tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25938015178915331272009-07-20T20:35:05.693-04:00Alan Bacchushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10828941303586018368albacchus@hotmail.comBlogger949125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2593801517891533127.post-20055248219031601412009-07-20T08:30:00.000-04:002009-07-20T08:30:16.236-04:00

(500) Days of Summer (2009) dir. Marc WebbStarring: Joseph Gordon Levitt, Zooey Deschanel***While (500) Days of Summer threatens to become another hopelessly romantic and disposable Sundance whimsy comedy, Marc Webb’s film emerges victorious, rising above other recent hipster crap-outs like “Adventureland” and “Away We Go”. There’s nothing particularly original, playing like a Woody Allen

Alan Bacchushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10828941303586018368albacchus@hotmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2593801517891533127.post-34505692116104108552009-07-19T08:53:00.002-04:002009-07-20T08:30:36.155-04:00

Blue Velvet (1986) dir. David LynchStarring: Kyle Maclachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern****A mixture of heart-on-one’s sleeve sentimentality and hardcore terrorizing brutality anchor David Lynch’s classic nightmarish love poem. After suffering the indignation of failing to deliver on the big budgeted sci-fi franchise in waiting, Dune, in 1986 Lynch seemed go back inward

Alan Bacchushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10828941303586018368albacchus@hotmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2593801517891533127.post-5905150158060746022009-07-18T07:40:00.001-04:002009-07-19T08:54:14.958-04:00

The China Syndrome (1979) dir. James BridgesStarring: Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, Michael Douglas***1/2At heart a pointed political commentary but out of the procedural details emerges expertly executed razor sharp thriller. The hit film from James Bridges captures the tail of the 70’s paranoia genre - the story of a near nuclear melt down captured on tape by a news crew and the dramatic fight to

Alan Bacchushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10828941303586018368albacchus@hotmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2593801517891533127.post-28005346983718335652009-07-17T07:36:00.006-04:002009-07-18T07:58:02.612-04:00

The King and Four Queens (1956) dir. Raoul WalshStarring: Clark Gable, Jo Van Fleet, Eleanor Parker, Jean Wilkes**Clark Gable in one of his last roles stars in this recently DVD-revived 1956 western, directed by studio vet Raoul Walsh, about an escaped desperado who happens upon a desolate town inhabited by four widows and their old gun-toting mama. It makes for a very disposable Western with

Alan Bacchushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10828941303586018368albacchus@hotmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2593801517891533127.post-17117931031751414982009-07-16T08:19:00.004-04:002009-07-17T07:45:23.763-04:00

We’re just past the halfway point of 2009, and thus under 26 weeks left on the cinema calendar of the decade. So it’s not too early to start breaking down and looking back on the decade that was for the movies. What are the most memorable films of the 2000’s? Several clearly stand out, many won’t likely emerge until the passage of time allows the cream of the crop to emerge and linger as

Alan Bacchushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10828941303586018368albacchus@hotmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2593801517891533127.post-37252672508702745762009-07-15T08:20:00.003-04:002009-07-17T07:46:28.747-04:00

Two Lovers (2009) dir. James GrayStarring: Joaquin Phoenix, Gwenyth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw, Elias Koteas***After going 6 years between his first and second film and 7 years between his second and third director Gray quickly made “Two Lovers” on the heals of “We Own the Night”. With much less genre-pretention, Gray’s low key character study accomplishes more than either of “Night”, or the “The

Alan Bacchushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10828941303586018368albacchus@hotmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2593801517891533127.post-82855975050033470662009-07-14T07:59:00.010-04:002009-07-15T08:30:21.254-04:00

Seraphine (2008) dir. Martin ProvostStarring Yolande Moreau Ulrich Tukur, Anne Bennent, Geneviève Mnich, Nico Rogner***1/2Guest review by Blair StewartOne of the great joys I have in watching films are those scenes devoted to 'doing things' - the process of building, creating or teaching, however banal. Philip Baker Hall showing John C. Reilly the ropes of casino gambling in "Hard Eight" is oddly

Alan Bacchushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10828941303586018368albacchus@hotmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2593801517891533127.post-52416676859742893472009-07-13T08:02:00.006-04:002009-07-14T08:27:21.563-04:00

Fido (2006) dir. Andrew CurrieStarring: Billy Connolly, Carrie-Ann Moss, Dylan Baker, Henry Czerny, K'Sun Ray***1/2 It sounds absurd but 'Slingblade', meets 'E.T.', meets 'Lassie' meets 'Night of the Living Dead' could have been the pitch for Andrew Currie’s wholly original 'Fido'. The deliciously delightful comedy about a tamed zombie who is bought by a humble suburban family to do household

Alan Bacchushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10828941303586018368albacchus@hotmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2593801517891533127.post-44346611336813828342009-07-12T09:18:00.002-04:002009-07-13T08:18:06.843-04:00

