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Find the biggest screen you can, and go and watch Dunkirk on it. Here's our review of Christopher Nolan's extraordinary film.

There’s a moment early on in Christopher Nolan’s new film, Dunkirk, when Kenneth Branagh’s Commander Bolton mournfully looks out across the ocean from an under-siege jetty, and notes “you can practically see it from here”, he mutters, leaving a beat before adding “home”. It’s 1940, early in World War II, and the home in question sits on the other side of the English channel. 400,000 Allied troops are stranded the wrong side of it, as enemy forces – and planes – close in. It looks hopeless.

Thus, it’s a simple mission that faces Bolton and those under his command: they need to get their troops safely home, but the odds are mounting against them.

The narrative that Nolan’s film follows – based on true events, if that...

Rob Leane Apr 5, 2017

Former Doctor Who star Paul McGann will play "a surgical star" in BBC medical drama Holby City...

Paul McGann is best known among geeks as the eighth man to play the lead role in Doctor Who, but now he's set to attempt a different sort of doctoring: he's nabbed a role as a surgeon in the BBC's medical mainstay Holby City.

Mr McGann will play Professor John Gaskell, who's described in CultBox's report as "a surgical star with irrepressible charm" who will act as "the saviour of the hour when Holby struggles under a crisis, armed with a programme of surgical innovations – taking the hospital into an exciting but unknown future."

The prospect of McGann sharing scenes with long-time Holby star Guy Henry is particularly exciting for sci-fi fans. The Doctor and Grand Moff Tarkin (well, his pre-cgi on-set form in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) exchanging dialogue?...

Forza Horizon 3 has gone gold today, and to coincide with the good news, Microsoft has announced a special bonus for all owners of Halo 5: Guardians and Halo: The Master Chief collection. Those who have a copy of either title and purchase this year’s racer will get free access to the iconic Warthog vehicle from the Xbox One’s flagship franchise.

The so-called M12S Warthog will be available to drive around Forza’s tracks from day one, with codes being sent out through Xbox Live beginning this week. For those that don’t own either game and have no intention of doing so, Microsoft says you’ll have the chance to earn the bonus vehicle during a so-called Forzathon event in October.

Over 350 assorted cars will be available to burn rubber with in Forza Horizon 3 from release day on September 27, and for glimpse at the Warthog in action,...

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It's funny, it's lively, it's feel-good and it's really something special. Here's our review of Sing Street...

A rare luxury in film reviewing is a decent amount of time to consider a movie. Sing Street, the new film from Once and Begin Again director John Carney, isn’t on the surface the kind of movie you think would need it. It’s an energetic, funny coming of age story, set in 1980s Ireland, and swarming with new and classic tunes of the era. It bursts onto the screen, gleefully entertains, and then disappears again. Surely that’s that: an instant hit, and no more than that.

Yet this small, delightful film has stuck firmly in my head for two months since I’ve seen it. And I think that’s proof that details, and a real sense of hand crafting, really matter.

The film opens with teenager Conor,...

Oh say can you see… that we’re nearly at the end of Sleepy Hollow‘s third season? And that it looks like the Witnesses are headed back to the catacombs? And that yet another person in their lives is privy to the secrets of the impending apocalypse?

This week’s National Anthem-centric episode drafts FBI boss Daniel Reynolds onto Team Wtf, a development that both scares and emboldens Abbie to make like Oprah and live her best life. (“You get a mystical jug! And You get a mystical jug!”) Meanwhile, Jenny’s not ready to make nice with her dad,...

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We start our countdown of the top 20 films of 2015, with this little lot...

Democracy! You can’t beat it, right? We’ve put it to the test again this year, as we asked all contributors to Den Of Geek to send us their top five films of the year. We weighted them accordingly, stuck them into our vegetarian sausage machine, and out the other side came our annual countdown of our 20 favourite films of the year.

Over the coming week or so we’ll be going through out top ten in more detail, but for now, here are the movies that landed in positions 20 to 11…

20. MacBeth

Dread hangs like cobwebs over Justin Kurzel's magnificent adaptation of Macbeth. In his hands, Shakespeare's text becomes wayward and ominous again, rather than the familiar, vaguely cosy story many of us know from our school days. Michael Fassbender turns in...

