The Rake: Talk about Talkies

Hamlet 2

Chris Kelleher — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:08:24 -0500

For many people the very idea of a sequel to Hamlet is preposterous. But if Shakespeare fans want to see a good tragedy, they should check out the last act of Hamlet 2. A truly funny slapstick film for the first hour, the tragedy of Hamlet 2 is that it turns away from its comedic prowess in favor of an ending with an inspirational message--the same dramatic device that the film is parodying.

The Animation Show

Erik McClanahan — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:33:35 -0500

Landmark Theatres (Uptown Theatre, Edina Cinema and Lagoon Cinema) does a wonderful job presenting series of short films. One ticket buys you several stories in a single package, a sort-of kid-in-a-candy-store vibe for devoted cinephiles. Paris, Je T'aime (coming soon in February 2009, the sequel New York, I Love You) and the collection of 2007 Academy Award nominated short films--both animated and live action--were all quite enjoyable theater experiences.

Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

Andrew Newman — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:07:12 -0500

In 2005 Woody Allen made a triumphant comeback to critical glory with Match Point, which earned him his first Academy Award nomination in eight years. Well, it turns out that was only a warm-up. Allen saved his true comeback for the summer of 2008 with Vicky Cristina Barcelona, an honest tragicomedy that switches out Allen's intellectual musings with a compelling study of the complexities of love. Featuring one of Allen's strongest ensembles in years, the film hearkens back to Allen's greatest days and ranks another "must see" addition to his filmography.

Wanted: Action Flicks with Swagger

Joe Kvam — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:58:14 -0500

Wanted comes on like a batshit crazy mash up of a dozen other genre movies but manages to stand alone as something more by the time it reaches its frenetic and bloody conclusion.

Ryan's Daughter — So Misunderstood

Andrew Newman — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 18:08:59 -0500

The response from critics was so harsh it allegedly kept David Lean away from the director's chair for 14 years. Pauline Kael's oft-discussed review is so scathing it makes you wonder if Lean put gum in her hair or something. And while The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, and Doctor Zhivago were enormous films to follow up on, the response to the 1970s film, Ryan's Daughter, has nearly become the stuff of legend. But was the response justified? Or is this a case of critics banding

Blood, Tits, Guts, Boobs, and Scary, Scary Witches

Brandon Root — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:02:28 -0500

Mother of Tears is bad. Unfortunately, "bad" is a word so far past its usefulness in describing the horror genre, that I may as well call it a cherry red bicycle. I mean, are we talking bad-good or bad-bad? Good horror is an all together different animal, some unusual mixture of great execution and that elusive makes-your-hair-stand-on-end mystery that shocks you into remembering why we think fear is so fun in the first place. Suffice to say, Mother of Tears falls into that other category.

Cure for the Common Life

Brandon Root — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:51:18 -0500

Your job is a prison, gas is expensive, you're in debt, and both your house and your SUV aren't worth the money you chuck at them. During times like these, it's hard to see the merits of the American way of life. If you're desperate for some escapism, check out Surfwise, the story of a man and his wife who, with nine children in tow, lived a utopian existence, free of material trappings and full of surfing.

The Extraordinary True Life of George Hogg

Joe Kvam — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 23:38:43 -0500

It's easy to understand the attraction of putting the extraordinary true life of George Hogg to film. An Englishman bearing witness to and working in war-torn 1930s China, Hogg became the headmaster of a failing school and grew to succeed where his predecessors had not. Fearing the Japanese army's advance, Hogg resolved to lead his students on a perilous 700-mile journey through the mountains to safety.

Tabloid Sludge

Brandon Root — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:42:47 -0500

Remember the prom mom? She was 18, it was her prom and nobody knew she was pregnant, so she went to the bathroom, hiked up her dress, had the kid, stuffed him in a trash can, and went back to the dance floor a half hour later. Stuck, directed by Stuart Gordon and starring Mena Suvari and Stephen Rea is one of those similar "like, this is going to mess up, like, MY ENTIRE LIFE; seriously, why does this have

Should America Inject Awesome Manliness?

