesn’t require you to exert any effort at all. Just lay back on your greasy futon and lick the Cheetos dust off your fingers. |
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THE HIGHER FORCE (dir: Olaf de Fleur Johannesson, Not Rated) – There isn’t much of a precedent for Icelandic gangster comedies, so this will probably seem highly original and clever even if it isn’t. |
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HUNGER (dir: Steve McQueen, Not Rated) – Oh dear. A Bobby Sands bio-pic was always going to be a tough sell. People generally don’t seem to enjoy spending their Friday nights watching IRA prisoners starve themselves to death. But by putting the story in the hands of first-time director Steve McQueen, who takes a brutally challenging approach to the material, they banged out a stark and nightmarish masterpiece. |
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I CAN'T THINK STRAIGHT (dir: Shamim Sarif, PG-13) – A Christian girl and a Muslim girl in swinging London try to figure out how to stay true to their religions and also make out with each other. |
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JUST LIKE THE SON (dir: Morgan J. Freeman, PG-13) – Mark Webber plays a young delinquent who befriends a little weird kid while performing community service. When the weird kid’s
mom dies, the mismatched friends hit the road like Thelma & Louise. |
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LAW ABIDING CITIZEN (dir: F. Gary Gray, R) – Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler star in this surprisingly good thriller from reliable director F. Gary Gray, whose previous films include FRIDAY, THE NEGOTIATOR and THE ITALIAN JOB. |
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LO (dir: Travis Betz, Not Rated) – When his girlfriend is kidnapped by demons, a young man must summon a rival demon or something. I don’t really get it, but this won both the Las Vegas and Honolulu film festivals. |
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PUFFBALL: THE DEVIL'S EYEBALL (dir: Nicolas Roeg, Not Rated) – It’s been a long time since Nicholas Roeg has unleashed a preposterous supernaturally themed sex movie. Miranda Richardson, Rita Tushingham and old pal Donald Sutherland are all on board. |
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*REVANCHE (dir: Gotz Spielmann, Not Rated) –
All right, I admit it. I spend a lot of time trashing Austria. Both in this newsletter and in my personal life. But I’ll be darned if they don’t make some great movies. This tricky little slice of neo-noir follows a strapping ex-con on his ill-fated attempt to rob a bank to make a new life for himself and his Ukranian prostitute girlfriend. Needless to say, things go horribly, and mesmerizingly, wrong. Brilliant stuff. |
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THE UNIVERSE OF KEITH HARING (dir: Christina Clausen, Not Rated) – It’s sad that Keith Haring died young at 31. But if you’re in search of a silver lining, at least he didn’t have time to make more of his terrible, terrible art. |
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THE VANISHED EMPIRE (dir: Karen Shakhnazarov, Not Rated) – This gritty Russian film tells the coming of age of a young man in the Soviet Union of the early 70s. Young Sergey pursues girls, vodka and Western rock and roll with total abandon. |
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WOMEN IN TROUBLE (dir: Sebastian Gutierrez, R) – A bunch of females including Marley Shelton and Carla Gugino run into various romantic troubles over the course of one day in Los Angeles. |
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= GREG's pick of the week! ^ = Bart's
pick of the week! |