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Movie Review: A New Eden, Both Cosmic and Cinematic Avatar (Fox) (2009)

By MANOHLA DARGIS ~ With “Avatar” James Cameron has turned one man’s dream of the movies into a trippy joy ride about the end of life — our moviegoing life included — as we know it. Several decades in the dreaming and more than four years in the actual making, the movie is a song to the natural world that was largely produced with software, an Emersonian exploration of the invisible world of the spirit filled with Cameronian rock ’em, sock ’em pulpy action. Created to conquer hearts, minds, history books and box-office records, the movie — one of the most expensive in history, the jungle drums thump — is glorious and goofy and blissfully deranged.The story behind the story, including a production budget estimated to top $230 million, and Mr. Cameron’s future-shock ambitions for the medium have already begun to settle into myth (a process partly driven by the publicity, certainly). Every filmmaker is something of a visionary, just by virtue of the medium. But Mr. Cameron, who directed the megamelodrama “Titanic” and, more notably, several of the most influential science-fiction films of the past few decades (“The Terminator,” “Aliens” and “The Abyss”), is a filmmaker whose ambitions transcend a single movie or mere stories to embrace cinema as an art, as a social experience and a shamanistic ritual, one still capable of producing the big WOW. CONTINUE READING...

'Up in the Air' leads Golden Globes with 6 noms

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -The recession-era tale "Up in the Air" led Golden Globe film contenders Tuesday with six nominations, among them best drama and acting honors for George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick. Other drama picks were the space fantasy "Avatar," the Iraq War tale "The Hurt Locker," the World War II saga "Inglourious Basterds" and the Harlem drama "Precious: Based on the Novel `Push' by Sapphire." The musical "Nine" ran second with five nominations, including best musical or comedy and acting slots for Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz and Marion Cotillard. Also competing for musical or comedy are the romance "(500) Days of Summer," the bachelor-party bash "The Hangover" and two Meryl Streep films, "It's Complicated" and "Julie & Julia." Streep is competing against herself as best actress in the musical or comedy, as chef Julia Child in "Julie & Julia" and a woman in an affair with her ex-husband in "It's Complicated." In TV categories, nominations for drama series went to HBO's "Big Love," Showtime's "Dexter," Fox's "House," AMC's "Mad Men" and HBO's "True Blood." Musical or comedy series bids went to NBC's "30 Rock," HBO's "Entourage," Fox's "Glee," ABC's "Modern Family" and NBC's "The Office." Nominees in the miniseries or movie category went to Lifetime Television's "Georgia O'Keeffe," PBS' "Little Dorrit," and three HBO offerings, "Grey Gardens," "Into the Storm" and "Taking Chance." "Up in the Air" generally has been considered a comedy, but its inclusion in the film drama category could give it more weight as a potential favorite for the Academy Awards, where dramatic films tend to dominate. The film also earned best-director and screenplay nominations for Jason Reitman. "I can't put into words how exciting it is to feel and to know that I'll be going to the Golden Globes with everyone I worked with on this film," Reitman said. "This was one of those ensembles that we really enjoyed working together. We're a tight-knit family. The idea that we're going together is just wonderful." The directing category pits "Avatar" filmmaker James Cameron against ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow for "The Hurt Locker." Other directing nominees were Clint Eastwood for the South African rugby drama "Invictus" and Quentin Tarantino for his World War II rewrite "Inglourious Basterds." Playing a frequent-flyer junkie in "Up in the Air," Clooney had a nomination for best dramatic actor, along with Jeff Bridges as a boozy country singer in "Crazy Heart," Colin Firth as a grieving gay academic in "A Single Man," Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela in "Invictus" and Tobey Maguire as a prisoner of war in "Brothers." "I suspect we will do a little bit of celebration, not a whole lot, you know. But it's wonderful news," said Freeman, who got the nomination news in South Africa, where he is appearing for premieres of "Invictus." With four nominations, Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" had a surprisingly strong showing. The film was a hit with audiences and critics, but it was considered a bit of an awards longshot beyond a performance by Christoph Waltz, a supporting-actor nominee as a gleefully savage Nazi. CONTINUE READING...

Law Abiding Citizen: Trailer

‘Precious’ Wins Toronto Film Festival Prize

Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire” won the top award at the Toronto International Film Festival Saturday, giving the Oprah Winfrey-produced film some early momentum heading into Oscar awards season. The film, a gritty tale of the abuse and redemption of a teenage girl in Harlem, captured the festival’s People’s Choice award, which is voted on by filmgoers. Last year it went to best picture Oscar winner “Slumdog Millionaire.” Critics have roundly praised “Precious” since its debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and audiences in Toronto warmly received the film, which is directed by Lee Daniels and will hit theaters in November. (Continue Reading…)

Bring Your A Game!

