LordOfWar Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I have a few obscure heroes in show business. One of them, as I note here from time to time, is Vincenzo Natali, best known for Cube, but also for an awesome little techno-thriller called Cypher, an offbeat, surreal comedy called Nothing, and the forthcoming Splice (which I would commit atrocities to see right now). He shares my fascination with the unknown and otherworldly, and expresses it on the screen in unfailingly creative and intelligent ways. Another example along the same lines is Don McKellar, whose Last Night is one of the most perfect little movies I've ever seen (though his participation in last year's godawful Blindness shall not go unpunished).

A third hero of mine is Andrew Niccol. I didn't think much of Lord of War, but all of his other projects have been conceptually brilliant in ways that are very much on my wavelength: The Truman Show (which Peter Weir directed from Niccol's screenplay) is probably my favorite film of the 90s (though that changes from week to week); Gattaca is deservingly becoming a sci-fi classic; and Simone is tragically underrated. He's smart, he's careful, and he has a wonderful imagination. Oh, and his just-announced next project, The Cross, is destined to rock my world.

Here's a quick guide to the films reviewed on Cinematical this week:

"They never touch on the issue of physical congress between living and dead; I imagine it would require lots of lubrication." -- Ryan Stewart on The Corpse Bride

"Sergei Eisenstein must have worried about the jump cut falling into the hands of the bourgeoisie. It turns out he had every reason to be concerned." -- Karina Longworth on Proof.

"Remember Disney's Beauty and the Beast when the big talking dog-man bought it and you thought for a split-second that he was really dead? It's kind of like that. But maybe that's just my own abandonment issues at play." -- Robert Newton on Just Like Heaven

"Everyone around me was saying, "Wait - that was it? That's how it ends?" as the final credits rolled, and that's pretty much how I felt about it." -- Kim Voynar on Cronicas

"Charles Dickens probably never imagined a day when children would be romanticized and envied their innocence by a population of fat, paedomorphic adults. He certainly didn't anticipate such a day in his writings." -- Ryan Stewart on Oliver Twist

"No, this is not an 11th-hour "Verbal Kint is Keyser Söze" denouement, but the kind that blindsides you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday (and perhaps after watching it for a second time." -- Robert Newton on Lord of War

"Watch Dean's performance in any of his three films, and then go watch A River Runs Through It with a young Brad Pitt, and you can't help but notice how Pitt has picked up on certain quirks of mannerism and facial expression that made Dean's performances shine" -- Kim Voynar on East of Eden

"Kelli Garner is phenomenally sexy in a real-life-girl sort of way. She and Rachel McAdams, I think, represent a new trend in Hollywood beauty: 2006 will be the year of the Big-Eyed Brunette." -- Karina Longworth on Thumbsucker

"Is Risky Business a hot DVD rental in Judea and Samaria? Someone should check into that." -- Ryan Stewart on Campfire

"It's a great film for a girl's night out, or to take your mom to, or even for a date night (unless your date is more likely to enjoy something like 9 Songs than the relationship between a crusty old rancher and his friend and granddaughter)." -- Kim Voynar on An Unfinished Life