12 (2008) dir. Nikita MikhalkovStarring: Sergey Makovetsky, Nikita Mikhalkov, Sergey Garmash, Alexey Petrenko, Yuri Stoyanov***A Russian remake of “12 Angry Men” is concept behind this Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nominee from last year. At 160mins, it’s an imposing epic length version of the 1957 film, which originally ran a scant 96mins. Under Mikhalkov’s rich directorial style and a dozen

Alan Bacchushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10828941303586018368albacchus@hotmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2593801517891533127.post-77970202678517187892009-07-11T13:07:00.003-04:002009-07-12T09:18:53.559-04:00

The Towering Inferno (1974) dir. John Guillerman & Irwin AllenStarring: Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, William Holden, Faye Dunaway***1/2I LOVE the “Towering Inferno” - the best disaster movie ever made. Admittedly I hadn’t seen it since childhood and it holds up beyond my memories of a child enraptured by the fire engines. A fire engulfing the tallest building in the world? Top notch,

Alan Bacchushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10828941303586018368albacchus@hotmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2593801517891533127.post-88152174220868697492009-07-10T11:11:00.005-04:002009-07-11T13:08:21.092-04:00

Hey Torontonians,The CFC is hosting an exclusive screening of Humpday next Thursday July 16 - 7:30pm at CiRCA. Alycia Delmore and Joshua Leonard will be in attendance. $20 gets you in the door, a ticket to the movie, plus cocktails and three drinks for the party afterwards. Proceeds go towards the CFC Scholarship Fund. See below for details.

Alan Bacchushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10828941303586018368albacchus@hotmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2593801517891533127.post-51804609694280686312009-07-10T07:45:00.003-04:002009-07-11T13:08:40.893-04:00

Charlie Chan’s Murder Cruise (1940) dir. Eugene FordeStarring: Sidney Toler, Sen Yung, Lionel Atwill, Leo G. Carroll and Cora Witherspoon***Guest Review By Greg KlymkiwMost years saw 20th Century Fox releasing three feature-length Charlie Chan mysteries annually. After several pictures with Warner Oland in the role of the famous Honolulu-based Asian detective created by Erle Derr Biggers, the

Alan Bacchushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10828941303586018368albacchus@hotmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2593801517891533127.post-48951270105261369302009-07-09T09:34:00.001-04:002009-07-10T07:48:13.559-04:00

Missing (1982) dir. Costa-GavrasStarring: Sissy Spacek, Jack Lemmon, John Shea, Melanie Mayron***Quick, name the Palm D’Or winner of 1982… You’re right, it’s “Missing”, Costa-Gavras’ American-made political drama. It also nabbed Lemmon a Best Actor trophy at Cannes and three of the major Oscar Nominations that year – Best Actor, Actress, Picture. Until its Criterion Collection coronation on DVD

Alan Bacchushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10828941303586018368albacchus@hotmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2593801517891533127.post-64890534934888388052009-07-08T07:31:00.005-04:002009-07-09T09:36:20.182-04:00

North West Frontier (1959) dir. J. Lee ThompsonStarring: Kenneth More, Lauren Bacall, Herbert Lom****If you haven't brushed up on your history or geography, the title of this film might suggest a western, perhaps set in the snowcapped Rockies. In fact North West Frontier refers to the contentious Muslim province of India, now Pakistan, once ruled by the British during their colonization of the

Alan Bacchushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10828941303586018368albacchus@hotmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2593801517891533127.post-36402358596679767212009-07-07T08:17:00.002-04:002009-07-08T07:37:46.035-04:00

The Graduate (1967) dir. Mike NicholsStarring: Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katherine Ross, Murray Hamilton****Oh to be Mike Nichols in the late 60’s, like Orson Welles in late 1930’s, a revered stage director, brought to Hollywood and given the biggest toybox in the world to play in. After ‘practicing’ his skills with “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” in 1966, Nichols at the height of his

Alan Bacchushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10828941303586018368albacchus@hotmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2593801517891533127.post-69328837797024200162009-07-06T08:35:00.001-04:002009-07-07T08:18:16.642-04:00

Woodstock: Three Days of Peace and Music (1970) dir. Michael WadleighDocumentary****There was a feeling of uninhibited honest naturalism in "Woodstock" which would be very difficult to duplicate today. This is the experience of watching the landmark "Woodstock", the ability of Michael Wadleigh to break any sort of wall between subject and the camera. His subjects are so genuine and candid,

Alan Bacchushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10828941303586018368albacchus@hotmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2593801517891533127.post-15502264108131123472009-07-05T10:38:00.011-04:002009-07-06T08:36:05.245-04:00

