Lessons of Darkness

Smaller Portion

Today's collection of links isn't as plentiful as those of the past few weeks. As always, however, what counts isn't quantity, but quality - which, come to think of it, is precisely what's lacking in two of the below three films.

This Friday:
Blades of Glory (Slant magazine)

Future Fridays:
Are We Done Yet? (Slant magazine)
The Treatment (Slant magazine)

Check back next week for a mountain-load of new stuff, including my thoughts on the hotly anticpated Firehouse Dog, Lasse Hallström's eagerly awaited The Hoax, and some random, under-the-radar film called Grindhouse.

The Many Reinventions of Laura Dern

After missing an opportunity to interview Guy Pearce for last month's issue of SOMA (due to the birth of my second daughter), I was fortunate enough to get a chance to speak with Laura Dern for a feature that appears in their April issue. The article - "From Inland Empire to Year of the Dog: The Many Reinventions of Laura Dern" - touches on the actress' role in Mike White's upcoming comedy, her career-guiding belief in collaborating with visionary directors, and her unique experience working with David Lynch on his 3-hour magnum opus.

As always, because of how the magazine's site is designed, the below link will simply get you to the main content page. From there, select the article.

From Inland Empire to Year of the Dog: The Many Reinventions of Laura Dern (SOMA magazine)

The Hills Are Alive...

...with the sound of unscreened cheapie horror films. While I'll be spending this afternoon enduring the latest sequel-to-a-remake-of-a-classic-that-had-its-own-sequel (which this new one isn't based upon), I've first got a batch of new review links for this fine Friday morning, including ones for my latest guest appearance over at Cinematical (First Snow), my final New Directors/New Films assignments, as well as for Mark Wahlberg's politically schizo Shooter and Adam Sandler's surprisingly bearable 9/11 drama Reign Over Me.

My review of The Hills Have Eyes 2 has now been added to this post.

Now:
Reign Over Me (Slant magazine)
Shooter (Slant magazine)
The Hills Have Eyes II (2007) (Slant magazine)
First Snow (Cinematical)
Angry Monk: Reflections on Tibet (Slant magazine)
Memory (Slant magazine)

New Directors/New Films:
El Custodio (Slant magazine)
Once (Slant magazine)
7 Years (Slant magazine)
Stealth (2006) (Slant magazine)

March Madness

Between my recent TV appearance, finishing up a new SOMA magazine feature (more on that later), and tons of screenings, it's been quite a weird - and busy - week. But before I get to the reviews proper, a few quick-hit thoughts...

For those who dug Shaun of the Dead, rest assured that Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg's forthcoming follow-up Hot Fuzz is pretty kick-ass.

Weeks after seeing it, I still can't stop thinking about actress-turned-filmmaker Sarah Polley's accomplished directorial debut Away From Her. Be sure to catch it when it hits theaters in May.

New Directors/New Films (whose press screenings finish on Monday) has been pretty ho-hum and forgettable this year.

And now - onto the links!

This Weekend:
I Think I Love My Wife (Slant magazine)
Premonition (Slant magazine)
American Cannibal (Slant magazine)

Subsequent Weekends:
Hot Fuzz (Slant magazine)
Away From Her (Slant magazine)
The Prisoner or: How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair (Slant magazine)
The Page Turner (Slant magazine)
Pride (Slant magazine)

New Directors/New Films:
The Only One (Slant magazine)
Shelter (Slant magazine)

And be sure to check back next Friday, when I'll have reviews of Mark Wahlberg's Shooter and (please, no!) Adam Sandler's 9/11 drama Reign Over Me.

Primetime 300 Punditry

Hey all. Just wanted to drop a quick, self-promotional note saying that yours truly will be appearing on G4TV's "Attack of the Show" tonight (7pm EST, check local listings) to discuss Zack Snyder's 300. Prepare for TV glory...

UPDATE: The video of your friendly neighborhood Weirdo Beardo Critic is now online, and available at the below link. It's for the segment "The Loop: Is '300' the Future of Cinema?"

Attack of the Show - March 12, 2007

Back to the Negative

So much for all that positivity. This week's link dump - including my first three reviews from The Film Society of Lincoln Center and MOMA's "New Directors/New Films" series - is full of halfhearted recommendations and outright pans, the latter group led by Zack Snyder's disappointingly dreadful 300.

Now:
300 (Slant magazine)
Beyond the Gates (Slant magazine)

Later:
Adam's Apples (Slant magazine)

New Directors/New Films:
Gradually... (Slant magazine)
Great World of Sound (Slant magazine)
What the Sun Has Seen (Slant magazine)

My Positivity Runneth Over

Aside from New York Film Festival coverage, this week seems to mark a first in my criticism career: not one, not two, but THREE separate 3.5-star reviews. Add a few more affirmative write-ups to the mix, and what you've got is the most positive link dump in recent memory, highlighted by a film destined to appear on my year-end top ten, David Fincher's mesmerizing Zodiac.

Plus, it also includes the first of two scheduled "guest reviews" at Cinematical, for the ignorable Two Weeks.

Today:
Zodiac (Slant magazine)
Black Snake Moan (Slant magazine)
Two Weeks (Cinematical)

After Today:
12:08 East of Bucharest (Slant magazine)
The Lookout (Slant magazine)
The Ultimate Gift (Slant magazine)

Before Today:
The Astronaut Farmer (Slant magazine)
The Number 23 (Slant magazine)
Premium (Slant magazine)

And if this wealth of movie-writing wasn't enough to satiate your appetite, remember to come back next week, when I'll have a review of 2007's first mega-hyped event pic, 300.