There's no better way to guarantee success than with a little bribery every now and then! Anna Faris and Chris Pratt seem to be in the throws of potty training their son Jack, but it doesn't look like it's going too well! Faris posted an adorable photo of Jack on Twitter Thursday that shows him standing in a puddle of his own...mess. Along with the hilarious picture she wrote, "Potty training is going so great! I'm a natural! @prattprattpratt." In his hands is a bag of yogurt melts. Are these a treat to get him to hold it or was he already holding them? We may never know, but it'd be hysterical to think of yogurt melts as a treat. Upon seeing the funny photo of his son, Pratt responded to...

Batman #41

Written by Scott Snyder

Pencils by Greg Capullo

Inks by Danny Miki

Colors by Fco Plascencia

Published by DC Comics

After the events of ‘Endgame’ the cowl has undergone a transition from Bruce Wayne to Jim Gordon, yes, that Jim Gordon, the same beat walking, cigarette smoking, and mustachioed man. Scott Snyder has never shied away from making his Batman completely different from the past 75-plus years. Here in Batman #41, Snyder does the inconceivable and replaces Batman with what seems like a less athletic, less aggressive, and lesser man. Sure, the new suit helps, but is it really Batman?

Geri Powers would like to think so. She’s the CEO of the company that has built the new suit and who only wants Gordon to be Batman. Perhaps Gordon isn’t the toughest or smartest but he’s the best man for the job, he truly knows Gotham. Snyder...

Realizing you’re about to watch a new movie by the director of Point Blank, Deliverance and Zardoz is an odd experience. In his 81st year, we find John Boorman in a reflective mood, gazing into his own past and trying to assemble fragmented memories into a coherent whole. The result is Queen & Country, a loose sequel to his award-winning 1987 classic Hope & Glory.

That film followed Bill, a fictionalized childhood analogue of Boorman, through the chaos of London Blitz. Queen & Country picks up his story a decade later in 1951. Bill (Callum Turner) has just turned 18, making him eligible to be conscripted for two years of national service. Though just six years since Ve Day, the mood in the country has perceptibly shifted; the vague rumblings from Korea feeling inconsequential in comparison to the previous threat of wartime bombardment.

The majority of the film takes place within a training camp for conscripts somewhere near London.

Matador Pictures, Captain Starlight Company and Umedia have announced that pre-production has commenced on feature film Zafari, shooting on location in the UK and Spain from July 2014. Casting is still to be announced, however the film comes from writer Paul Gerstenberger (All Stars) and is helmed by Outpost 1 and II director Steve Barker (pictured above).

Zafari is a slick and contemporary cutting edge story of survival in a post-apocalyptic world. Following a major zombie outbreak, humans once again have the upper hand and life has returned to relative normality with only an occasional reminder of recent horrific events. A rogue zombie or two might find their way into everyday life but they are quickly ‘disposed’ of by the authorities.

That is, all except the ones at Zafari – a zombie safari park where people can pay to go out to hunt and shoot the undead. It is the ultimate blood-sport experience.

Exclusive: Apocalyptic tale directed by Steve Barker [pictured] will make its market debut in Cannes.

Pre-production has commenced on Zafari.

Written by Paul Gerstenberger, Steve Barker’s apocalyptic tale is produced by Nigel Thomas and Charlotte Walls of Matador Pictures, Nick Gillott of Captain Starlight and produced in association with Umedia, who also co-financed with Gloucester Place Films.

Umedia International is handling world sales and the film will make its market debut in Cannes.

It is set to shoot on location in the UK and Spain from July 2014, with casting to be announced shortly.

Following a major zombie outbreak, Zafari takes place in a zombie safari park where people can pay to hunt and shoot the undead. However, when its security is breached, a group of guests find themselves in a fight for survival against the zombies.

Thomas commented: “This marks our third collaboration with Steve Barker whose unique vision lies behind the success of the hugely popular...

