Jason says: “NAMELESS GANGSTER: RULES OF THE TIME (BURNCHOIWAUI JUNJAENG: NABBEUNNOMDEUL JEONSUNGSHIDAE) opens, at least in this English-subtitled version, with a definition of the word ‘daebu’, which means ‘man of one’s grandfather’s generation’ – or ‘Godfather’. Give writer/director Yung Jong-bin
Jason says: “The punny theme song that plays over the opening credits of MURDER UNIVERSITY may be the best part of the movie, although it’s close and at least an example of what’s coming: A jokey flick that’s surprisingly entertaining
Chris says: “Back when I first saw THE DARJEELING LIMITED, I detected the promise of a mature, career-defining work lurking deep within, and suggested that Wes Anderson shed some of his baggage in order to locate it. I didn’t specify
Jason says: “MONSIEUR LAZHAR, Canada/Quebec’s nominee for best foreign language feature at the recent Oscars, is a quite remarkable piece of work, and all the more so for how quietly and efficiently it goes about its business. It is amazingly
Jason says: “MON AMI, despite its title, is in English, so its audience needn’t fret about having to deal with subtitles. It’s still rather off the beaten path, a buddy black comedy, with as much enthusiasm as gags involving grievous
Jason says: “The previous film by Yuya Ishii to play Fantasia was called ‘SAWAKO DECIDES’, and to be completely honest, this one could do with a little more deciding and acting on those decisions. As nice as this movie and
Bruce says: “At the end of MISS BALA a statement about drug wars flashes across the screen to inform us how insidious the multi-billion dollar drug business can be in terms of human life – 36,000 people have been killed
Thom says: “Again another major disappointment as wonderful Weerasethakul was another director on the verge of TOP 10 inclusion. After TROPICAL MALADY, SYNDROMES & A CENTURY, & UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES he was this close for
Jason says: “It’s not an uncommon occurrence – you see a documentary at a film festival and there’s a Q&A afterward. Someone asks an interesting question, the director gives an interesting answer, and you’re glad you came but kind of
Tom says: “It’s been 9 years since Bertolucci’s last film, the very disappointing THE DREAMERS, a film with a distinct lack of conviction, but the Italian master has been responsible for some of my all-time favorite films including THE COMFORMIST,
Bruce says: “Much has been said about THE MASTER being a thinly disguised biopic of L. Ron Hubbard and the Church of Scientology. Hubbard may have been the inspiration for the film but THE MASTER is about cultism in general.
Jason says: “For what it is, MANBORG is damn impressive. Director Steve Kostanski estimates that he and his friends made the movie for about a thousand dollars, although I suspect that is the sort of estimate that severely underestimates the
Bruce says: “When directors have had multiple successes there is no reason to doubt that subsequent films will fall flat; yet that is exactly the situation with Ferzan Ozpetek. Here’s hoping that MAGNIFICENT PRESENCE lost its continuity, among other things,
Bruce says: “If you have ever seen Channing Tatum on a talk show, you know that he is very open about his former career as a male stripper. Steven Soderbergh has his own mission of bringing more stories to the
Jason says: “What sort of movie is THE LOVED ONES? It’s the sort of movie where, when a carpet is lifted from the floor to reveal hinges, we in the audience are given a bit of time to ponder just
Jason says: “LOVE is exactly the sort of movie that gets released for Valentine’s Day, which is when it showed up in Taiwan and a few larger American cities. It’s not a classic romance, but it sets the mood well,
Jason says: “The vagaries of North American release patterns of foreign films have resulted in LOVE IN THE BUFF reaching theaters here before LOVE IN THE PUFF, the movie to which it is a sequel, has been available on anything
Jason says: “I try not to get too worked up about science in movies, but given that LOSING CONTROL is about a scientist trying to apply the scientific method to her personal life and the title is a pun that
Thom says: “A loving couple arrive in Georgia (the country) and absorb the local culture. They hire a local guide (a guide in real life who had to be coerced into acting in his first and last film) to take
Jason says: “First, forget that stupid English-language title; Juan Martínez Moreno hates it (there’s no game involved) and hopes whoever picks it up in English-speaking territories just goes with LOBOS DE ARGA. Instead, focus on what a really great horror-comedy
