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Sundance Next Weekend 2013 Review: HOW TO BE A MAN Finds the Indie Raunch-Com Glory Hole

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Sundance Next Weekend 2013 Review: HOW TO BE A MAN Finds the Indie Raunch-Com Glory Hole

Sundance Next Weekend 2013 Review: HOW TO BE A MAN Finds the Indie Raunch-Com Glory Hole

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 08:00 PM PDT

If we've learned anything from the Judd Apatow era of 21st century raunchy comedies, it's that there are few things funnier than an unexpected penis. When comedian Gavin McInnes's flaccid member shows up among the first few frames of Chadd Horbold's sophomore feature How to Be a Man, it's pretty obvious which way things are headed. Thus begins a cavalcade of dick and fart jokes that would make Eddie Murphy blush. But a funny thing happens on the way to the potty humor aisle; the jokes never wear thin. Whereas many contemporary raunch-coms get real old (and real long) real quick, Horbold is able to keep things moving with his ability to up the ante as the film dips its toe just slightly into...

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Review: THE BUTLER Has Admirable Intentions But Weak Execution

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 07:30 PM PDT

What The Butler tries to accomplish is so noble and ambitious that it almost doesn't matter how clumsily maudlin it ends up being, how over-earnest and sanctimonious it can be. It's heartening that movies on this subject are being made at all; why worry about whether they're, you know, good? Well, because that's what we do, that's why. The intention of the film (which MPAA arbitration has ruled must be titled Lee Daniels' The Butler) is to cover the Civil Rights movement from a unique perspective: through the eyes of a black man who was a White House butler from Eisenhower to Reagan. That's an enormous undertaking for one movie. Almost every character could be the subject of his or her own biopic -- never...

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LA Happenings: Polanski At 80, DAISIES, And "The World's End Is Nigh"

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 07:00 PM PDT

Get the scoop on special and repertory screenings happening in Los Angeles this August 16th weekend and beyond.  ...

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Parables Of Folly And Madness: 8 Early Herzog Classics At FSLC

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 03:00 PM PDT

With his latest, somber Public Service Announcement on the dangers of texting-while-driving, One Minute to the Next and the new T. E. Lawrence/Gertrude Bell project, Queen of the Desert on the way, there seems to be no sign of slowing down for 71-year old Werner Herzog. The Film Society of Lincoln Center however, is taking a breather by hosting a mini-retro of the early films of Werner Herzog: Parables of Folly and Madness. It is a rare opportunity to watch the prolific German filmmaker's 8 earlier films all in stunning 35mm. These timeless parables showcase Herzog's consistent, singular view on human existence. The retrospective includes Herzog's much celebrated collaborations with Klaus Kinski (Aguirre, Wrath of God, Fitzcarraldo and Woyzeck), and Bruno S. (Enigma of Caspar...

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Opening: THE TERROR, LIVE Starts Strong, Then Runs Out Of Steam

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 02:01 PM PDT

"In an era of oversaturation at the cineplex, with countless retreads and follow-ups dominating the marquees, sometimes a gimmick is just the trick to freshen things up. A clever and well-executed hook can seem fresh and original, but if poorly done, it can easily torpedo a film. In the case of new Korean action-thriller The Terror Live, a chamber piece that takes place entirely in a radio recording studio, the gimmick in the premise is both its saving grave and its downfall." The words above are taken from my review after I saw it at PiFan a couple of weeks ago. Still playing in Korean cinemas, and doing very well, The Terror Live expands to North America on Friday, August 16. Here's a little more...

