thirst Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Star Trek
In rebooting the franchise, J.J. Abrams faced the daunting challenge of pleasing long-time Trekkies and roping in new viewers who think 'Live long and prosper' is a slogan for an insurance company. This is not your father's Star Trek, but he'd probably like it too (begrudgingly). Buy it. Also on Blu-ray (see Todd Gilchrist's review for more on that edition.)

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Bruno
I'm not a big fan of the 'ridicule the clueless' school of humor, so I turn to Cinematical's review by Todd Gilchrist: "curiously ineffective, a sort of middling effort that fails to liberate itself from the stereotypes that provide the character's foundations, even if it also doesn't deliberately or harmfully reinforce them." Skip it. Also on Blu-ray.

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My Sister's Keeper
Despite a relentless barrage of scenes evidently designed with the sole goal of jerking tears, Nick Cassavetes' My Sister's Keeper did not make me cry. It is, however, one of the most glorious-looking terminal cancer pictures I've ever seen. Cameron Diaz, Jason Patric, Abigail Breslin, and Alec Baldwin star in a film I found entirely unsatisfying. (See my review for more.) In addition, fans of the novel by Jodi Picoult may not appreciate the changed ending. Skip it. Also on Blu-ray.

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Also out: How to Be (with Robert Pattinson), Wild Child (with Emma Roberts).

After the jump: Indies on DVD, more Blu-ray, and Collector's Corner.

When the average American film fan thinks of Japanese movies, they'll probably picture one of three things: either a samurai or a gangster -- Toshiro Mifune and his sword, or Takeshi Kitano and his gun -- or a stringy-haired ghost girl. Die-hard fans will know that Yasujiro Ozu, Nagisa Oshima and Mikio Naruse also made contemporary dramas about modern-day citizens, often trying to figure out their lives in the post-WWII turmoil. But those dramas were hindered by the times, or by the censors; the characters were polite and functional and hid their own true emotions in an attempt to do what they were supposed to be doing. But there's something in the air over in Japan right now; they're making melodramas, big, roiling, red-blooded ones filled with anguish and torment and heartbreak.

Earlier this year, Kiyoshi Kurosawa -- who is thus far best known for his truly terrifying films like Cure (1997) and Pulse (2001) -- came out with Tokyo Sonata, a devastating (but defiantly odd) look at a crumbling family. The father loses his job, the eldest son contemplates joining the U.S. military and the youngest son sneaks off for secret piano lessons, while the mother finds herself kidnapped by a charismatic burglar. Kurosawa somehow ties together these plot threads with a few scenes at the family home, in which little of the stuff that we can see happening actually gets discussed. It's a brilliant portrait of disconnect and lack of communication.

Indie Roundup reviews the past week of news from the independent film community and provides a peek at what's coming soon.

Festivals. Its official name is the Traverse City Film Festival, but unofficially it's "the Michael Moore fest," thanks to the filmmaker's role as founding father. Good reports on the fifth edition, which wrapped last weekend, can be found at Spout (by Karina Longworth) and indieWIRE (by Thom Powers).

Deals. Image Entertainment acquired Adam Salky's Dare, which premiered at Sundance earlier this year. Emmy Rossum, Zach Gilford, and Ashley Springer star as "high school students that enter into an unusual triangle of friendship and love." Tim Grierson of Screen wrote: "As refreshing as it is legitimately sexy." Release plans have not yet been announced. [Per indieWIRE.]

Online / On-Demand Viewing. If you hurry, you can still watch the acclaimed documentary 45365 at SnagFilms for free. it's available through tomorrow (Thursday, August 6) as part of their SummerFest preview series. The doc examines life in Sidney, Ohio, as filmed over the course of nine months by two men raised in that small town.

If you're hungry for more (legal) online viewing, check out the newly-launched SpeedCine, a very simple search engine that lets you find out what movies are available to watch through various providers like Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix, either free of charge, for a one-time fee, or by subscription. It's in beta, which means they're still working on it, but right now it flies along very quickly and efficiently. I'm rather amazed -- and very pleased -- to see so many movies that are available at no charge.

Who won the battle for the Indie Weekend Box Office crown? Find out after the jump.

Here's a quick look at what's opening in limited release this weekend. If they're not playing where you live, keep an eye out as they make the rounds. And if all else fails, there's always DVD.

Adam (pictured) is an unusual romantic comedy starring Hugh Dancy as a man with Asperger syndrome, a mild form of autism, who develops a relationship with his new neighbor (Rose Byrne). It has a 70% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes, including my own Cinematical review from Sundance, where I wrote: "This isn't some cheesy TV movie about a wise "special needs" person who teaches life lessons to those around him.... It's a simple, light comedy with dramatic underpinnings, and a pleasant way to spend an evening." Now playing in New York and L.A.

The Cove, another Sundance alumnus, is already one of the year's most acclaimed documentaries, with a 94% positive rating at Rotten Tomatoes. It's about a cove in Japan where thousands of dolphins are slaughtered every year for shady reasons, and it plays out like a thriller. Cinematical's Scott Weinberg called it "brutally honest and effortlessly fascinating" and "easily one of the most powerful, heartfelt, and ... important 'nature' documentaries I've ever seen." Playing in New York and L.A.

After a long flight on my part and a far longer drive for both of us, Scott Weinberg and I have finally arrived in Montréal for the FanTasia International Film Festival (their thirteenth, our first). The genre-heavy festival lasts for nearly three weeks; alas, we've but one to spare, so without much further ado, here's a look at what I've seen already and what I hope to see before Scott tips his own hand with a title or two to recommend.

