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Showing posts from March, 2013

Review: Stoker

Hollywood is running short on new talent .  Imports have always been a large reason for the influx of rising stars and directors and this time the scouring net has landed upon the Pacific, specifically, South Korea and Park Chan-wook, its most celebrated director. Stoker  serves as the English-language debut of Park, most known for his unconventional works like Oldboy , Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Lady Vengeance (better known as the revenge trilogy). His films don't make for comfortable viewing because they ask when violence can be justified and then shows you devastating effects it can take afterward. That Park uses Shadow of a Doubt for the inspiration of Stoker shouldn't come as much of a surprise given the director has stated that Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo made him decide to become a filmmaker. The script written by Wentworth Miller focuses on a seemingly perfect family is submerged in a layer of grime and filth impending sense of doom. Uncle Charlie is a

Hit Me With Your Best Shot #22

The game where I throw out one of cinema's more obscure quotes and you try to guess it. Readers are currently 15 for 21. Let's see if you can name the film this quote is from: "What's going on in this candy-coated heart of darkness."

LAMMY FYC: Best Movie Reviewer

It's that time of year again folks, that's right, The LAMMYs ! This year I have foolhardily decided to campaign for the Best Movie Reviewer award. There are many great options for this award, and I would greatly appreciate your vote ( collection of reviews here ). Thank you and good luck to the rest of the contenders.

Review: Spring Breakers

Harmony Korine isn't well known to the audiences that will potentially be watching Spring Breakers this weekend, the man best known for weird romps into fringe societies ( Gummo and Trash Humpers ) represents independent filmmaking at its most obscure. That's what makes all the television spots for his latest effort all the more confounding. The glitzy trailer and Skrillex music may suggest a film that celebrates the mass of partying that is spring break, but if Mr. Korine and James Franco are to be believed, this is sly satire masquerading as the type of visceral thrill that fratboys love. Any hopes that the satire will puncture through the membrane is entirely dependent on the effort of the audience member. Faith (Selena Gomez), Candy (Vanessa Hudgens), Brittany (Ashley Benson) and Cotty (Rachel Korine) are all life-long friends who live together in a boring college dorm and are looking for a blast this spring break. Awesome vacations don't come cheap though, th

Hit Me With Your Best Shot #21

The game where I throw out one of cinema's more obscure quotes and you try to guess it. Readers are currently 14 for 20. Last week stumped everyone (it was from Beginners ). Let's see if you can name the film this quote is from: "You really want to know? I'll tell you. A toon killed my brother."

Iron Man 3 Imax Poster

There is just a little too much going on in this poster. Iron Man 3 looks as if it will prove to be Tony Stark's biggest personal challenge and it's no wonder given how he is being squeezed out of his own promotional materials. On the other hand, Ben Kingsley may be a perfect stand-in for the world's most interesting man.

NMPF Received a Mystery Package

Two packages waited for me today, there was no sending address and I wasn't anticipating anything in the mail. Inside the first package was little box with a black ribbon wrapped around, once opened there was a key. Confused, I grab the second parcel. Package number two was also a box, but what was enclosed was far more revealing. A pencil box with the visage of India (Mia Wasikowska) inside. The central protagonist of Chan-wook Park's Stoker  is naturally grim and while we know the pencil comes into play during the film's nastier moments, the key is a mystery. After India's father dies, her Uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode), who she never knew existed, comes to live with her and her unstable mother (Nicole Kidman). She comes to suspect this mysterious, charming man has ulterior motives and becomes increasingly infatuated with him. I would like to thank Fox Searchlight for definitely one of the coolest moments I've experienced as head of Never Mind Pop

The Hobbit Blu-ray Giveaway

Want to win a copy of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit ? Simply take the Hobbit quiz in the app above and post your score (and email if possible) in the comments below. Scores will be tallied and the contest ends on April 8th. Please feel free to share this contest via Twitter or Facebook. UPDATE: The winner is Antony Bosch

Vastly Improved 'Place Beyond the Pines' Poster

Much, much better than the first poster put out for Derek Cianfrance's follow-up to Blue Valentine . No floating heads generally makes for a better piece of art. Eagerly awaiting this film, heading to theatres in limited release on March 29th.

Muses and Maestros: Pitt and Fincher

Part of a continuing series about the most talented pairings of filmmakers today. On deck, Brad Pitt and David Fincher. The players: David Fincher and Brad Pitt The works: Se7en , Fight Club , The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Remember when Brad Pitt was just "the good looking guy from Thelma and Louise "? David Fincher, known for tackling darker material, snapped him up and made him into one of the most talented, if underrated, leading men of his generation. Whether he's playing the enigmatic Tyler Durden, the head-strong Detective Mills or the understated Benjamin Button, Fincher is behind the scenes in some of Pitt's best performances. Read more at GotchaMovies !

