November 2007

This Week in Independent Film

Writer/director Brian De Palma‘s (Femme Fatale, Carlito’s Way, The Black Dahlia – read that review) latest is a series of stories focusing on US soldiers fighting in Iraq and how the media covers the events.  The cast includes Patrick Carroll, Rob Devaney, Izzy Diaz, Mike Figueroa, and Ty Jones.  The film earned De Palma the prestigious Silver Lion award for directing at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.  Check out the official site.  The film opens in limited release in select cities on Friday.  Larger trailer available in the Full Diagnosis.

Redacted
N/A

This Week in Independent Film Read More »

This Week in Film

Adapted from the 1985 novel, the film tells the tale of Fermina Daza (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) and her two suitors (Javier Bardem, Benjamin Bratt) over the course of fifty years.  Check out the official site and the MySpace page.  The film opens in theaters everywhere on Friday.  Larger trailer, along with Shakira‘s music video for the film, available in the Full Diagnosis.

Love in the Time of Cholera
N/A

trailer

 

Shakira’s music video fo “Hay Amores”

This Week in Film Read More »

This Week in Independent Film

Pauline (Jennifer Jason Leigh) announces her intention to marry Malcolm (Jack Black) only to have her overbearing sister (Nicole Kidman) show up to try and change her mind.  Flora Cross, Zane Pais, and Justin Roth also star.  Check out the official site.  The chick flick cries itself into limited release in select cities on Friday.  Larger trailer available in the Full Diagnosis.

Margot at the Wedding
N/A

This Week in Independent Film Read More »

Lions for Lambs

  • Title: Lions for Lams
  • IMDb: link

“These events are going to define our lives.”
“The problem is not with the people who started this.  The problem is with us, who do nothing.”

Lions for Lambs movie review

Robert Redford‘s latest flick is what we would call a message film.  The characters themselves aren’t that important; they are only there to promote the message the director and writer want to convey.  The odd thing about the film is, for a message film, it’s all over the place.

The film moves through three different storylines.  The first involves a professor (Redford) trying to motivate on of his brightest but most apathetic students (Andrew Garfield).  The second involves the preemptive Republican nominee for President (Tom Cruise) giving an interview to a reporter (Meryl Streep) about a new military strategy.  The third story involves a group of Army Rangers (including Michael Pena and Peter Berg) making an attack inside Afghanistan.

It doesn’t really matter how the different threads connect, but if you care go see the film or simply check out the trailer.  What is important is the message of the film and what it sets out to say about America, our government, and our responsibilities and duties both at home and overseas.

Although the performances are all quite good I had more than a few issues.  I never bought Cruise as a Presidential nominee, though I could buy him as a Senator promoting his own agenda.  Nor did I buy Streep as the ace reporter who becomes too easily flustered by the circumstances and events in which she finds herself.

Lions for Lambs Read More »