This week we review Speed Racer, Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden and Doomsday.
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> Check out other reviews for these films at Metacritic
This week we review Iron Man and Joy Division.
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This week we review Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Stop-Loss, The Eye and Persepolis.
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[audio:https://www.filmdetail.com/podcast/get.php?fla=podcast-2008-04-25-75207.MP3]Download and subscribe to the review podcast via iTunes by clicking here.
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This week we review In Bruges and Happy-Go-Lucky.
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Silent Light is a hypnotic and beautifully crafted tale of forbidden love, set amongst the Mennonite community in Northern Mexico.
When I was in Cannes last year – about to see a film involving Nazi Vampires, believe it or not – I met a publicist who was working on the ‘new film from Carlos Reygadas‘.
On the train back to the hotel that night I noticed the review in Variety and was intrigued, although I wasn’t a huge fan of his previous film, Battle in Heaven.
However, when I finally got round to seeing Silent Light in October I was hugely impressed by both the technique and mood Reygadas created.
The story involves a married man named Johan who defies the laws of his religious community by falling in love with another woman.
It then explores the impact this has on him, his family and the wider community.
Although, the slow pace and esoteric feel won’t be for everyone, there is a rich sense of mystery to the world of the film.
The phrase ‘dream-like’ is often used in the wrong context but here it genuinely applies as Reygadas shows us a world that exists but seems so strange and distant – like the Amish, the Mennonites live by a strict code that eschews many aspects of modern life.
Using a cast of non-actors adds to this effect and if you give yourself up to the film, which is the polar opposite of how many mainstream films work in terms of narrative and editing, then you may find yourself basking in it’s otherworldliness.
Perhaps in years to come it will be best remembered for its incredible opening and closing shots, which are a feast for the senses.
The extras on the DVD include:
Sadly there is no commentary from the director by you can listen to an interview we did with him here back in October at the London Film Festival:
[audio:https://www.filmdetail.com/podcast/get.php?fla=podcast-2007-10-24-65220.mp3]Silent Light is out now on DVD from Tartan
> Buy Silent Light on DVD from Amazon UK
> Download our interview with Carlos Reygadas as an MP3
> The official website for Silent Light
> Carlos Reygadas at the IMDb
> Manohla Dargis of the NY Times with her review of the film at Cannes
> Karina Longworth of Spout gives her take on the film
> Find out more about the Mennonites at Wikipedia
This week we review Leatherheads, 21, Shine A Light and [Rec].
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[audio:https://www.filmdetail.com/podcast/get.php?fla=podcast-2008-04-11-75554.mp3]Download and subscribe to the review podcast via iTunes by clicking here.
> Download this review podcast as an MP3 file
> Get local show times for your area via Google Movies
> Check out other reviews for these films at Metacritic
> Listen to our interview with Kevin Spacey on 21
Rescue Dawn sees director Werner Herzog revisit the story of Dieter Dengler with Christian Bale in the lead role.
Herzog is one of the true mavericks still working in cinema and over 40 years since his first film, it is heartening to see him still active.
The success in 2005 of his brilliant documentary Grizzly Man not only introduced new audiences to his marvellous back catalogue, but also afforded him the opportunity to make a more mainstream film with a high profile star.
Although the making of Rescue Dawn was filled with the storm and stress that has been a hallmark of Herzog’s productions, it was probably his most accessible film in years, despite the fact that it didn’t really set the box office on fire.
The story of Dieter Dengler was one familiar to the director as he had made the documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly about the German-born US fighter pilot for German TV back in 1997.
Dengler managed to overcome extreme poverty during his childhood in Germany and when he emigrated to the US, joined the army.
Achieving his dream of becoming a pilot, he was then shot down on a mission over Laos during the Vietnam war. He was a POW for several months before somehow managing to escape after an epic struggle through the jungle.
Although on the surface Rescue Dawn is a more straightforward retelling of Dengler’s story, it has much in common with the themes of Herzog’s work, notably that of man struggling against the odds in a hostile world.
