AWN Blogs

One of David Cronenberg's early low-budget horror films, SHIVERS establishes what would go on to be the trademark of his work — a mix of sex and violence. Throughout all his work, there is an unsettling preserve line that is crossed between horror and sexual perversion. It makes his films haunting. SHIVERS does just what its title advertises.

Roger St. Luc (Paul Hampton, LADY SINGS THE BLUES) is a doctor at a new exclusive Canadian apartment complex. He's having an affair with his nurse Forsythe (Lynn Lowry, CAT PEOPLE). Some of the men in the complex, including businessman Nicholas Tudor (Allan Kolma, upcoming W.), are complaining of painful abdominal lumps. When the gruesome scene of a murder-suicide is discovered in one of the apartments, Dr. St. Luc discovers the unorthodox experiments of Emil Hobbes (Fred Doederlein, SCANNERS), who believes the human race has become too rational and needs to tap into its primal side, making him develop a parasite that turns its hosts into sexual fiends.

Congrats to Maeve Eydmann for correctly answering this trivia question. The Day 1 and Day 2 giveaways are still open so there is still a chance to win a copy of BALLET SHOES on DVD.

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It's the last day of Rick's Flicks Picks' BALLET SHOES giveaway. This great adaptation of Noel Streatfeild's classic children's book recently arrived on DVD. I've posted three trivia questions. The first person to answer those questions in the comments of the quiz posts will win a copy of the DVD. The answers to the questions can be found at the literary site Amoxcalli.

This trivia quiz is closed. Congrats Willow Whedon for answering correctly.

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Okay, the first contest is still open and now I have a second DVD of BALLET SHOES to give away. For the answer to today's question head over to the literary site Amoxcalli. Once you have the answer just post it in the comments of this post, the first person to do so (even if it's a week from now) will receive the free DVD. The film is a wonderful story for young girls, I highly recommend it.

To learn more about the new film version, check out my BALLET SHOES review.

One of the great films about making films, AMERICAN MOVIE is about an artist full of contradictions. Mark Borchardt lives in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin and dreams of making movies. Ever since he bought his first used 16MM camera with a bad focus he's been making horror flicks like his favorites NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. Now to earn the funding for his epic drama about his life, the 30-year-old is making a 35-minute horror flick titled COVEN. That's pronounced COVE-n, because the other way would sound too much like oven.

Mark recruits his friends and local amateur actors for his films. His best friend Mike Schank is his composer and seems constantly stoned even though he has sworn off drugs and alcohol after too many bad trips. Ken Keen is another longtime friend who is described by Mark's Swedish mother Monica as the "bad influence." Mark has three kids, but has no interest in marrying their mother now that he has met his new girlfriend Joan Petrie, who seems to admire his dreams. To fund his films he taps funds from his aged Uncle Bill, who lives in a shabby trailer while he has over $200,000 in the bank. Mark's mother is supportive, even filling in as cinematographer from time to time. Mark's father Cliff thinks his son should get a job, but at this point feels he needs to finish his film. Mark's brothers Alex and Chris see him as a loudmouthed loser whose fit only for factory work.

The Jim Henson Company launches its Discoveries label to bring acquired content to the direct-to-DVD market. THE BLUE ELEPHANT, the first Thai CG feature, looks from its cute character design like it is geared toward the pre-school crowd. However, one might take notice to its PG rating, because the chief theme is fighting wars for freedom. While the character design for the animals are appealing, they seem in contrast to the tone. These inconsistent parts are the primary qualities that make the film seem like it was cobbled together from spare parts of other films.

Based on the story CHAO PRAYA PRAH HONGSAWADEE by Ariya Jintapanichkarn, Khan Kluay (Jeremy Redleaf) is a tiny, blue elephant that has never known his father. When the Burmese army moves into his area, he goes looking for his dad, believing that he may have been captured. This leads to him being separated from his mother and discovered by a pink female elephant named Kon Suav (Miranda Cosgrove, TV's ICARLY), who is the "daughter" of the human elephant trainer Tian (Carl Reiner, TV's THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW). When the King of Siam (Richard Epcar, TV's DIGIMON) calls on all his people to challenge the Burmese, Tian trains Khan and the other elephants to fight for their freedom. With the aide of the hyper bird Jai (Martin Short, THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES), Khan becomes the honored Royal Elephant.

Those unfamiliar with Noel Streatfeild's "Shoes" series of books might be drawn to this film by HARRY POTTER star Emma Watson. What they will find is something much more than Hermione taking a break from wizardry. While there isn't any overt magic, this film does have a bit of wish-fulfillment fantasy in it that is magical. Young girls, open-minded boys and parents alike will find joy within this production.

After her parents passed, Sylvia Brown went, with her nurse Nana (Victoria Wood, 1996's THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS), to live with her great uncle Matthew (Richard Griffiths, THE HISTORY BOYS). Matthew is a world-trotting fossil hound, which fits Sylvia perfectly. During his adventures abroad he also has a knack for discovering abandoned baby girls, which fall under the care of the adult Sylvia (Emilia Fox, THE PIANIST) and Nana. Now with Matthew believed lost on one of his adventures, the women have a hard time making ends meet, opening up the house to borders. The girls all have big dreams, but little means. Pauline Fossil (Watson) — surname given by Sylvia — wants to be an actress. Posy Fossil (Lucy Boynton, MISS POTTER) wants nothing more than to be a ballerina. Petrova Fossil (Yasmin Paige, TV's THE MYSTI SHOW) wants to be a world famous aviator.

