AWN Blogs

It's nothing new for Hollywood to copy a hit to death. Following the success of HARRY POTTER every studio wanted its own fantasy franchise based on a best selling young adult book. Some trends are not always a bad thing, especially when it brings books like Cornelia Funke's INKHEART to the screen. While the story seems better suited to the written medium, director Iain Softley (HACKERS) retains the sense of discovery and adventure that the source material has.

Mo Folchart (Brendan Fraser, THE MUMMY series) has a powerful gift (or curse depending on how you look at it). When he reads written words out loud items from the stories come into the real world. The problem is that he has little control over how it works. Folchart is a book collector and travels around the world with his daughter Meggie (Eliza Bennett, NANCY MCPHEE), looking for a copy of the rare book Inkheart, which seems to have something to do with the disappearance of his wife Resa (Sienna Guillory, ERAGON). But when he finally does find a copy, it sets off a strange series of events, which include a bitter and selfish fire-blower named Dustfinger (Paul Bettany, A BEAUTIFUL MIND), the lonely author of the book Fenoglio (Jim Broadbent, MOULIN ROUGE!), one of Ali Baba's 40 thieves named Farid (Rafi Gavron, BREAKING AND ENTERING) and the Inkheart villain Capricorn (Andy Serkis, LORD OF THE RINGS), who likes the real world's riches and firearms. Also whipped along on the adventure against her will is Mo's reclusive, but feisty, book-loving aunt Elinor (Helen Mirren, THE QUEEN).

At one point in Stephen Daldry's THE READER, a teacher tells his class that the key element of Western literature is secrets. People keep secrets for noble reasons or selfish reasons or to conceal shame. Sometimes the reasons aren't that clear. Michael Berg has secrets and so does his lover Hanna Schmitz. When they're revealed how does that change the way they look at each other and themselves?

Michael Berg, played as a young man by David Kross and as a grown man by Ralph Fiennes (THE ENGLISH PATIENT), was fifteen when he came down with scarlet fever. A kind trolley toll taker named Hanna (Kate Winslet, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD) helped the young man home. When he is well, he takes her flowers to thank her for her kindness, which begins his obsession with the thirtysomething woman, who loves to be read to. Their affair consumes Michael, but he can't reconcile his strong emotions with Hanna's casual feelings toward him. As these kinds of affairs often do, it lasted a mere summer, but had a profound effect on Michael throughout his life. During law school, he sees Hanna again, as an accused Nazi guard. This revealed secret shakes his worldview, and his view of himself.

When the haze of time clouds memory, it's hard not to have Woody Allen's films blend a bit. In addition to the filmmaker's general tone and style, most of his films post ANNIE HALL deal with relationships and morality. But when looked at more closely, each film has something distinct to say. Despite dealing with infidelity, insecurity, and narcosis, common themes for his films, HANNAH AND HER SISTERS is Allen's most uplifting film.

Allen builds his drama around the love lives of three sisters. Hannah (Mia Farrow, ROSEMARY'S BABY) is the oldest, motherly sister, who's married to restless middle-aged Elliot (Michael Caine, SLEUTH). Elliot fantasizes about Hannah's sister Lee (Barbara Hershey, HOOSIERS), whom is no longer excited with her older, serious husband Frederick (Max von Sydow, THE EXORCIST). Hannah's youngest sister Holly (Dianne Wiest, BULLETS OVER BROADWAY) is a fledgling actress, who's unlucky in love. Hannah tries to be supportive, but seems to constantly touch on Holly's insecurities. She even tries to set her up with her ex-husband Mickey Sachs (Allen), a successful TV producer, which goes terribly. Mickey is going through a spiritual crisis himself when the hypochondriac gets a real medical scare.

I'm tired of waiting for modern horror series to live up to their potential. SAW and HOSTEL have lead the pack for what detractors call torture porn. The haters believe the films are all about upping the gore factor, and in some cases that's true, but it's not the whole story. I can handle the gore, but I'm tired of the cynicism.

The survivor of the original, Paxton (Jay Hernandez, CRAZY/BEAUTIFUL), shows up in the hospital. And if you know horror sequel cliches you can guess his fate. So we jump forward to three young college-aged students on a European tour. Beth (Lauren German, 2003's THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE) is the rich girl looking to break free from her father's watchful eye. Whitney (Bijou Phillips, BULLY) is her party-girl best friend. Lorna (Heather Matarazzo, WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE) is the annoyingly naïve nerd. Anyone who has seen the original will know that model Axelle (Vera Jordanova) is bad news when she hangs around the girls. She works for the company that auctions the chance to murder young men and women. The company's latest clients are alpha male Todd (Richard Burgi, IN HER SHOES) and his wimpy, browbeaten follower friend Stuart (Roger Bart, 2005's THE PRODUCERS).

There is a free spirit that drives George Roy Hill's Western masterpiece. With its use of pseudo-silent film looks to the sepia toned opening scenes to the carefree musical choices and the comedic interplay between the anti-heroes, the film makes us smile and laugh more than dozens of straight comedies. But there is also death hanging over everything as well. It relentlessly chases these two outlaws. Their ways are a thing of the past, and all the references to old-time cinematic techniques underline that fact.