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Opening: LET ME OUT, Put Up Or Shut Up, With Light And Breezy Style

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 01:00 PM PDT

"Co-directors Kim Chang-rae and Soh Jae-yong use Let Me Out as an effective way to take the piss out of anyone who complains about the state of film today," wrote our own J Hurtado last year. Mr. Hurtado set up the premise: Mu-young [Kwon Hyung Sang] is a film student like many film students and film geeks around the world. He bemoans the state of Korean cinema and is never satisfied with anything he sees. When filmmaker Yang Ik-joon (director, writer, star of Breathless, playing himself) comes to Mu-young's film school to show his newest film, our hero can't help himself from giving Yang shit about the film. It is too commercial, the point of view is too subjective, etc., all typical film school blather,...

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Review: AUSTENLAND, A Clumsy, Unfunny, And Insufferable Comedy

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 12:00 PM PDT

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single lady who obsesses over the works of Jane Austen -- particularly Pride and Prejudice, and specifically the 1995 miniseries version with Colin Firth -- will find her real-life boyfriends lacking when compared to the dreamily perfect Mr. Darcy. This subclass of fandom was explored amusingly by Shannon Hale in her 2007 novel Austenland, a fluffy bit of chick-lit that I am not ashamed to say I read and found quite agreeable, even though I am a boy. Well, not to be one of those "the book is better than the movie" people, but holy crap, what an insufferable load the Austenland movie is. In the hands of Jerusha Hess, who co-wrote her husband Jared's films (starting...

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Stylish Action From South Africa In iNUMBER NUMBER Trailer

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 11:30 AM PDT

Director Donovan Marsh has hit these pages before thanks to his coming of age comedy Spud - which features John Cleese in a supporting role - but he's mining entirely different ground with his Toronto selected action film iNumber Number. Adroitly written and directed by South African filmmaker Donovan Marsh, this action-packed heist thriller -- about a pair of cops battling corrupt colleagues as well as a gang of armoured-car thieves -- boasts an oddball cast that brings comic relief to the ruthless thuggery.We've been saying for a while now at Twitch that there are major changes afoot within the African film industry and for an example of what sort of exciting stuff is brewing on the continent, take a look at the stylish, energetic...

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Review: KICK-ASS 2 Sours Whatever Fun There Was The First Time

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 11:02 AM PDT

The first Kick-Ass movie ended on the usual superhero note: it set things up for a sequel. Ordinary high-schooler Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) had established himself as masked crusader Kick-Ass, with lethal tween Mindy Macready (Chloe Grace Moretz) -- aka Hit Girl -- poised to become his partner. Rich, spoiled, whiny Chris D'Amico (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), another would-be hero, had sworn revenge on Kick-Ass for killing his crime-boss father. All the pieces were in place for a decent sequel -- so what happened? Why is Kick-Ass 2 a repellant, mostly unfunny, distasteful-and-not-in-a-good-way mess of mixed messages and tonal confusion? Actually, it doesn't really matter why it's bad; what's relevant is that it is. Puzzling over how it came to be that way -- Mark Millar and...

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Get Behind The Scenes Of SPECIAL ID

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 10:30 AM PDT

If the first trailer to Clarence Fok's contemporary actioner Special ID left you hungry for more of Donnie Yen's innovative brand of action, then look no further to a behind-the-scenes video posted by Japanese stuntman and Yen's long-time assistant action choreographer Kenji Tanigaki. The video contain loads of ass-kicking fight scenes, crazy car chases and high flying (or falling) stuntwork to what promises to be an action-packed thrill ride. Yen takes on the role of Zilong Chen, an undercover police officer deep within the ranks of one of China's most ruthless underworld gangs. The leader of the gang, Xiong (Collin Chou - JET LI'S FEARLESS, THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM, THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS, THE MATRIX RELOADED), has made it his priority to weed out the government infiltrators...

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Get Your First Look At The Live Action PATLABOR

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 10:00 AM PDT

Word of a live action version of early Oshii Mamoru (Ghost In The Shell) giant robot anime Patlabor first surfaced back in March, triggering a wave of speculation as to what exactly was coming. Spanning multiple movies, OVA projects and a television series, Patlabor has proven a lasting favorite amongst fans thanks to its refreshingly blue collar and frequently very funny approach to the material and while producers of this new effort have remained surprisingly cagey about it we do know that it is a feature film project and that Oshii is somehow involved, though nobody is saying yet whether he is directing or involved in some other capacity.What we do now know for sure, however, is what the giant robots themselves will look like....