Vikings, Season 2, Episode 4, “Eye for an Eye”

Written by Michael Hirst

Directed by Ken Girotti

Airs Thursdays at 10pm Est on History

Let’s not forget this about Vikings; it’s vital, it’s bloody, and it’s brutal. Michael Hirst’s fundamental grasp of the unchecked violent obsessions all leaders of that time period boasted, and the ways they indulged their lust for blood alongside their political interests, is what elevates Athelstan ultimate fate into something tremendously heart-breaking, and bizarrely necessary; as a modern audience, we recognise what cruel interests are at play, and what Athelstan himself has lost; that is, more damage to his spirit than to his flesh alone. Ego — as Rollo and others would attest to – corrodes, regardless of whether it’s a naive certainty one might better serve a different leader, or might be better absorbed into a different pack.

The same keen sense of...

Odd List Ryan Lambie Simon Brew 6 Feb 2014 - 06:08

Our series of lists devoted to underappreciated films brings us to the year 2007, and another 25 overlooked gems...

For some reason, the number three was a common factor in several blockbuster movies of 2007. The third film in the Pirates Of The Caribbean series (At World's End) dominated the box office, Spider-Man 3 marked Sam Raimi's last entry as director in the series, while Mike Myers went for a hat trick of hits with Shrek The Third.

I Am Legend was the third and most financially successful attempt to bring Richard Matheson's classic novel to the big screen, Rush Hour 3 marked Jackie Chan's last action pairing with Chris Tucker, while Zack Snyder's musky sword-swinger 300 was notable for having the number three in the title.

Iffy attempts at numerology aside, 2007 was also a superb for year for movies in general - particularly underappreciated ones,...

Real Name

Loki Laufeyson

First Appearance

Venus #6, August 1949 (historical); Journey into Mystery #85, October 1962 (modern).

Powers and Abilities

Loki is an accomplished sorcerer, capable of using magic to shapeshift, teleport, fly, generate energy blasts, ensorcell individuals, and more. Additionally, like most Asgardians, Loki possesses super-strength, durability, and longevity.

He also has a genius-level intellect and is an adept liar and manipulator, capable of conceiving and enacting elaborate, multi-layered schemes.

Friends and Allies

The Enchantress, Skurge the Executioner, Fenris Wolf, Hela, and the Midgard Serpent, Tumblr.

Foes and Antagonists

Thor, Odin, Sif, the Warriors Three, Balder, the truth, the Avengers.

Movies and Multimedia Appearances

Loki has made occasional appearances in various animated series and video games through the years, including Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, and was a recurring villain in the late, lamented Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes animated series. He plays a similar role in the...

As always, there are biases at play here; my greatest interests are symphonic music, choral music, and piano music, so that's what comes my way most often. There are some paired reviews; the ranking of the second of each pair might not be the true, exact ranking, but it works better from a writing standpoint this way.

1. Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1-4; Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80 Tragic Overture, Op. 81; Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op. 56a; 3 Hungarian Dances; 9 Liebeslieder Waltzes; Intermezzi, Op. 116 No. 4 & Op. 117 No. 1 Gewandhausorchester/Riccardo Chailly (Decca)

It is not easy, at this point in recording history, to match the giants of the baton in a Brahms cycle, but Chailly has done it (this is my fiftieth Brahms cycle, and I have more than another fifty Brahms Firsts, and upwards of thirty each of the other symphonies outside those cycles, so I've got some basis for comparison...

Here we go again guys: another Marvel Event. Ready? Let’s go – Readers Assemble!

Not willing to let the dust settle from their last “epic” Event, Age of Ultron, which ended just a few weeks ago, Marvel have kicked off their latest end-of-the-world, cosmos-spanning, life-or-death-stakes Event, Infinity, starring everybody’s favourite after-credits cameo, Thanos. Avengers and New Avengers scribe Jonathan Hickman is leading the charge this time around, his first Event title in the driver’s seat, and, though I’m wary of Marvel Events, Infinity isn’t bad. Well, it’s more complex than that – but then this is a Jonathan Hickman comic!