Review: The Man Behind the Curtain (Oz The Great and Powerful)

Rapscallion and traveling magician Oscar Diggs (James Franco), you can call him Oz, performs acts for audiences across the dusty roads of Kansas. He's not happy with his place in life and a conflict presented in the form of a cuckolded strong man makes Oz's decision to escape all too easy. A tornado whisks Oscar off to a foreign land where there are none of the problems that plague his life. He is greeted on the shore by a woman who doesn't fit the general description of a witch. Theodora (a game Mila Kunis) explains to Oz that his arrival in their land is foretold by a prophecy and he will be the wizard to save the kingdom of vast riches. Without much hesitance, Oz tells Theodora that he is in fact the answer to their prayers. Theodora, Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams) are the three powers that reside in Emerald City. The sisters are feuding and in order for Oz to claim the throne, he must defeat the wicked witch who slayed the previous King.

Review: Dead Man Down

Victor (Colin Farrell) is the trusted right-hand man of one of New York's more unscrupulous land developers, Alphonse (Terrence Howard). Alphonse is receiving threats from an anonymous party and he will spare no expense in dispatching that threat. When Victor isn't scouring the city for gangsters, he eats microwaveable noodles at home by himself. His neighbor Beatrice (Noomi Rapace) waves to him, but that is the extent of his communication with the world outside of work. His loss has severed him from life. Beatrice is no stranger to tragedy herself, an accident has left her physically scarred permanently. Possessing a window into Victor's life, she finds out information that could make his life his infinitely worse, and that may just be her ticket to satisfying the need for revenge in her heart. Her ultimatum comes at a terrible time for Victor, who has his own scores to settle. Forced into dealing with each other, soon they find kindred spirits in each other. Beat

'Interstellar' To Hit Theatres Nov. 2014

Following another massive hit in The Dark Knight Rises , Christopher Nolan has already selected his next feature, Interstellar . Directed and written by Academy Award-nominee Nolan (“INCEPTION,” “THE DARK KNIGHT RISES”), “INTERSTELLAR” is based on a script by Jonathan Nolan. The film will be produced by Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan of Syncopy Films and Obst of Lynda Obst Productions. Kip Thorne will executive produce. The film will depict a  heroic interstellar voyage to the furthest reaches of our scientific understanding. Brad Grey, Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures said, “As a filmmaker and storyteller, Chris has continuously entertained the world with his extraordinary and unparalleled talents. I am pleased beyond measure to welcome him to the Paramount Pictures family. Partnering with Chris, Emma, Lynda and Warner Bros. to release this original idea next November is the perfect way to start the Thanksgiving and holiday movie season for audiences around the world.

Joss Whedon's 'Much Ado About Nothing' Trailer

A geek dream, a genre skewer and a Shakespeare adaptation all within a year? Joss Whedon must be going for the cinematic Triple Crown.

'Hangover III' Promises Finality

A visual nod to the final Harry Potter  poster, The Hangover Part III  promises to burn Vegas to the ground. When Todd Phillips said it would be the last sequel, he meant it.

New 'To the Wonder' Poster

Courtesy of EW , this poster borrows a little from The Thin Red Line  Criterion released a while back. The fold made sense for that film, but this one just seems curious. The church just off to the left is also an interesting visual cue. To the Wonder  hits theatres April 12th!

Review: The Master

Freddie Quells (Joaquin Phoenix) is the textbook definition of a scoundrel. Contained on a vessel in the Pacific he could pass for normal, but only due to the distressed nature of war-time. He remains in company purely due to his innate ability as a mixologist. Still, his cocktails possess the kinds of contents that bootleggers would consider hazardous. Following his naval tour, Freddie is a veteran who finds himself without a place. Jobs come in an erratic order and he finds himself out of them just as quickly. He looks as uneasy in the world physically as he is mentally. Perpetually hunched, Freddie makes everyone around him a little more uncomfortable. He has a convicts' eyes, constantly searching for exits. When Freddie seeks a free ride boarding a yacht, he finds himself under the inquisitive gaze of Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Dodd takes Freddie in, for what reason is unknown, but he sees something in the feral cat of a man that no one else does. In

Hit Me With Your Best Shot #19

The game where I throw out one of cinema's more obscure quotes and you try to guess it. Readers are currently 13 for 18. Let's see if you can name the film this quote is from: "You keep using that word. I don’t think it means what you think it means. "