Unlike many films set in the Vietnam War, it eschews any wider political context, focusing on the human struggle of Dengler and his will to survive against incredible odds.
On first viewing, some aspects may puzzle fans of Herzog’s earlier work (in particular the final shot) but much of the power of the film comes from the lack of irony and melodrama that has plagued war films.
The DVD has a good selection of extras that includes:
If you haven’t seen Little Dieter Needs to Fly, then it is essntial viewing for anyone interested in this film or Herzog’s documentaries. It fills in a lot of Dengler’s backstory and it would actually make an excellent 2nd disc extra for a future edition of this DVD.
> Buy Rescue Dawn on DVD from Amazon UK
> Listen to our interview with Werner Herzog about Rescue Dawn
> A long and interesting profile of Herzog in The New Yorker by Daniel Zalewski that details the difficulties in making Rescue Dawn
> Official site of Werner Herzog
> Check out reviews of Rescue Dawn at Metacritic
> Find out more about Herzog’s career at the All Movie Guide
> A lengthy Senses of Cinema essay on Herzog by David Church
> See Werner get shot at during a BBC interview with Mark Kermode
> A collection of photos from the set of Rescue Dawn on Flickr
> Find out more about Dieter Dengler at Wikipedia
> Buy Little Dieter Needs to Fly at Amazon UK
This we we take a look at Funny Games and Son of Rambow.
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[audio:https://www.filmdetail.com/podcast/get.php?fla=podcast-2008-04-04-49444.MP3]Download and subscribe to the review podcast via iTunes by clicking on the image below:
> Download this review podcast as an MP3 file
> Get local show times for your area via Google Movies
> Check out other reviews for these films at Metacritic
> Listen to our interview with Funny Games producer Chris Coen
> Listen to Garth Jennings, Jessica Hynes, Will Poulter and Bill Milner discuss Son of Rambow
> Check out our interview with Sylvester Stallone about the latest Rambo film
Breach sadly didn’t find the audiences it deserved at the cinema but is a well crafted and compelling spy drama.
It is based on the real life story of Eric O’Neill, a young FBI agent working under Robert Hanssen, who was an agent convicted of spying for the Russians in 2001.
Starring Ryan Phillippe as O’Neill, Chris Cooper as Hanssen and co-starring Laura Linney, Dennis Haysbert, Caroline Dhavernas and Kathleen Quinlan it was written and directed by Billy Ray, who also made the similarly under-rated Shattered Glass in 2003.
The highlight here is the terrific central performance from Chris Cooper, who gives a haunting turn as the enigmatic traitor. He skilfully teases out the contradictions at the heart of Hanssen’s life: why would a religious patriot who railed against the godless Soviet Union then sell secrets to them?
In certain respects, this is the polar opposite of the Bourne and Bond spy movies. Instead of gunfights and chases, it focuses of the sobre reality of law enforcement – a world where beaureacratic infighting slowly grinds agents down. A pre-9/11 environment where a clever man like Hanssen could deceive his unwitting colleagues.
The story itself is quite incredible – the film opens with real footage of then Attorney General John Ashcroft describing a “serious breach in the security of the United States“. It was was one of the most embarrassing episodes in the history of US intelligence and Hanssen only escaped execution by co-operating with the FBI. He is currently serving a life sentence in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day at the Supermax Federal Penitentiary in Colorado.
The extras aren’t extensive but have some good insights into the events surrounding the film. They include:
Check out the trailer here:
> Buy Breach on DVD from Amazon UK
> Official site for Breach
> Reviews of the film at Metacritic
> Find out more about Robert Hanssen at Wikipedia
This week we review Drillbit Taylor and 27 Dresses.
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This week we review The Spiderwick Chronicles, Lars And The Real Girl and The Orphanage.
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This week we review 10,000 BC, The Cottage and Redacted.
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This week we review Vantage Point, The Other Boleyn Girl and Diary of the Dead.
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This week we review Semi-Pro, The Accidental Husband and Margot at the Wedding.