Hello there everybody, its foreign correspondent Blair Stewart here with a report from the recently wrapped 63rd annual Edinburgh International Film Festival in Scotland. Here's a quick roundup of what I saw:All That She Wants (2008-Canada) Dir. Denis CoteStarring: Eve Duranceau*** A slow-boiling look at small-town hustlers and burnouts shot in gorgeous black and white, Quebec director Cote

Alan Bacchushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10828941303586018368albacchus@hotmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2593801517891533127.post-5062877049738699682009-07-04T09:37:00.002-04:002009-07-05T11:37:48.942-04:00

Moon (2009) dir, Duncan JonesStarring: Sam Rockwell***1/2Like the film’s undisguised influencers, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Solaris, THX 1138, Blade Runner Duncan Jones’ Moon uses the genre of science fiction to examine the humanity deep inside us all. It's a marvelous film which unfolds from the point of view of its single character. If you haven't seen it, I advise reading this review after,

Alan Bacchushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10828941303586018368albacchus@hotmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2593801517891533127.post-66875067963527652982009-07-03T10:03:00.006-04:002009-07-04T09:41:49.143-04:00

Time Limit (1957) dir. Karl MaldenStarring: Richard Widmark, Richard Basehart, Dolores Michaels, Rip Torn**Rest in Peace Karl Malden. Over his lengthy career, in addition to his own fine performances, he helped other great actors deliver some of the best performances. Malden actually directed one film as well - a little known chamber drama entitled "Time Limit" - a 1957 military film about a

Alan Bacchushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10828941303586018368albacchus@hotmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2593801517891533127.post-23943300415621743032009-07-02T10:25:00.010-04:002009-07-03T10:21:23.818-04:00

One of the best films at Sundance this year was Lynn Shelton’s “Humpday” – a marvellous low budget comedy about two best friends who, despite being straight, make a bet to try and have gay sex as a test of their friendship (Click HERE for my review). Sounds absurd and ridiculous, yet Shelton and his actors manage to establish a rock solid foundation of realism that we can’t help put ourselves in

Alan Bacchushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10828941303586018368albacchus@hotmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2593801517891533127.post-75020870435382283952009-07-01T09:15:00.004-04:002009-07-02T10:33:18.039-04:00

Public Enemies (2009) dir. Michael MannStarring: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Stephen Dorff, Marion Cotillard, Billy Crudup***Nobody plays cops and robbers better than Michael Mann, and his new opus allows the director to venture back to the golden era of sensationalized crime — the Depression Era of John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, Baby Face Nelson et al. But after the disaster of Miami Vice,

Alan Bacchushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10828941303586018368albacchus@hotmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2593801517891533127.post-54048890679351484802009-06-30T08:24:00.001-04:002009-07-01T09:21:04.383-04:00

La Haine (Hate) (1995) dir. Mathieu KassovitzStarring: Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé, Saïd Taghmaoui****Although "La Haine" feels so thoroughly relevant and modern, the film is almost 15 years old, made at the time of “Boyz in the Hood” and “Menace II Society”. “La Haine” is less a time capsule of the era, like those urban American films, and more a grand artistic statement comparable to the

Alan Bacchushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10828941303586018368albacchus@hotmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2593801517891533127.post-216812380342915932009-06-29T07:47:00.005-04:002009-06-30T08:25:28.717-04:00

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) dir. Michael BayStarring: Shia Lebeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson**Even by Michael Bay standards, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” is a mess. I admit being a fan of the first film and even most of Michael Bay’s lesser regarded films (ie. “The Island” and “Bad Boys 2”) so I'm more than predisposed to enjoy this movie, yet it's still

Alan Bacchushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10828941303586018368albacchus@hotmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2593801517891533127.post-65923687994240339252009-06-28T08:30:00.004-04:002009-06-29T07:48:08.369-04:00

South Pacific (1958) dir. Joshua LoganStarring: Mitzi Gaynor, Rossano Brazzi, Ray Walston, Juanita Hall, John Kerr, Tom Laughlin, France Nuyen****Guest Review By Greg Klymkiw“South Pacific” is a great movie musical. Its detractors will have you believe it’s clunky, theatrical to a fault, hampered by poor casting choices and a waste of actual locations on the Hawaiian island of Kauai because of

Alan Bacchushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10828941303586018368albacchus@hotmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2593801517891533127.post-84720462154257047052009-06-27T08:34:00.004-04:002009-06-28T08:36:55.304-04:00

JCVD (2008) dir. Mabrouk El MechriStarring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, François Damiens, Zinedine Soualem, Karim Belkhadra***Good on Van Damme and good on Mabrouk El Mechri for humanizing and generating genuine sympathy for a laughable former action star. What makes Jean-Claude Van Damme worthy of cinematic exaltation? Why not Steven Seagal? Why not Dolph Lundgren? Even in roles like “Bloodsport” and

Alan Bacchushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10828941303586018368albacchus@hotmail.com0