rufus sewell Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Cinematical has just received this exclusive poster for Downloading Nancy, billed as "The Most Controversial Film You Will See This Year." Our own Erik Davis called it "a sick and twisted rollercoaster ride that climbs fast and drops slowly." What do you mean, Erik? "Basically, Downloading Nancy is about this unhappily married woman (Maria Bello) who meets a guy (Jason Patric) over the internet, falls in love, then asks him to kill her ... slowly ... so she can finally feel something in her life."

Erik admitted that he may have been the only one who actually liked Johan Renck's film when it premiered at Sundance last year, but that's my boss: always ready to champion the "sick, twisted and sadistic stuff," in this case because he felt it "had purpose, revealed character and told a pretty f**ked up story."

I think it bears repeating that Maria Bello is the lead -- an amazing actress who has consistently demonstrated a willingness to take risks, even in more conventional roles. Jason Patric is fully capable of giving a subtle, moody performance, as are co-stars Rufus Sewell and Amy Brenneman. Behind the camera, the exquisitely talented Christopher Doyle served as director of photography. Clearly, this movie isn't for everyone, but more adventurous souls will want to see it for themselves.

Courtesy of the courageous Strand Releasing, Downloading Nancy will open - in theaters only -- on June 5. You have been warned. Check out the full poster by clicking the image below.

What is the appropriate reaction to have when a movie you love, adore, and cherish is somehow ... improved? I know, it's a strange feeling. I happen to think my all-time favorite film (A L I E N) is much better in its theatrical version than in its extended -- but where Aliens is concerned, I much prefer the longer version! It's something you have to approach on a case-by-case basis, of course, and it's the sort of movie-nerd activity that should be attempted only by those with a lot of free time -- or someone who gets paid to write about this sort of stuff. (Fortunately I am both.)

So it was with MUCH enthusiasm that I sat down with the brand-new Director's Cut of Dark City, a film that I absolutely love a whole lot -- and I know I'm not nearly alone when I say that. Like many of the finest sci-fi films, Dark City was pretty much overlooked for a good long while -- put once it hit DVD and heavy rotation on the cable channels, the sci-fi freaks found a film worth watching and re-watching, to say nothing of analyzing, deconstructing, and debating. And so I happily continue that trend by explaining what the fans will find in New Line's very impressive new Dark City package...

• Æon Flux - This empty sci-fi flick's listing on IMDB.com is loaded with glowing user endorsements, leading everyone else who has seen it to believe that either drugs were involved in forming these opinions, the Pod People took these users over or an army of undercover PR lackeys is spinning overtime. This cinematic equivalent of a bronzed cow pie, an unimaginative Logan's Run pretender set 400 years in the future after a global plague, stars Charlize Theron as a rebel trying to take down the corrupt government of Bregna, the only city on Earth. From the way-lazy back story title cards and opening narration to the silly costumes to the cartoonish action sequences to the awful deadpan performances, this should be called Peed-On, Sux. Maybe Theron's mother needed an operation or something, but this is a very bad and brainless example of sci-fi, a puffed-up issue movie that ultimately offers nothing but regret. Instead, check out creator Peter Chung's original, pre-anime craze animated MTV series, which was released on DVD late last year.

It was announced in January that the great and powerful The Da Vinci Code will have its world premiere at Cannes (assuming it's not banned by a British judge, or something), opening the festival on May 17. Ron Howard's film, however, is showing out of competition, and it wasn't until yesterday that the name of a competing film was first revealed: Paris, je t'aime will open the Un Certain Regard sidebar when it screens on the night of May 18. The film is a series of 20 shorts by different directors, each one focusing on one of Paris's arrondissements, or districts. Among the directors who took part in the project are Alfonso Cuarón, Joel and Ethan Coen, Alexander Payne, Christopher Doyle, Tom Tykwer, Olivier Assayas, and Wes Craven; stars include Maggie Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman, Rufus Sewell, Gena Rowlands, Ben Gazzara, and Juliette Binoche.

The films in the Un Certain Regard sidebar are not part of the festival's Official Selection; they are judged by a separate jury (Payne was last year's chair), and a prize is award to the best film in the series the night before the major awards are handed out.