First off, I’m pleased to say Hickman does a fine job of setting the Event up in this first, bumper-sized issue. We know who the heroes and villains are, we know the stakes, we know the story, it’s all nicely established by Hickman through a series of mini-chapters.

Review Ron Hogan 13 May 2013 - 07:00

George R.R. Martin's script makes a great show even stronger this week. Here's Ron's review of The Bear And The Maiden Fair...

This review contains spoilers.

3.7 The Bear and the Maiden Fair

The episodes written by George R. R. Martin have traditionally been some of the best of their particular season. Since he's the man who invented the characters that inhabit this world (and the world itself for that matter), it's only natural that he seems to have the deftest touch when it comes to creating episodes and writing for the characters. In his hands, the already sharp dialogue gets that much sharper, honed and clever without being forced. His scripts tend to feel very natural, which is pretty impressive when you have slaver kings being threatened by dragons. 

That is a very important skill to have when dealing with a dialogue-heavy episode,...

Lisa Snowdon posed with a micro pig at the UK launch of the TLC channel.

Snowdon is the host of new TLC show Your Style In His Hands and was one of the celebrities attending the channel's launch party at Sketch in London last night (April 25).

Other celebrities at the party included Holly Valance, Jodie Marsh and Brix Smith Start.

Shows launching on the channel include Valance's Ultimate Shopper, Dawn O'Porter's Undercover Mums, and the UK premieres of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and Oprah's Next Chapter.

TLC will be available on Sky (channel 125), Virgin Media (channel 167), BT Vision (channel 875) and YouView on the TalkTalk Player, as well as via Sky, Virgin Media and BT Vision's on-demand services.

The channel launches on Tuesday, April 30.

The second Age of Ultron Tie-In sees the Superior Spider-man (Doc Ock in Peter Parker’s body) attempt to neutralise the Ultron threat himself using his advanced knowledge of robotics. But despite appearing to follow Iron Man’s plan involving himself and Quicksilver, Ock decides to reprogramme the Ultron drones for his own purposes and become ruler of the world! Or at least that’s the plan…

Taking place before the events of Age of Ultron #3, Christos Gage manages to create tension and made me believe Doc Ock/Spidey was actually going to take down the Ultrons himself even though I’d read Au#3 before this and knew it didn’t work. That’s some pretty good writing.

This is also the first time in the Event that Spidey has sounded like Doc Ock. In the main story arc Spidey sounds like Peter Parker but in this issue, maybe because it’s Superior Spider-man,...

The TLC Channel is launching in the UK next month. The Discovery Networks international station - dubbed ''the world's biggest female entertainment channel'' - will launch on April 30, showing hit Us shows alongside original British series. Among the UK shows which will broadcast on the channel is 'Ultimate Shopper', which will see Holly Valance, Brix Smith Start and Paul Hartnett judge the style decisions of self-proclaimed fashionistas, and 'Your Style In His Hands', where Lisa Snowdon helps four husbands and boyfriends dispose of their partner's clothes and get them a whole new wardrobe. Documentaries will include 'Undercover Mums'. The show, fronted by...

Feature Ryan Lambie Feb 15, 2013

Ahead of the launch of Metal Gear Solid: Revengeance this month, we chart the origins of Hideo Kojima's classic Metal Gear series...

When the seminal Metal Gear Solid launched to huge acclaim in 1998, many of its non-Japanese fans were probably unaware that it wasn't the first game in the series. And yet, in spite of its perfectly-formed gameplay, which defined the stealth genre and made creator Hideo Kojima a celebrity in gaming circles, Metal Gear Solid was the end result of years of refinement and experimentation by its creator.

Like so many designers whose careers began in the early 80s, Kojima initially had no particular desire to become involved in the games industry at all. It was while studying economics at university, and discovering such classics as Super Mario Bros (he later called Miyamoto's platformer, "The game of my destiny), that Kojima first began...

When it comes to Comic-Con, The CW's "Arrow" is arguably one of the most anticipated new shows of the upcoming fall season. Taking a darker, gritter approach to a beloved comic book super hero, "Arrow's" protagonist is a deeply damaged man who will stop at nothing to enact justice on the criminal element.