On Saturday, September 12, come to the Schomburg in Harlem and spend the evening with UPTOWN!

You'll share the evening with actor-director Mario Van Peebles, activist-author Kevin Powell and other celebrities to watch and celebrate the broadcast premiere of Twenty First Century Foundation's (21CF) groundbreaking documentary film, Bring Your "A" Game, on BET.

Bring Your "A" Game was created to generate a national conversation on the plight of Black men and boys, and underscores how essential educational achievement and high school graduation are to survival and success in today's world.

The talk back following the screening will be moderated by award-winning journalist, social activist and political commentator Jeff Johnson who is the chief correspondent for The Truth with Jeff Johnson, a hard-hitting, talk show that delivers a varied and vibrant view of the news, while
examining issues to engage BET viewers in front of a live studio audience.

Buy tickets, HERE
More about the film, HERE

Portraits of Black Trans Men

By Jorge Antonio Vallejos ~ Exclusion is something Kortney Ryan Ziegler does not tolerate. An accomplished blogger and filmmaker, Ziegler (pictured here) noticed that movies about transgender people ignored the stories of Black people. “Trans films are predominantly white. They give space to trans bodies, but they exclude people of color,” says Ziegler.No more. Ziegler’s film Still Black: A Portrait of Black TransMen was released last year (clips can be seen at stillblackfilm.org). The film has been shown in several LGBT film festivals including Frameline in San Francisco and Outfest in Los Angeles. Putting out a casting call through various LGBT list serves and through word of mouth, Ziegler initially conducted phone interviews before choosing to focus on six Black trans men: Kylar Broadus, Ethan Young, Louis Mitchell, Jay Welch, Nicholas Rashad and Carl Madgett. Charismatic and honest, the men demonstrate that there are as many ways to be Black and trans as there are Black trans people.  “They may change their bodies and who they are, but they’re still Black. It’s sexy,” says Ziegler. “Whatever they do with their lives, their Blackness is still visible.”    Ziegler leaned on personal experience to make the film. The Black 28-year-old identifies as genderqueer and rejects both male and female pronouns, preferring the plural “they.” Raising $25,000 through online fundraising, Ziegler shot the film over a six-month period and edited for another six months. “If you don’t get a grant you can still make a film—you just have to be creative,” says Ziegler, who earned an undergraduate degree in film at University of California at Santa Cruz and has produced five films. Still Black is Ziegler’s first feature documentary.   Working now on a Ph.D. in African American Studies at Northwestern University, Ziegler is the writer behind the award-winning blog Bla(k)ademic (blackademic.com). “Academic writing is exclusive. The blog helped me reach a wider amount of people than my seminar papers can do,” says Ziegler, who is now achieving that goal with the new film.“We get emails from all over, from people of different colors saying the film has changed their lives,” Ziegler says.But Ziegler notes that no invites have come from film festivals, which routinely fly out white trans filmmakers for screenings and talks. “We would like to be treated the way white trans filmmakers are treated. We’re not stupid. There’s a pattern where people of color are second. Whites come first,” says Ziegler.Despite these disappointments, Ziegler is still positive and hopes viewers of the film will step outside their comfort zone. “The people in the film stepped outside of theirs. I hope people see the film and feel the same way.” For more about the film, go to stillblackfilm.org. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

'TAXIDERMIA'

TAXIDERMIA [NR] Opens in select U.S. theaters beginning August 14.Official site:  http://www.taxidermia-themovie.com

SYNOPSIS

TAXIDERMIA contains three generational stories, about a grandfather, a father, and a son, linked together by recurring motifs. The dim grandfather, an orderly during World War Two, lives in his bizarre fantasies; he desires love. The huge father seeks success as a top athlete - a speed eater - in the post-war pro-Soviet era. The grandson, a meek, small-boned taxidermist, yearns for something greater: immortality. He wants to create the most perfect work of art of all time by stuffing his own torso. Historical facts and surrealism become intertwined as magical realism, like in the works of Gabriel García Marquez or the Hungarian writer Lajos Parti Nagy; the script is based on two of the latter's stories. Palfi added the third story, that of the grandson the taxidermist.

