Movie Review – Rififi (1955)
by NIR SHALEV
Always referred to as “the Stéphanois,” Tony (Jean Servais) is released from a five-year stint in prison as Rififi begins. He took the rap for a younger friend of his, Jo “the Swede” (Carl Möhner), and once out is already playing cards with fellow underworld gangsters and acquaintances. His eyes are tired and his movements lack panache, but he’s not too old to keep his reflexes sharp. He calls Jo and asks him to front him some cash for a poker game and soon after they are meeting with a third party, having coffee in a cafe, and he’s being told of a new jewelry heist that would take place across the street. Read more 
Movie Review – Gomorrah (2008)
by HELEN GEIB
Gomorrah is the Biblical city synonymous with unrepentant sinners. As title of the Italian film Gomorrah, it is a chilling descriptor and a play on words of Camorra, the organized crime syndicate that controls the city of Naples and the surrounding countryside. The film is based on journalist Roberto Saviano’s expose of the same title, published in 2006; it was directed by Matteo Garrone. Among other honors, Gomorrah was awarded the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival and best film at the European Film Awards for 2008. Read more
Movie Review – The Soloist (2009)
by HELEN GEIB
The Soloist is an affecting study of male friendship. Directed by Joe Wright and adapted by Susannah Grant from Steve Lopez’s book of the same title, the film stars Robert Downey Jr. as LA Times columnist Lopez and Jamie Foxx as Nathaniel Ayers, the homeless musician he befriended. Read more
Thinking Outside the Multiplex
by MIKE MACCOLLUM
What do Heather Graham, Tom Arnold and a masked Mexican wrestler all have in common? All three are in low-profile movies opening this week in and around Indianapolis. While films like The Soloist and Obsessed get the lion’s share of attention elsewhere, I like to note that other options are available as well, for those who like a little variety in their big-screen diets. An alphabetical listing of this week’s titles is up first followed by a list of the movies that are bypassing Indy (for now, at least).
April Showers – Illeana Douglas, Daryl Sabara and Tom Arnold star in this drama. According to the film’s official site, it is a “dramatized retelling of what it was like to be a survivor in the midst of the nation’s largest school shootings,” and it was written and directed by “Andrew Robinson, a survivor of the Columbine High School tragedy.” The Rave Motion Pictures Metropolis 18 in Plainfield is the only area theater showing April Showers.
Baby on Board – The Georgetown 14 is the only place in town to see this R-rated comedy, which stars Heather Graham, John Corbett, Jerry O’Connell and Lara Flynn Boyle. The film’s official site has a preview for the film, a plot synopsis and more.
Death Note L: Change the World – The third film in the Death Note series from Japan will be showing twice in the coming week, once in subtitled form (on Wednesday night, the 29th), and once dubbed into English (on Thursday, the 30th). The AMC Castleton 14, Kerasotes Showplace 16 and IMAX, Regal’s Shiloh Crossing 18 and Goodrich’s Hamilton 16 and IMAX all will be showing both versions of the film, so you can choose either good, decent, valiant and heroic subtitles, or crummy old dubbing. The Fathom Events website is the place to go to find out more about this one.
The Fighter – A made-in-Indiana action film, written and directed by its star, Javed Khan. The site for jkfilms.net, which produced the film, describes The Fighter as “a total high octane martial arts action movie.” If you would like to see The Fighter’s world premiere, then go to Terre Haute’s Meadows Theatre on Friday, April 24, at 6:30. The myspace page for the theater can be found here.
Gomorrah – Holds over for another week at Landmark’s Keystone Arts. More info at the Landmark’s Indianapolis website here.
The Informers – This seems to have been on the shelf a while, since it costars Brad Renfro, who passed away in January of 2008. Billy Bob Thornton, Wynona Ryder, Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke also star, in a film co-written by Bret Easton Ellis (who also wrote the book on which the movie was based). Only three area theaters (the Kerasotes 16 and IMAX, Regal’s Shiloh 18 and Regal’s Village Park 17) are showing this one, so you may have to do some driving to catch this on the big screen.
