by TOM NIXON
The most interesting thing about Fantastic Mr. Fox, disappointingly, is that Wes Anderson decided to do a Roald Dahl adaptation in the first place. The idea of projecting Dahl’s escapist fantasies of grotesquery through the lens of Anderson’s too-close-for-comfort tragicomic ensemble dramas is an exciting one, especially as both like to mine the messy sprawl of family bonds for their respective brands of idiosyncrasy and both meticulously order their cluttered, off-beat scenarios in ways that instill personality above and beyond the characters. Ultimately though the film is less an intriguing blend than a fun little side project, more Anderson than Dahl and puzzlingly less mature for that; concerned as it is with being a cute little exercise in style, the film neglects Dahl’s relative darkness and its attempts at thorniness feel half-hearted and trivial. (more…)
by MIKE MACCOLLUM
LIMITED RELEASE THEATRICAL OPENINGS IN INDIANA THIS WEEK – If you enjoy Indian films on the big screen, then this is your kind of week at the Georgetown 14 - five movies from India will be playing at that theater between now and next Friday. The Keystone Arts has no new limited release films this week, since Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire also will be at five other local theaters, and will be on multiple screens at several venues (including the Landmark). For all of the news on what’s new (and holding over) in the world of limited-release films across the state, read on below. (more…)
by NIR SHALEV
Based on the book by Ron Jonson, The Men Who Stare at Goats is a comedic romp about psychic soldiers, or Jedi warriors as they like to be called, who were recruited by the American military after Vietnam and taught how to fight armed only with their minds. Sounds crazy? Well, its craziness only makes the story more realistic. (more…)
by HELEN GEIB
One of the criticisms I heard of the new Star Trek film, a prequel to the original “Star Trek” TV show and a re-launching of the franchise it spawned, was that it was overly focused on action and comedy at the expense of the social commentary intrinsic to series creator Gene Roddenberry’s vision. My informal survey of people who watched the series when it first aired (that would be my parents) produced two responses to this criticism: the first, that action and comedy were just as important as social commentary to the show’s appeal, if not even more so; and the second, that the show was worth watching despite the overt sermonizing, not because of it. (more…)
by HELEN GEIB
Astro Boy is an animated family film about a robot boy who becomes a superhero. Although the film is an American production, Astro Boy’s hero is the latest incarnation of a character created by pioneering Japanese author and animator Osamu Tezuka in the early 1950s. Astro originated in manga and after a successful print career, made the transition to the small screen as the star of the first anime series. International success followed when the anime series became one of the first Japanese cartoons broadcast in the U. S. (more…)
by MIKE MACCOLLUM
So many movies (25!) opened nationally in limited release this weekend that it took an extra day – and a separate post – to do them justice.
OPENING ELSEWHERE – Of the twenty-plus movies below, only one (Fantastic Mr. Fox) is likely to open in many Indiana theaters – and only one other (The Messenger) sounds like it has a shot at an art house run in Indiana. (more…)
by MIKE MACCOLLUM
Who knew that November was such a big time of the year for film festivals of various sorts in Indiana? I certainly didn’t – but a surprising number of festivals take place this week and next around the state. The Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival is this weekend, and Muncie’s Harvest Moon Film Festival continues on Friday and Saturday, while The Other Side of Paradise Short Film Festival may hit Indy on November 17 (see the “Theatrical Holdovers…” section below) – and one other film festival and an anime convention/celebration are set for next weekend (see “Next Week and Beyond” section). For all of the news on the (smallish this week) number of limited-release films hitting Indiana theaters this weekend, and the theatrical holdovers and special screenings throughout the state, read on below…. (more…)
by NIR SHALEV
After writing the screenplays to L.A. Confidential and Conspiracy Theory (both 1997), Brian Helgeland wrote a screenplay for a movie called Payback. Payback is based on the novel “The Hunter” by famed mystery author Donald E. Westlake. The novel had been earlier transformed into a film called Point Blank (1967); that version was directed by John Boorman (Deliverance) and starred Lee Marvin. The second version starred Mel Gibson and was directed as well as written by Helgeland. (more…)
by RISHI AGRAWAL
I’m not a huge fan of animation, but the Pixar films consistently deliver, and Up is no exception. If you happened to miss the film in the theaters (for shame – it looked pretty damned amazing in 3-D), then this is your opportunity to watch a very good film. You can argue about whether the Pixar films are great (sometimes the films are more entertaining than good) or whether this is one of the better films in the franchise (the final act of Up is fairly predictable), but I feel sorry for anyone who says that Pixar films are not worth watching, because that would mean their inner child has died. (more…)
by HELEN GEIB
A Christmas Carol is the responsibility of Robert Zemeckis, who wrote the screenplay, directed, and chose to make the film using his pet technology of performance-capture animation. He has accomplished the incredible feat of sapping the warmth and spirit from Dickens’ justly beloved story. The visual technique is not the only thing lifeless and cartoonish about this Carol. (more…)
