DVD of the Week – The Leopard (1963)
by HELEN GEIB
Luschino Visconti’s The Leopard is now available on DVD and Blu-ray in a handsomely packaged edition from Criterion. The masterful adaptation of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s great novel stars Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon, and Claudia Cardinale. Criterion has given the film a high-definition digital transfer with restored image and sound, and preserved the original “Super Technirama” widescreen aspect ratio. Instilling confidence in the proceedings, the transfer was supervised by the film’s cinematographer, Giuseppe Rotunno. Read more 
Movie Review – Toy Story 3 (2010)
by HELEN GEIB
Woody, Buzz, and the gang are back for more adventures and, at the last, to bid farewell in Toy Story 3. Their owner Andy is all grown up now and headed off to college. Although intended for the attic, the toys- the favorites, the ones who have survived the yard sales and spring cleanings- mistakenly end up being donated to the local daycare. On the surface, Sunnyside is toy heaven, an idyllic place where toys are played with every day. However, the reality behind the sparkling facade is a gulag ruled by a malevolent dictator. Our toys must break out if they are to be reunited with Andy and, of greater urgency, escape destruction at the hands of rambunctious toddlers. Read more
Movie Review – Violent Cop (1989)
by NIR SHALEV
“Beat” Takeshi Kitano is a famous comedian in Japan, as well as an auteur who’s popular all around the world. Most of his movies are violent but are also studies of the violence inherited within the system. Whether a Yakuza film, a cop drama, a revenge flick, or a comedy about idiots, violence finds its way into Kitano’s stories and the violence is shown without censorship. And yet his films are more arthouse than Hollywood. Read more
Thinking Outside the Multiplex in Indiana (June 25, 2010)
by MIKE MACCOLLUM
So there are only two new limited release movies opening in Indiana this week- but unlike last week (when the three new limited release films all opened only in Indianapolis), this week’s offerings can be found in three different cities across the state. And while there isn’t much “news” about what will be opening in the state in future weeks (see the end of the column for that, as usual), at least some of that news is very welcome indeed. Read on below for more…. Read more
DVD of the Week – The Last Station (2009)
by HELEN GEIB
Regular readers will have noticed that the DVD of the Week feature has taken a few weeks off this month and last. This was mostly due to my going on vacation to places where I had no internet access or cell phone signal (Europe; rural Ohio). It also reflects the paucity of suitable new releases to write about, defined as movies I’ve seen, would recommend, and haven’t already reviewed. This week continues that trend, but since I’m back in the land of wireless I figured I’d take a chance on recommending a movie I haven’t seen. Read more
Movie Review – The A-Team (2010)
by HELEN GEIB
The “A-Team” TV series writ with a blockbuster budget, The A-Team is highly enjoyable summer escapism. Those looking for a good time at the movies will find it. Read more
Thinking Outside the Multiplex in Indiana (June 18, 2010)
by MIKE MACCOLLUM
In what may be a first, all three Indianapolis-area films that regularly show limited release films- the Georgetown 14 on the city’s westside, the Keystone Art Cinema on the northside, and the IMAX theater downtown- have a new title opening this week. For all the details, and this week’s listing of limited release films playing around Indiana, read on below…. Read more
Movie Review – Splice (2010)
by NIR SHALEV
Let me get this off my chest: Canadian cinema does not suck. It simply asks moviegoers to wait for a while between one great movie and the next. The last great Canadian film I’d watched is called Pontypool (2008) and I had to wait another couple of years in order to see another great Canadian film. Well, it’s finally arrived and it’s called Splice. Read more
Thinking Outside the Multiplex in Indiana (June 11, 2010)
by MIKE MACCOLLUM
Two long-delayed titles finally open at the Keystone Art Cinema in Indianapolis this week, helping to again validate the theater’s middle name, considering the other films holding over at the theater this week. Also, a Bollywood movie not only holds over in Indy this week, but opens on another screen as well- and once again, we have some news on interesting movies headed to the Hoosier state in future weeks. For all of that and so much more, read on below…. Read more
Thinking Outside the Multiplex: National Edition (May 14-22, 2010)
by MIKE MACCOLLUM
Time for another catch-up column covering theatrical releases that opened outside of the state of Indiana. Most of the forty-plus titles covered below opened in the US between May 14 and 22, although there’s also one straggler that I didn’t learn about until just now. In this column, we have at least twelve documentaries (plus one more that sounds like a borderline case), five movies from India, a number of prize-winners (including Here and There, John Rabe, The Father of My Children, and Racing Dreams), two movies (both filed under “D”, coincidentally enough) where a mysterious killer preys on a group of people, two movies with Jesse Eisenberg- and a recently completed seventies exploitation movie with a most-unexpected connection to a recent Oscar winner. Read more