I'm going to avoid all the typical statements that accompany a new Woody Allen film, and simply say VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA is a good Woody Allen film. Unlike MATCH POINT, Allen goes for laughs and deals with his favorite topic, sexual politics. He has chosen another lovely European country, Spain, to set his story, instead of his beloved New York. He also brings back his latest muse Scarlett Johansson. The story isn't profound, but it is very funny and contains the smart Allen-esque dialogue that makes even this lesser films a joy to watch.

Vicky (Rebecca Hall, THE PRESTIGE) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson, LOST IN TRANSLATION) are good friends who travel to Barcelona. Vicky is doing work for her Catalan Identity masters degree, while Cristina is just trying to find herself. They stay with Vicky's relative Judy (Patricia Clarkson, THE STATION AGENT). After an art auction, the two women are propositioned by artist Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN) to travel with him to Oviedo for the weekend. Vicky, who is engaged to the conservative and unromantic Doug (Chris Messina, TV's SIX FEET UNDER), wants nothing to do with the playboy painter, but Cristina is intrigued. Subsequently, sexual shenanigans transpire between the trio, but things get really volatile when Juan's passionate and unstable ex-wife Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz, VOLVER) comes back into the picture.

Ever see a film as a kid that so captured your imagination that you become obsessed with it for months. You went outside and reenacted it with friends over and over again. You created new grander, more fantastic adventures in your mind for the heroes to get caught up into. Now imagine you're an imaginative 10-year-old, who due to religious reasons, has never seen a film or TV show. Think about how they would be consumed with the joy of cinema, even if that cinema is a Rambo flick.

Will Proudfoot (Bill Milner, MY BOY JACK) is that imaginative little boy. His father has past away and his mother Mary (Jessica Hynes, SHAUN OF THE DEAD) is doing her best to raise him and his little sister, while taking care of her aged mother, in their ultra-conservative faith. One day while Will sits in the hall while the rest of his class watches a videotape, he has an encounter with the school's notorious troublemaker Lee Carter (Will Poulter). Inspired by Will's elaborate sketchbook, Lee blackmails Will into participating in his production for an amateur film contest. To keep his older brother from taking away his video equipment, Lee makes pirated copies of theatrical releases. This is how Will gets his first taste of FIRST BLOOD. Will storyboards their entire film and soon attracts the attention of a very popular French exchange student named Didier Revol (Jules Sitruk). This doesn't make Lee happy, because he can't stand Didier and his hordes of clone-like followers.

After debuting at this year's Sundance Film Festival followed by a TV premiere on Showtime, this true-life crime tale comes to DVD. Based on court transcripts, this story of child abuse looks at the conditions that lead to an adult babysitter torturing the teenage girl under her care, while allowing her own children, along with neighborhood kids, to continue a serious of sadistic attacks.

Sylvia Likens (Ellen Page, JUNO) had parents who were members of the carnival circuit. Upon moving to a new town, her parents don't want to take her and her younger sister Jennie (Hayley McFarland) on the road again, so they leave her in the care of single mother Gertrude Baniszewski (Catherine Keener, BEING JOHN MALKOVICH), who they only recently met. With seven children of her own and the promise of $20 every week from the Likens, Gertrude doesn't think twice about adding two more kids to her care. But when her eldest Paula (Ari Graynor, MYSTIC RIVER) gets pregnant and has a misunderstanding with Sylvia, Gertrude's harsh punishment tactics come out.

Here's a new experiment. I'm putting together a list of the 30 fall releases that I'm most excited about. This of course could greatly change as they get screened and other films pop into my radar. I plan to post updates when it's appropriate. For instance, when a firm release date comes out for other fall films - like Clint Eastwood's GRAN TORINO, Steven Soderbergh's CHE, or Rod Lurie's NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH - I might add them. The same can be said if Laika and Focus Features decide to sneak CORALINE out for an Oscar qualifying run. The purpose of the piece is to gage buzz and to peak interest in upcoming movies. I'd also like to hear from readers about what they're excited about seeing this fall. So here we go.

Going back to its serial roots, this new STAR WARS adventure feels like a chapter in a continuing story while standing on its own as an individual story. Unlike PHANTOM MENACE it stands on its own. Not only the animation moves this installment into a new direction. The light blue "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" is still present, but the signature text crawl has been replaced by a Gary Owen-ish announcer, filling us in on what has preceded this story. Big on action and pun-filled banter, this film reminded me of the fun I had with SKY CAPTAIN more than any of the STAR WARS prequels.

The Clone Wars are raging. Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter, HEROES first season) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (James Arnold Taylor, TV's DRAWN TOGETHER) are battling the Separatists droid army, led by Count Dooku (Christopher Lee, LORD OF THE RINGS). Yoda (Tom Kane, TV's KIM POSSIBLE) has assigned Anakin a padawan learner named Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein, TV's THAT'S SO RAVEN), a snippy young girl who is desperate to prove herself. Anakin resists having a pupil at first, but takes to the brash young Jedi quickly. They are given the mission to rescue the kidnapped son of Jabba the Hut (Kevin Michael Richardson, TV's THE BATMAN), whose help is needed by the Republic in their war effort. But Count Dooku sends his assassin Asajj Ventress (Nika Futterman, TV's MY GYM PARTNER'S A MONKEY) to thwart their efforts.