DVD of the Week – The Complete “Metropolis” (2010)
by NIR SHALEV
Throughout the last 83 years, Metropolis was cut, recut, edited, and reedited so many times that until the 2003 release from Kino International audiences were unable to watch the film properly, or even coherently. When originally released in theaters, any version outside of Germany was cut severely and had more than an hour removed. The original German runtime was 153 minutes and when VHS kicked in around the 1970s and 1980s the runtimes had differed constantly. The 2003 Kino DVD release was 124 minutes in length and had finally introduced the character of The Thin Man to most audiences. Read more 
Movie Review – No Country for Old Men (2007)
by NIR SHALEV
There’s this boy I sent to the electric chair at Huntsville here a while back. My arrest and my testimony. He killed a 14 year old girl. Papers said it was a crime of passion, but he told me there wasn’t any passion to it. Told me he’d planned to kill somebody for as long as he could remember. Said if they turned him out he’d do it again. Said he knew he was going to hell. Be there in about 15 minutes. I don’t know what to make of that. I sure do don’t.
That’s part of a speech heard in the film’s opening voiceover narration, spoken by the tired sheriff of a Texas-Mexico border town, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones). Read more
Thinking Outside the Multiplex in Indiana (November 26, 2010)
by MIKE MACCOLLUM
Due to Thanksgiving, most of the new movies- both limited and wide releases- started on Wednesday. As far as I know, the only limited release movie opening in Indiana on Wednesday was the Indian film Break Ke Baad (After the Break)- and the only limited release film starting in Indiana on Friday is from India as well. But while wide release movies may have taken over most theaters in Indiana this week, there is some good news for fans of art films in the state- the Yes Cinema in Columbus will have a cool-sounding festival this weekend, while some movies I would very much like to see will be in Bloomington over the next few months. See the “This Week and Beyond” section for that news; for the fairly slim pickings on offer elsewhere this week, just read on below…. Read more
Best of the Decade – 2007
by HELEN GEIB
Winner: NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Directed by: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Written by: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Kelly Macdonald Read more
Thinking Outside the Multiplex in Indiana (November 19, 2010)
by MIKE MACCOLLUM
If you like balance and symmetry, this is a good week- two limited release movies open at the Keystone Art Cinema in Indianapolis, and two Indian movies open at the Georgetown 14 in the same city. (One of the Indian films doesn’t start until Wednesday- but still and all, it will be here at some point this week.) Also, the Landmark theater at Keystone at the Crossing will be paired with another Landmark theater a little over four miles south on Keystone Avenue- although “Landmark’s Glendale 12″ most likely will not be an art house, unfortunately. In the rest of the state, limited release films are much harder to find this week (outside of a few venues, at least), as the wave of holiday releases start to flood into theaters everywhere. Read on below for news on all of the above, and more, more, more…. Read more
Movie Review – Last Action Hero (1993)
by NIR SHALEV
Criminally overlooked upon its release, Last Action Hero is a grade “A” satire of the Hollywood actioner starring one of Hollywood’s greatest action heroes, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Read more
Thinking Outside the Multiplex: National Edition (October 1-14)
by MIKE MACCOLLUM
Welcome once again to the world of limited theatrical releases around America. This installment covers films unleashed upon theaters across the country from October 1 through October 14. Some of these movies played (or eventually will play) on a fair number of screens across the US; others opened on only one screen, and will never see the inside of another theater after that. For most of us, our only opportunity to see most of the films mentioned below will be on DVD, Blu-Ray, and/or On-Demand; at the very least, you may read about an interesting movie you’ve never heard of before…. Read more
DVD of the Week – Review of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
by NIR SHALEV
Writer/director Edgar Wright made a big splash with his romantic comedy/zombie movie satire Shaun of the Dead (2004) and had managed to follow it up with the even better, funnier cop movie parody Hot Fuzz (2007); then he followed up with the fake trailer “Don’t” for the Rodriguez/Tarantino double bill Grindhouse (2007). His latest project Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is almost entirely faithfully adapted from Bryan Lee O’Malley’s cult classic, Toronto-set graphic novel series. It greatly manages to not only capture the look and feel of Toronto, but also the genuine look, feel, and sound of a graphic novel. Read more
Movie Review – Unstoppable (2010)
by HELEN GEIB
The exciting action-thriller Unstoppable is the latest collaboration by Denzel Washington and director Tony Scott (their joint credits include Deja Vu, Man on Fire, and last year’s train hijacking thriller The Taking of Pelham 123); the script is by Mark Bomback (most notably and pertinently: Live Free or Die Hard). You’ll walk out wondering why Hollywood doesn’t make runaway train movies more often. Read more
