Cinematical

• Coppola's 'Youth Without Youth' Premieres in Rome
  

  Filed under: Drama, Independent, Sony Classics, Review Roundup, Other Festivals, Cinematical Indie

  Saturday saw the world premiere of the first film by Francis Ford Coppola in a decade, Youth Without Youth, at the Rome Film Festival. Immediate reaction was "mixed," according to The Associated Press, basing their comments on "an earlier screening for the press," which evidently prompted Coppola to say: "Part of being an artist who wants to look at new areas of [is knowing that] it will take a while for people to be familiar with the film. I only ask that you think my film was interesting." The...
  



• Hong Kong's 'The Detective' Opens Strong in Asia
  

  Filed under: Drama, Foreign Language, Independent, Mystery & Suspense, Review Roundup, Cinematical Indie

  Down-on-his-luck private eye Tam (Aaron Kwok) is asked by a man to find a woman who is trying to kill him. Tam takes the case but instead of locating the mysterious woman he starts turning up dead bodies. Welcome to the off-kilter world of The Detective, directed by Oxide Pang. He and his brother Danny Pang made Bangkok Dangerous, which they are remaking in English with Nicolas Cage, The Eye , which is being remade by two French directors in English with Jessica Alba, and The...
  



• TIFF Watch: Opener 'Fugitive Pieces' Draws Mixed Reaction and a Walk-Out
  

  Filed under: Drama, Review Roundup, Toronto International Film Festival, Cinematical Indie

  Opening night of the Toronto International Film Festival is reserved for a Canadian title, to give the mother country a chance to shine before the spotlight is divided among dozens of (usually) higher-profile films. This year, Jeremy Podeswa's Fugitive Pieces was selected for the honor. Anne Thompson of Variety wrote a good profile of the director. A capsule review in the Toronto Sunnoted that it was "not a festive way to launch" the festival, "but this haunted and haunting drama signals a year of seriousness and quality."
  
  Writing in The Globe and Mail,...
  



• Cannes Review: Triangle
  

  Filed under: Action, Foreign Language, Cannes, Noir, Festival Reports, Review Roundup, Cinematical Indie

  
  
  Triangle is hard to explain -- you could call it the Hong Kong action equivalent of Grindhouse -- but it's three directors, not two, and it's all one story, not two separate ones. Directed by Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam and Johnny To, Triangle is about three friends -- antiques seller Mok (Sun Long Hei), young ne'er-do-well Fai (Louis Koo) and tightly-wound realtor Sam (Simon Yan) who, one night at their local bar, are offered a unique opportunity by a stranger who overhears their discussions of...
  



• Philly FF Review: American Fork
  

  Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Independent, Theatrical Reviews, Review Roundup, Cinematical Indie, Philadelphia Film Festival

  
  
  Even if the film festival guides hadn't reminded me that the low-key indie comedy American Fork came from one of the Napoleon Dynamiteproducers ... I think I might have figured it out on my own. That's not to say that the films are all that similar, really, but that they both feature main characters who are grown-ups on the exterior and trapped in a state of perpetually unpleasant adolescence beneath the surface. Not particularly deep beneath the surface, either.
  
  First-time screenwriter Hubbel...
  



• Review Roundup: Weekend of 3/2/2007
  

  Filed under: Theatrical Reviews, New in Theaters, Review Roundup

  Just three wide releases this weekend: A deep-south drama about an angry man and his unhappy captive, a nose-pickin' comedy about morons on motorcycles, and a lengthy crime flick about a true-life serial killer.
  
  Black Snake Moan -- 63 positive / 38 negative at RottenTomatoes.com
  
  Pro: "In fact, I pretty much enjoyed the whole movie, with some incredulity and a few half-snorts." -- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times
  
  Con: "It's an exploitation film fraught with faux-sincerity, and ultimately it's utterly ridiculous." -- Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times
  
  Pro: "If you stick with it, you'll see that its excesses are...
  



• Review Roundup: Weekend of 2/23/2007
  

  Filed under: Theatrical Reviews, Review Roundup

  Five wide releases this weekend, and perhaps the final frame in which we're offered little but studio holdovers and lost causes. Dig into a haunted house story, a historical drama about abolitionists, a family-friendly inspirational piece, a Jim Carrey psycho-thriller and the big-screen debut of some very silly police officers. (And don't forget about the Oscars tonight!)
  
  The Abandoned -- 3 positive / 8 negative at RottenTomatoes.com.
  
  Pro: "Rallies in the end and has a satisfying, fittingly unsettling conclusion." -- Staci Layne Wilson, Horror.com
  
  Con: "A punishing dose of zombie Chekhov for lifetime Fangoria subscribers." -- Jim Ridley, L.A. Weekly
  



• Review Roundup: Weekend of 2/16/2007
  

  Filed under: Theatrical Reviews, New in Theaters, Review Roundup

  Welcome to President's Day Weekend, where the multiplexes are stocked with a few pounds of new product, including an FBI espionage drama, a family-friendly kidventure flick, another Tyler Perry concoction, a flashy supehero epic and a sweet 'n' sunny rom-com. Dig in!
  
  Breach -- 80 positive / 22 negative reviews at RottenTomatoes.com.
  
  Pro: "There are some neat, almost delirious scenes of suspense, most of which play against cliche." -- Ty Burr, Boston Globe
  
  Con: "A movie that urgently asserts itself as a spy thriller, but can never quite escape the Bureau's true preoccupation with who is getting the...
  



• Review Roundup: Weekend of 2/9/2007
  

  Filed under: Theatrical Reviews, New in Theaters, Review Roundup

  It's at about this time of year that the hardcore moviegoers start wondering why they're being punished. Don't worry, friends! March is coming! Just hold on through weekends filled with tacked-on slasher prequels and Eddie Murphy detritus and we'll soon be discussing movies like 300, Sunshine and ... The Hills Have Eyes Part 2! Until then...
  
  Hannibal Rising -- 15 positive / 79 negative at RottenTomatoes.com
  
  Pro: "Webber directs with a steady hand and consistent tone, whether it's a frenetic battle scene or a slow-building confrontation at a market." -- Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle
  
  Con: "Feels...
  



• Review Roundup: Weekend of 2/2/2007
  

  Filed under: New Releases, Theatrical Reviews, Review Roundup

  It's Super Bowl weekend, so if you're releasing a movie during this frame, it better be geared for a) women, b) older folks, or c) teenage girls -- because most of these people don't really care about football. (I guess that's the logic, but when the broadcasters say "this game is being viewed by a billion people," I gotta assume a good portion of that billion consists of potential moviegoers.) This explains why this weekend offers a) a mom-friendly chick flick, b) an arthouse piece about Andy Warhol's entourage, and c) a non-scary horror movie for the teeny-boppers.
  
  
  Because I Said So -- 7...