Around the Bend
August 31, 2005
Around the Bend (2004) is one of those character-driven, independent films that desperately wants to evoke the hey-day of American cinema in the ‘70s but comes up too short because it fails to transcend its contrived premise. It’s a shame because...
Closer
August 30, 2005
Mike Nichols is enjoying something of a comeback. First, there was the critically-lauded Angels in America mini-series that aired on HBO and now the equally successful Closer (2004). Together, they prove that there is an audience for smart dramas by and...
Donnie Darko: The Director’s Cut
August 27, 2005
Donnie Darko (2001) had the misfortune of being released right around the time of 9/11. At the time no one was interested in seeing a strange time travel movie involving a teenage boy who talks to a large rabbit and is almost killed by a jet engine fallen...
Thieves’ Highway
August 26, 2005
Based on A.I. Bezzerides’ novel, Thieves’ Market, Jules Dassin’s Thieves’ Highway (1949) offers a glimpse into the world of truck drivers risking their lives on the open road, having to deal with their vehicles breaking down and pushing themselves...
My Own Private Idaho
August 25, 2005
Van Sant skillfully legitimized everyday existence with Mala Noche (1986) and Drugstore Cowboy (1989) by presenting fascinating explorations into street life. These films never exploited or romanticized their rather seedy subject matter, but viewed the...
Heat: Special Edition
August 21, 2005
After the commercial and critical success of The Last of the Mohicans (1992), filmmaker Michael Mann made his most ambitious film up to that point in his career with Heat (1996). He cast legendary actors Robert De Niro and Al Pacino as the leads in what...
The Motorcycle Diaries
August 17, 2005
Before Ernesto “Che” Guevara became one of the galvanizing forces behind the Cuban Revolution, he traveled through Latin America with his best friend Alberto Granado on a beat-up old 1939 Norton 500 motorcycle nicknamed “The Mighty One.” He documented...
P.S.
August 13, 2005
Filmmaker Dylan Kidd proved with his debut feature, Rodger Dodger (2002), that he was an adept observer of human behaviour. He has a keen eye on how people interact with one another. Where his first film featured an unsympathetic and often unlikable protagonist,...
Ray
August 11, 2005
Ray (2004) traces Ray Charles’ humble beginnings growing up dirt poor in Florida to the rhythm and blues legend that he became. In between, we are given insight into his creative process and the ups and downs of his life and career. Early on he traveled...
The Martin Scorsese Film Collection
August 10, 2005
Martin Scorsese is one of the world’s greatest filmmakers living today. At first, this may seem like so much over-inflated hype, and to be sure, he would be the first to avoid this title, but think, for a moment, about a handful of the films this...
