roman polanski wanted and desired 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.
Review: Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
Filed under: Documentary », Independent », ThinkFilm », Theatrical Reviews », Cinematical Indie »
Five years ago, Roman Polanski won an Oscar for directing The Pianist. But he couldn't attend the Academy Awards ceremony, because had he entered the United States, he would have been arrested as soon as his plane touched down. Or so the excuse went. While the scenario might have indeed played out that way, the story of his hypothetical incarceration was at that time more a part of the legend of Polanski than it was a matter of truth. More hearsay and speculation than complete fact.
Now the difference between that legend and the lesser-known truth is exposed in the documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired. And basically it's the gap between a generalized truth and the whole truth. So, yes, as we all heard and/or discussed at our Oscar parties five years ago, Polanski was in fact a fugitive, having fled the United States in 1978 after pleading guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl. But there is so much more to the story than just that.
Roman Polanski Doc Still in Dispute
Filed under: Documentary », ThinkFilm », Celebrities and Controversy », Distribution », Cinematical Indie »
Growing up in suburban Los Angeles, I knew Roman Polanski as a celebrity long before I knew his work as a film director. The murder of his wife by the Manson Family in 1969 and his controversial rape case in 1977 were well covered in the media, and I formed strong negative opinions about him, especially after he fled the US in 1978. Still, I'd heard such interesting things about Marina Zenovich's doc Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired -- including Erik Davis' excellent, measured review from Sundance -- that I made sure to tune in when it premiered on HBO on Monday night after an extremely-limited theatrical qualifying run in New York and Los Angeles.
Before the broadcast, Slate reported that HBO changed the ending after Los Angeles Superior Courts officials complained. The Los Angeles Times published a similar story on Tuesday. Erik described what he saw at Sundance: "Perhaps the most fascinating fact (and this was something I did not know) came in the reveal that, when a new judge was assigned to the case in 1997, he agreed to throw out the charges if Polanski were to return to the States -- on one condition: that the hearing be televised. Because of that, Polanski decided against coming back."
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