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This week we take a look at Be Kind Rewind, Rambo and U2 3D.
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This week we review Jumper and The Bucket List.
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This week we review There Will Be Blood, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Juno and National Treasure: Book of Secrets.
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> Download this review as an MP3 file
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> Check out other reviews of these films at Metacritic
This week we review Cloverfield and Things We Lost in the Fire.
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> Check out other reviews of these films at Metacritic
This week we review Sweeney Todd, In the Valley of Elah and The Savages.
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> Check out other reviews of these films at Metacritic
This week we review No Country For Old Men and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.
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This week we review Charlie Wilson’s War, Dan in Real Life, 4 Months 3 Weeks & 2 Days and Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead.
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[audio:https://www.filmdetail.com/podcast/get.php?fla=podcast-2008-01-11-96249.MP3]Download and subscribe to the review podcast via iTunes by clicking on the image below:
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> Check out other reviews of these films at Metacritic
This week the two films under review are Lust, Caution and P.S. I Love You
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This week we look at I Am Legend and The Kite Runner which both open on Boxing Day in the UK.
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[audio:https://www.filmdetail.com/podcast/get.php?fla=podcast-2007-12-26-20644.MP3]Download and subscribe to the review podcast via iTunes by clicking on the image below:
> Download this review as an MP3 file
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> Check out other reviews of these films at Metacritic
This week on the podcast we review Enchanted, Bee Movie and Youth Without Youth.
Enchanted – This is a Disney movie that has fun with the traditional conventions of a Disney movie. It starts as an animated film about a Princess (Amy Adams) who gets pushed down a well and ends up as a human in contemporary New York. There she is befriended by a single father (Patrick Dempsey) and followed by her Prince (James Marsden) whilst an evil Queen (Susan Sarandon) keeps trying to poison her. Kevin Lima directs and Timothy Spall co-stars.
Bee Movie – The latest film from DreamWorks Animation sees Jerry Seinfeld return after a prolonged absence as a bee who ventures out of his hive into the world of humans. There he befriends a florist (Renee Zellweger) and after learning about how honey is exploited, decides to sue the human race. Simon J Smith and Steve Hickner direct whilst Chris Rock, John Goodman, Robert Duvall, Sting and Oprah Winfrey co-star.
Youth Without Youth – Francis Ford Coppola returns to the directors chair for the first time since 1998 with this adaptation of the Romanian novel by Mircea Eliade. Tim Roth stars as an old man who is struck by lightning and starts to get progressively younger. He then goes into exile and reunites with his lost love, Laura (Alexandra Maria Lara) and works to complete his research into the origins of human language. Bruno Ganz and Matt Damon co-star.
Listen to the review here:
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> Download this review as an MP3 file
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> Check out other reviews of these films at Metacritic
This week sees the release of eagerly anticipated fantasy film The Golden Compass.
It is based on the first book in Philip Pullman’s fantasy trilogy about a young girl’s coming of age in a parallel universe.
The central character is a young girl named Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards) who has grown up in the world of an Oxford college in a parallell universe.
Though similar in many ways to our world the most striking difference is that everyone has a dæmon – an animal that co-exists with them and follows them around.
Lyra and her dæmon Pantalaimon (voiced by Freddie Highmore) find out about the existence of “Dust“, a substance of great interest to her uncle Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig), the enigmatic Marisa Coulter (Nicole Kidman) and the ruling power known as The Magisterium.
When a friend of hers is kidnapped, Lyra journeys to the North in order to find him where she encounters a variety of characters including a witch (Eva Green), an aeronaut (Sam Eliott) and an armoured bear (voiced by Ian McKellen).
Listen to our review here:
[audio:https://www.filmdetail.com/podcast/get.php?fla=podcast-2007-12-05-18459.mp3]Download and subscribe to the review podcast via iTunes by clicking on the image below:
> Download this review as an MP3 file
> Get local showtimes for your area via Google Movies
> Check out other reviews of these films at Metacritic
> Bridge To The Stars – An extensive fansite for the original books
> Watch the first 5 minutes of The Golden Compass at Yahoo Movies
> Official blog for the The Golden Compass
> Find out more about the His Dark Materials trilogy of books at Wikipedia
> Philip Pullman writes about the film in the Sunday Times
This week we review The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Hitman and The Nines.
