Cinematical

• Discuss: The Action Flicks of 2009
  

  Filed under: Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Mystery & Suspense, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Brothers, Fandom, 20th Century Fox, The Weinstein Co., Quentin Tarantino, Johnny Depp, Harry Potter, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels

  So Erik-with-a-k covered the coming comedies of 2009, Scott was all over the horror picks (though his inclusion of Race to Witch Mountain still boggles my mind), Eric-with-a-c nabbed the family-friendly fare, and Elisabeth went over the geek fodder that awaits. But while...
  



• Tarantino's 'Basterds' Gets an August Release Date
  

  Filed under: Action, Drama, Cannes, Fandom, Distribution, The Weinstein Co., Newsstand, Quentin Tarantino, War

  
  
  So it seems The Weinstein Co. has opted to release Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds on August 21, 2009, which seems to be a strange date for not only a Tarantino flick, but also one starring Brad Pitt that's set during World War II. Late August is usually dumping ground for iffy action flicks and C-grade comedies. This past August 22 saw the release of Death Race, The House Bunny and The Longshots, to give you an example of the...
  



• Eli Roth is Making Propaganda for 'Inglorious Basterds'
  

  Filed under: Universal, RumorMonger, The Weinstein Co., DIY/Filmmaking, Quentin Tarantino, War, Western

  Now that we've all had a chance to see some of the video footage that has been leaking from the set of Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds (footage that has since disappeared), you might have noticed that the man himself was nowhere to be found in most of the clips. But, according to The Quentin Tarantino Archives, one man who has been behind the camera lately is Mr. 'Torture Porn' himself, Eli Roth. Rumor has it Roth is directing a Nazi propaganda film to be included in the story...
  



• Hitman Thriller 'Killshot' Gets Bumped (Again)
  

  Filed under: Drama, Thrillers, Mystery & Suspense, RumorMonger, Distribution, The Weinstein Co., Quentin Tarantino

  The first time I came across a trailer for the Diane Lane/Thomas Jane/Mickey Rourke hitman thriller Killshot (only remaining on an AICN archive page and the errant DVD release), it was back in September of 2006. Since then, the Elmore Leonard adaptation has endured reshoots in January of 2007 and countless changes in release dates after that. Of course, there's also at least three testscreeningreviews that bring to light the entire removal of a character played by Johnny Knoxville from the film.

  Now, not long...
  




• Indie Weekend Box Office: Snipped 'Sukiyaki Western Django' Draws First
  

  Filed under: Box Office, Quentin Tarantino, Cinematical Indie

  Take one renegade Japanese director, set him to work on a Spaghetti Western, add a cameo by a talkative American filmmaker, and what do you get? First place in the indie four-day weekend box office race. Sukiyaki Western Django, directed by the prolific and extremely versatile Takashi Miike and featuring Quentin Tarantino in a small role, tore it up at the single Manhattan theatre where it opened, grossing $13,100, according to estimates compiled by Box Office Mojo. The version released in the US does not represent Miike's original vision, however. Distributor First Look edited 20 or so minutes for...
  




• Quentin Snags a Few More 'Bastards'
  

  Filed under: Action, Drama, Casting, Universal, Quentin Tarantino, War

  Bastards, bastards, bastards! The best part about Quentin Tarantino appropriating the title for his upcoming movie from Enzo Castellari's high-energy original is that I get to satisfy my inner 11-year-old and tell you all about the latest Inglorious Bastards withour fear of recrimination from parental figures. Diane Kruger is the highest-profile new bastard, according to Variety, joined by Christoph Waltz and writer / actor / comedian Paul Rust.

  Kruger, the hellenic beauty who first made a splash on these shores opposite Orlando Bloom in Troy -- which also starred...
  




• Indie Spotlight: New Releases for August 29
  

  Filed under: Action, Animation, Comedy, Foreign Language, Independent, New Releases, Quentin Tarantino, Cinematical Indie, Indie Spotlight

  The last weekend of the summer means the multiplexes will be crammed with Hollywood's leftover products, most of them rolled out without being screened for critics (never a good sign). But don't despair! The Indie Spotlight is here to fill you in on the limited-release, art-house films opening this weekend, and if they're not playing where you live, you can keep an eye out for when they do arrive. See, it gives you something to look forward to!
  
  The six films opening...
  



• Review: Sukiyaki Western Django
  

  Filed under: Action, New Releases, New in Theaters, Quentin Tarantino, Cinematical Indie, Western

  By chance, two Takashi Miike movies, Dead or Alive and Audition, opened in my town with in a week of one another in 2001. It was pretty eye opening seeing the huge difference between them, the speedy carnage of the former and the slow suspense of the latter, and I became an instant fan. Since then I've managed to track down just six more Miike movies, and in that same time he has made over forty (including videos and TV shows). The speed of his production fits...
  



• What I Learned: Naked 'Hell,' Slow 'Love,' and 'The Signal'
  

  Filed under: Drama, Foreign Language, Horror, Independent, Fandom, Quentin Tarantino, Cinematical Indie

  I like naked women, but that's not why I saw Hell Ride. Honestly, I had forgotten that naked women might be featured prominently. It was the motorcycles and the negative reviews from Sundance that hooked me (I'm a contrary fellow). I like 60s biker flicks, and because writer / director / co-star / Quentin Tarantino's friend Larry Bishop had been in some of them, I figured he could make an affectionate homage. Alas, while Bishop can indeed shoot the hell out of the motorcycle footage, it's the other...
  




• Indie Spotlight: New Releases for August 8
  

  Filed under: Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Independent, New Releases, Quentin Tarantino, Columns, Indie Spotlight

  What with the Olympics and the Batman and the pineapple express and the pants, you might be a little overloaded with things to watch this weekend. On the other hand, maybe you've seen all that and want something different. In that case, hooray for the Indie Spotlight! It's our weekly roundup of what's opening beyond the multiplexes, designed so movie fans can keep an eye out for those less-publicized titles.
  
  There are eight indie films for you to examine this week: Beautiful Losers, Beer for My...