The Filmsmith

Mini-Nazis Provide Therapy in “Marwencol”

Posted on February 6, 2011 by The Filmsmith | 1 comment

Fictions play a foundational role in our society. We encounter many of these fictions as images that feel bigger than we are, juggernauts projected onto the world we inhabit: social constructions of monetary value or race, or images on television considered synonymous with reality. In Marwencol we see the process from the other end as we follow a man who chooses and controls his fictions, projecting his real-life traumas onto a 1/6 scale world as alternative therapy. Continue reading →

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Posted in Filmsmith Faves, Reviews

Tagged Documentary, Marwencol, Nazis, This American Life

Most Anticipated Films of 2011

Posted on February 5, 2011 by The Filmsmith | 2 comments

At the beginning of every year, just as we are unwinding from seeing all the great Oscar hopefuls, we are hit with a wave of upcoming films to get even more excited about. From Sundance favorites to entries in the Berlin Film Festival, we get a glimpse of the next year’s Oscar race, but we also get the chance to cherry pick some films that might pass us by if we aren’t careful. Yes, some of these will be impossible to miss, but these are the films that we expect to move us, thrill us, take us to another place, or just simply enjoy the most. Continue reading →

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Posted in Lists

Tagged A Dangerous Method, Battle: L.A., Caves of Forgotten Dreams, Damsels in Distress, David Cronenberg, David Fincher, Duncan Jones, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, shame, Source Code, steve mcqueen, Terrence Malick, The Time That Remains, Tree of Life, Werner Herzog

Best Horror and Sci-Fi of 2010

Posted on February 4, 2011 by The Filmsmith | 1 comment

In my family’s house, horror films were a staple. Fright Night, The Monster Squad, and the genre-mashing Big Trouble in Little China were family staples, fascinating as much for their special effects as for the worlds they explored. As Ben Creech once commented, horror and sci-fi are cousins to the fantasy genre, and I would have to concur. These genres, traditionally looked down upon by critics and award shows, create fantastic worlds that aren’t always welcoming, but are nonetheless amazing feats of construction.

The following are some horror and sci-fi films of 2010 that are remarkable for the ways in which they play with the trappings of their genre. In other words, they do something that’s refreshing. Gather a posse and chow down on some cool cinema. (Click on the title to read my full review) Continue reading →

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Posted in Lists, News, Reviews

Tagged Best of 2010, Daybreakers, Devil, Horror, Predators, Repo Men, Sci-Fi, The Last Exorcism

Joaquin Phoenix in ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’?

Posted on February 2, 2011 by The Filmsmith | Leave a comment

After the world was exposed to the documentary I’m Still Here, many wondered what would become of Joaquin Phoenix . Turns out he may become a Vampire Hunter instructor. Continue reading →

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Posted in News

Tagged Abraham Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Adaptation, Benjamin Walker, joaquin phoenix, Seth-Graham Smith, Vampires

Sex and Comedy in ‘Elektra Luxx’ Trailer

Posted on February 2, 2011 by The Filmsmith | Leave a comment

Carla Gugino has played an array of roles over the course of her film career: caring wife in The One, superhero in Watchmen, probation officer in Sin City, spy-mom in Spy Kids, a forensics specialist in Righteous Kill, and an upcoming role in the Zack Snyder film Sucker Punch. But there may be one performance you haven’t heard of, her role as an ex-porn star.

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Posted in News

Tagged Adrianne Palick, Carla Gugino, Elektra Luxx, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Ex-porn star, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Malin Akerman, Sebastian Gutierrez, Women in Trouble

‘The Roommate’ Set To Be A Collegiate Guilty Pleasure

Posted on February 2, 2011 by The Filmsmith | Leave a comment

I can already see the words critics will use to describe director Christian E. Christiansen’s new film The Roommate: awful, trashy, smut, horribly predictable, misogynistic, unrealistic, stiff acting, and cliché. And you know what? That’s okay.

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Posted in News

Tagged Christian E. Christiansen, College, Leighton Meester, Minka Kelly, The Roommate

2010 Staff Picks

Posted on February 1, 2011 by The Filmsmith | 1 comment

Separate from our post on the Best of 2010, the Staff Picks below represent the films on our Top Ten lists, but were not on anyone else’s list here at The Filmsmith. Continue reading →

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Posted in Lists, News, Reviews

Tagged Aaron Faulkner, Ben Creech, Best of 2010, Blue Valentine, Carlos, Catfish, Fish Tank, Green Zone, Howl, let me in, Micmacs, Monsters, Remington Smith, Shutter Island, Staff Picks, The Red Riding Trilogy, The Town, Toy Story 3, Winter's Bone

DVD Tuesday: The Tillman Story resonates

Posted on February 1, 2011 by The Filmsmith | Leave a comment

2011 will mark the 10-year anniversary of the attack on the Twin Towers, a moment in our nation’s history that spurned a fervent cry of patriotism that could be heard the world round. One such patriot was Pat Tillman, a safety for the Arizona Cardinals, who turned down a $3.6 million contract to enlist in the Army. When news came back that he had been shot in combat, a heroic story was told of how he had saved several lives in his refusal to leave men behind, and after their rescue was shot by a stray bullet. This is what the military told his family and the media. This is not what happened. Continue reading →

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Posted in Reviews

Tagged pat tillman, tllman story

Christopher Nolan Talks About ‘The Dark Knight Rises’

Posted on February 1, 2011 by The Filmsmith | 2 comments

Christopher Nolan has always been strict about secrecy, and his forthcoming Batman film is no exception. But it it seems that he is finally ready to talk a it about the sequel everyone is waiting to see, The Dark Knight Rises.

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Posted in News

Tagged Anne Hathaway, Bane, Batman, Batman Begins, Catwoman, Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer, Hugo Strange, Jonah Nolan, Ra's al Ghul, Talia al Ghul, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Tom Hardy

Zack Snyder finds his Man of Steel

Posted on January 31, 2011 by The Filmsmith | 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.