The Assassination Of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford – An unusual look at the iconic western outlaw Jesse James with Brad Pitt in the lead role and Casey Affleck as his assassin Robert Ford. Taking a slow and unconventional approach, it examines the myth of James and details the final phase of his life where he tries to evade justice and retreats to his trusted inner circle. Directed by Andrew Dominik (who made Chopper in 2000) and shot by Roger Deakins.
Hitman – Based on the popular computer game franchise this sees Timothy Olyphant (last seen as the villain in Die Hard 4) play Agent 47, a secret assassin who performs hits for a shadowy organisation. Only after a job in Russia he is double crossed and has to find out why with the help of a prostitute (Olga Kurylenko), whilst having to deal with an Interpol agent (Dougray Scott) on his tail. Directed by Xavier Gens.
The Nines – Writer and director John August has made a film split into three sections with Ryan Reynolds, Hope Davis and Melissa McCarthy in the lead roles. The first is about an actor going through rehab in his own house, the second features a reality show about an actual TV show and the third is about a video game designer whose car breaks down on an isolated road.
Listen to the review podcast here:
[audio:https://www.filmdetail.com/podcast/get.php?fla=podcast-2007-11-30-86823.mp3]Download and subscribe to the review podcast via iTunes by clicking on the image below:
> Download this review as an MP3 file
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This week we take a look at The Darjeeling Limited and Rescue Dawn.
The Darjeeling Limited is the fifth film from director Wes Anderson and stars Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman and Adrien Brody as three estranged brothers who go on a train journey through India. On the way they bicker and discover things about their family and themselves. Like Anderson’s previous films it looks great, has a fantastic soundtrack and features lots of well-to-do characters getting up to quirky things.
Rescue Dawn sees legendary director Werner Herzog revisit the subject of his 1997 documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly, with a feature film about Dieter Dengler. He was a German-born US fighter pilot who was shot down over Laos during the Vietnam war. He was then a POW for several months before managing to escape and surviving an epic struggle through the jungle. Christian Bale plays Dengler and Steve Zahn is his fellow POW named Duane Martin. All the usual Herzog themes are here and there are some suprising twists too.
Listen to the review podcast here:
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> Download this review as an MP3 file
> Get local showtimes for your area via Google Movies
> Check out other reviews of these films at Metacritic
This week we review American Gangster, Beowulf and Brick Lane.
American Gangster is the true life story of New York crime boss Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) who created a drug empire in the early 70s by importing cheap heroin direct from Asia. Directed by Ridley Scott it explores how a New York cop Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) discovered and exposed his operation.
Beowulf is the big budget animated version of the old English poem about a medieval warrior (Ray Winstone) who travels to a kingdom plagued by a monster named Grendel. When Beowulf defeats it, he has to deal with the mother (Angelina Jolie), who is an altogether different proposition. Using motion capture technology, director Robert Zemeckis creates a 3-D version of the tale.
Brick Lane is the adaptation of Monica Ali’s best selling book about a Bangladeshi woman (Tannishtha Chatterjee) who settles in East London with a loveless marriage to her husband (Satish Kaushik). Feeling isolated and trapped she has an affair with a younger man (Christopher Simpson). Directed by Sarah Gavron.
[audio:https://www.filmdetail.com/podcast/get.php?fla=podcast-2007-11-16-90996.mp3]Download and subscribe to the review podcast via iTunes by clicking on the image below:
> Download this review as an MP3 file
> Get the local showtimes via Google Movies
> Check out other reviews of these films at Metacritic
This week the cinema releases under the microscope are Lions for Lambs, Into the Wild and Planet Terror.
