Film

'True Story': The Lifetime Movie Staring Hollywood Actors

May 5 2015 // Remi Caron-Liss // Film

There is something to be said about our culture being addicted to true stories. Especially when they involve scandals and murders. From Dateline NBC, Nancy Grace and most recently The Jinx: The Life And Deaths of Robert Durst. There are also the made for TV Movies that Lifetime produces. Even though True Story would have been great as a Lifetime movie of the month, it is on the big screen. The film stars Jonah Hill (Superbad, Moneyball, The Wolf of Wall Street) and James Franco (This is The End, 127 Hours, Spring Breakers, Instagram feeds), as well It is the Directorial Debut for Rupert Goold for this true story. 

'Danny Collins': Karma Catches Up With Al Pacino

May 5 2015 // Remi Caron-Liss // Film

Imagine receiving an inspirational letter from John Lennon later on in life. This is what happened to Steve Tilston, and it is the basic premise for the drama comedy Danny Collins. Instead of being the general audience film, it takes risks with it's 13 + rating. The film stars Al Pacino (The Godfather Trilogy, Scarface, Scent of a Women), Christopher Plummer (Beginners, The Last Station), Annette Bening (American Beauty, The Kids Are All Right), Jennifer Gardner (Alias, Dallas Buyers Club) and Bobby Cannavale (Boardwalk Empire, Blue Jasmine).

ANIMAZE 2015 - Notable picks from the 'Nature and Humanity' block

April 21 2015 // Saturn De Los Angeles // Film

From magical human-morphing polar bears to blazing indigo-hued birds, scary vines that spontaneously grow on their own, to dismantling a gigantic plate of solar panels, the diverse selection from ANIMAZE’s Nature and Humanity block invites you to sit down and explore your imagination in looking at the fast-changing world of Mother Nature from a different perspective. While all of these selections are captivating in their own right, here are some notable pieces that grabbed our attention:

FIFA 2015: 'Entre Ciel et Terre: Quand le hip hop devient art' is a dazzling experience

April 17 2015 // Justine Smith // Film

This spring marked the 33rd edition of the International Festival of Films on Art. The festival was founded in 1981 by René Rozon and has thrived over the course of the past three decades. Born out of a legacy of innovation, culture and technology, FIFA maintains the artistic legacy established by Expo 67’. It is only appropriate that one of the highlights of this year’s festival was a multimedia screening of the hip-hop documentary Entre Ciel et Terre: Quand le hip hop devient art.

FIFA: Ballet Boys: It’s more than just a story of boys dancing

March 31 2015 // Saturn De Los Angeles // Film

If you have ever thought ballet dancing is all about young girls and pink frilly tutus, then think again.

This film, directed by Norwegian documentary producer Kenneth Elvebakk, follows the journey of three childhood friends all vying for their collective dream of becoming a successful professional ballet dancer. Originally released in 2014, this film was part of this year’s International Festival of Films on Art.

FIFA: Mugshot: An anatomy of prison portraiture

March 30 2015 // Saturn De Los Angeles // Film

There's something eerie about being photographed moments after being arrested - but who knew that someone's misery can also be another person's artistic masterpiece, or even a scoop that's just waiting to be nourished by the hungry pages of the tabloid?

There's more to a mugshot than just an image, and there's more a story than just seeing someone smiling (or posing with umph and enthusiasm, or with utmost distaste and disgrace) for the camera.

The Lazarus Effect barely worth $5 DVD bin

March 23 2015 // Remi Caron-Liss // Film

When Jesus brought Lazarus back to life, everyone called it a miracle. Leave it to the cool, hip, nerdy medical researchers (Mark Duplass and Olivia Wilde) to start playing god and all hell breaks loose, including the fact that they should not be playing god according to the chair board.  Science and religion are the two common motifs used in horror films, so why should The Lazarus Effect not use them to their advantage. This supernatural horror film directed by David Gelb (Jiro Dreams of Sushi) and produced from the team behind The Purge and Paranormal Activities.

The 2015 Academy Awards: A Thinkpiece for your Thinkpiece, but Not Really.