Zap2it sat down with executive producer Marc Guggenheim before the series' enormous panel and he let us in on some of the team's plans for the show. Here are the four things you need to know before the series debuts on Wednesday, October 10 at 8 p.m. on The CW.

Green Arrow isn't superhuman -- he's an ordinary human being in an extraordinary circumstance. Not only will Green Arrow not have any super powers, but his friends won't, either. Don't expect Superman to fly in at any point in the run of this season. "Superpowers just don't exist in our world.

(Sleepless Nights Stories opens theatrically at the Anthology Film Archives on Thursday, December 15, 2011. Visit their website to learn more.)

December can be perverse, especially in New York. Underneath the jingling bells, cinnamon, and pine, the promises and obligations to keep, there’s a pervasive anxiety about the dying light. Time flattens the remaining days like a steamroller as we frantically categorize our memories into lists of ten and wrap it all up in colored paper and ribbons. This can create a hectic, merry numbness that doesn’t subside until January’s hangover, when the cold is undeniable. Perhaps the timing is fortuitous, but I was thoroughly pleased and soothed by watching Jonas Mekas’ film Sleepless Nights Stories, a loose montage of gatherings between Mekas and his friends, inspired by his insomnia as well as the Arabian tales of One Thousand And One Nights. I hadn’t realized how immersed I...

When 2012 comes around and it’s time to announce the Oscar for Best Actor, Michael Fassbender, 34, will probably be sitting in the audience at the Hollywood Bowl with a nomination for one of his performances in Shame, Jane Eyre and A Dangerous Method, and he will almost certainly not win. But he should win. The adjudicators of the Venice Film Festival had the sense to recognize the scope of his talent earlier this year when they awarded him the prestigious Best Actor award for his unsettling performance in Shame, the controversial new film by director Steve McQueen. Set in New York, Shame, which opens on Friday, introduces us to Brandon Sullivan (Fassbender) a young Irishman who emigrated with his parents to the U.S. when he was a teenager. Brandon is now a successful businessman in the city, but he has a dark side -- he’s completely addicted to no-strings sex and hardcore pornography,...

Trailer references Jonah Hill's 'Superbad' and includes an appearance by a certain 'Parks and Recreation' star.

By Eric Ditzian

Jonah Hill in the "21 Jump Street" trailer

Photo: Columbia Pictures

The Twitter war between Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum to see who'd get to tweet the "21 Jump Street" red-band trailer didn't exactly work out as planned. Hill won, yet for some reason didn't send out the link, so Tatum stepped in and executed the tweetage. But the new footage is nonetheless here.

The action-comedy — based on Johnny Depp's '80s TV series, of course — stars Hill and Tatum as two young cops who join a resurrected undercover unit, pose as students and infiltrate a local high school to get to the bottom of a synthetic-drug ring. Depp's cameo, unsurprisingly, doesn't pop up in the new footage, but what else does? Let's go ahead and take a look at the trailer's five key moments.

Trailer references Jonah Hill's 'Superbad' and includes an appearance by a certain 'Parks and Recreation' star.

By Eric Ditzian

Jonah Hill in the "21 Jump Street" trailer

Photo: Columbia Pictures

The Twitter war between Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum to see who'd get to tweet the "21 Jump Street" red-band trailer didn't exactly work out as planned. Hill won, yet for some reason didn't send out the link, so Tatum stepped in and executed the tweetage. But the new footage is nonetheless here.

The action-comedy — based on Johnny Depp's '80s TV series, of course — stars Hill and Tatum as two young cops who join a resurrected undercover unit, pose as students and infiltrate a local high school to get to the bottom of a synthetic-drug ring. Depp's cameo, unsurprisingly, doesn't pop up in the new footage, but what else does? Let's go ahead and take a look at the trailer's five key moments.