Lions for Lambs is a drama dealing with the current war on terror by focusing on three interconnected stories: a Senator (Tom Cruise) briefs a journalist (Meryl Streep) about a new government strategy for Afghanistan conflict; a college professor (Robert Redford) tries to awaken a promising but apathetic student (Andrew Garfield); and two US soldiers (Michael Pena and Derek Luke) become stranded on an Afghan mountain.
Into the Wild is Sean Penn‘s fourth film as a director and tells the true story of Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch), who dropped out of his middle class background to wander the US for two years, before living in the wilds of Alaska. Along the way he meets a variety of characters amidst the backdrop of the American landscape. Catherine Keener, Hal Holbrook, Jena Malone, Marcia Gay Harden and William Hurt co-star.
Planet Terror is the other half of the Grindhouse project, where Robert Rodriguez teamed up with Quentin Tarantino to make a double bill of exploitation-style films. Sadly, the film was split in two after a disappointing run at the US box office. Death Proof was the Tarantino film and now Rodriguez’s is released here. It is the tale of a mysterious green mist that turns a Texan town into zombies and a group of survivors (that includes Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez and Michael Biehn) who must escape.
Listen to our reviews by clicking below:
[audio:https://www.filmdetail.com/podcast/get.php?fla=podcast-2007-11-09-20260.mp3]Download and subscribe to the review podcast via iTunes by clicking on the image below:
> Download this review as an MP3 file
> Get the local showtimes via Google Movies
> Check out other reviews of these films at Metacritic
This week, we take a look at three of the big cinema releases out today in the UK.
30 Days Of Night is a vampire film from director David Slade (who made Hard Candy) with an interesting premise involving a town in Alaska that is dark for 30 days of the year.
When a bunch of vampires turn up they realise they are really in their element as they can feed on the townsfolk non-stop for a month. A local sheriff (Josh Hartnett) and some plucky townsfolk try to survive the mayhem that ensues.
Elizabeth: The Golden Age is the sequel to the 1998 film about Queen Elizabeth I (Cate Blanchett) who now finds her rule openly challenged by the Spanish King Philip II, who is determined to restore England to Catholicism.
Unable and unwilling to pursue her love for explorer Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen), she lives vicariously through her lady-in-waiting, Bess (Abbie Cornish).
The Lookout is an intriguing and unconventional thriller about a young man (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who’s life is wrecked in a car accident.
He then tries to maintain a normal life working as a janitor in a bank, but gets involved in a heist scheme. Written and directed by Scott Frank, it co-stars Jeff Daniels, Isla Fisher and Carla Gugino.
Listen to this week’s reviews by clicking below:
[audio:https://www.filmdetail.com/podcast/get.php?fla=podcast-2007-11-02-17802.mp3]Download and subscribe to the review podcast via iTunes by clicking on the image below:
> Download this review as an MP3 file
> Get the local showtimes via Google Movies
> Check out other reviews of these films at Metacritic
The Times BFI 51st London Film Festival ended last night with a screening of The Darjeeling Limited.
It is the fifth film from director Wes Anderson and stars Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman and Adrien Brody as three estranged brothers who go on a train journey through India.
Listen to our thoughts on the film (and final festival update) by clicking below:
[audio:https://www.filmdetail.com/podcast/get.php?fla=podcast-2007-11-01-74015.mp3]Download this review via iTunes by clicking on the image below:
If you have any questions about this year’s festival feel free to get in touch via email or the contact page.
> Download this festival update as an MP3 file
> IMDb entry for The Darjeeling Limited
> Check out the official site for The Darjeeling Limited
> Wes Anderson discusses the film in an interview at IonCinema
> The Rushmore Academy – A Wes Anderson fansite
> Anderson discusses the inspirations for the film at the NY Film Festival
Director Paul Greengrass was in town tonight to accept The Variety UK Achievement in Film Award at the National Film Theatre as part of the BFI 51st London Film Festival.
He was interviewed on stage by Variety’s Middle East correspondent Ali Jaafar and they discussed his career, from his early days making documentaries at Granada, his acclaimed docudramas like The Murder of Stephen Lawrence and Bloody Sunday, to his more recent mainstream films such as United 93 and The Bourne Ultimatum.