Butch Cassidy, played by Paul Newman, is a laid-back lawbreaker who uses his smarts when he has to, but only when he has to. He'd rather be living the easy life. The Sundance Kid, played by Robert Redford, is a cocky killer who seems irritated with all the peons that he has to deal with. His good looks and dangerousness have brought excitement into the life of schoolteacher Etta Place (Katharine Ross, THE GRADUATE). But she probably would be happier with Butch if she had met him first. For their crimes, the Pacific Railroad's head E.H. Harriman has hired top assassins to hunt them down. Have they reached the end of the road for their thieving ways?

Condensed from Evelyn Waugh's classic book, this feature film version of the story presents a conflict of faith. How difficult is it to love a person that doesn't believe in heavenly things as you do? How difficult is it to be considered a lost soul by someone you love? How difficult is it to be a person looking, frustrated, into an oppressive world that you want to change, and be a part of, at the same time?

These are the questions that are hinted at, and often outright discussed, in the story of Charles Ryder, played by Matthew Goode (THE LOOKOUT). Charles is a boy of modest means heading off to Oxford, leaving an odd father (Patrick Malahide, THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH), whom barely knows the difference when his son is at home or away. At school, he is introduced to Sebastian Flyte (Ben Whishaw, PERFUME) when the young man pops through his window and throws up. Sebastian is a gay man, who loves to drink in the pleasures of life. He knows Charles is straight, but it doesn't stop him from taking the fledgling painter under his wing. He takes Charles to his family estate, Brideshead, where Charles is transfixed by its grandeur. But Charles also becomes transfixed with Julia (Hayley Atwell, THE DUCHESS), Sebastian's sister. Sebastian doesn't want Charles to meet his mother Lady Marchmain (Emma Thompson, SENSE & SENSIBILITY), who will play Charles like a chess piece as she does with everyone in her life.

Stanley Donen is best known for his musical classic SINGIN' IN THE RAIN. But in 1957, he got his first chance to work with the Oscar-winning new star Audrey Hepburn. Unlike her more famous musical, MY FAIR LADY, later in her career, Hepburn actually sings the tunes here. The film combines two musicals FUNNY FACE and WEDDING BELLS, and features assorted songs from George and Ira Gershwin.

The plot mainly comes from WEDDING BELLS. In the film, fashion magazine editor Maggie Prescott (Kay Thompson) wants something new and fresh for her new edition. Photographer Dick Avery (Fred Astaire, TOP HAT) is having no luck with his empty-headed model. The two decide to take the photo shoot on location to a trendy Greenwich Village bookstore, where they push around the intellectual shopkeeper Jo Stockton (Hepburn). However, after Avery develops the photos and sees Jo in them, he believes she is the new look they need. So with the allure of a trip to Paris, he convinces Jo to put aside her prejudices toward high fashion as a means to an end. It's a free trip to Paris, where her hero, philosopher Emile Flostre (Michel Auclair, THE DAY OF THE JACKAL), lives.

I hope no other filmmaker ever has an opportunity to make a film like this one. When you hear this devastating story you'll understand why. Kurt Kuenne is an independent filmmaker whose been making fictional films ever since he was a kid. His best friend Andrew Bagby acted in every one of his amateur productions. Then he got a call that changed everything. Andrew had been murdered by his ex-girlfriend, who turns out to be carrying Andrew's child and has now fled the U.S. for Canada. So Kuenne decided to travel the U.S. and England to capture the thoughts and memories of all the people Andrew touched so that his son, Zachary, would have an idea what his father was like.

This devastating film uses home video, news footage, photographs and interviews to combine elements of a personal doc with a memorial and a crime story. From the dozens and dozens of friends and family interviewed for this film, Andrew made a strong impression. As we discover, he was a lot like his amazing parents David and Kathleen. Of course in a memorial film as this one, people are going to make Andrew look like a saint, but there are details that back up the praise. He had been or would have been the best man at dozens of friends and family members weddings. His memorial service drew hundreds from various countries. He was portrayed as a good doctor who cared about his patients. As the saying goes, calculate the greatness of the man by the number of his friends. By that standard, Andrew was a great man.

Someone says stoner flick and you think about high people acting dumb. But not all stoner flicks are dumb. With PINEAPPLE EXPRESS arriving on DVD this week, This Weekend's Film Festival takes a look at the five best stoner flicks. We have something fruity. We have something served up with Ice Cube. We have two heterosexual life partners. We have a whole high school class. And no stoner party would be complete without The Dude.

David Gordon Green's PINEAPPLE EXPRESS is a major departure from his previous moody Southern gothic work. But as I said in my original review, "The daring moviegoer who likes all kinds of films will care about Dale and Saul as they laugh about what idiots they are." Penned by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the duo behind the surprisingly good SUPERBAD, this stoner flick takes absurd developments and silliness and wraps it around two compelling characters. Like all good stoner comedies, the film isn't funny because the characters are stoned, but it's funny because how getting stoned brings out the characters' personalities… and how it gets them in trouble. Rogen stars as subpoena server Dale Denton. One night on a job, he witnesses a murder by drug dealer Ted Jones (Gary Cole). In a panic, Dale runs to the apartment of his dealer Saul Silver, played hilariously by James Franco. Turns out, Cole is Saul's provider forcing the two to go on the run. Through their run-ins with the cops and various thugs bent on killing them, they only dig themselves deeper and deeper into an impossible situation. Stoner flicks are often buddy comedies, and Dale and Saul are a great comedic duo. Franco, known as that guy from SPIDER-MAN, emerged from the film as a star. The title might be a drug reference, but the film is about friendship.