Check out part 1 of the new Hip Hop movie "Up in the Attic. It's about teenagers growing up in the 1980's Hip Hop era whose hang out was the attic of one of the guys houses and is filled with comedy, romance, drama and real life situations. It features cameos by members of the Crash Crew, Chill Rob G, Zulu Nation Members and more! These dudes get high, snap on each other, party hard and love the women, but will they ever get serious?
Executive Producer Kamal Imani
Directed by Kamal Imani Co-director Christopher Brown
Editor Jonathan L of Newblackmusic.net
Starring Jamian Jamal BlackmonPeace,Love,Unity & Having Fun”
Check out part 1 of the new Hip Hop movie "Up in... more
Not to put too fine a point on it, but the poster for TURNING GREEN lies. It showcases Tim Hutton, Colm Meaney, and Allesandro Nivola, but while they’re prominent figures in the film, it ain’t about them. Off in the lower right, with his back turned towards the camera, there’s your protagonist: A teenage boy, played quite engagingly by newcomer Donal Gallery. I can understand the motivation for pitching the name players in your marketing, but really, can’t you at least show the kid’s face?
Granted, beyond that poster, Michael Aimette and John G. Hofmann’s TURNING GREEN has had as convoluted a history as can be imagined: The story of James, a teen who, with his brother, has been shipped by their father to Ireland and who decides to rally up the cash for an escape by peddling contraband pornography to his classmates — much to the displeasure of his bookie boss Nivola and the bookie’s enforcer Hutton — the script was a finalist on the first season of PROJECT GREENLIGHT (the one that ended up producing STOLEN SUMMER — dodged a bullet there, eh, guys?), was actually shot in 2004, has been in release since 2005, and is only now making its U.S. debut. It’s a small film, but a cleverly conceived, beautifully photographed, and well-performed one — as neat a directorial debut as I’ve seen this year. Ben Affleck and Chris Moore should be kicking themselves.
Aimette and Hofmann gave me some insight into the film’s extended genesis and the olfactory-challenging lengths to which Tim Hutton would go to develop a character. Click on the link to hear the interview:
The Real Housewives of Orange County season five had an explosive start last night (November 5th) on Bravo. Holy DRAMA. Those woman can’t be in the room together for more than a second without the nasty claws coming out.
The Iron Boy (2006) is a gem of a short film from Australia. This eerie and dramatic film is wonderfully shot with dark undertones, and the spooky soundtrack compliments it perfectly. It stars Rebecca Cole and Peter Anderson and was created by Swingtime Creative. (full review: http://www.dainsmoviereviews.com/2009/11/iron-boy-film-review.html)The Iron Boy (2006) is a gem of a short film from Australia. This eerie and dramatic... more
A parody on ‘Hollyoaks’ taken from our twenty minute comedy sketch show pilot 'Chocolate Moon'. The show was made by young filmmakers in Merseyside, England. The show includes several sketches with pop culture references, including Saw, the Pope and Hollyoaks. Influences include Big Train and Monty Python.A parody on ‘Hollyoaks’ taken from our twenty minute comedy sketch show pilot... more
What Became of Us/Mitä meistä tuli (2009) is a dramatically thrilling independent film from Finland. You will be immersed in this movie with its unique and multifaceted characters, amazing cinematography, and profoundly moving storyline.
Ti West sure digs his retro. In THE ROOST — his tidy little horror film about a group of travelers threatened by some really nasty bats — he added a wraparound featuring Tom Noonan in tacky butler drag, holding forth in front of a cardboard set as host of a local Saturday Night Chiller Feature broadcast. For THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL — which reunites West with Noonan and adds in Mary Woronov for good measure — it’s a blast from the eighties, complete with a really gnarly font and a freeze-frame for the opening titles.
Elbow-in-the-ribs tip-offs aside, THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL — about a college student (Jocelin Donahue) who goes to an isolated abode for a babysitter gig and (surprise!) encounters more than she bargained for, including Noonan and Woronov as her clients — shows off West’s skill at building atmosphere and his predilection for eerie nuance over gross-out gore. The SAW franchise (and if any series deserves the term “franchise,” it’s that one) may be more efficient in logging a body count, but HOUSE is the kind of film that reminds you how cool it is to settle back and just let the dread soak in.
West shared some spooky goings-on that happened on-set, and talked about the audience’s responsibility in making sure that the labors of horror’s more unique visionaries don’t completely vanish from the screen. Click on the link to hear the interview.
You could probably forge a good, absurdist, dark comedy out of a government where racial identity can be declared and reversed by official decree, and white parents whose child’s skin is, because of a genetic quirk, darker than theirs struggle to get their kid designated Caucasian. I can imagine Terry Gilliam going to town on something like that, or maybe even Kevin Smith in a more thoughtful mode. But this isn’t absurdist comedy, this was South Africa in the throes of apartheid, and the story told in Anthony Fabian’s debut feature, SKIN, turns out to have been all too real.
The actual person, Sandra Laing, suffered through a kind of industrial-strength crisis of identity, with her parents determined to ensure that her privileges be protected via that all-important white designation, and her own growing awareness that, whatever the government stamped on a piece of paper, she would have no shortage of difficulty in finding a place in so divided a society. Director Fabian shot the film in South Africa, and brought together a strong cast, including Sophie Okonedo as Sandra and Sam Neill and Alice Krige as her parents. The result is quite moving — a human and unusual perspective on the insanity of institutionalized racism.
