Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Can this King deliver?
For years an interesting and somewhat perplexing relationship has formed between the two most unlikely of partners, Hollywood and British royalty. In a market that demands dramatic heroes, flashy special effects, and self-made heroes, where do all these films about characters born into a life of luxury find an audience? Maybe it is the notion that American audiences might find a pleasurable escape into a world that is full of beautiful clothing and a political system we were once a part of. It could also provide an interesting view into a world where one person’s actions can determine the course of an entire country; especially considering America’s current political stalemate that makes it harder and harder for an individual to feel …
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Is this film worthy of love?
With the recent repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” it seems that our country is slowly becoming more and more accepting of gays in our everyday lives. With the passing of this repeal there couldn’t be a better time than this past Christmas to release a film like I Love You Phillip Morris, a film that openly presents and flaunts its gay protagonists. After sitting two years on the shelf, debuting at Sundance in 2009, and with numerous studios debating its release (something that looked like it would never happen), the film has finally been released worldwide. I Love You Phillip Morris tells the true (though heavily stylized) story of Steven Russell, a con artist and criminal, whose actions see him in and out of jail in George Bush’s Texas …
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Viewing this film is a date with the sublime.
There are movies that when audiences leave the theater - they never speak of them again. Not because the film is bad but because it is so utterly forgettable. Then there are films like Black Swan. Viewing Black Swan is a date with the sublime. It is a film that invites the viewer to get lost in its world, colors, thrills, and then escape from the theater electrified. Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) is an innocent, virginal, ballerina whose figure is as malnourished as her mind. Her bedroom is like a child's, with pink wallpaper, stuffed animals, and even a jewelry box that plays her to sleep to the tune of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. The room is her prison and her mother (Barbara Hersey,) a failed ballerina with an unrelenting need to see…
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Is Disney's 50th animated film a return to form for a company that once produced classics every year?
"All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you." -Walt Disney When Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs burst into theaters in 1937 it quickly became the most successful film of all time. Film as a medium was young and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs offered something no one had seen before. As the first animated feature film, it offered beautiful images and a riveting musical storyline, based on a famous fairytale by the brothers Grimm. Over the past 73 years Disney has become a powerhouse in the animated world. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' use of a female protagonist …
MeredithH
12:25 pm on Wednesday, January 26, 2011
I left the theatre feeling exactly as George VI clearly felt at the end of this lovely movie--on top of the world. Thanks to everyone responsible for this sadly-rare treat of a film. more ›