Mil Mascaras vs. the Aztec Mummy – Veteran masked Mexican wrestler Mil Mascaras returns to the big screen in this English-language film, which was shot in the US. The Georgetown 14 is the only place in town to see this one, which has been receiving some good reviews. Visit the film’s official site; more information can also be found on the webpage of the film’s distributor.
Sin Nombre – Held over for a second week at Landmark’s Keystone Arts.
Uchoten Hotel – The Japan-America Society of Indiana presents a special screening of this Japanese comedy (with English subtitles) on Thursday, April 30, at Franklin’s historic Artcraft Theatre. To find out more.
Movies opening elsewhere this week include Empty Nest, The Garden, Il Divo, Jazz in the Diamond District, The Mutant Chronicles, Treeless Mountain (which started on Wednesday), and Tyson (which is the only one of these films likely to make it to Indy, sooner or later). (The filmjerk.com site’s “Early Report” for this week says that another movie, Red Velvet, will also be opening on 250 screens around the country this week. This seems unlikely, however, since there is no apparent mention of an imminent theatrical release on the film’s home page- and since the site for 41Inc. (the company distributing the movie, according to filmjerk) does not mention Red Velvet at all, as far as I can tell.)
Finally, films scheduled to open in Indy next Friday (May 1) include the Russian film 12 (a remake of Twelve Angry Men) and the zombie musical Song of the Dead. More on these two and everything else opening in and around Indianapolis next week.
Movie Review – Ed Wood (1994)
by NIR SHALEV
Edward D. Wood Jr. is commonly credited as the worst film director of all time. Bride of the Monster (1955) and Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959) are two of his most popular (bad) films, but neither is as popular as the semi-autobiographical Glen or Glenda (1953). Wood starred in it and spoke to the world of his angora fetish and of his comfort in cross-dressing. Due to a lack of runs in theaters audiences had not found out about his great secret. Read more
DVD of the Week – The Wrestler (2008)
by RISHI AGRAWAL
A lot has already been said about the stellar acting in The Wrestler, especially by Mickey Rourke, in what was probably the best performance by a male actor in 2008, in his portrayal of a professional wrestler in the twilight of his career. Marisa Tomei also garnered an Oscar nomination for her role as a single-mom stripper. However, what impresses me most about the film is that director Darren Aronofsky, normally known for his arresting visuals and complex narratives, is able to tell a straightforward story with a hand-held camera. Read more
Thinking Outside the Multiplex
by MIKE MACCOLLUM
By way of introduction, I am a longtime Indianapolis resident and movie fan. Since I prefer to see movies in theaters when possible, I scan through a number of websites each week to get an idea of which movies will be opening theatrically in our fair city – and which ones will be passing us by. What follows is a list of the lesser-known movies playing in the Indy area this week; a few are already available on DVD and/or Video on Demand, but this information is for those of you who want to catch these titles on the big screen, not a small one. The movies that are (or were) playing on thousands of screens all across the country won’t be mentioned, except perhaps in passing; the intent here is to focus on the movies that you might otherwise overlook. The titles are presented in alphabetical order, followed by movies opening this week in other cities, but not Indy, and then a look ahead to the week to come. Read more
Announcing New Feature “Thinking Outside the Multiplex”
by HELEN GEIB
I’m pleased to announce the start of ”Thinking Outside the Multiplex,” a new weekly feature by a new contributor to Commentary Track, Mike MacCollum. Thinking Outside the Multiplex will complement the monthly theatrical releases post by covering theatrical screenings of foreign, independent, and other films in limited release, as well as special events, local festivals, and various odd and unusual theater programming. Basically if it’s on a movie screen in Indiana, it’s fair game. Read more
Movie Review – 17 Again (2009)
by HELEN GEIB
17 Again is a pleasant comedy-drama about a man who discovers you can’t go back, but you can learn to appreciate what you have and mend what you’ve broken. Read more
DVD of the Week – Disc Commentary Track for Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
by NIR SHALEV
Today’s DVD pick is the commentary track for Terminator 2: Judgment Day. This commentary track was recorded in a studio in 2003. It features the voices of director James Cameron and co-writer William Wisher. On this commentary, Cameron and Wisher talk about the film’s incorporation of the paradox of time travel and how although it’s a spectacular action film, it maintains its core idealism by developing its characters until the end credits run. Read more