Tomorrow marks the beginning of the BFI London Film Festival, which opens with Fernando Meirelles's tepidly reviewed "360." But I'm beginning on a positive note, with a list of the 15 best already-seen films of the fest.
Posted on Tuesday, Oct 11, 2011
There are precious few good screenplays that begin with the words, "A wise man once said...". Peter Morgan's script for "360," a vacuous theoretical spin on "La Ronde," isn't one of them.
Posted on Thursday, Oct 13, 2011
A new exhibition in London celebrates the dying medium of 35mm, and Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg are among its most high-profile advocates -- despite both directors entering new technical territory in their latest films.
Posted on Thursday, Oct 13, 2011
This year, however, the stage has been set for the Academy to make more relevant choices than usual in the often-derided Best Foreign Language Film category. The list of 63 contenders announced today includes many critically beloved festival hits, but will voters take the bait?
Posted on Thursday, Oct 13, 2011
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, "Like Crazy" offers a credible look at the complications of long-distance romance -- but still feels wan and emptily precious in its exploration of this scenario.
Posted on Friday, Oct 14, 2011
Ahead of its UK debut at the London Film Festival tonight, The Guardian has unveiled the first trailer for Steve McQueen's fall festival hit "Shame" -- with an award-winning performance from Michael Fassbender that could be an Oscar dark horse.
Posted on Friday, Oct 14, 2011
You'd have been forgiven for thinking that Steven Spielberg had lost his fun gene after "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" -- but "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn" is a springy, souped-up entertainment that hews far closer to the original Indiana Jones template.
Posted on Sunday, Oct 16, 2011
Buzzy Oscar contender "The Artist" added to its trophy cabinet with wins at both the Chicago and Hamptons International Film Festivals last year, while under-the-radar Best Actress hopeful Olivia Colman took a prize for "Tyrannosaur."
Posted on Monday, Oct 17, 2011
After yesterday's positive London reception, things are looking good for Steven Spielberg's "The Adventures of Tintin," but will the Academy respond to it? We don't know, but John Williams's old-school score, at least, looks a solid bet.
Posted on Monday, Oct 17, 2011
A blinding Australian debut feature from Justin Kurzel, "Snowtown" negotiates the real-life criminal exploits of a suburban family Down Under -- only to make last year's "Animal Kingdom" look positively "Neighbours"-like in comparison.
Posted on Tuesday, Oct 18, 2011
