Monthly Archives: January 2011

Zack Snyder finds his Man of Steel

Posted on January 31, 2011 by | 1 Comment

After many months of fan-boy speculation, debate, and argument, it has been announced that Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead, 300, Watchmen) and company have selected British actor Henry Cavill to star in the much anticipated film, Superman: Man of Steel.

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The Filmsmith’s Best of 2010

Posted on January 30, 2011 by | 1 Comment

One first reaction to a “Best of” list toward the end of January 2011 might be confusion:  “Why didn’t you write this up at the end of the year like everyone else?”  The major reason is that quite a few notable films of the year didn’t become available until recently.  I had to take a trip to Chicago to see several of these titles, some of which my colleagues still have yet to see.

Now that The Filmsmith is a publication with voices beyond my own, we decided to each draw up our Top Tens of 2010 and wherever there was crossover, lump those together.  Therefore, this is The Filmsmith’s Best of 2010 (individual staff lists will be released tomorrow). Continue reading →

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Benjamin Walker to star in ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’

Posted on January 29, 2011 by | Leave a comment

A while back we brought you the story of one of Hollywood’s hottest projects: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. It seems now that director Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) has found his presidential vampire slayer.

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The Mechanic repairs action genre

Posted on January 28, 2011 by | Leave a comment

The iconic bald white guy John McClane is no longer allowed to say his catch phrase on screen, or shoot people who actually ooze blood.  So it’s good to see another bald white guy take up the action film banner in all its messiness. Continue reading →

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Red Riding Trilogy – A panorama of the human condition

Posted on January 27, 2011 by | 4 Comments

“Evil Lives Here.” So states the tagline of the made-for-TV miniseries, Red Riding. In it we follow the plethora of lives in a community rebounding from loss and pain as a serial killer stalks their streets. We see a journalist and two cops as they try to make sense of the destruction that surrounds them. But we also get a glimpse into the lives of the victims of such tragedy. Another girl has gone missing, and everyone is rushing around trying to find her before it is too late. Evil may live in the county of Yorkshire, but so does hope, and that makes all the difference.
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Oscar Nominations Confirm Expectations And Reveal Surprises

Posted on January 26, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Every year in Hollywoodland the best and brightest talents of the entertainment industry gather together to acknowledge the outstanding work of their  colleagues. The nominations bring expectations and surprises and this year’s nominees are no different.  And the nominees are…

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DVD Tuesday: Nowhere Boy goes nowhere fast

Posted on January 25, 2011 by | Leave a comment

One would think a film about John Lennon’s teenage years, the tumultuous time when he discovered Elvis Presley and the rock ‘n’ roll rhythms that would govern the rest of his life, would make for a great coming of age story. One would hope that the immense talent possessed by the Fab Four would show up in this film, especially as one of its taglines is “The Untold Story of John Lennon and the Creation of the Beatles.” One would at the very least demand that the characters be recognizable as the geniuses they would become. Unfortunately,  Nowhere Boy, a film allegedly about all of these things, possesses none of them.  Continue reading →

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Blue Valentine tinged with misogyny?

Posted on January 24, 2011 by | 7 Comments

The initial brouhaha surrounding Blue Valentine‘s rating by the MPAA has receded to the background–the filmmakers won their appeal for an R rating rather than an NC-17. The film, now circulating in limited release, is being met by strong critical praise.  Upon seeing the film though I wonder if it is unintentionally misogynistic? Continue reading →

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Screenwriter’s Memoir To Be Adapted For Film

Posted on January 24, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Emma Forrest is a screenwriter living in Los Angeles trying to make a name for herself, but she also writes books.  Her next book is a memoir entitled Your Voice In My Head and covers her relationship with actor Colin Farrell and her attempts at suicide.  Interested?  So are production companies.

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The Way Back a groan-worthy tale

Posted on January 23, 2011 by | Leave a comment

A Russian gulag does not make for cozy living.  In the middle of the cold Siberian hellscape, the camp commander reminds the prisoners that the compound isn’t their prison: the environment is.  A handful of prisoners decide to make a break for it, and what starts off as a gritty escape film devolves ludicrousness. Continue reading →

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