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SAVE THE GREEN PLANET Director Returns! Watch The HWAYI Teaser Now!

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 09:30 AM PDT

It has been ten long years since Korean director burst on to the scene with Save The Green Planet. Arguably the most gonzo and gleefully anarchic of the films that rode the Korean wave of the late 90s and early 2000s, Save The Green Planet was a total failure at home - the victim of a wildly counter productive marketing campaign that tried to sell it to local audiences as a romantic comedy - but became a huge cult hit around the world, an endlessly inventive ride led by its wildly creative director.But since then? Well, Jang's been quiet. He was part of a short film project a while back. Was attached for a time to a sequel to local hit Tazza: The High Rollers....

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Review: CUTIE AND THE BOXER Iterates Love Is A Battlefield

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 09:00 AM PDT

In Cutie and the Boxer, an intimate documentary by Zachary Heinzerling, we are introduced to the Shinoharas -- Ushio and Noriko, both Japanese transplants/New York based artists, in their habitat, contemplating about the massive unpaid bills. "How much?" Ushio asks. "You don't wanna know. It's too high to even think about!" Noriko answers. They are the cutest elderly couple you'll ever see. Not only the film is a great documentary about struggling New York artists, but it's also the best love story playing in theaters this summer.The film starts with the couple getting up in their  squalid, cramped loft in DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass) neighborhood, Brooklyn. Noriko braids her salt and peppery hair into her signature pigtails, does groceries, makes breakfast and takes...

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Review: AIN'T THEM BODIES SAINTS, A Moody Tale Shrouded In Broken Americana

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 08:00 AM PDT

As someone who spends a good portion of his days talking and writing about cinema, there comes an interesting moment when certain difficulties as to how to communicate rear their ugly head in either form of discourse. Sometimes it is far easier to jump in and engage with another person directly -- it can be fast and visceral; a true rush, though I always hope for a healthy discourse. Writing about cinema, I find, is usually the opposite. It is largely a meditative process for me, one where I take careful consideration in how I would like to present a film to an audience of readers I have no personal or direct ties to, other than what I hope is a love for the medium....

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Diamonds In The Rough: CUTIE AND THE BOXER Director And Stars Talk Art, Opening Up, And New York City

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 07:00 AM PDT

It's a sunny Friday afternoon in early August. I am waiting outside of an old three-story building in DUMBO, in what used to be an old, industrial neighborhood of Brooklyn, right across the East River from Manhattan. The neighborhood has been rapidly gentrifying in the last two decades with luxury high-rises and condos. I know the neighborhood pretty well and have been coming down here for years for various reasons. I am supposed to meet Zachary Heinzerling, director of Cutie and the Boxer and his subjects, the Shinoharas, in their studio. They appear from the south side of the street with the iconic dark blue steel beam of the Manhattan Bridge in the background. The Shinoharas, Ushio and Noriko, a pint-sized elderly Japanese artist couple, look just...

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Watch Exclusive Clip From CUTIE AND THE BOXER: A Unique Documentary On Love And Art

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 06:00 AM PDT

The Shinoharas, Ushio and Noriko, two elderly artists residing in Brooklyn, are the subjects of Zachary Heinzerling's great little documentary, Cutie and the Boxer. It chronicles the couple's beautiful and sometimes rocky relationship with uncluttered eyes. The result is one of the most intimate, affecting love stories I've seen in years. This exclusive clip shows Noriko's perspective as she is finally ready step out of her husband's shadow and earn her own recognition from the art world.Cutie and the Boxer will open in New York (and Los Angeles) on Friday, August 16 at the Landmark Sunshine Cinema. A national rollout will follow....

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