Brandon Root — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:15:00 -0500

America is awesome. Remember in Independence Day when it turned out the president was an ex-fighter pilot? Or in Armageddon when we discovered that most of our problems can be solved by huge men with rippling muscles? We used to live in the era of the superlative, when people like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hulk Hogan, and Sylvester Stallone seemed to be the embodiment of the American dream.

Annihilating a Collective Memory

Max Ross — Sun, 25 May 2008 00:19:04 -0500

"Hitler believed modernists couldn't see color as it was in nature, or humans as they were in life," remarks one of the scholars interviewed in The Rape of Europa — a documentary on the artistic pillaging perpetrated by the Nazi army during World War II. "He viewed this as a racial deficiency."

Kevin Spacey. Naked.

Chris Birt — Sat, 24 May 2008 13:33:15 -0500

I usually take my coffee black. I prefer the same color in comedies, and particularly in that rare dark comedy that can be called a film.

As you raid your video store or netflix account this weekend, finding a good dark film can be difficult--particularly when they are packaged as standard-blend comedies of the Carey/Farley/Sandler variety.

Love and Loss in India

Brandon Root — Tue, 13 May 2008 22:11:50 -0500

Before the Rains, the first English language film by Indian director Santosh Sivan, is a surprisingly effective, accessible, and beautiful riff on familiar themes. Set in British-controlled 1930s India during a growing nationalist movement, the film is about love and self-destructive ambition in the face of a rapidly changing country.

The Future of the Past

Hannah Simpson — Sun, 11 May 2008 20:54:00 -0500

Everyone ponders the future. Whether it's five minutes from now or five million years from now, it is bound to creep up in some form or another. Stanley Kubrick reinvented what it means to be a filmmaker in 1968 with the design of a fictional world in the year 2001 that questions the mysteries of science, technology, and evolution.

Son of Rambow

Christopher Kelleher — Thu, 08 May 2008 22:08:09 -0500

The name Son of Rambow conjures images of some hot young actor like Shia LaBeouf trekking through the mountains of Afghanistan, dodging Taliban attacks while searching for a captured Sylvester Stallone. Rest assured, this is not what you will get from this refreshingly creative twist on the coming-of-age genre.

Then She Found Me

Hannah Simpson — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:28:16 -0500

Families comes in all shapes and sizes, but the two main ingredients are certainly love and trust. Helen Hunt's directing debut, Then She Found Me, brings the life and passion of Elinor Lipman's characters to the big screen.

First Saturday in May

Christopher Kelleher — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:17:36 -0500

Over the years, the Kentucky Derby has drawn comparisons to such high profile annual events as the Super Bowl and Academy Awards. But in comparing these events, the celebrity status of the participants in the Kentucky Derby seems to fall short compared to the other two. In the 133 year history of the Derby, the list of household names emerging from the Run for the Roses is very short, with most of them being horses.

Standard Operating Procedure

Hannah Simpson — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 18:08:01 -0500

How much of a story can be told by looking at a photograph? What is considered fact and proof? Is seeing truly believing?

Chillin' Out Maxin' Relaxin' All Cool

Hannah Simpson — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:13:05 -0500

Passive aggressive and dependent on others of their own kind, box elder bugs create havoc and annoyance when swarming in groups. Todd Sklar, a triple threat in the filmmaking business, wrote, directed, and starred in the coming of age tale, Box Elder.

A Moral Odyssey through Paranoid Park

Christopher Kelleher — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 14:18:51 -0500

The last few Gus Van Sant films that I have seen were all part of the filmmakers' Death Trilogy, which are best characterized as plotless trips through discomfort.

