Author Archives: The Filmsmith

If Movie Posters Were Honest

When I’m not browsing The New York Times‘ website to find out about the latest despot killing his protesters in the Middle East, I go to Cracked.com for lighter fare.*  They posted an item called “If movie posters were honest” and here are the best ones. Continue reading

Sucker Punch: The U.S. re-makes Pan’s Labyrinth

Tarantino is regularly accused of producing films that are as artistically nutritious as a family size bag of potato chips.  I’ve written before about why I violently disagree with such assessments, because that crown belongs firmly upon the head of director Zack Snyder, whose latest film is a PG-13 fetish fantasy flick. Continue reading

Cinematic Television

I have already written extensively on a couple of miniseries this year that have blurred the line between cinema and television (Red Riding Trilogy, Carlos). Many directors are turning to this format as a way to expand the possibilities of cinema, and as a result, we are experiencing what may in the future be referred to as the definitive golden age of TV. HBO has raised the bar on series like The Wire and The Sopranos, and AMC is right on their heels with Mad Men and Breaking Bad. Some of these shows are just damn good television, but in a few instances there is little to distinguish between the big and small screens. Here are a few of those instances. Continue reading

DVD Tuesday: How Do You Know

When most romantic comedies are written according to a basic formula, when dialogue is scarcely authentic and believable, we have come to rely on James L. Brooks to deliver affecting and very real stories of romance. From Terms of Endearment to As Good As It Gets, he has never quite allowed his films to fit to some sort of standard. And while the same can be said of his newest film, How Do You Know (specifically, that you’re in love), his characters slip into caricature due to some disconnect between creator and creation. It has its moments of poignance and brilliance, it even has scenes that all romantic comedies should aspire to have, and yet somehow the characters never seem quite as real as they should. James L. Brooks, it seems, is slipping. Continue reading

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost re-create Star Wars scene

Oh, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.  The lovable duo we can always depend on to be funny and charming.  While you wait to see them in Paul this weekend, check out a hilarious short they shot while making the film. Continue reading

DVD Tuesday: Fernando di Leo Crime Collection

The history of cinema is deeply entrenched in the history of crime. Gangster films, heist films, film noir, and other sub genres have always offered movie-goers an abundance of style, and occasionally profundity of theme. This week sees the release of a collection of crime films from Fernando di Leo on DVD for the first time in the US. They are not the deepest of movies, they offer little moral or thematic context, but they have proved to be hugely influential. And together, they form one hell of a ride. Continue reading

“Attack the Block” the new “Goonies”?

Attack the Block is one of the current stand-out films of the South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) and with good reason: a film co-written and starring Nick Frost (Ed from Shaun of the Dead, who also co-wrote the hilarious Paul) about inner-city kids battling invading aliens looks like great fun. Continue reading

Movies Dying or Thriving?

Some interesting analysis from GQ and the L.A. Times: one heralding the resurrection of adult films (not pornographic, but R rated tales aimed at adults instead of their children) and the other asserting its demise. Continue reading

Hard-on for the Marines keeps “Battle: L.A.” from taking off

In the last 1/3 of Battle: L.A. protagonist Michael Nantz finally confesses to one of his men the details of the inner strife that has been percolating.  It’s supposed to be an emotionally charged moment, but it’s abruptly deflated when Nantz proclaims, “But none of that matters right now.”  And much to its detriment, that’s precisely how the film treats anything without bullets and fireballs. Continue reading

Terrorist epic “Carlos” worth the time

For almost a decade now, we have been treated to the best and most artistic television that has ever been produced. Earlier this year, I wrote about the great Red Riding Trilogy and, if anything, Carlos is even better. Following the meteoric rise and tragic fall of the most dangerous man in the international community, we see more than just an interesting historical figure. We see a man beset on all sides by self-doubt, self-loathing, anxiety and fear, a man easy to condemn and hard to sympathize with. But we see a man in his entirety, and we come to at least understand him, even if it is hard to forgive him. Continue reading