BLACK FILMS WOULD SELL OVERSEAS CUZ WE SET THE TRENDS

By Casey Gane-McCalla ~ Spike Lee and Tyler Perry Spike Lee Compares Tyler Perry To Amos and Andy Spike Lee had an interview with Ed Gordon on Our World with Black Enterprise scheduled to air this weekend. In the interview he complained about “coonery and buffoonery” and both of Tyler Perry’s shows “Meet the Browns” and “House of Payne,” comparing them to characters from minstrel shows. From EurWeB ~“We’ve had this discussion back and forth. When John Singleton [made 'Boyz in the Hood'], people came out to see it. But when he did ‘Rosewood,’ nobody showed up. So a lot of this is on us! You vote with your pocketbook, your wallet. You vote with your time sitting in front of the idiot box, and [Tyler Perry] has a huge audience. We shouldn’t think that Tyler Perry is going to make the same film that I am going to make, or that John Singleton or my cousin Malcolm Lee [would make]. As African-Americans, we’re not one monolithic group, so there is room for all of that. But at the same time, for me, the imaging is troubling and it harkens back to ‘Amos n’ Andy.’”OPINION: Why Tracy Morgan Isn’t Taking Us Two Steps ~“Each artist should be allowed to pursue their artistic endeavors, but I still think there is a lot of stuff out today that is coonery and buffoonery. I know it’s making a lot of money and breaking records, but we can do better. … I am a huge basketball fan, and when I watch the games on TNT, I see these two ads for these two shows (Tyler Perry’s “Meet the Browns” and “House of Payne”), and I am scratching my head. We got a black president, and we going back to Mantan Moreland and Sleep ‘n’ Eat?

Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

Jada Pinkett Smith's 'Human Contract' to Hit DVD in June

Jada Pinkett Smith's film, 'The Human Contract,' will be released on DVD on June 30. Starring in the film are Jason Clarke, Spanish superstar Paz Vega, Idris Elba, Pinkett Smith, Ted Danson, Joanna Cassidy and Tessa Thompson. The film follows Julian Wright (Clarke), a charming and megasuccessful businessman with a secret. With his personal life in shambles, Julian finds himself willing to travel down the rabbit hole, when he meets Michael Reed (Vega), a gorgeous stranger who entices Julian to forget his rigid corporate world and adopt a more bohemian lifestyle, a decision that not only affects his life but also inspires his half-sister, Rita (Pinkett Smith), to re-examine her own. Pinkett Smith, who makes her directorial debut, wrote the script. Husband Will Smith is one of the executive producers.

Star Trek: Trailer

Star Trek: The Movie

Fans fixate on Beyonce as 'Obsessed' takes in $28M

LOS ANGELES – Audiences were in the mood for some fatal attraction action at the box office. Beyonce Knowles and Idris Elba's "Obsessed" debuted as the top weekend movie with $28.5 million in ticket sales. The Sony Screen Gems thriller stars Knowles and Elba as a couple whose ideal marriage lands on the rocks after a psychotic temp played by Ali Larter begins stalking the husband.The strong opening for "Obsessed" helped maintain Hollywood's hot streak, with overall revenues at about $112 million, up 23.5 percent from the same weekend last year, according to box-office tracker Media By Numbers.The busy summer season starts Friday with 20th Century Fox's spinoff "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," starring Hugh Jackman in the title role he played in three "X-Men" blockbusters.Studios head into summer on a box-office tear, with receipts running at a record pace. Revenues for the year are at $3.06 billion, up 17.4 percent over last year. Factoring in higher ticket prices, movie attendance is up 15.7 percent."We have never been in this strong a position heading into the summer season, ever," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers.

Terrence Howard, a hustler in 'Fighting'

A sharp-dressed man in a tailored black suit, noodling on an acoustic-electric guitar, Terrence Howard bears no resemblance to Harvey, his two-bit hustler character in "Fighting." Howard's sharply drawn portrait of a street-fighting coach who takes one more chance on a young street fighter (Channing Tatum) is one of the film's strengths. Howard said he chose the film after being impressed by director and co-writer Dito Montiel's Sundance Film Festival hit debut, "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints," which also starred Tatum.

Q: I know this will sound bad, but I was surprised how good "Fighting" is. There's a level of detail you don't expect in this genre. The extras casting is great; the location scouting is great.

A: A lot of directors will make the mistake of giving their child to a babysitter way too early. Dito made sure his baby stayed in his hands. He set up the play dates and the friends at the play dates, made sure they were trustworthy and telling the same story.

This film is a beautiful, beautiful walk on that journey from "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints." I think every director is still telling the same story, just from different perspectives. Look how many sci-fi films Steven Spielberg has made - always about something from the unknown, coming. He's still trying to understand some vision that was shared with him a long time ago. Every director is trying to reflect some light that was shared with them, I think.

Q: I liked Harvey.

