Jul
18
And so it comes to this: one determined, no-longer-a-boy-wizard versus one living incarnation of evil, facing off in a battle to the death. Meanwhile, millions of loving fans watch on, thinking, This is the culmination of all my dreams made real, while a smaller contingent of more critical spectators settle into their theater seats praying …
Jun
27
Kids love cars, and kids love CARS — that seems to be the calculation behind Pixar’s latest animated offering, CARS 2. Abandoning the original film’s theme that celebrated the romance of exploring off-the-beaten-superhighway U.S, director John Lasseter and crew have devised an espionage plotline for this sequel, with cocky racecar Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and …
Apr
29
Director Clio Barnard uses what was originally a theatrical technique in her hybrid documentary/drama THE ARBOR: She interviewed the friends, family, and acquaintances of the late playwright Andrea Dunbar and her troubled daughter Lorraine, then brought in actors to lip-synch to the resulting soundtrack. The process, shot partly in the working-class housing project that Dunbar …
Apr
15
In this week’s episode of the Cinefantastique Spotlight Podcast, Lawrence French and Dan Persons focus on HANNA, Joe Wright’s dynamic action-thriller about a pint-sized female assassin whose intelligence, dexterity, and especially lethal skills seem just a tad beyond normal human capacity. It’s SUCKER PUNCH by way of THE BOURNE IDENTITY by way of take your …
Jan
26
All kinds of news prompt all kinds of discussion from this week’s panel: the rumored casting of Anthony Hopkins as Alfred Hitchcock in a film about the making of PSYCHO gets theofantastique.com’s John W. Morehead, CFQ’s Steve Biodrowski, and Dan Persons musing about what behind-the-scenes events could be dramatized in a film that aren’t already …
Jan
24
And the dream comes true for one young, idealistic podcast host. After months of campaigning, Dan finally gets a chance to bring Steven Moffat’s (DOCTOR WHO) BBC series, JEKYLL, to the table for an extended discussion. Listen in as CFQ editor Steve Biodrowski and theofantastique.com’s John W. Morehead join Dan Persons in a spirited and …
Dec
28
Is it marketing genius on the part of Sony Classics that they usher in 2011 with a film called ANOTHER YEAR? Nah, more likely they just wanted to get Oscar tongues a-buzzing for Mike Leigh’s latest glimpse into joys, pains, hopes, and desperations of ordinary life, especially for a sterling cast that includes Jim Broadbent, …
Dec
17
Having survived the rocky shoals of THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER, Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons decide to kick it freestyle (as the kids all say — the kids do all say that, don’t they?) in a wide-ranging, nay, recklessly random episode of THE CINEFANTASTIQUE POST-MORTEM PODCAST. Covered …
Dec
13
For the second week in a row, Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons immerse themselves in a magical, 3D kingdom for this episode of The Cinefantastique Review. This time, though, instead of Disney whimsy, it’s C.S. Lewis faith-tinged adventure, as they join siblings Lucy and Edmund Pevensie (Susan and Peter appear to be away …
Nov
22
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, PART 1 is a bona fide box office sensation. But is it any good, or is it just a prequel for Part 2? Is this another example of movie-going as Tribal Identifier? Is IMAX the best way to see the the latest film adaptation of J.R. Rowling, or will …
