Even if you are not a fan of the cult comic books of the same name, American Splendor is a refreshing change from the linear plot lines we are use to in movies. Here reality and fiction merge with a tag team like hand off where the actors stop to meet the real people they portray and comic book drawings pick up the plot. A great sound track as well that makes American Splendor something completely different and enjoyable.
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The latest film release from director Jim Jarmusch is a collection of vignettes that took almost 15 years for him to put together. With a cast that includes, Steve Buscemi, Iggy Pop, Tom Waits, RZA, GZA, Bill Murray and Cate Blanchett expectations are high from this director who has gained a hard core cult following. The thing is, you are either a fan of Jarmusch or you are not. So if you haven’t liked his previous films, you probably won’t like this one either. On the other hand, if you enjoy his off beat timing and quirky sense of humor like I do, this film is an odd ball delight.
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In a crowded New York City cinema I watched the latest and most ambitious agitprop by Academy award winning documentary maker, Michael Moore. For those not familiar with that term, agitprop is short for agitation propaganda and if there is one person who is a master of this genre, it’s certainly Moore. Fahrenheit 911 offers us little new information as pretty much all of the film’s content was covered in his best selling book, “Hey Dude, Where’s My Country” what it does present is a smorgasbord of imagery designed to press emotional buttons and get people angry at George W. Bush.
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Luc Besson and Mathieu Kassovitz each have several things in common. They are both very talented French directors, have worked with the French actors Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel (incidentally launching both their careers to great heights) and they both have put themselves on the cinematic chart with an unequivocal masterpiece. Kassovitz did it with the unsurpassed La Haine and Besson gave us his superb SF masterpiece The Fifth Element.

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I finally had a day off today, after overhauling this site over the last couple of weeks, besides a daytime job and freelance work. Nothing to do for hours but kick back and relax. And what better way to do that than with a typical Hollywood action flick? S.W.A.T. had been on my to-see list for a while. Because it has Samuel Jackson in it, because the trailer looked cool, and because it seemed exacly the mindless fun I love on days like these.

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With the third installment of a potential series of seven movies still hitting theaters, we Muggles can’t sit down and relax, because Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is already in the making. This time the first British director of the series, Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Mona Lisa Smile), has to direct, what will be a truly monster project both in length and budget. A closer look (some spoilers are ahead for those unfamiliar with the story of The Goblet of Fire).
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I loved Shrek when it came out in 2001. Not so much for the animation, but for the way it made fun of other movies, especially Disney’s trademark fairytale-based animations. Even though Shrek essentially had a fairytale for a story it was different, more gutsy, funnier. Disney tried to do that with movies like Lilo & Stitch but never really succeeded.

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The flapping of the wings of one butterfly can cause a typhoon to form in another part of the world. This is, in a nutshell, the Butterfly Effect. The movie named after this scientific theory shows us that a single event can change the lives of people forever. This thriller/drama starring ‘Mr Demi Moore’, Ashton Kutcher, is a very pleasant, clever, intelligent revelation.
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Sometime I see a trailer for a move and think to myself, “well, that’s one film I don’t need to see.” Luckily I don’t always go by trailers and actually see a movie that shows absolutely no promise on the basis of the preview. I say it’s luck because things are not always what they seem and The Cooler is an infinitely better film that the trailer would have you believe.

Alec Baldwin received an academy award nomination for his performance and despite all the talk about William H. Macy; there is no doubt, this is Baldwin’s film all the way…

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Being a huge fan of the books, this new Harry Potter movie was one of those movies I was eagerly looking forward to. I had heard all kinds of rumors that it would be much darker and substantially different from the previous two movies directed by Chris Columbus. Third in the series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban focuses on a more adult audience. This was also prominent in the original novel. Still, many things are the same, including most of the cast, but what is most striking is the large number of differences compared to the Columbus films. Not necessarily bad, though. Azkaban is a whole new experience.

SOME SPOILERS AHEAD

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