» Tanpa Label » Review: THE DARK VALLEY Is As American As Austria Can Get

Review: THE DARK VALLEY Is As American As Austria Can Get

Oleh

Review: THE DARK VALLEY Is As American As Austria Can Get

Review: THE DARK VALLEY Is As American As Austria Can Get

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 01:00 AM PST

In Andreas Prochaska's Austrian Neo-Western about an enigmatic horseman who comes to a remote Austrian village in a deserted valley everything looks like a big Hollywood production with stunning production design, costumes and make-up. The Dark Valley is then an ambitious attempt to create a moody genre piece, which lacks more in terms of mood than in terms of genre.We slowly get to know the taciturn American who is somehow able to understand the German language. Why that is the case and why he arrives at the menacing place that is controlled by an incestuous family will be resolved in a twist-heavy but still slow-burning Austrian interpretation of an American genre. Like in your usual Western, our lone hero is opposed to the long shadow...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]

Review: STALINGRAD Offers Massive Visual Spectacle But Little Else

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 11:00 PM PST

Its US release coming on the heels of the just-wrapped Sochi Olympics, where Russia presented a noble image of itself for both domestic and international consumption, the Russian war film Stalingrad seeks to do much the same in cinematic terms. It is yet another bloody war movie, this time about what is remembered as probably the single bloodiest battle in WWII, where in 1942 Russian and German forces faced off in a siege that pulverized the city. This battle has been told numerous times in other films, and Stalingrad itself is also inspired by Vasiliy Grossman's classic WWII novel Life and Fate. The major selling point of this film is that it is Russia's very first IMAX 3D film, making the film an event, with all the...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]

Review: COMMUNITY S5EP07, "Bondage And Beta Male Sexuality" Brings The Substance

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 10:00 PM PST

Before we get to the review proper... yes, to the two people who read these, I missed reviewing the last two episodes on account of some serious Sundance fatigue (In such a state I became selfish and also just wanted to enjoy the show without any extended obligations). But in that sorta-absence Community came forth with two of its strongest episodes in quite a long while. We had a more than fitting send off to Donald Glover, and the first post-Troy episode that proved Community was still a show about an eclectic school community with many dynamic assemblies of character, tone and plotting.That brings us to tonight's episode, one which takes us down a more somber, if ultimately bittersweet and very existential road. Alan Sepinwall,...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]

Review: SON OF GOD Preaches To The Choir

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 09:01 PM PST

The Bible tells us, "In the beginning was the Word." (John 1:1) "The Word," in this case, is understood to be Jesus Christ himself, who became "The Word made flesh" (John 1:14) for his time on Earth. If that's the case, then it's only fitting that Jesus has also been with filmmaking itself from its own beginning as a narrative art form. His story has certainly been one of the most filmed of all time. As early as 1902, France's Pathé company presented the first in a series of impressive (for the time) shorts depicting "The Life and Passion of Jesus Christ." From DeMille's silent era King of Kings (starring H.B. Warner in one of cinema's better Jesus performances) to Nicholas Ray's 1961 Hollywood epic of...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]

Watch LIFE AFTER PI, The Chronicle Of An Oscar-Winning VFX Studio's Downfall

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 06:30 PM PST

Where would many a Hollywood blockbuster be without the use of visual effects to help tell its spectacle laden stories? It's hard to imagine. Most would say its a major contributing factor in attracting the audience, thus generating millions for the studios. Yet ironically, the VFX artists responsibly for providing the "money shots" are somehow getting the short end of the deal.  Directed by Scott Leberecht, Life After Pi chronicles the fall of VFX company Rhythm & Hues Studios, which won an Oscar last year for the Life of Pi. The doc offers insight on the problems the visual effects industry is currently facing. As someone who appreciates the amazing work from these talented artists, its really sad to see them losing their jobs and...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]

THE LAST HALLOWEEN Teaser Goes Down A Treat

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 01:15 PM PST

Yes, Halloween is still a while off but it never hurts to prepare yourself early. Because you never know which Halloween may be your last.Toronto based director Marc Roussel is putting the final buff and polish on his latest short film, The Last Halloween, and the first teaser has arrived for what looks to be a spooky good time in the spirit of films like The Monster Squad. Four young trick-or-treaters set out on a door-to-door adventure - making their way from house to house, collecting strange treats as they go - that could very well end up being... the Last Halloween!Adapted from the comic by Mark Thibodeau, The Last Halloween stars Ron Basch, Emily Alatalo, Julian Richings, Angela Besharah, Brendan Heard, Drew Davis, Jake...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]

