Archive for February, 2009
« Previous EntriesLove after slit wrists
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
If you’re looking to spend an evening with a brilliant and entertaining conversationalist — and why wouldn’t you be? — you could do much worse than an encounter with director James Gray (”We Own the Night,” “The Yards,” and “Little Odessa”). I’ve met Gray twice and found him [...]
The Rocky Mountain News bites the dust
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
Having worked there for 30 years, I probably should say something about the passing of The Rocky Mountain News, but there’ll be enough ink spilled by others. When I heard about the paper’s demise — which comes as no surprise to anyone — I was in the midst [...]
Movie Preview: Inglorious Basterds
Rating 3.50 out of 5
[?]Written by Michael Vass
Going in a totally different direction I saw the trailer for Inglorious Basterds. This is the latest film from director Quentin Tarantino. So be prepared to have your ears assaulted by profanity and your eyes by violence.
Now don’t get me wrong, I like the movies of Quentin Tarantino. [...]
Movie Preview: Mutant Chronicles
Rating 3.50 out of 5
[?]Written by Michael Vass
Some movies look good. Some movies have great plots. And then there are movies that are modified copies of some other form of entertainment. That could be a remake, a revisioned television show or book, a comic book or video game to movie conversion, or lastly a role [...]
Classroom tensions and guerrilla warfare
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
Two noteworthy movies hit theaters in Denver this weekend as they slowly make their way around the country. A few words on each:
BACK TO SCHOOL FOR A LESSON IN MODERN EDUCATION
I wrote about “The Class” on this blog in connection with the Starz Denver Film Festival. You can [...]
Hollywood’s big night — Take 12
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
The night ends as “Slumdog” is elevated to the top of Oscar’s list, this year’s best picture. It was great to see most of the movie’s cast on stage. Their victory felt like a communal celebration. The award for “Slumdog” concluded what amounted to a generally tasteful evening. [...]
Hollywood’s big night — Take 11
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
OK, the big acting awards — best actor and best actress.
Actress — Kate Winslet doesn’t gush as badly as she did at the Golden Globes. She seems to have gained a bit of composure, though not a gift for brevity.
Actor — Sean Penn, described by Robert De Niro [...]
Hollywood’s big night — Take 10
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
So much for surprises. As just about everyone predicted, Danny Boyle wins best director for “Slumdog Millionaire.” In an off-year, “Slumdog” seems en route to a truly triumphant evening. Is it me or is the show moving faster than usual?
Hollywood’s big night — Take 9
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
Best foreign-language film turned out to be a shocker. I don’t know of many (any?) who predicted Japan’s “Departures” would beat France’s “The Class” or Israel’s “Waltz With Bashir,” which should have also been included in the best animated feature category. If you want to read a review [...]
Hollywood’s big night — Take 8
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
I don’t know what I expected from Jerry Lewis, who received this year’s Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, but it wasn’t a short thank-you speech that was short on both madness and maudlin sentiment. Lewis, who created “The Nutty Professor,” received the award form Eddie Murphy, who starred in [...]
Hollywood’s big night — Take 7
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
Worst presenter so far: Bill Maher. He handed out the awards for best documentary feature and best documentary short, and couldn’t do it without mentioning his own movie, “Religulous,” which doesn’t belong in he same sentence with the five nominated films in the documentary feature category.
Hollywood’s big night — Take 6
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
The biggest question of the night. Is Philip Seymour Hoffman’s head cold? What’s up with the watch cap?
Having former supporting actors talk from the stage to the current nominees is a little strange. I guess it’s a brave thing to hand out acting awards without showing any examples [...]
Hollywood’s big night — Take 5
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
“Slumdog Millionaire,” which won a best cinematography Oscar for Anthony Dod Mantle was shot on a mixture of film and digital video. The times, they definitely are a changin’.
Hollywood’s big night — Take 4
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
If you’re wondering whether “Benjamin Button’s” win for art direction means anything in terms of the rest of the evening, I’d say, “No.” I might have thought differently had “Benjamin Button” taken best costumes, which went to “The Duchess.” “Button’s” win for best makeup didn’t change my mind [...]
Hollywood’s big night — Take 3
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
I’m enjoying the way that the screenwriting awards are being presented. Matching the words of screenplays with the scenes that developed from them was interesting, and also demonstrated how much directors, actors, production designers and cinematographers bring to the party. So far the awards have gone pretty much [...]
Hollywood’s big night — Take 2
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
I can’t decide whether I like the new format. The opening number impressed me with its energy and occasional wit, but I’m always a bit embarrassed by musical productions. Hugh Jackman, who knows that a smile counts for a lot, verged between endearing comedy and mediocre Broadway. The [...]
Hollywood’s big night — Take 1
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
It’s good to be happy. I like actors and actresses who really know how to enjoy the moment. From the little I saw of the Red Carpet pre-Oscar hoopla, supporting actress nominee Taraji P. Henson (”The Curious Case of Benjamin button”) seemed the happiest. The entire cast of [...]
Live blogging on Hollywood’s big night
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
During the evening I’ll be commenting on the 81st edition of Oscar. I’m not one for spending much time thinking about Academy Awards, so live blogging seems the best way to deal with an evening devoted to glitz, glamor and movies that most of the U.S. hasn’t seen.
Right [...]
A family falls apart and you can watch
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
The documentary “Must Read After My Death” opened in New York and Los Angeles Friday, but is available online at www.giganticdigital.com. Gigantic is exploring new models of film distribution, including day-and-date releasing for independent movies. If you don’t live in New York or LA or you’re agoraphobic, you [...]
Let there be light! But not yet.
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
Yes, I, too, get sick of the sound of my own voice. So if you’ve got something to say, email me (bdeners@gmail.com) and I’ll consider it for posting here. First entry is from Teresa, who has a complaint:
“What do you think about theaters that bring up the [...]
Movie preview: Echelon Conspiracy
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Written by Michael Vass
I saw a great film trailer recently. The movie is called Echelon Conspiracy. This could be a very good film, or it will be a miserable rip-off of several successful films. So far it’s hard to tell.
Essentially the movie revolves around a concept we have seen before. The [...]
Jackie Chan is too violent for China - Shinjuku Incident
Rating 4.00 out of 5
[?]Written by Michael Vass
If there is any movie that you might want to see, it is likely to be a film that you are told you cannot see. If that forbidden movie also happened to be an action film, with one of the most beloved and successful action stars in the [...]
Oscars: The lack of interest mounts
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
Of course, I’ll watch. And, no, I’m not particularly excited about the Oscars, which will be awarded Sunday. I have no strong rooting interests, and I’m already sick of what has become an interminable awards season. This year’s show may be spiffier — see Sunday’s New York Times [...]
Images you can bank on — and little else
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
I didn’t get to see “The International” until the night before opening, which — come to think of it — might have been a blessing. This thriller from director Tom Tykwer (”Run Lola Run” and “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer”) has a plot that’s as tangled as [...]
“Shopaholic” proves easy to resist
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
How lightweight an affair is “Confessions of a Shopaholic?” Put it this way: This woeful piece of fluff makes “Sex and the City” look like something out of Eugene O’Neill. Based on books by Sophie Kinsella, the movie follows the exploits of Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher) as she [...]