February 19 2015 // Kenny Chatoor // Film

In a world torn by conflict, inequality and uncertainty, we once again reach that time of year where one perennial certainty remains: the endless parade of pageantry and self-congratulation which captures the heart of us all. The ~Academy Awards~

'50 Shades of Grey' maintains integrity of novel and that is a very very bad thing

February 18 2015 // Justine Smith // Film

Anastasia or Ana (Dakota Johnson) has already met the man of her dreams, Christian Gray (Jamie Dornan), when she awakes in his bed after he “rescued” her from being drunk at a club. Ignoring the red flags of his already insatiable desire to control her actions, her thoughts and her life, on her bedside table instructive notes are arranged as a faint evocation of the vials Alice comes face with in Wonderland. Even on a level of subconscious, we understand the written commands on paper as an invitation into the world of perversion and secrets, and it is a journey that Ana willingly undertakes - or so it seems. This initial moment of accepting fantasy, of diving into the abyss of sexual discovery are very quickly discarded.

That time I Lost My Oscar Pool

February 17 2015 // Remi Caron-Liss // Film
The Oscars are the Superbowl of events at our workplace. My colleagues and I have seen every single movie, have quoted Whiplash one to many times and have gotten into critical debates about American Sniper. So the time came around to predict the nominees on paper in every single category and here I am hoping my predictions for costume or for set design would not hurt my overall score. The morning came of the live televised nominations - and you know that they are live because no one has had their coffee yet and Dick Pope's name get's mispronounced. Our bookie for the event has been sick and we just got back our results  of the first round of nominations last week.

Drake Releases Short Film, 'Jungle'

February 16 2015 // Nick Woodcock // Film

"...filled to the brim with a whole bunch of really Drake-y ideologies."

'Kingsman: The Secret Service' is deceptively charming

February 13 2015 // Dan Corber // Film

I was not looking forward to Kingsman: The Secret Service. When I first heard that it was adapted from a comic book miniseries by Mark Millar (Kick-Ass, Nemesis,Wanted,  Marvel's Civil War) my stomach churned. I've definitely enjoyed director Matthew Vaughn's (2004's Layer Cake, 2011's X-Men: First Class) work in the past. Still, my experience with Millar's portfolio has been plagued by interesting concepts that often get buried under too much juvenile blood n' guts excess to stick the landing and deliver on their initial promise.

'Blackhat' is thematically rich but suffers from narrative confusion

January 28 2015 // Justine Smith // Film

Michael Mann’s Blackhat opens with a heavily computer generated map of the internal workings of a city nuclear power plant. Shifting perspectives, rushing along power lines and electrical circuits we are thrust into a complex interior system. As we rush into the final moments of the sequence, the lines finally run a blood red before exploding: this sets the scene for an international hacker thriller in which technology becomes a mirror for the human body as well as society itself.The incredible digital landscape of the opening sequence soars like the Beyond the Infinite sequence in 2001: A Space Odyssey - but tactile, mechanical and fragile.

Top Films of 2014

December 27 2014 // Remi Caron-Liss // Film

Before I start this list I have a few things to say: I try as much as much as possible to keep up with movies, however I could not get to a showing of The Imitation Game (Dir. Morten Tyldum), Snowpiercer (Dir. Joon-Ho Bong), The Rover (Dir. David Michod) or Joe (Dir. David Gordon Green) (sincere apologies to Nick Cage) in time for this list. Other films I was unable to see include the Christmas day releases of Unbroken (Dir. Angelina Jolie) and Big Eyes (Dir. Tim Burton). Due to being limited releases (most receiving wide release only in January) I was also unable to see Inherent Vice (Dir. P.T.

'Big Eyes' strips Tim Burton bare

December 25 2014 // Ethan Vestby // Film

 “From far away you look like an artist, but up close you’re nothing”, a line from Tim Burton’s new film, Big Eyes, that could come to describe the trajectory of his career. Throughout the 80’s and 90’s he established a reputation as the kind of auteur situated comfortably between the demands of art and commerce; meaning he could adapt all sorts of brands to the screen, whether they be a comic book (Batman), television show (Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure) or even trading card (Mars Attacks!), all while maintaining a distinctly personal touch arisen from gothic horror, expressionism, animation and mid-20th century kitsch.

Pages