Trailer: Polish Psychological Thriller THE WORD

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 11:00 AM PST

How far would you go to make up for mistakes that ruined your relationship? Through mixing elements of coming-of-age drama and psychological thriller, Anna Kazejak (Flying Pigs) delves into painful and difficult issues of young love, infidelity, and emotional manipulation. Three years ago, Jan Komasa's dramatic Suicide Club proved that focusing on a similarly "hot" topic is the key to success, and given The Word's positive first reviews, it might easily become a box office hit in its native Poland.Here's the film's synopsis (via Polish Film Institute):Liliana's nightmare came true three weeks ago: her boyfriend Janek kissed another girl at a party. Though he is filled with remorse, she just cannot forgive him. Days before the end of the school year, Liliana gives Janek an ultimatum,...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]

First, Revealing Images From SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 10:30 AM PST

Nine years after Sin City, the first images from Frank Miller's sequel Sin City: A Dame to Kill For have been revealed, and they look, well, about like one might expect. Miller again teamed with Robert Rodriguez to direct, with Jessica Alba and Mickey Rourke returning. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a "completely new and fresh" character. The movie was shot in 3D and is due out on August 22. Click through the gallery below to gaze upon the graphical wonders of the new images and the poster, via Coming Soon....

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]

THE SACRAMENT Trailer Unsettles As It Reaches For The Light

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 10:00 AM PST

A new green-band trailer for Ti West's The Sacrament reinforces the impression that this is a mighty unsettling film. From the official synopsis: The Sacrament follows two Vice Media correspondents as they set out to document their friend's journey to find his missing sister. They travel outside of the United States to an undisclosed location where they are welcomed into the world of "Eden Parish," a self-sustained rural utopia, comprised of nearly two hundred members. At the center of this small, religious, socialist community is a mysterious leader known only as "Father." As their friend reunites with his sister, it becomes apparent to the newcomers that this paradise may not be as it seems. What started as just another documentary shoot soon becomes a race...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]

Review: THE LUNCHBOX, An Exquisite Ode To Love And Longing

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 09:00 AM PST

Dabba (The Lunchbox) by Ritesh Batra is an exquisite, bittersweet ode to love and longing from India, that makes your heart sing. A debut feature that screened at the Cannes Film Festival, it won the Grand Rail d'Or Award in the International Critics' Week section. Dabba is a very Indian film -- more specifically, an independent Bombay, but emphatically not Bollywood, film. It is also remarkably non-Indian in ways few Indian films can boast of: multi-national co-production including Sikhya Entertainment, Dar Motion Pictures and NFDC (India), ASAP (France), Rohfilm (Germany), Cinemosaic (US); multi-national crew from India, Germany, France and the US; international sales (Match Factory, Germany; a coup for an Indian film), and it has sold in 27 territories worldwide, including North America (Sony Pictures...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]

Review: HAIRBRAINED, Coming Of Age, Without The Quirk

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

All his life Eli, a 14-year old genius, has wanted to go to only one school. Harvard. But when the school rejects his application, he finds himself enrolled at Ivy League wannabe, Whittman College. When the Mastermind team from Harvard visits Whittman for a round of the competition, Eli has a rough run-in with the Harvard team afterwards. Eli finds some purpose and meaning when he makes himself the captain of Whittman College's Mastermind team. They go on to rout other colleges and Eli finds himself on a collision course with Harvard at the competition finale. Hairbrained rests on the lock-ladened shoulders of young Alex Wolff. He demonstrates a balance of fragility and cockiness in Eli as he finds his place in the school's Mastermind team and...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]

Watch An Exclusive Clip From Danish Martial Arts Short ECHOES OF A RONIN

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 07:00 AM PST

Director Shaky Gonzalez and star David Sakurai have teamed up to create something very unusual for their homeland of Denmark: A martial arts drama rooted in the Japanese bushido code. Sweden's Tim Man - a rapidly rising star in the fight world thanks to his stellar work as choreographer on Ninja 2 and the like - provides choreography here while also appearing in a support role and the results thus far are looking very good indeed.The story is set in a contemporary Scandinavian/Asian environment with a universal story about injustice and loss of innocence combined with recognizing ones destiny. This is all seen through the eyes of a child and through her experience see how man, despite being protected by morals and a strong code...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]

Belgian Black Comedy HALFWEG Puts A Different Spin On Haunting

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 06:00 AM PST

Geoffrey Enthoven and the rest of the creative team behind European hit Come As You Are move into rather different territory with their latest effort, Halfweg. Freshly on Belgian screens this week the film is a black comedy with a dash of romance and quite a lot of ghostly behavior.Stef has just got himself a fantastic real-estate deal - an Art Nouveau manor for next to nothing - in the wake of an acrimonious divorce. Unluckily for him, he finds that he is not quite as alone as he had hoped to be, since a scantily clad phantom - who is none other than the previous owner of the house - comes to haunt his day-to-day existence...The trailer for this one is quite a lot...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]

Back To Top