in the land of women Tagged Articles at Cinematical

This week features a trio of intriguing indie DVDs. In her review of the dramatic and poignant Journey From the Fall, our own Kim Voynar wrote: "The journey of the 'boat people' of Vietnam has never before been documented in an American film, but if it took this long to do it right, it was worth the wait." She notes that "writer/director Ham Tran did countless interviews with Vietnamese refugees and survivors of the re-education camps to make certain his script for Journey from the Fall was authentic." The effort certainly sounds like it paid off. Look for the DVD from ImaginAsian Home Entertainment.

Cinematical's very busy Kim V. also reviewed Charles Ferguson's documentary No End in Sight when it debuted at Sundance earlier this year. She acknowledged the many other Iraq War docs that have been made recently, yet felt "the difference with No End In Sight is that it takes a ruthlessly fact-finding, information-based approach, simply in finding the right people to talk to and listening to what they have to say, that ultimately paints a very different picture of the Iraq War than the one spun by the folks currently in the Bush administration." Magnolia's DVD includes a flock of extras.

Talk to Me reportedly features a galvanizing performance by Don Cheadle, playing an ex-con who became a very popular radio personality in Washington D.C. Jeffrey M. Anderson was duly impressed, expressing his opinion that director Kasi Lemmons' major achievement "is the way that she has been able to trace nearly 20 years of history while still allowing the film to live in its current moment." The DVD from Universal Studios includes deleted scenes and two featurettes.

Other releases of interest include the five-disk set The Cinema of Peter Watkins, Russian action fantasy Day Watch and romantic comedy In the Land of Women. Oh, and a box set of some television show co-created by the dude that made Eraserhead.

My favorite film critic is unquestionably Roger Ebert. When I was a kid, I used to get his "Yearbooks" for Christmas every year, and I've watched every incarnation of his television show. I loved Siskel and Ebert, I like Ebert and Roeper, and the show currently exists in a sort of limbo state I call Not Siskel and Not Ebert. Since Ebert's unfortunate illness, the show has tried a variety of "guest critics." Usually these are film journalists -- A.O. Scott of the New York Times does an excellent job and is the closest the show has to a regular. But they've made some very interesting non-critic choices too. Jay Leno, Fred Willard, and Harold Ramis (Egon!) are just a few of the less traditional names they've brought in for the gig. Kevin Smith did a particularly nice job of co-hosting, and has been invited back. But none of these guests could have prepared me for tonight. The show comes on at 1AM here in Los Angeles, and when I saw who was sitting in I actually jolted up in bed, horror-movie style. None other than John Mellencamp was filling in for Roger Ebert! That's right, the "Cougar!" And it hurt so good!

Mellencamp did the worst job I've seen yet on the show, but it's hard to make fun. The guy's clearly not trying to be a serious critic, he's got a pretty decent day job going. He and Roeper reviewed Vacancy, Lonely Hearts, In the Land of Women, and Fracture. Of that list, Roeper only gave a positive review to Women, but Mellencamp loved each and every one, using the word "fantastic" to describe just about everything. He picked the classic documentary Grey Gardens as his video pick of the week. I don't know how they booked him or how it happened, but Mellencamp did seem to be pretty clueless in the film department. Now I suppose I could get on my high horse and say "What business does a musician have criticizing movies? Does Gene Shalit play "guest guitar" for Green Day?" But I actually think it's kind of fun to hear from these unlikely sources. And hey, Mellencamp did direct and star in a movie called Falling From Grace. I haven't seen it, but before you mock, Grace is highly respected by Ebert, who gave it a four-star review back in 1992, and Roeper, who wrote a column then offering money back to anyone who didn't like it. Apparently the staff of NBC's The Office aren't as keen on his film work. On the episode two weeks ago, Kevin said "If someone gives you 10,000-to-1 odds on anything, you take it. If John Mellencamp ever wins an Oscar, I am going to be a very rich dude."

To watch the Mellencamp show in full, keep checking the Ebert and Roeper website. Get well soon, Roger! And hurry back! Please!

Last week, evilone1414 and isaac showed the power of being eeeevil by scoring a perfect 16 points in our weekly prediction game. (Sorry to lump you in there, isaac, but your name doesn't have anything I can make fun of.) Will Master of Evil Anthony Hopkins show similar devilish luck -- sorry, skill -- this weekend?

Fracture
What It's About: Wiley coyote Anthony Hopkins shoots his wife and then cops to it -- so why can't hotshot prosecutor Ryan Gosling slam this case shut?
Why It Might Do Well: You've got an Oscar winner (Hopkins) and an Oscar nominee (Gosling) going mano-a-mano in a psychological thriller that's getting largely positive reviews. And while the movie's targeting serious adult moviegoers, Gosling's got plenty of female fans, too. (Oh, Sir Tony, you know the ladies love you.)
Why It Might Not Do Well: Remember what I just said about the movie targeting "serious adult moviegoers"? With rare exceptions, these types of movies don't tend to finish first at the box office. And neither actor is a guaranteed box office draw.
Prediction: $12 million

Vacancy
What It's About: A squabbling husband and wife (Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale) undergo an extreme version of couples therapy when they check into a dirtbag motel, only to find they've been cast as the leads in the staff's next home-movie snuff film. Umm, congrats?
Why It Might Do Well: Horror sells, and this one's got an interesting and original premise. Also, Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale? Pretty.
Why It Might Not Do Well: It's rated R, so it'll lose some of its intended audience to the more teen-friendly Disturbia. And unlike the rest of the Frat Pack, Wilson has proved curiously incapable of building on his Old School success.
Prediction: $14 million