Kathryn Bigelow Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Bomb squad. War zone. Malfunctioning robot. In the opening sequence of The Hurt Locker, director Kathryn Bigelow expertly sets a tone of anxious, sweat-soaked drama. The film has been playing in New York and Los Angeles, expands to selected cities this Friday, and then goes wide on July 24. You can watch the first eight minutes online at Hulu (or after the jump).

And if that doesn't grab you, I don't know what will. I saw The Hurt Locker at SXSW, and that opening sequence pinned me to my seat. Guy Pearce leads a bomb squad that includes Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty. They're already suited up in protective gear as the scene begins, wisecracking and otherwise demonstrating an easy camaraderie. A small wheeled robot has a minor mechanical malfunction, requiring Pearce to walk into harm's way to fix it. The team's wary conversational bravado continues, even as they shift into high alert on the mostly empty street. Civilian bystanders could be friendly -- or they could be waiting to trigger the bomb.

Jeremy Renner, who turns up a little later in the picture, stars as a new member of the squad. He's a confident expert, but his reckless methods cause the others to question whether his devil-may-care attitude is needlesssly endangering their own lives. Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, and Evangeline Lilly also appear in small roles. I fully agree with James Rocchi, who wrote in his review: "You'll want to see it at a theater near you, in fact, on the largest possible screen with the best possible sound." Don't miss it.

(By James Rocchi - reprinted from the Toronto International Film Festival, 9/10/08)

The Hurt Locker sees director Kathryn Bigelow craft a big, booming tale of tension based on journalist Mark Boal's experiences and interviews with bomb disposal experts in the streets of Iraq. Toronto didn't just see The Hurt Locker earn raves from many critics; it also saw the film get picked up by Summit Entertainment for distribution. Cinematical spoke with Bigelow and Boal in Toronto about breaking the audience's unconscious link between an actor's salary and a character's destiny, whether or not their film is really apolitical, the fun and excitement of blowing things up on-set, how making the movie yourself is the best way to be sure you make the movie you want to and much more.Cinematical's podcast content is now available through iTunes; you can subscribe at this link. Also, you can listen directly here at Cinematical by clicking below:



As ever, you can download the entire podcast right here -- and those of you with RSS Podcast readers can find all of Cinematical's podcast content at this link.

I was a 10-year-old girl when I first stumbled across a book about a vampire rock star, but from that moment on, I have always had a thing for the plasma-challenged. I've gone on to read everything from Penny Dreadfuls to Poppy Z. Brite, and to this day I will always watch a vampire movie, no matter how bad -- and there are no shortage of those. But there are some good ones, too, and one of my favorites is Kathryn Bigelow's Near Dark. I have plenty of reasons for respecting Bigelow's work (whose new -- and excellent -- film The Hurt Locker opens on June 26th), because let's face it -- there aren't very many female directors, especially female 'action' directors -- and thanks to her vampire-Western hybrid, I'm willing to give her a bit of slack for her lesser flicks. So to anyone out there who thinks girls can only do 'hearts and flowers' on the big screen, just watch the scene after the jump and tell me if you still feel the same way.

But back to vampires: ever since Dracula first stepped off the Demeter and into London society, vampires have usually been frock-coated aristocratic types, but not these guys. Bigelow's vamps are more Hell's Angels than love-starved dandies, and unlike a certain vampire who shall go unnamed, have no qualms about being the bad guy. I do like to think of myself as a connoisseur of all things 'vamp', and I have to say, this scene is a doozey. In less than 10 minutes this group manages to clean out an entire redneck bar, and it ain't pretty. But then again, that's why I love it. In the end I prefer my vampires to be a little more bloodthirsty and a little less sensitive, don't you?

After the jump: Near Dark fun facts and the Scene We (I) Love...

Some B films are loved because they're just so bad, but some are loved because they're just so good -- a palpable talent resting beneath the haze of badness.