A: Harvey is the broken nature when you refuse to fix the pieces, when you refuse to tie up your shoelaces. No matter how many times he trips over them, he refuses to tie them. So he's forever slumping his way through the city and never able to pick up any momentum because he can't keep his feet beneath him. That was a dark place to live, as that character; someone who no longer believes in his own reflection. CONTINUE READING...

Movie Trailer: Next Day

American Violet

Regent Acquires U.S. Rights for "Shake Hands with the Devil"

LOS ANGELES -- February 26, 2009 -- Regent Releasing, a leading independent U.S. film distributor, announced today that it has acquired U.S. distribution rights to the docudrama "Shake Hands With The Devil," from EMMY®-nominated director Roger Spottiswoode and OSCAR®-winning producer Michael Donovan of "Bowling for Columbine." Regent acquired the film from Halifax Film, a DHX Media company and will distribute the film in the summer of 2009.Nominated for 13 Genie Awards (the Canadian equivalent of the Academy Award) including Best Motion Picture and Best Achievement in Direction, "Shake Hands With The Devil" is based on the acclaimed best-selling book by Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire. The film was directed by Roger Spottiswoode ("Tomorrow Never Dies" and EMMY®-nominated drama "And The Band Played On.") The film stars the award-winning actor Roy Dupuis as Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire and Deborah Kara Unger as Emma. "Regent is honored to bring Lieutenant-General Dallaire's inspiring story to US audiences this summer," said Mark Reinhart, General Manager and Executive Vice President Distribution and Acquisitions for Regent. "'Shake Hands With The Devil' illustrates a beautiful message of humanity through the perseverance and courageous acts of one man." "Shake Hands With The Devil" marks one of many additions to an impressive slate of first-rate and thought-provoking world cinema, which Regent has acquired in recent months. Upcoming releases include the 2008 Academy Award® winner for Best Foreign Language Film, "Departures," the 2008 Cannes Un Certain Regard Jury prize winner "Tokyo Sonata," Iran's Official entry for the 81st Academy Awards®, "The Song of Sparrows," the 2008 Cannes Official Competition entry "Serbis," and two-time Annie Award nominee, "$9.99." The film has already garnered attention and support from activist organizations around the world including, Amnesty International and American Red Cross. On Tuesday, February 24, "Shake Hands With The Devil" was screened at BAFTA. The special screening of the film hosted by Time Magazine International, International Crisis Group and Bono's ONE Organization. Following the screening, a distinguished panel including, Simon Robinson (Senior Editor Time Europe), Lord Malloch Brown (UK's Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN), Justin Forsyth (Gordon Brown's policy adviser) singer Bob Geldof, the film's director Roger Spottiswoode, Colonel Bob Stewart (who headed the first UN mission to Bosnia) and Donald Steinberg (head of the International Crisis Group and President Clinton's advisor on Africa) discussed the issues raised by the film. In 1993, the United Nations dispatches Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire (Roy Dupuis) to far-off Rwanda to oversee a fragile cease-fire. The peace agreement between the rebels (led by the minority Tutsi ethnic group) and the Hutu majority group was on shaky ground. When an unknown group shoots down the Rwandan President's plane, the storm breaks and a secret genocidal campaign against the Tutsi minority begins with a night of terror in Kigali. Dallaire is forced to deal with far-away superiors and the studied indifference of the world's great powers while trying to take decisive action to stop the genocide of more than 800,000 innocent civilians. For more information about the film, please visit http://www.shakehands-themovie.com/ or http://www.regentreleasing.com

JAZMINE SULLIVAN SOARS INTO NEW FILM: Singer books role in movie about Tuskegee Airmen

Up and coming R&B artist Jasmine Sullivan, a recipient of five Grammy nominations, takes a leap into acting with her first film role to begin shooting in April.The Philadelphia singer/songwriter has a plum role in director Anthony Hemingway's "Red Tails," reports Billboard. "I play a singer who entertains soldiers," says Sullivan, who will appear in the movie alongside current touring partner Ne-Yo. "I'm really just entertainment for them, but I kind of get a little relationship going with one of them. So that's very exciting." "I used to act when I was younger, in little plays," adds Sullivan, who attended Philadelphia's Creative and Performing Arts high school. "It never was really a passion of mine. It's just something I did and I could do. Anything where I can be creative, I like to do."        Sullivan also has a TV project in the works but says she can't reveal details yet. She's not yet sure about a fourth single from her debut album "Fearless," and a follow CD appears to be on the back burner at the moment. "I haven't discussed it with the label [Atlantic]," Sullivan says. "They aren't pressuring me yet. I think we all are trying to get ('Fearless') heard worldwide. But I am thinking of songs these days.  SOURCE:EURWEB.COM