ARTICLES
"Plan B" pilot - (C5F) Carnival of 5 Fires
Gallery 5's Carnival of 5 Fires (C5F) was not only a great night of Halloween fun, but it also provided an opportunity to create a pilot for a new series being developed by RVA TV.
Whip It - RVA TV's Pre-screening with the River City Rollergirls
Whip It rolls up in the hard knocks of the roller derby rink, but in Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut, it isn't really about the she-demons of derby.
TRON Legacy
Fresh off of his Oscar win, Jeff Bridges has a slew of movies coming up including the next installment of the cult classic TRON.
For those that don't know TRON was centered around the arcade craze of the early 80s and starred a young Jeff Bridges as a programmer who goes into a video game to destroy a master program that has gotten out of control. The story was soild but what made it stand apart was the combination of movie making and 3-D technology. Where 3-D objects interacted with actors for the first time on screen. TRON set the bar back in 1982 that still holds up well even now.
OOOH PRETTY! From Spy Films: Nuit Blanche, a slow motion black and white short film.
Shot on one of those Phantom slo-mo cameras everyone was hyped about a few years ago, the latest from Spy Films is fantastic. Slow motion can be overdone, but it can also turn the mundane into the fascinating if done right. This film is neither; dramatic, contrasty black and white shot digitally with an old-school aesthetic (think 1920's) leads to a great little short, a silent film set to music, revealing a wordless moment between two strangers.
FILM REVIEW: The Crazies
It’s not often that a film like The Crazies comes along. Though touted as a remake, this is a far different feature from its predecessor. While I was prepared to lament the lack of social commentary in the modern version, the differences between the current film and the original are great enough to make such discussion completely irrelevant. The movie playing in theaters across the globe this weekend is something new and original, and while it may share the same premise, it has little else in common with George Romero’s lost gem. I was one of the fortunate few who have actually located and watched a copy of the original, and while I agree that it ranks among Romero’s best, the 2010 model doesn’t suffer by comparison.
Identity Richmond is inching closer to completion.
The Identity Richmond project headed by Sera Tabb and Jon Headlee is scheduled to be competed by the end of the year and ready to make the film festival circuit. RVA TV's Ben Muri has taken over the editing duties and come up with a nifty trailer.
The Process Ep. 19: Damion Bond, 'The Muse'
"The Process" is one of RVA Magazine's premiere video series of short documentaries in which we spotlight Richmond artists and the creative influences, techniques and thoughts that fuel them. The featured artist of the nineteenth episode is local performing artist Damion Bond a.k.a. The Muse. 'The Process' is hosted by Parker. Directed and Edited by Ben K. Muri.
FILM REVIEW: Shutter Island
Shutter Island, the new Martin Scorsese film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, was building major hype at the end of last summer. Originally set to release in October, it looked set to be the biggest release of the fall. Then, just weeks before the intended release date, Paramount announced that the film was being pushed to February instead. Internet rumors abounded. Had the production run out of money? Were they undertaking massive reshoots because of poor test audience reactions? Were they trying to avoid tough competition for the 2009 Oscars and hoping 2010 would be a better year for them? Whatever the reason, most seemed to agree that the enormous delay meant the film would not turn out to be anywhere near as good as it looked. Now, with the true release upon us, we can finally breathe easy. The film is every bit the eerie psychological mystery it has been made out to be, and it is definitely worth seeing in the theater more than once.
VA Indie Film Fest Schedule!
All of these films look entertaining, informative, or both. Personally, I'm the most excited about Meet Me in the Bottom and Trenches- an extremely important local cultural issue, and indie sci-fi!
When You Are Strange.
Pretty stoked about seeing this. I wonder how they went about getting all this original footage?
FILM REVIEW: Edge of Darkness
I would like to think that Edge of Darkness comes as the result of a long overdue conversation that someone finally worked up the courage to have with Mel Gibson. Perhaps someone reminded him that he was once one of the most popular movie stars in the world before he began coming off as a racist lunatic in interviews or taking a drive after knocking back a few drinks. When he stopped acting in movies and made his personal life tabloid fodder people began questioning why they ever liked him in the first place. Now, Edge of Darkness, Gibson’s first starring role in eight years, arrives to remind us all that whoever he may be in private, Mel Gibson is a talented and charismatic actor that belongs on the big screen.
FILM REVIEW: The Book of Eli
The Book of Eli, the new film from the Hughes Brothers starring Denzel Washington, is an interesting demonstration on how the use of multiple cliches that are not often seen together can make things that are old and tired seem new again. The film is a western in that it centers around a lone man traveling West who stops in a small filthy town controlled by a corrupt bar owner. The film is science fiction because it is set in a post-apocalyptic future where only a few survivors live in a wasteland caused presumably by a nuclear war. Lastly, what the trailers for this film show off the most, it is a straight up action flick with gunfights, knife fights, and plenty of brutal fisticuffs. Amazingly, cramming so much together into one film works fairly well as this genre hybrid proves to be very entertaining.
FILM REVIEW: Youth in Revolt
Youth in Revolt is very much a film in a similar vein as Ghost World and Art School Confidential. Coincidentally enough, all of these films are part of a wave of adapted literature that stems from the underground. Whether it’s writers like Daniel Clowes, Harvey Pekar, Chris Fuhrman or in this case C.D. Payne, these artists are finally garnering the attention and respect they rightfully deserve. This doesn’t by any means suggest that all of the adaptations in question are on par with their source materials. We could only be so lucky. Thankfully, Youth in Revolt is an entertaining dark comedy that may not find it’s audience until much further down the road.
UNCLOTHED MAN IN THE 35TH CENTURY A.D.
Richmond raised comic artist Dash Shaw continues to climb the ladder of the sequential art world. Shortly after the release of BOTTOMLESS BELLY BUTTON in 2008 published by Fantagraphics Books, Shaw made a short animation based on it. After seeing his next animated short for BODYWORLD, IFC took an interest in his work and the result is UNCLOTHED MAN IN THE 35TH CENTURY A.D.
Stay tuned next week for my interview with Dash Shaw.
THE Last 2009 Top Ten List ever.
As 2009 comes to a close, it is time to count down the best movies of the year. The following films are my ten favorites from the past year. Since we will have ten Best Pictures nominees to look forward to this year, perhaps we will see some overlap between my list and the Academy’s.
FILM REVIEW: Up in the Air
Author’s Note: In order for me to best express my opinions and feelings regarding Up in the Air, there will be a few spoilers included in this text.
AVATARva
The clank of heavy boot-falls on metal a patented James Cameron sound effect that with other hallmarks are reminders of how Avatar is not just a 2009 movie but part of a larger body of work with consistent themes and ideas. He shows maturity of the evolved artist who has found clarity, a grander palette, deeper resources, and a more awesome adventure.
FILM REVIEW: Avatar
There is a lot of hype behind Avatar. Many, myself included, would argue that James Cameron, the writer and director, has never made a bad movie.
Advertisement