Click below to listen to our report on the event:
[audio:https://www.filmdetail.com/podcast/get.php?fla=podcast-2007-10-29-66603.mp3]Download this review via iTunes by clicking on the image below:
If you have any questions about this year’s festival feel free to get in touch via email or the contact page.
> Download this update as an MP3 file
> See more at the official London Film Festival site
> Find out more about Paul Greengrass at the IMDb
(Photo by Stuart Wilson /Image Net)
On today’s festival update we look at Juno, the new comedy from director Jason Reitman who scored a critical and commercial success last year with Thank You For Smoking.
Ellen Page plays a teenager (named Juno) who gets pregnant by her boyfriend (Michael Cera) and then decide to give the baby up for adoption to a couple played by Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman.
It gets a UK release on February 1st and in the US on December 14th.
Check out what we thought of it by clicking below:
[audio:https://www.filmdetail.com/podcast/get.php?fla=podcast-2007-10-29-17132.mp3]Download this review via iTunes by clicking on the image below:
If you have any questions about this year’s festival feel free to get in touch via email or the contact page.
> Download this update as an MP3 file
> Check out the London Film Festival site
> Find out more about Juno at the IMDb
Today we take a look at Into the Wild which had a gala screening last night at the festvial.
Directed by Sean Penn it is the true life tale of Christopher McCandless, a young American whose restless wanderings in the early 90s ended up with him living in the wilds of Alaska.
It has already got a lot of favourable reviews in the US and opens on general release in the UK on Friday 9th November.
Listen to our review by clicking below:
[audio:https://www.filmdetail.com/podcast/get.php?fla=podcast-2007-10-26-12089.mp3]Download this review podcast via iTunes by clicking on the image below:
If you have any questions about this year’s festival feel free to get in touch via email or the contact page.
> Download this update as an MP3 file
> Find out more at the official London Film Festival site
> Visit the official website for Into the Wild
> Find out more about the film at the IMDb
This week, we take a look at two films which screened as part of the London Film Festival and go on general release this weekend.
Sicko is the new documentary from Michael Moore and it explores the health care system in the United States.
It follows Moore as he travels the country exploring various horror stories involving health insurance companies and documents his trips to Cuba, England and France where he compares their health care systems to the one back home.
Eastern Promises is the latest film from director David Cronenberg and is a drama set amongst the dark world of Russian gangsters in contemporary London.
Naomi Watts stars as a midwife who discovers a Russian crime family after a girl dies in her hospital. Viggo Mortensen, Vincent Cassell and Armin Mueller-Stahl co-star.
Listen to this week’s reviews by clicking below:
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Today we look at The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, which was on tonight in the Time Out special screening.
It is the story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, a former French journalist and editor of Elle magazine who was paralysed by a stroke at the age of 43.
Although he could only movie his left eye, he managed to write a memoir of his condition through a system of blinking to nurses and interpreters.
Director Julian Schnabel (who made Before Night Falls in 2000) won Best Director at Cannes earlier this year and it stars Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josée Croze and Max Von Sydow.
Interestingly, there is a big Steven Spielberg connection with this film. Not only is it produced by Kathleen Kennedy and shot by Janusz Kaminski (two longtime Spielberg collaborators) but Amalric and Crozee were both in Munich.
The film opens in the UK on February 8th.
Listen to our review by clicking below:
[audio:https://www.filmdetail.com/podcast/get.php?fla=podcast-2007-10-21-20496.mp3]Download this review podcast via iTunes by clicking on the image below:
If you have any questions about this year’s festival feel free to get in touch via email or the contact page.
> Download this update as an MP3 file
> Find out more at the official London Film Festival site
> Visit the official website for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
> Find out more about the film at the IMDb
> Check out Time Out’s blog of the festvial
Today saw the gala screening of director Ang Lee‘s latest film Lust, Caution.
