While Snakes on a Plane was initially considered a failure at the multiplexes, it has all the makings of having a great life on the DVD format. Only time will tell if Snakes on a Plane has a chance at ranking up with other cult favorites like Attack of the Killer Tomatoes and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
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Being halfway in the festival, so far I have seen some pretty amazing films. The initial comment when the program was released was one of disappointment, since some very obvious titles (such as the last Altman film, A Prairie Home Companion, The Fountain and the second Richard Kelly, Southland Tales) were absent. However, my primary fears have been rejected completely. The IFFR this year only has one surprise film (usually there are two or even three, mainly because some titles are cancelled at the last moment). The thing is, the announced surprise film has a duration of 172 minutes and so has the new David Lynch… Do the math yourself. It will be shown Friday February 2 at 9.30 pm and there are still some tickets available… it’ll be worth it, trust me (or read here).
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I feel so compelled to get everyone I know to watch this movie! It’s only a little more than 7 minutes long, but this is one of the most compelling documentaries I’ve seen in a while. And the filmmaker is only 16! She is certainly one to watch for in coming years.
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With four days (okay five if you’d take the opening night into account) in the festival, I have lots of recommendations and reviews to share. However, I only have about thirty minutes a day in a very noisy press center in which I intend to finish my daily reports. Fast writing is not always easy, especially at times when you are unable to find the right words, since I am not a native speaker. Last night I attended a overly full press screening of Rescue Dawn by Werner Herzog, the second film he made about German/American Vietnam veteran Dieter Dengler. I watched some Scandinavian films and a very vague Japanese one.
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With three days into the festival the emotions the program evokes so far are mixed. It is either very good or really bad. Friday was a good day though. I started with a mockumentary about the assassination of George Bush by British film maker Gabriel Range and ended with a film by the people of Daft Punk, called Electroma I shamefully have to admit I walked out on (hence the lack of review). I realize in order to be entitled to have an opinion you should finish watching from opening to credits, but this one got on my nerves after half an hour (that was, in fact, rather fascinating) without the promise of further development. Saturday started with a bizarre Belgian film, Ex Drummer, a nominee for the Tiger Award, that was filthy yet enjoyable.
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I almost didn’t write this review. There was part of me that, on one hand, said for what the makers of this franchise set out to do, they did. What is that ‘one’ thing, you ask? Well, this is Saw III…and that should be all you need to know. If you want your splatter, helmer Darren Bousman along writers James Wan and Leigh Whannell, bring it on in full force. They do it well, even if nothing makes a lick of sense.
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For some people -and you know who you are- this bit of movie news is gold. The only real question about a possible “Chipmunks” movie is if it is going to be a holiday movie set around or in Christmas time. According to Yahoo News, the director of the Garfield sequel A Tale Of Two Kitties, Tim Hill, is talking to Fox about the project. The studio also hopes to cast “a comic actor” to play Dave Seville, friend to the singing chipmunks Alvin, Simon and Theodore- who will be CGI critters.
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Wednesday January 24th,the launch of the 36th edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam took place with the world premiere of the Argentinean black and white feature La Antena (The Aerial) by director Esteban Sapir.

Director of the festival, Sandra den Hamer opened with a speech emphasizing on the different ways films are viewed these days. Not just on a TV or cinema screen but also on cell phones and i-pods. She also underlined the importance of the Hubert Bals Fund, an essential element of the Festival, in providing financial and artistic aid for film makers worldwide. Traditionally the IFFR, that takes place from January 24th to February 4th, focuses on new film makers (some of them nominated for the prestigious Tiger Awards) and highlights independent Asian cinema.

Choking on Popcorn is there on the spot and plans to provide daily news updates and reviews of the festival’s program, starting with the opening film La Antenna and closing with The Prestige by Christopher Nolan (already reviewed here). For more information about the IFFR and its program, go to www.iffr.nl.
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The Oscar Nominations are now announced, and when presenter Selma Hayek spurted “So many Mexicans!” that is a bit of an understatement. Three of last years films, Babel, Pan’s Labyrinth and Volver have earned nominations up the wazoo. That’s not a bad thing, but the biggest shocks are the lack of love for Dreamgirls, Children of Men and the idea that Leo Decaprio was nominated. But not for The Departed. There’s also a Best Picture nominee, ( Little Miss Sunshine), that directed itself…and they still got to narrow the five producers to three.
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One of my favourite series at the moment is Grey’s Anatomy and one of my favourite characters was George O’ Malley (T.R. Knight), the rather goofy, erm-ing and err-ing intern at Seattle Grace Hospital. But after seeing the actor’s interview on Ellen, regarding an incident in which his colleague actor Isaiah Washintgton (who plays Dr. Burke) apparently called him a faggot, I am more than a little disappointed in T.R. How big a deal can you make of this?

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