Married Life: Frustrating, Sort of Like Marriage

Brandon Root — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 17:46:41 -0600

Anachronistic is the best word to describe Married Life, which will be arriving at Landmark’s Edina Cinema on March 21^st. The film’s frustratingly whimsical tone washes out its better, darker moments, leaving little to say about marriage.

The Band’s Visit

Kate Leibfried — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 22:12:15 -0600

"My inspiration can from an image I had in my head," said director Eran Kolirin. "I pictured a tough Arab man—a man in uniform—singing a song that had been trapped inside of him." There is no better way, really, to describe The Band's Visit. It is a starkly beautiful work that carries all the tension of a trapped song. This tension and the awkward channeling of emotions by the characters is really what the movie is about. The plot is more of an afterthought, but in a good way.

The Joy of Insignificance

Peter Schilling — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 14:24:36 -0600

Poor Eran Kolirin. When I spoke with the director of The Band's Visit a few weeks ago, he had been traveling so much that his jet lag kept him from even an hour's sleep. Then, just minutes before this interview, he managed to whack his head against the door frame of the car that brought him to the Nicollet Island Inn. Despite all this, he was a gracious interviewee.

A Plot? Who? Me?

Brandon Root — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 11:18:37 -0600

The Signal, which opens today in theaters, is an ambitious survival horror film. Written and directed by newcomers David Bruckner, Dan Bush, and Jacob Gentry, and starring a no-name cast, The Signal does a lot of things well, but loses itself in its pointless brutality and aimless plot.

The Short Side of the Oscars

Max Ross — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 21:30:22 -0600

At this year's Academy Awards, there will be films that — believe it or not — are actually judged on their artistic merit. No one will remember them a year from now, or probably even a month from now, but these reels contain imaginative innovations and emotional depths that surpass those evoked by any nominee for Best Feature-Length Film. I'm speaking of course (of course!) about the nominees for short films.

4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days

Christopher Hontos — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 13:31:40 -0600

Ever since Bruno Dumont was bequeathed the honors of the Cannes festival jury (including two grand prize awards for this and this film), I have been doubtful of just how significant the honor is. That is not to say that Dumont didn’t deserve the awards (he did) but that they had almost no effect whatsoever on the mass shitting that all his movies, save his debut, have wrongfully received.

There Will Be Blood, There May Be Disappointment

Christopher Hontos — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:07:25 -0600

I finally saw Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood last week. I was impressed, but the twelve others in the audience didn't seem to digest it as well. Several left during the less exciting last hour of the film. Others derisively asked "whose idea was it to see this movie?" as they were leaving. It is a divisive movie to be sure, not unlike No Country For Old Men, but it is one with such a beautiful cinematic power

One Curmudgeon's Opinion: The Ten Best Films of 2007

Peter Schilling — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 13:32:48 -0600

Ah, year's end: the time to reflect on the bounty that was the 2007 movie year. There were many truly great films, one that I would actually call a classic, scores of excellent documentaries, and even a bunch of major studio flicks that are actually worth watching and only missed this collection by a hair (I'm thinking Sweeney Todd and Juno--which was the fruit of a major studio).

Big Hands in His Heart: An Interview with The Kite Runner's Homayoun Ershadi

Peter Schilling — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 14:04:20 -0600

In The Kite Runner (opening Friday in area theaters), actor Homayoun Ershadi plays Baba, an Afghani intellectual and father of the child Amir, whose friendship and eventual betrayal from the servant boy Hassan forms the crux of the story. Ershadi is a graceful actor, whose intelligence and dignity shines in this movie.

The Listening Project

Kate McDonald — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 20:52:49 -0600

Sometimes listening is a more difficult undertaking then speaking. It's not just the act of devoting all our attention to someone else that is difficult, it's confronting whatever opinions come our way. Local filmmakers Dominic Howes and Joel Weber haven't set out to make our lives easier with their new documentary. The Listening Project forces us, however uncomfortable it may make us, to listen to outside views on a topic that hits close to home — in fact, it is home.