Rambling Film

"Gigantic" came out on DVD Aug 11th, but I just got a chance to watch it on Demand. I wanted to see this film because I'm a huge fan of both Paul Dano and Zooey Deschanel. They both deliver, but one thing to keep in mind before you see this film is you need to pay attention. I've read lots of other reviews/comments/etc of what people got out of this film and I understand where some of the confusion comes from. I had those moments as well. 'Gigantic' follows Brian (Dano) he's a mattress salesmen in the suburbs of New York City. He's 28 years old, single, and aspire to adopt a child from China. He has wanted to do this his whole life. One day he sells a mattress to a man named Al (John Goodman) who sends in his daughter Happy (Deschanel) to pick it up, she falls asleep on the mattress and from that moment she changes Brian's life. This is obviously a quirky film, and the director deliberately tries to do things to make you think. Brian obviously...

For those who don't know, "Indie Gems" is a column where I review an independent film that you may or may not have seen, but definitely should. They are as always, out on DVD. "Brick" was released in theaters in 2005 and came out on DVD in 2006. It stars the immensely talented Joseph Gordon-Levitt (did you see him on SNL last Sat?) Gordon-Levitt has been one of my favorite actors ever sense I saw him years ago in '10 Things I hate about You' he was the lovable geek, now the handsome leading man. He's what originally drew me to this film. The plot follows Brendan (JGL) he receives a frantic phone call from his ex girlfriend Emily (Emilie De Raven) she's in trouble, but doesn't fully say why. She only says certain words that connect her to her problem. Brendan, ever the sleuth sets out to find out what is troubling her. The next day he finds her dead, in a tunnel under a bridge. Instead of going to the police Brenden is set on figuring th...

-The Rundown, I review an Indie film that maybe you've seen, maybe you haven't. Either way, it's available on DVD for you to find.- Dreamland I'm sure you've heard the saying "less is more". That phrase really does apply to this film. It's small, it was filmed in a small trailer park in the desert. There's not a lot of color or wicked camera shots, but it's the actors in the film that make it so interesting. The premise, dialogue, music, though small all speak in a big way. The film follows Aubrey (Agnes Bruckner: Blood and Chocolate; Venom) she's just graduated from high school. She lives in a small trailer park in the middle of nowhere named "Dreamland". Aubrey dreams of being a writer, she doesn't have the ambition to go to college, although she's gotten accepted to many. One of her reasons is she has too many things in Dreamland to care for. We are introduced to Calista (Kelli Garner: Bully, The Aviator) she su...

It's obvious what director Lars von Trier's intentions were when he penned "Antichrist". He wanted to make a film that was artsy, shocking yet beautiful. A film that went were most others wouldn't, one that didn't hold back. Well he succeeded in the shock factor, but the ride to get there wasn't as easy. This is where my curiosity often gets the best of me. I read reviews of films that get booed out of the Cannes Film Festival, and I become intrigued. What could possibly offend such an elite group of people, like the ones attending Cannes? Sure they were shocked at 'Last Tango in Paris', that film turned out brilliant. 'Marie Antionette' was supposedly booed, that wasn't that bad. So when I read all the ruckus about von Trier's "Anti Christ", starting Willem DeFeo and Charolette Gainsbourg as "He and She" was a little intrigued. I heard about the gore, "Whatever" I thought. Can't be that bad, Eli ...

I'm sure many of you were thinking the same thing I was when I first saw this trailer: "again?" Yes, this is a classic tale told over and over, Britain's most famous Christmas story. Heck, I think more Americans recognize this story over the most famous American story (The Gift of the Magi) Director Robert Zemeckis (Beowolf, Polar Express) was probably also thinking the same thing, that's why he did his best to make it his own. I know you can't really alter this famous tale, but adding the 3D animation and the always dependable Jim Carrey as Ebeneezer Scrooge's voice, Zemeckis manages to turn this wonderful tale into a fun 3D thrill. More updated for kids today, the animation is wonderful, the effects are great (although I'd still say Coraline is still reigning as my favorite 3D film) The voice actors are wonderful, although perhaps too over-shadowed by Carrey, they consist of Gary Oldman, Robin Wright Penn , Bob Hoskins, Cary Elwes, Colin Firth. ...

I've literally followed the production of this movie since early 2007 when it begin filming. It started off as "The Decameron: Angels and Virgins". Sounds dramatic right? Then It changed to simply "The Decameron". Then "Angels and Virgins" Then apparently the people marketing the film realized they weren't trying to sell a period piece and moved on too "Guilty Pleasures", then "Chasing Temptation" and finally landing on the questionable choice of "Virgin Territory." I came across this film whilst browsing Mischa Barton's film creds. I was (key word) one of the few people that actually remembered the talent she had in earlier films such as "Lawn Dogs" and "Skipped Parts" and was a little depressed to see how it was being wasted on 'The O.C" When I first read the synopsis of this film: "Young Florentines regale one another on the Italian country side while the black plague decimat...