Bridesmaids

The Museum of Modern Art has announced the program for The Contenders, its annual screening series of the most notable works from the year in film.  Choices are made by the museum’s Department of Film and quite a big deal to Indie Movie fans.

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I have always thought of the Olympic opening ceremonies as a little overdramatic and dare I say cheesy. Well thanks to a 300 million dollar budget and the artistic vision of renowned Chinese film director Zhang Yimou, 2008′s Bejing ceremonies were legendary – despite the frequent flood warnings and technical difficulties interrupting the broadcast thanks to my local NBC affiliate. But don’t listen to me, check out the commentary of film critic Roger Ebert on his blog here
In an insightful review, Ebert gives his take on “Certainly the most expensive theatrical spectacle in history,” which such poignant statements as, “The closest sight I have seen to Friday night’s spectacle, and I mean this objectively, not with disrespect, is the sight of all those Germans marching wave upon wave before Hitler in “Triumph of the Will.”

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Bret Easton Ellis strikes again; Wayfarers, New Order, drugs, sex, and rich LA brats. Welcome to the first look at “The Informers”, the film adaptation of Ellis’s 1994 novel of the same name in which he also wrote the screenplay.

“The drama is set over the course of a week in 1983, in the chillingly nihilistic world of Ellis’ youth in Los Angeles. Seven storylines intersect, involving movie execs, rock stars, a vampire and other morally challenged characters.”

Now, I have to admit that of Ellis’s work, I have only read “American Psycho”, and have never been a fan of his film adaptations (“American Psycho”, “The Rules of Attraction”, “Less Than Zero”) . I can however say that, in its favor, “The Informers” has a decent cast including Winona Ryder, Mickey Rourke, Kim Basinger, Billy Bob Thornton, and Brad Renfro in his last film appearance before his death. And if you ask me, all of these actors are a step up from Ellis’ previous star ensembles including Jams Van Der Beek, Jessica Biel, Andrew McCarthey, and James Spader.

The trailer below is most definitely “R’ rated so beware before you take a look. Then be sure to let me know what you think. Are Ellis’s films worthy? Will “The Informers” surprise audiences?

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In the 1950′s Hollywood was producing around forty westerns per year, that number fell to twenty during the 60′s, around ten per year in the 1970′s through 90′s, and in the new millennium, we are lucky to get five westerns each year. But when those westerns are of the caliber of 2007′s “3:10 to Yuma”, “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”, and “No Country for Old Men”, quality over quantity is clearly the appropriate adage.

Since 2008 has already graced us with South Korea’s “The Good, The Bad, and The Weird”, I was surprised to see how amazing today’s trailer for “Appaloosa” looks. The film is co-written, directed, and co-starred in by Ed Harris who shares the screen with Viggo Mortensen. And if there is anybody out there who neglected to see “A History of Violence” let me just say, these two were destined to play alongside each other. “Appaloosa” is based on a 2005 Robert B. Parker novel of the same name and also stars Renee Zellweger and Jeremy Irons.

IMDB lists the plot as “Two friends hired to police a small town that is suffering under the rule of a rancher find their job complicated by the arrival of a young widow”. Check out the trailer below or go to MSN to see this trailer in HD. Expect an October release date for “Appaloosa”.

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