Anthony Fabian and I got a chance to talk about his motivation for taking on this project, and how the dictates of apartheid could twist the motives of even the best-intentioned of parents. Click on the link to hear the interview.
Tonight the drama begins with part one of season two’s The Real Housewives of Atlanta Reunion Show. Bravo has a two part special loaded with all the drama you can handle. The second part of the mayhem will explode on November 5th. All of the dirt we’ve been hearing about will be aired. I can’t wait!
This short film is about John who was born deaf and has gained his own understanding of the world through his conceived notion of what the world sounds like. At this point in time in his life, he is presented with a reason to restore his hearing. After gaining the ability to hear, he realizes something about the reality of sounds.This short film is about John who was born deaf and has gained his own understanding... more
“Lars von Trier doesn’t like to fly.” “Lars von Trier isn’t going to talk to a lot of press.” Yeah, yeah; yadda-yadda. But just because he isn’t talking to us doesn’t mean we can’t talk about him, particularly about his childhood. I have it on good authority that he refused to eat his sandwiches until the crusts were cut off, and he slept with a night light until he was fifteen.
Seriously, though, I came out of ANTICHRIST — von Trier’s latest film which has been freaking out audiences from Cannes forward — aching to delve further into it. And with the director (did you know he got atomic wedgies every day after gym?) unavailable, I decided to carry on the conversation with a couple of people who could provide some intriguing perspectives on the film: Monika Treut, director of SEDUCTION: THE CRUEL WOMAN, GENDERNAUTS, and GHOSTED; and Steve Biodrowski, editor of Cinefantastique Online.
You can click on the link above to hear the discussion. And Lars, next time, we really want to get your insights directly. We promise we won’t mention how you were subjected to swirlies on a weekly basis.“Lars von Trier doesn’t like to fly.” “Lars von Trier isn’t going to talk to... more
Our story continues from the action packed series Curly Clavis. Written and directed by: Terrence C. Conyers. A Black Superhero filmOur story continues from the action packed series Curly Clavis. Written and directed... more
You’re going to have to trust me on this one: I am a romantic. ONCE is one of my favorite films; I teared up at both UP and MARY AND MAX (animated characters struggling for their small bit of happiness just hit some special spot in me). But when you’re telling the tale of Amelia Earhart, I’m not quite looking to swoon. I want the adventure, I want the danger — I want the tale of how the first aviatrix thumbed her nose at the patriarchy and got it done.
In AMELIA, director Mira Nair seeks to delve into both the personal and professional life of Earhart, played here by Hilary Swank. The flying stuff, particularly a final act dedicated to the doomed final leg of Earhart’s attempt to circumnavigate the globe, is pretty much everything I could ask for — accomplished with a mix of live action aeronautics and CG simulation; and both visually beautiful and dramatically riveting. The romance, though — which focuses primarily on Earhart’s relationships with her publisher and point man George Putnam (Richard Gere) and pilot and airline innovator Gene Vidal (yes, father of Gore, and here played by Ewan McGregor) — didn’t particularly grab me. I sensed Nair tiptoeing genteelly around the subject, and can’t help but suspect that the private world of such a, s’cuse me, balls-out woman was possibly messier and certainly more dynamic than what appears on-screen. I would’ve preferred seeing if the fires that fueled Earhart’s pursuit of the sky burned as bright in her personal relationships. That opportunity seems to have been missed.
Mira Nair talked to me about making the world of Earhart of filmic reality, and discussed how one of the earliest media sensations strained against her public image. Click on the link above to hear the interview.You’re going to have to trust me on this one: I am a romantic. ONCE is one of my... more
Moon is basically a 1 man show brought to you by Sam Rockwell. Fortunately for the sake of the movie Sam Rockwell did a very good job with his character.Moon is basically a 1 man show brought to you by Sam Rockwell. Fortunately for the... more
Let's find out which of the newest trailers are quickening our pulse with The Anticipatron.
The Rotten Tomatoes Show is a movie review show that airs on Thursday nights at 10:30 e/p on Current TV. From reviews of the newest releases to
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The BBC is to launch the UK's most high-profile web TV series to date with a youth-targeted spin-off of flagship BBC1 drama EastEnders.
EastEnders:E20 will follow the the story of four new teenage characters who move to the soap's fictional east London location, Albert Square.
The 13-part series, which will launch in January ahead of EastEnders' 25th anniversary on 19 February, has been designed primarily to operate as a standalone online show but stars of the TV show will make cameos.
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From The GuardianThe BBC is to launch the UK's most high-profile web TV series to date with a... more
Lionsgate is teasing us with the first official movie trailer of Season of the Witch, an upcoming fantasy thriller movie set in the Middle Age: http://teaser-trailer.com/2009/10/season-of-the-witch-movie-trailer.htmlLionsgate is teasing us with the first official movie trailer of Season of the Witch,... more
For My Father/Shabat Shalom Maradona (2008) is an absorbing and complex quest of unyielding emotion, choice, and discovery.For My Father/Shabat Shalom Maradona (2008) is an absorbing and complex quest of... more
The hit new series continues as the Timland Brothers make their first debut. A side story to "The light in the City of DarknessThe hit new series continues as the Timland Brothers make their first debut. A side... more
