Tag Archives: Movies

15 Films of Christmas (December Movie Preview)

Posted on December 4, 2010 by The Filmsmith | 1 comment

In order for a film to qualify for the Academy Awards, it must be released theatrically before December 31st of a given year. So December is when the drama train comes through after the pipe bomb explosion of summer blockbusters. This year in particular, there is a lot to look forward to.

:note: Films listed as limited are those being released in New York City, L.A., and possibly Chicago. This allows the film to receive exposure in the major markets and if it does well, get rolled out to other cities. Continue reading →

1 Comment

Posted in Lists, News

Tagged Another Year, Biutiful, Black Swan, Blue Valentine, Christmas, Chronicles of Narnia, Cinema, December, Films, Movies, Rabbit Hole, Rare Exports, Somewhere, The Company Men, The Fighter, The Tempest, Tron Legacy, True Grit, Voyage ofthe Dawn Treader

Skyline’s out to grift you

Posted on November 14, 2010 by The Filmsmith | 3 comments

(sigh)

Okay, so there are two types of bad movies: the first are jumbled, terrible-dialogue-ridden box office monsters (Wolverine). And then there are films who aren’t even aware of the audience watching them; films who do not realize that people in the crowd are sleeping, making their grocery lists, and passing frustrated comments to their buddies nearby (all in one sitting). Skyline is this latter type of bad. Continue reading →

3 Comments

Posted in Reviews

Tagged Film, Indepence Day, Movies, Sci-Fi, Skyline

Summer Movies: July-August (Part II)

Posted on August 30, 2010 by The Filmsmith | Leave a comment

:you can see Part I here:

Here is the second part of my rundown of films I watched during July and August:

Continue reading →

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Posted in Reviews

Tagged Apocalypto, Billy Mitchell, Brad Bird, Bruce Willis, Button Button, Film, Gus Van Sant, Kids, King of Kong: A, Larry Clark, Maya, Mel Gibson, Movies, Paranoid Park, Return of the Living Dead Part II, Richard Kelly, Richard Matheson, Sci-Fi, Southland Tales, Steve Wiebe, Summer, Surrogates, The Box, The Incredibles, The Iron Giant, The Yes Men Fix the World

“Illegal” Machete Trailer Released!

Posted on May 5, 2010 by The Filmsmith | 4 comments

Over at Ain’t It Cool News, Harry Knowles is saying that Robert Rodriguez and Danny Trejo stopped by to give him an “illegal” trailer for the upcoming release of once-Grindhouse trailer, now full length feature, Machete.

Evidently the plot of the film is in line with the current anti-immigration fervor in Arizona, so given the political resonance, the trailer is a message for Arizona.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKhChMHhBN8

Here was the fake trailer put together for Grindhouse:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8cCzltPD6Y

Soon after Grindhouse, Rodriguez began making a full movie from the Machete trailer. It will be released September 3, 2010.

The cast for the film is ridiculous: Danny Trejo, Jessica Alba, Robert De Niro, Steven Seagal, Michelle Rodriguez, Tom Savini, and Lindsay Lohan make up this Mexploitation of awesomeness.

4 Comments

Posted in News

Tagged Danny trejo, Films, Grindhouse, Illegal, Immigration, Jessica Alba, Lindsay Lohan, Machete, Mexploitation, Michelle Rodriguez, Movies, Robert De Niro, Robert Rodriguez, Steven Seagal, they just fucked with the wrong Mexican, Trailer

District 9: Not the same white guilt/Not racist against Nigerians

Posted on March 10, 2010 by The Filmsmith | Leave a comment

Back in December I published a review of/essay on Avatar which received attention as viewers discussed the racial and power dynamic subtexts to the film. One article from io9, entitled “When Will White People Stop Making Movies Like Avatar,” took a slightly different direction than my reading. The article’s discussion of films and white guilt mentions several films, including District 9. But they missed an important piece of the film. Continue reading →

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Posted in Articles

Tagged Cinema, District 9, Essay, Film, film analysis, Movies, race, Sci-Fi, white guilt

London Burke and Hare Photos

Posted on March 10, 2010 by The Filmsmith | 3 comments

Blog reader Stefanos sent these:

Stefanos says he did not see these cranes being used. Possibly unrelated construction.

Hearse and Horse (butt)

The scene being shot.

PS
If you have any film news be sure to send a tip.

3 Comments

Posted in Filmmaking, News

Tagged Andy Serkis, black comedy, Burke and Hare, Cinema, Comedy, Film, Horror, John Landis, Movies, News, Simon Pegg

The Oscars: What You Need to Know

Posted on March 5, 2010 by The Filmsmith | 1 comment

Just so you know, the Oscars are not a good gauge for “Best Film” or “Best Director” since people who have no experience with a certain category weigh in on that craft (actors can vote for best set design; writers on directors). You also can’t join just by paying dues, but have to be voted in by other Oscar voters.

And of course, Oscar doesn’t like to give high marks to films coming from animation (other than slipping them into the “Best Animated Film” ghetto so they don’t usually get to compete for “Best Picture”), sci-fi, foreign, or horror.

Basically, it’s a giant publicity event where producers and distributors try to make some money in ticket and DVD sales before the summer blockbusters hit. Continue reading →

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Posted in Articles, News

Tagged Cinema, District 9, Film, Film Industry, Funny People, Inglourious Basterds, Movies, Oscars, Precious, The Blind Side, The Road, Up, Up in the Air, Where the Wild Things Are

Coming This Summer: Lots of Losers

Posted on March 1, 2010 by The Filmsmith | Leave a comment

After seeing the trailer for The Losers, it reminded me of the trailer I saw for The A-Team and then Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables: All ridiculous action films featuring losers and mercenaries for hire.

The Losers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHvzsFSdxqk

The A-Team

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z93AADd2Dpo

*no official trailer for The Expendables is available yet; it’s a project by Stallone that he describes as a throwback to the 80’s and 90’s action films that he and many others were a part of. The long list of fellow cast mates includes Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren,

Though all of these look like films you’d watch with your buddies with bourbon (extra class points if it’s in a plastic bottle and the guy sitting next to you in the cinema can smell it), I’m most excited about Kick Ass:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LUfFTvrWB4

Red Band Trailer

It will be nice to see Nicolas Cage back in some zany stuff after films like Bangkok Dangerous.

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Posted in News

Tagged Action, Film, Kick Ass, Movies, News, Nicolas Cage, Sylvester Stallone, The A-Team, The Expendables, The Losers, Trailers

Green Screen TVs and Blockbuster Math

Posted on February 23, 2010 by The Filmsmith | Leave a comment

io9.com recently posted a video showcasing just how much of your TV viewing doesn’t exist:

http://io9.com/5476972/watch-how-green-screens-are-ruining-or-saving-television

And over at the New Scientist, they explain how contemporary cinema, including many blockbusters, tend have shot lengths that follow a mathematic pattern that’s pleasing to viewers.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527483.900-solved-the-mathematics-of-the-hollywood-blockbuster.html

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Posted in News

Tagged blockbusters, Film, Film News, math, Movies, Shot Length, TV, TV News

Funny People: Quick Review

Posted on August 6, 2009 by The Filmsmith | 3 comments

A lot has been made of this film, as it’s Judd Apatow’s third film, following his successes with 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up, and there’s a lot worth praising. As usual with his work the film walks a fine line between being a comedy or a drama, leaning more for the emotional punches that just happen to be funny. Continue reading →

3 Comments

Posted in Reviews

Tagged Adam Sandler, Cinema, Comedy, Drama, Film, Funny People, Judd Apatow, Movie, Movies, Seth Rogen