Despite circumstances that would make most men bitter, Anton Bruckner (Sept. 24, 1824 – Oct. 11, 1896) in his mature symphonies and choral works wrote some of the most spiritual music since Bach's. Insecure, he spent his thirties studying with the dictatorial music professor Simon Sechter, who had briefly taught Franz Schubert. Brucker didn't compose a symphony until 1863, the "Study" Symphony, which he withheld (as he did the later so-called No. 0).

In Vienna, Bruckner was considered by many to be a naïve country bumpkin; he got unfairly entangled in the bitter Brahms-Wagner debates that split the city. Bruckner's symphonies were thus the object of myopic criticism from some in the Brahms camp, including powerful critic Eduard Hanslick (however, Wagner, Liszt, and Emperor Franz Joseph I were among those who praised or supported Bruckner). The unprecedented length of Bruckner's symphonies, which develop in slow-moving monoliths of sound, was an impediment for some listeners. Bruckner, an excellent organist,...

David O. Russell may have left behind the video game adaptation Uncharted, but the director's not exactly wanting for new projects to work on. The latest potential additions to his slate are a Lorenzo di Bonaventura-produced action film titled The Mission, and Disney's Sleeping Beauty retelling Maleficent. (In fact, the latter is likely the reason Russell was allegedly meeting with star Angelina Jolie last week -- Russ called it when he expressed his skepticism that Jolie would be interested in the Silver Linings female lead.) Oh yeah, and that's in addition to The Silver Linings Playbook and a handful of other projects he's been linked to previously. The man has been keeping himself very, very busy. More details after the jump. Russell revealed his involvement with the di Bonaventura project in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, where he also discussed his reason for leaving Uncharted (it was "a parting of the ways creatively"). Though the article did not give any further details on the film, the clever folks over at The Playlist have managed to dig up a 2008 story from Variety that offers a little more insight: Warner Bros. has acquired an untitled action thriller pitch about the rescue of 15 hostages from the Colombian jungle last summer...

The Tfe reader community investigation continues. Get to know more about the other people reading this site! Maybe they're reading what you're reading at exactly the same time! Today we're talking to Ester in Brooklyn who is also a writer.

Nathaniel: Do you remember your first movie experience or obsession? Ester: My father took me to see the theatrical re-release of Song of the South in 1986, when I was four. I'm sure he gave me a lecture afterward about historical inaccuracies but all I remember is the animated "Zip-a-Dee-Do-Dah" bluebird and being enthralled by the big screen. A little later on, I became obsessed with Jack Nicholson. It started with "Chinatown," which I would watch anytime I was sick because it was guaranteed to make me forget what hurt, and "Terms of Endearment," because I adored his relationship with the ballsy, hilarious Shirley MacLaine.

Imagine yourself as supreme empress of the cinema.

Filed under: Features, Oscar News, Golden Globes News

Paul Giamatti is much like his theme song in 'Sideways' -- a little off-the-dial, old-school smarmy and time-defying in that insidiously charming way that sucks you in, no matter what your inclinations. On paper, his oft-used cinematic persona is the least likely hero. He's round and schlubby, often oozing bitter discontent. His characters snarl and bitch, involving themselves in any number of unsavory deeds. Yet though he became famous for these distasteful actions, it isn't in a love-to-hate-him sort of way.

From Harvey Pekar to Barney Panofsky, Paul Giamatti has made us love the easy-to-loathe underdog. In his hands, the unlikeable becomes heartfelt and likeable, or at the very least, forgivably engaging. And after one Oscar nomination ('Cinderella Man') and two Golden Globe nods, he finally won one, earning the Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture,...

The delivery of a joke is just as important as the joke if not more so. We categorize comedy as “dry”, “blue”, “dark” etc. because the effectiveness of the joke differs depending on the delivery. It’s a simple concept and shouldn’t need stating, but someone should have told director Jay Roach when he signed on to do Dinner for Schmucks. The film is ostensibly a dark comedy about a man so desperate for a promotion that he’s willing to amuse his evil corporate superiors by humiliating a gullible stranger. Roach is an unremarkable director who has managed to be at the helm of major hits like the Austin Powers franchise and the first two Meet the Parents movies. In his hands, a dark, offbeat comedy becomes a scattershot approach that sometimes gets a big laugh and other times leaves the audience wondering how someone could make a...

