Thinking Outside the Multiplex in Indiana (July 16, 2010)
by MIKE MACCOLLUM
There’s plenty to keep the independent-minded film lover busy this week in central Indiana, with the Indianapolis International Film Festival kicking into gear and two promising films opening in limited release in Indianapolis- the highly intriguing true crime documentary Cropsey at the G14 and the highly anticipated sequel to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, at the Landmark KAC. For more on these films- and for the complete listing of limited release and festival films playing around Indiana this week- read on below…. Read more 
DVD of the Week – Review of Greenberg (2010)
by HELEN GEIB
There are a lot of shots of people in cars in Greenberg. Director Noah Baumbach keeps the camera close to the characters in the car shots. Usually it’s an unseen passenger, shifting its gaze from person to person to follow the conversation. Sometimes it looks at them straight-on through the windshield or car door window, capturing the person and the distorted reflection of what they see. Read more
Rewind: Films of the 60s, 70s, 80s – Where It’s At (1969)
by RICHARD WINTERS
Garson Kanin, best know for penning such comedies as Adam’s Rib (1949), The Girl Can’t Help It (1954), and Born Yesterday (1950), tries his hand at drama here. David Janssen plays a Las Vegas Casino owner who tries to train his son (Robert Drivas) in the business so he can take over. The father is a hard-bitten realist while the son, who has just graduated from college, is a strong idealist. Read more
Movie Review – Predators (2010)
by HELEN GEIB
Predators is a “Ten Little Indians” story, monster-movie variety. While it never transcends its genre, it does work the conventions skillfully. Read more
Movie Review – Homicide (1991)
by NIR SHALEV
Screenwriter, director and playwright David Mamet belongs to the group of auteurs, members including Werner Herzog, Terry Gilliam, and Jean-Luc Godard, whose work you either love or hate. I’ve watched all of Mamet’s films, both those he directed and those based on his original screenplays and stage plays, and liked them all. Some of them I love. Homicide is a movie that I love. Read more
Thinking Outside the Multiplex in Indiana (July 9, 2010)
by MIKE MACCOLLUM
Two well-reviewed films with (if the trailers are any indication) impressive visuals both open in Indianapolis this week; which one you’ll see first (or which one you’ll see at all) probably depends on whether you’re more in the mood for romantic drama or off-beat comedy. Plus, several (more or less) movie-related conventions are in Indy this weekend, the Indiana Black Expo Film Festival takes place, the Indianapolis International Film Festival gets under way, and a number of good movies are at theaters around the state. For all of that and more, read on below…. Read more
Movie Review – The Last Airbender (2010)
by HELEN GEIB
Someone stop that man before he writes again. Read more
DVD of the Week – Review of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)
by HELEN GEIB
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is a Swedish film adapted from the first book in Stieg Larsson’s popular “Millennium Trilogy” of mystery-thrillers starring Mikael Blomqvist (played in the film by Michael Nyqvist) and Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace), the eponymous girl with the tattoo. The film was a critical and commercial hit in Europe and on the American arthouse circuit. Only the subtitles make it arthouse fare. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is a fine example of another country’s popular cinema, and in subject and style would be right at home at the multiplex. Frankly, I’m surprised Hollywood didn’t get there first. Read more
Movie Review – Knight and Day (2010)
by HELEN GEIB
A globe-trotting comic adventure starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, Knight and Day is terrific light entertainment. Read more
Movie Review – Victory (1981)
by NIR SHALEV
All cinephiles should all be familiar with the name John Huston, for after all, he brought us one of the quintessential film noirs in The Maltese Falcon (1941), not to mention two of the greatest films ever made, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) and The African Queen (1951). Victory is one of his late features and stars Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine as POWs who play soccer against Nazis. Read more