I'm not talking about the guys who spend years honing their technique and then head back to the world of B to make a flashy feature (Grindhouse), but those who are born out of that wonderfully bad wasteland -- the men and women who kickstart their career with blood, chills, and pulp, and then grow into high-buzz filmmakers and talent. Not everyone can start with a critical masterpiece, so what can be better than a little silly fun? It certainly beats a crappy first movie that no one wants to see.

Read on to learn of seven big Hollywood names who kicked off their careers with the wonder of B-movie filmmaking. These directors have talent, awards, and a healthy serving of critical success, but it all came out of began with our beloved B's. Maybe they knew how to start their careers, or maybe Roger Corman simply has the best eye for killer talent. Whatever the case, their first films didn't define their careers, and in fact, set them on their way to success.

While skimming my feeds, I came across a post at THR about a Stanley Kramer celebration called "Films That Changed the World." It immediately got me thinking of world-changing cinema, and how much a film can impact us. But try as I might, I couldn't come up with films that changed my world, and instead, kept going back to the story. See, this new series is celebrating the films connected with the iconic filmmaker that were socially conscious. First up: Yentl.

It wasn't so much the film that kept grabbing me, but a quote by Kramer's daughter, Kat: "The history-making film, the first major studio production ever produced, directed and co-written by its female star, shattered Hollywood's glass ceiling like no other film ever did." I wish I could say that it shattered that glass ceiling. If it did, we wouldn't have such abysmal percentages of women in the industry -- both in it and writing about it. Last year, 25 years after Yentl, women didn't even hit 20% of all directors, producers, writers, and the rest of the big behind-the-scenes roles in the industry. We couldn't even hit 10% of all directors. Not even a quarter. Not even a tenth.

That's not a shattering of the glass ceiling, it's a crack in the glass that few women survive when they try to pull themselves through. It's monumental when a woman directs a big, supernatural romance (Twilight), and sadly not surprising when she's then pulled from it. More specifically, it was monumental for a woman to helm it from the pens of other women, even though the film is geared towards the girls itching for a little dark, vampiric action. Women directing for girls? Shocking!

The only way to stretch that crack, and just possibly create that shattered ceiling Kat Kramer was talking about is to do it again. And again. And again. Sadly, it can't just be with solid, noteworthy work. For every wonderful Protagonist, there needs to be a ceiling shake by Amy Heckerling, or a solid kick by Kathryn Bigelow, or Mary Harron -- blockbusters, hits, action, and horror that prove we're not all clumsy romance fiends and fashion victims. It's a fact that seems to be forgotten much too often.

Cinematical has received these brand new images from The Hurt Locker (one is an exclusive shot, as seen above), which will enjoy its SXSW premiere later tonight. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker has snagged a ton of buzz ever since its premiere at the Toronto fest back in September, where we reviewed it and interviewed Bigelow. The film, based on journalist Mark Boal's real experiences, tells of "three members of the Army's elite Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) squad [who] battle insurgents and one another as they search for and disarm a wave of roadside bombs on the streets of Baghdad-in order to try and make the city a safer place for Iraqis and Americans alike."

James noted in his Toronto review that The Hurt Locker is "an assured, confident, swaggering piece of moviemaking that manages to not only evoke every war of the 20th century but also, despite the claims by makers and some reviewers that it's an 'apolitical' film, speaks very specifically to the Iraq war" -- later adding, "The Hurt Locker looks and feels like a terrific action film, but there's a piece of art ticking away within it that goes off inside your head and your heart while you're watching." Check out the new images in the gallery below and the full synopsis after the jump. The Hurt Locker hits theaters on June 26.

When in the world did it get to be the day before the SXSW Film Festival starts? I've been getting organized and ready, and so have the other Cinematical writers who are coming to town. We are going to be all over this fest like barbecue sauce on Texas brisket. (Don't tell me that you don't think sauce belongs on brisket, I don't want to hear that kind of perverted talk.)

