This 1948 Italian Neorealist film from Vittorio De Sica is one of the most loved, most admired Italian films in cinema history. Though the Italians floored the world in the 50s with their gritty edge, it’s “Bicycle Thieves” that features at the top of critics’ lists of great movies. What’s to love about this film? […]
I have, quite successfully, managed to stay relatively ignorant of the plot and details concerning Woody Allen’s latest movie, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”, except for the front-page matter of a steamy lesbian scene between actresses Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz It was a Herculean effort, but still my mind was polluted with temping images of Penelope
Will Ferrell has headed up so many movies of the same type that there needs to be a new genre to describe it: man-boy comedy. He could join the gallery of comedians like Jim Carrey and Mike Myers, who have traded on their ability to make us laugh with infantile antics. In “Step Brothers”, Ferrell
The ridiculous name of this Hong Kong Category III movie is diminished by the spectacularly poor production and acting, so awful that it manages to reach a level of simple enjoyment. This is Cat III and “My Horny Girlfriend” goes for the below the belt shot Grace Lam is the lead actress, who, after sleeping
The early to mid 1980s was an age of plenty for Australian filmmaking. The generous 10BA tax concessions meant that it had never been easier to finance a film and the result was a flood of projects being given the green light. It’s a situation that’s looked upon with envy by modern filmmakers, but while
Terry Gilliam was the often forgotten member of Monty Python. Rarely appearing onscreen, Gilliam instead applied his talent to co-writing much of Python’s material and inventing the ridiculous animated gags that would often open the show. In the post Python years Gilliam began to illustrate both a talent for film direction and a predilection for
At night, a crumbling museum guarded by well-meaning, but hapless security guards, stands alone on a deserted street in Chongqing, China. It’s the perfect target for thieves, as the flimsy defenses stand to protect an unbelievably rare jade stone on display at the museum. The irreverent lunacy of “Crazy Stone” is apparent at this moment:
Not many films conjure as much discussion as David Lynch’s “Eraserhead.” Stark and troubling, it’s a film that encourages additional visitations, but also becomes more disturbing with each viewing. It’s often self indulgent, like a student short on steroids, and suffers from oddly flat moments, but it’s also unwavering in its vision, and wraps the
For a time in the late 70s it seemed the only films Australia could produce were sumptuous period pieces. It was a cliché for a reason, with local filmmakers having pumped out “Picnic at Hanging Rock,” “The Getting of Wisdom” and “My Brilliant Career” in quick succession. It’s this synoptic relationship between Australian cinema and
An underling’s ultimate revenge fantasy comes to life in George Huang’s caustic look behind the scenes at the functioning of Hollywood’s inner machinery. Based on his own time spent groveling for minute snatches of progress up the slippery totem pole at Columbia, Swimming for Sharks (1994) is essentially a satirical black comedy. Though it has
