holly Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 1/27
Filed under: Comedy », Documentary », Drama », Independent », New on DVD », Home Entertainment », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Cinematical Indie »
Pictured (clockwise from upper left): Pride and Glory, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, RockNRolla, Hulk Vs.
I'm shocked -- shocked!! -- that I can recommend a rental on all four featured titles. I'll search more diligently for titles to skip in coming weeks.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Woody Allen's sojourn across Europe continues in this critically-praised comedy / drama / romance, featuring the Academy Award-nominated Penélope Cruz, plus Javier Bardem, Scarlett Johansson, and Rebecca Hall. James Rocchi called it "a bright, cool comedy of manners and mores, as refreshing and subtly intoxicating as a tall drink of sangria." Also on Blu-ray. Rent it.
Pride and Glory
Though some unfavorably compared it with We Own the Night, I much preferred Gavin O'Connor's striking, stirring New York City police 'brothers and father at odds' drama. Sure, it's familiar territory, but it struck me as piercing and emotionally authentic. With Colin Farrell, Edward Norton, Jon Voight, and Noah Emmerich. Also on Blu-ray. Rent it.
RocknRolla
As a friend surmised, Guy Ritchie returns to form with another fast-paced criminal misandventure. Ritchie at top form is still not my favorite cup of tea -- this movie slid out of my memory as painlessly as it went in -- but Ritchie die-hards and fans of Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton, and incomprehensible slang can satisfy their curiosity. Also on Blu-ray. Rent it.
Hulk Vs.
Two new animated features: Hulk vs. Wolverine and Hulk vs. Thor. Let me repeat: Hulk vs. Wolverine! Hulk vs. Thor! Hulk vs. Wolverine! Hulk vs. Thor! Total running time: 78 minutes. Also on Blu-ray. Rent it.
Also out: Closing the Ring (the one with Mischa Barton naked), College, Lakeview Terrace, The Lucky Ones, Open Season 2, The Rocker, and Sharks in Venice.
After the jump: Indies on DVD, New on Blu-ray (Bourne!), and Collector's Corner.
Indie Weekend Box Office: 'No Country' Rides to No. 1
Filed under: Documentary », Drama », Foreign Language », Independent », Sony », ThinkFilm », Box Office », Cinematical Indie », Paramount Vantage »
With a high-profile cast, high-profile filmmakers, tremendous buzz, and limited competition, it would have been shocking if No Country for Old Men had not finished in first place for the specialty box office this weekend. The Coen Brothers' film has received near-unanimous praise (95% positive per Rotten Tomatoes), including great reviews from our own Patrick Walsh and James Rocchi. No Country averaged $42,928 per screen at 28 locations in New York, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Minneapolis, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. for distributor Paramount Vantage, according to estimates compiled by Box Office Mojo.Opening in just one theater in New York, Holly pulled down a very impressive $35,000, also according to Box Office Mojo. Ron Livingston stars as an American in Cambodia who tries to save a young girl who has been sold into child prostitution. In my review, I noted that "what makes the film distinctive is the spare, subtle approach of the filmmakers. ... It offers no easy answers and does not sidestep stickier questions. ... Ron Livingston turns in a controlled, admirably restrained performance." Holly expands later this month; it deserves to be seen as widely as possible.
Leonard Klady of Movie City News commented: "Bollywood appeared to be making Hollywood-like misjudgments with two high profile films butting heads for Diwali holiday business." Om Shanti Om (from Eros Entertainment) earned $14,650 per screen at 114 while Saawariya (from Sony) made $6,350 per screen at 85 engagements. Eric D. Snider has more information on both films in The (Mostly) Indie Film Calendar.
Documentary War/Dance has received very good reviews, such as Kim Voynar's glowing rave, and earned $5,300 per screen at three theaters in New York and Los Angeles during its opening weekend, according to Klady's estimates.
Review: Holly
Filed under: Drama », Independent », Theatrical Reviews », Cinematical Indie »
Suffering from "issue fatigue"? That would be an understandable response to the fall movie season, in which a flock of serious, issue-driven, adult-oriented dramas clamor for attention. In most cases, the filmmakers are sincere in their desire to convey a message or sound a warning. Too often, however, fictional films collapse under the weight of good intentions. Documentaries have an inherent advantage in that they ostensibly portray a measure of truth, while dramatic treatments are immediately suspect due to their obvious need to create a story arc that will obey the rules of narrative storytelling and provide a degree of entertainment value. It's far too easy to fall into the trap of melodramatic plot devices, Dickensian coincidences and third-act "twists" that surprise no one.
Holly, which opened yesterday in New York before expanding later in the month to other cities, does not entirely avoid conventions. A simple synopsis sounds like a thousand other well-meant movies: shady Patrick (Ron Livingston) agrees to do something for fellow American Freddie (Chris Penn). His motorcycle breaks down and he is stranded at a brothel overnight, where he encounters Holly (Thuy Nguyen), a 12 year old Vietnamese girl who has just been sold into prostitution. His heart goes out to her pathetic situation and he tries to save her. He also crosses paths with a slick, slimy brothel customer (Udo Kier) and an earnest welfare worker (Virginie Ledoyen).
My initial reaction was to recoil at the prospect of yet another movie in which a Noble White American Is The Only One Who Can Save Yellow (or black or brown or whatever) People In Developing Nations From Themselves And In The Process Save Himself. But director Guy Moshe and producer Guy Jacobson, who collaborated on the script, are smarter than that.
Jeremy Renner Wants To Be An Avenger
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Indie Roundup: 'Sweetgrass,' 'Clarkworld,' 'Broken Embraces'
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