Trying to decide which films to see has been at least as difficult this year as it has been in the past. Sam Raimi or Sacha Baron Cohen? Kathryn Bigelow's latest film, or Tobe Hooper's first? Office Space or Observe and Report? There are documentaries about mushrooms and Martin Scorsese movies, conspiracy theorists and film critics. And of course I want to see some of the big splashy premieres at the Paramount, but can't bear to miss any of the indie films I might not get to see again -- gaaaaaaah. I've made a list of a few of the movies we're looking forward to seeing this week. If you're coming to Austin, I hope I'll see you there.

OK, I'll admit it: I couldn't be happier that that the long-planned remake of the vamp classic Near Dark will not be happening any time soon. Producer Brad Fuller recently spoke with Empire magazine about the just-announced Twilight sequel, when Fuller brought up the remake, telling Empire, "Near Dark is probably not going to happen, I think that Twilight was the same type of thing we were going for although Near Dark was a much darker, sexier, rated R version of that." And if you have seen the original Near Dark, you know that "darker" is a nice way of putting it (anyone remember that scene in the bar? I'd like to see The Cullens top that).

Originally released in 1987, Dark was written and directed by Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) and centered on a small town boy (played by Adrian Pasdar) who is roped into a vampire gang when he falls in love with one of its members ... and this is probably where Fuller started noticing some comparisons with the 'Bella and the Gang'. Fuller went on to explain Dark's delay was a direct result of Twilight's release, saying, "For now, that movie is on hold. The concept of 'one person's a vampire, the other person isn't and they're in love, with the success of that film, we would not measure up, It's not the right time to make that." That does seem like a flimsy excuse once you consider that "star-crossed lovers with fangs" isn't exactly a new idea.

But, no matter what happens, it seems like Dark is the remake that will not die, so I would expect that for now the film is simply down ... but definitely not out.

UPDATE: Speaking of Twilight, it's just been announced that New Moon will arrive in theaters on November 20, 2009.

The Hurt Locker sees director Kathryn Bigelow craft a big, booming tale of tension based on journalist Mark Boal's experiences and interviews with bomb disposal experts in the streets of Iraq. Toronto didn't just see The Hurt Locker earn raves from many critics; it also saw the film get picked up by Summit Entertainment for distribution. Cinematical spoke with Bigelow and Boal in Toronto about breaking the audience's unconscious link between an actor's salary and a character's destiny, whether or not their film is really apolitical, the fun and excitement of blowing things up on-set, how making the movie yourself is the best way to be sure you make the movie you want to and much more.Cinematical's podcast content is now available through iTunes; you can subscribe at this link. Also, you can listen directly here at Cinematical by clicking below:



As ever, you can download the entire podcast right here -- and those of you with RSS Podcast readers can find all of Cinematical's podcast content at this link.

I would like to punch Variety in the face for writing "preem" instead of "premiere," as in "Spike Lee's WWII pic Miracle at St. Anna will world preem at the Toronto Film Festival." Yeah, I know, they use this sort of cutesy Hollywood "inside baseball" terminology left and right -- I find all of it irritating, but preem? Seriously? That is nothing if not horrible. And it's all of three letters shorter than the whole word.

Anyway, the unnecessary slang obfuscates what I want to write about: Miracle at St. Anna will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in early September. The other big get Toronto announced yesterday is the world premiere of Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, the indie kid romantic comedy starring Michael Cera. I'm much more excited about that one, to be honest. Prestige war movies are a dime a dozen; Michael Cera playing "a member of the queercore band 'The Jerk Offs'" is something special.

Also announced: Kathryn Bigelow's Iraq actioner The Hurt Locker, a drama called Disgrace with John Malkovich, and a few others. This is in addition to the 27 films announced last week.

This will be my first year attending Toronto (back-to-back with Telluride, where I've gone four times now), so needless to say I am aquiver with anticipation.