Of the features playing, I can highly recommend Michael Paul Stephenson's Troll 2 doc, Best Worst Movie; the Aussie revenge thriller, The Horseman (not to be confused with the barely-seen Dennis Quaid vehicle, Horsemen); and Paul Solet's beautifully bloody baby horror, Grace. Those looking for something a bit stranger might end up being a bit more fond of Black and The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle than I was, though I also seemed more easily pleased by the Nazi zombies of Dead Snow than most, so I guess it all balances out. My enthusiasm for the ultra-kitschy likes of Alien Trespass and Lesbian Vampire Killers, not to mention the admittedly boundary-pushing Deadgirl, is all a bit less than what's already been mentioned, so let's just leave those at that.

Read the rest at HorrorSquad!

2012
You know that poem about the world ending not with a bang but a whimper? I don't think Roland Emmerich has read it as this end of the world flick has many bangs each followed by an Earth-shattering ka-boom. Apparently the Mayan calendar's prediction of the apocalypse comes true in the titular year and John Cusack plays a man whose family is in the midst of the cataclysm. The part about a government plan to build a sort of ark reminds me of George Pal's When Worlds Collide. The end begins on November 13.

Zombieland
I'm always leery of horror comedies. For every Shaun of the Dead or Return of the Living Dead there's a dozen straight to DVD movies that try to frighten and amuse at the same time yet end up doing neither. This humorous look at the zombie apocalypse not only looks pretty damn funny but also has some star power with Woody Harrelson, Abigail Breslin and Bill Murray. This one hits theaters on Ocotober 9, just in time for Halloween.

The second day of the Cannes Film Festival showcased the programmers' commitment to auteurs. Instead of helium balloons in celebration of the family-friendly, animated Up, one of the key screenings was for a very adult drama about an inflatable Air Doll.

Key Screenings: Francis Coppola's Tetro bowed with a red carpet premiere tonight to open the Directors' Fortnight section, while the Un Certain Regard section opened with Bahman Ghabadi's No One Knows About Persian Cats and Hirokazu Kore-eda's Air Doll. Screening in the main competition were Lou Ye's Spring Fever and Andrea Arnold's Fish Tank. Park chan-wook's Thirst screened for the press. [Thanks very much to B-Side's "festival genius" unofficial guide to Cannes, which makes it easy to get a quick sense of what's playing each day.]

Films Sold. Three deals were announced for non-Cannes titles today, and indieWIRE has the details: Jack the Ripper-themed The Red Riding Trilogy (IFC Films), Aleksandr Sokurov's The Sun (Lorber HT Digital), and Jeff Stilson's doc Good Hair, featuring Chris Rock (Roadside Attractions and Liddell Entertainment).

Blog Talk. Peter Kneght provides a good roundup at indieWIRE. Frankly, though, David Hudson at IFC's The Daily provides the best, most comprehensive overview of the fest and the individual films (e.g. Tetro). I've cherry picked of couple of quotes that David found, and added a few others from Day Two.

"Officially, it was the third film I watched here at Cannes, and besides Pixar's Up, it's the best live-action film I've seen so far." -- Alex Billington of First Showing, deeming Park Chan-wook's Thirst the "best" ... of two live-action movies he's seen so far. There's a poster pull-quote for ya!

After the jump: Even more choice review quotes!

Erotic Vampires. Park Chan-wook's Thirst will have its international premiere at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival, but it's already opened in its native South Korea. In his review for Screen International, Darcy Paquet says that the "visually arresting vampire movie Thirst looks certain to create a stir: adopting a more lyrical mode than before, this complex and supremely inventive work sees the filmmaker back on top form."

I've read the knowledgeable Paquet at his site Koreanfilm.org for years, so his opinion is very encouraging, especially when you consider Park's best work includes Old Boy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, and Joint Security Area. [Via In Contention.] Even better: those of us in the US don't have to wait long to see it. Focus Features will release Thirst in July.

Gentle Fish. If you haven't marked August 14 on your calendars yet, please do so now. That will mark the US theatrical debut of Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo, the master filmmaker's latest work of art. The plot revolves around a princess who just happens to be a goldfish, and her desire to grow legs and walk on land. She develops a friendship with a 5-year-old boy who tries to help her realize her dream. The poster and a still can be viewed at Ain't It Cool News.

Under John Lasseter's committed oversight, Walt Disney Pictures has done right by Studio Ghibli so far, making the original Japanese-language version available at some venues and ensuring that the English dubbing is as faithful as possible. While we wait for the inevitable English-language trailer, here's a teaser, evidently for its release in France, that is silky, poetic, and non-verbal.

Last September was when Jessica shared the news about Mick Garris helming a remake of the 1979 horror flick Thirst -- and then we stopped hearing things. Until now! Here's some rather cool news: Not only has Mr. Garris moved on to do something different (a Stephen King adaptation, imagine that), but it looks like flick fanboy favorite Joe Dante will be settling into the director's chair!

Forgive the exclamation point, but I've been a huge Joe Dante fan since I was old enough to run the VHS all by myself. (For those with short memories: Joe Dante directed Piranha, The Howling, Explorers. Innerspace, both Gremlins, the best segment of the Twilight Zone movie, two episodes of Police Squad, and a whole bunch of other colorful stuff.) Dante's last effort was the under-appreciated Looney Tunes: Back in Action, but according to Fangoria, the veteran flick-maker will be at the helm of Thirst, which is a remake of a fairly obscure Australian thriller that came from director Rod Hardy and screenwriter John Pinkney. It told the story of a vicious cult full of blood-lovers.

Obviously Thirst is a movie I need to rent, because I don't think I've ever seen it! (How embarrassing.) More news on Joe Dante's newest venture when it comes across the wire.