The recent trend of scaling up small screen projects to the movie screen continues with M. Night Shyamalan’s version of The Last Airbender. Originally titled Avatar: The Last Airbender, the producers changed the title fearing that a much smaller, independent arthouse movie that you’ve probably never heard of might confuse moviegoers as to which Avatar they were actually going to see.

The debate surges over whether this can by Shyamalan’s return-to-form after many critics and moviegoers gave a cold reception to his last film The Happening. He’s an excellent filmmaker with serious storytelling chops. With this project he’s mining a world of stories that are beloved to many, well-developed, and sequel friendly. In his hands this could be something spectacular. Our first big peek is just below. Here’s to hoping for a knockout from one of Hollywood’s finest auteur’s.

DVD Playhouse—April 2010

By

Allen Gardner

Ride With The Devil (Criterion) Ang Lee’s revisionist take on the Civil War is awash in moral ambiguity, along with some stunning cinematography, production design, and fine performances. Set during the Kansas-Missouri border war, Tobey Maguire and Skeet Ulrich star as two friends who join up with the Confederate-sympathizing Bushwhackers, finding an odd ally in a former slave (Jeffrey Wright). While it’s fascinating to see America’s bloodiest conflict through the eyes of a foreigner, thereby allowing much of the previously mentioned ambiguity a certain latitude, the film never loses the bad taste it leaves for one simple reason: it asks us, the audience, to side with not just the Confederates, but some of the lowest trash that made up the dregs, and the fringes, of the movement. Big points for audacity, but snake eyes on the story itself. Singer Jewel is impressive in her film debut.

After the popularity of Pixar's Up and the dynamic digital illusions in Avatar, could the next big technical step in animation come from a piece of charcoal?

Opening today at the Museum of Modern Art an exhibition entitled William Kentridge: Five Themes celebrates the work of the enormously influential South African artist who is a dominant force in contemporary art. Kentridge emerged from relative obscurity in the late '90s with a series of animated films entitled "Nine Drawings for Projection." These were films of expressionistic drawings done in stop motion technique or what Kentridge calls "stone-age animation." These were not mere moving comic strips but grand tableaus that offered rich visual narratives executed in charcoal with astounding virtuosity. Accompanied by an eclectic soundtrack they were thematically dark and complex confronting the social and political turmoil of South Africa with total absence of irony that was refreshing.

To fully appreciate...

Year: 2009

Directors: Werner Herzog

Writers: Herbert Golder, Werner Herzog

IMDb: link

Trailer: link

Review by: Bob Doto

Rating: 7.9 out of 10

My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done (hitherto called My Son) is a very strange little film. “Strange,” not in the sense of its content, but in the sense of its handling. “Little” in the sense of its simplicity. “Very” in the sense of I want you to see it.

My Son is a film loosely based on the life and criminal acts of Mark Yavorsky who one day walked across the street, took out a sword, and killed his mother. Then he walked home. And that was that. That’s the story. And that much we’re told within the first fifteen minutes of the film, so you can guess this work isn’t necessarily about plot development.

Herzog has referred to his approach to this film as “guerilla.

Warner Bros. has joined Haut et Court and Cine @ to finance and produce Anne Fontaine's upcoming biopic "Coco Avant Chanel," according to Variety.

Based on Edmonde Charles-Roux's book "L'Irreguliere," the film examines the life and career of renowned fashion designer Coco Chanel. Fontaine wrote the script along with Camille Fontaine and consultant Christopher Hampton. 

French actress Audrey Tautou stars as the titular character. Tautou's acting credits include "Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain" (Amelie), "A Very Long Engagement" and "Priceless."

Production is scheduled to start this September, with a release date planned for later next year. Karl Lagerfeld, art director of the House of Chanel, will assist in the recreation of dresses and accessories.

I'm definitely not a fashion guru, but I am most certainly looking forward to this project, primarily because of the casting of Tautou, who is undoubtedly the best choice for this complex role.

Plus, I...