It is his first film since 2005’s Brokeback Mountain and is an adaptation of Eileen Wang’s short story about a young Chinese woman (Tang Wei) who is part of a plot to kill a leading member of the Japanese collaborationist government (Tony Leung) in 1942.
It recently won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and is Lee’s first film in Mandarin Chinese since 2000’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
It screened tonight at the Mayor of London Gala in Leicester Square with Ang Lee, Tang Pei and writer-producer James Schamus in attendance.
Listen to the review here:
[audio:https://www.filmdetail.com/podcast/get.php?fla=podcast-2007-10-20-21150.mp3]Download this review podcast via iTunes by clicking on the image below:
If you have any questions about this year’s festival feel free to get in touch via email or the contact page.
> Download this update as an MP3 file
> Find out more at the official London Film Festival site
(Photo: Stuart Wilson/Getty Images)
On this week’s look at UK cinema releases we examine:
Once – The low budget Irish film about a Dublin busker (Glen Hansard) who strikes up a relationship with a Czech girl (Marketa Irglova) he meets on the street. Directed by John Carney it has made a real impact in the US since its debut at Sundance back in January.
Stardust – The big budget adaptation of the Neil Gaiman novella with Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro all starring in this fantasy tale directed by Matthew Vaughn.
Rendition – A political thriller about the US policy of detaining and torturing terrorist suspects abroad with a stellar cast that includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Reece Witherspoon, Meryl Streep and Peter Sarsgaard.
To listen to this week’s review just click below:
[audio:https://www.filmdetail.com/podcast/get.php?fla=podcast-2007-10-19-12691.mp3]Download and subscribe to the review podcast via iTunes by clicking on the image below:
> Download this review as an MP3 file
> Get the local showtimes via Google Movies
> Check out other reviews of these films at Metacritic
Today at the festival I took a look at Redacted, which is Brian De Palma‘s latest film, a low budget examination of US troops in Iraq.
It was recently screened at the New York Film festival and De Palma was in an interesting Q&A where he discussed the problems of showing real life images in the film:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_cqdLaKNdk[/youtube]
I also saw Interview, which sees Steve Buscemi direct and act alongside Sienna Miller in a tale of a journalist interviewing an actress.
Click here to listen to today’s review:
[audio:https://www.filmdetail.com/podcast/get.php?fla=podcast-2007-10-19-87234.mp3]Download this review podcast via iTunes by clicking on the image below:
If you have any questions about this year’s festival feel free to get in touch via email or the contact page.
> Download this update as an MP3 file
> Find out more at the official London Film Festival site
On this week’s review podcast week take a look at an animated rat, some prisoners counterfeiting the British pound and a New York nanny.
Ratatouille is the latest Pixar movie, which means that you can expect some great writing and animation.
The studio behind such gems as Toy Story, Monster’s Inc, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles have created another animation milestone.
The story is about a French rat with a taste for good food who ends up helping a budding chef in a Paris restaurant.
Brad Bird (the man behind The Incredibles in 2004) directs and and watch out for the short that precedes it called Taken, which is an alien abduction spoof.
The Counterfeiters is the gripping true life tale about the counterfeiting operation the Nazi’s set up in the concentration camps of World War 2.
Director Stefan Ruzowitzky has crafted an absorbing tale that explores some difficult moral dilemmas.
Karl Markovics stars in the lead role as the head of the team who have to produce the fake notes or face death.
Expect this to feature as a Best Foreign Film nominees in the upcoming awards season.
We also take a brief look The Nanny Diaries – the adaptation of the popular book by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus about nannies in New York.
Scarlett Johansson stars in the central role as a nanny who has to deal with a snobbish couple (Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney) in the rich Upper East side of New York.
Listen to the reviews here:
[audio:https://www.filmdetail.com/podcast/get.php?fla=podcast-2007-10-12-69605.MP3]Download and subscribe to the review podcast via iTunes by clicking on the image below:
> Download this review as an MP3 file
> Get the local showtimes via Google Movies
> Check out other reviews of these films at Metacritic
