The third annual festival organised by Het Parool in which Oscar-nominated films are screened over the weekend of 28, 29 February at Path’ De Munt, Amsterdam, in the lead up to the actual Oscars ceremony in the wee hours of 30 February (29 February in the US).

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And it’s here. The list of nominees for the 2004 Academy Awards. There are some odd choices from the Academy as well as some unexpected outsiders. As usual. Some are public favorites, others favorites of the Academy but not of the public. Some of the writers for Choking on Popcorn have looked into their chrystal balls and have handed in their list with winners. There is also a list of all the nominees with descriptions. So if you want to have an idea of what you have to go see before February 29 check out this article…

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Personally I am not that much a fan of the (modern) western genre, but I was kinda curious when Once Upon a Time in Mexico hit the big screen here last night. Director Robert Rodriguez was already responsible for the other two movies of what is officially a trilogy, namely El Mariachi and Desperado. What made me decide to go see this flick was its top cast but it’s such a pity that this is exactly what this movie should gain its success from. The script is a total mess; a bumpy road full of plot holes. And it is Johnny Depp (again) who saves the movie. Although Depp has to be careful not to be typecast, it’s beginning to become a habit he repeats over and over again.

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Wow’ things are so Japan-centric these days. The Last Samurai, Kill Bill Vol. 1, Dark Water, Ringu and the great Miyazaki animation feature Spirited Away. And I can add another one to this list if it weren’t for a Western view on Japanese society or to be more precise: how Western people are caught up between a language they don’t speak, a writing they can’t read and habit and customs they simply don’t get.

This culture shock is uniquely presented in Sofia Coppola’s third movie: Lost In Translation the follow-up to her amazing, dreamy The Virgin Suicides. And if you liked the latter you will undoubtedly embrace her latest work. The cousin of Nicolas Cage, Coppola tends to co-write her own screenplays and always puts in something of her own spirit into her movies. But the real star of Lost In Translation, however, is no other than Bill Murray. Bring on the Oscar’

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I remember seeing a trailer for this movie a while back and thinking “there’s one movie I won’t need to go and see”. Well, last night this horrible waste of celluloid turned out to be the Sneak Preview movie…

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Music video/commercial directors Jonze, Cunningham and Gondry got together to produce these 3 DVD’s, each containing not only examples of the directors’ music video work, but also loads of extra material such as storyboards, interviews, short films and a beautifully made booklet to accompany each director’s DVD. Michel Gondry is my new hero!

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Times are weird here in this cold wet stubborn megalomaniac dump we call the Netherlands. I am not going to bore you with the recent developments in this country, but when I heard about Shouf Shouf Habibi! playing at the local sneak preview I had mixed feelings about seeing it. Dutch movies are normally not that much of an experience to watch: bad lip-synched dialogues, bad camerawork and bad directing. And nine out of ten Dutch movies are either about World War II or sex. Dutch cinema is doing well though these days despite the lack of government support. And I must admit I have seen some pretty good Dutch movies recently.

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Asian horror movies are a popular trend these days. The Japanese Ringu (The Ring) was a huge success, especially after its Hollywood remake. Another example is The Eye (Jian Gui) from Thailand that is also awaiting an American remake. Honogurai Mizu No Soko Kara (Dark Water) is a powerful installment by Ringu director Hideo Nakata about to be released here in the Netherlands. And the Hollywood remake, starring Jennifer Conolly, is expected at the end of a new year crammed with cinematic surprises. But why remake something perfect?

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This small movie is typically one of those showcases for an actress like Nicole Kidman to -once again- strut her stuff as an accomplished actress. She plays the Russian mail-order bride Sophia that turns the world of a bland bank clerk, John (Ben Chaplin), upside down and inside out. This poor guy gets more than what he bargained for as his humdrum life will never be the same when things really turn awry -and the movie subsequently sways a bit out off course.

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Remakes. Every good movie that was released let’s say 20 to 50 years ago gets its remake these days. Very often a sign of weakness in the hills of Hollywood, where they ran out of ideas ten years ago. One of the most powerful horror movies of the 70’s, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has been given that treatment. Well I haven’t seen the original, so the only way to approach this 2003 remake is by seeing it independently. What I do know (but just because I read so much about movies besides seeing them) is that his remake is far more explicit in its imagery and they kinda changed the ending a bit. If you want to read more about the original, click here. If you want to know more about the one coming out soon, here in the lowlands, please read on.

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