Sorry for anyone reading this, that i haven't updated in quite a while.
But the Wulf is back with some news. First off, Left Of Center is now on of BLUBRRY.COM, you anyone wishing to hear the latest film and DVD reviews can go there as well. The last few DVD's i have reviewed have been from the Criterion Collection, DAZED AND CONFUSED, and EQUINOX. Both of those DVD are definately worth checking out, and if you're not sure, just listen to the reviews.


Secondly, i just saw Richard Linklater's latest film A SCANNER DARKLY. i will be reviewing it later this week at LOC, but i have to say it was pretty good. It could have done without Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder, but i guess you have to take the good with the bad.


Also, i saw SUPERMAN RETURNS a few weeks ago but haven't said much about it except for on the INTERSTATE 1002 podcast. Well here it is: SUPERMAN RETURNS takes place five years after Superman's disappearance from Earth to check on reports that his home planet of Krypton may not have been destroyed completely. Superman has returned, finding nothing left of Krypton, and he attempts to rejoin society as Clark Kent back at the DAILY PLANET. On the other side of things, Lex Luthor, released fom prison on a technicality (Superman didn't show up in court as a witness against Luthor, so he was released) and has just inherited a great amount of wealth from an old woman who has just died. He then steals the crystals from Superman's Fortress of Solitude as part of a diabolical master plan. The on thing he didn't count on was that Superman has just returned.
To make matters even stranger, Clark learns that Lois Lane moved on in his absence and now has a child and lives with the child's father. Noticably dismayed, Clark turns to his alter ego to explain to Lois why he had left, and that he is back to stay.
The rest is pretty self explanitory, Lois and her son get kidnapped snooping for Lex, get trapped on a sinking yaht, Lex finds some Kryptonite and finds new and exciting ways to hurt superman with it until his plans are foiled in the end by the Man Of Steel.

All in all, the film wasn't that bad. Director Bryan Singer did try and pay homage to Richard Donner's original SUPERMAN, and Brandon Routh plays a wonderful Clark Kent/Superman. I especially liked that the original Superman theme by John Williams was not forgotten in this film, and i also like the retro opening credits reminiscent of the original films.
There are some visuals in the film that are out of this world, but there are also plenty of pointlessly long special effects sequences that could have been shorter. Both the beginning airplane rescue and the "earthquake" scenes were really too long. I mean come on, the film is about Superman, not how many parts of a crashing plane can we have fly at the screen, or how many digital windows can we show shattering in buildings.

Another complaint is the casting of Lois Lane. Kate Bosworth is just too freaking young to play Lois Lane. Lets do the math here. Kate is 23 years old, and she was involved with Superman before he disappeared 5 years before. That would mean that Kate's Lois Lane woiuld have been 18 years old when Superman left. That would mean Lois Lane was a world class reporter at the Daily Planet at 18 years old, straight out of high school, no college or nothing. Now you can say that Lois Lane is older than the actress playing her, but dammit, make her look older then. Kate Bosworth doesn't look a day older that, maybe 24. yeah, so gimme a break with that crap.

And then there's the evil plot hatched by Lex Luthor, which i won't give away here, but lemme tell ya, its pretty lame as well. And so is Kevin Spacey's portrayal of Lex Luthor. I really thought he would do a better job, but he flat out didn't.

Anyway, those things aside, SUPERMAN RETURNS, is a decent summer special effects blockbuster to go and check out on the big screen, but if you can, wait for it to hit DVD, which i'm sure it will in a few short months.

Thats all for now, but check back with Left Of Center later this week for my review of A SCANNER DARKLY, and look for a review of Kevin Smith's CLERKS II later this weekend.
thanks for reading.
Wulf-

new stuff (Criterion dvd, Alain Delon, and Dear Wendy on DVD)

To anyone who actually reads this blog, sorry i've not updated it in a while, but i'm back now.
First off, all through the month of May, i'll be reviewing recent releases from the Criterion Collection on my podcast Left Of Center. The DVD's to be reviewed are Louis Malle's ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS, Orson Welles' MR ARKADIN (AKA CONFIDENTIAL REPORT), Ingmar bergman's THE VIRGIN SPRING, and Robert Hamer's KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS.
Check it out.
Also i wanted to bring notice to KINO VIDEO for recently releasing a collection of 3 films starring Alain Delon. A huge star in France in the 60's and 70's, Delon was like the French Steve McQueen. The 3 films (TWO MEN IN TOWN, BORSALINO & CO., and FLIC STORY) are all interesting films. Upon researching more of his films i found that there are quite a few movies starring Alain Delon available on DVD here in the US. Aside from the Criteion Collection releases, a simple browse through Netflix will reveal about 10 more films. If you like any of these films or French crime thrillers, check out the films of Alain Delon.

Now i want to talk a little about a film i just saw the other day: DEAR WENDY, directed by Thomas Vinterberg, and written by Lars von Trier.
The story takes place in a small Southern mining town and centers on Dickie, an outcast and self proclaimed pacifist who coes across an old revolver. He becomes obsessed with the gun, and his confidence grows when he and Stevie (a co-worker with a similar obsession with guns) begin to sneak off into the mine and fire their guns. They soon form a gang of misfits called the Dandies, all pacifists who love their guns and follow a strict and outlandish code of honor. The Dandies are jolted by the entrance of Sebastian, an outsider who has committed murder and is staying with his grandmother in town. He quickly becomes more popular amongst the Dandies than their leader Dickie, and it leads to a mission the Dandies embark on, one which may well lead to danger.
The film is very similar in look and feel to the von Trier works of DOGVILLE and MANDERLAY, but Vinterberg adds his own touches, making it seem more his. The soundtrack consists mainly of songs by the 70's band the Zombies.
The film, seen by some as anti-American, or anti firearm does not really warrant such terms. It simply looks at people's obsession with guns taken to the extreme. None of these characters want to hurt someone, quite the opposite. They believe through their mastery of guns, they can be better pacifists by not using the knowledge that they have gained.
Whether you believe all that or not is up to you, but this film is definately worth a rent to gather your own opinion.

Spike Lee's Inside Man

i had the chance to see Spike Lee's new film Inside Man the other weekend, and let me tell you, it was a damn good movie. This throwback to heist films of the 70's boasts a complex plot that will keep you guessing till the end. Clive Owen plays Dalton Russell, the mastermind of the robbery of a major New York City bank. He and his crew quickly take charge, taking hostages and preparing for the arrival of the police.

Detective Fraizer, played by Denzel Washington, is called in to negotiate with the robbers and keep everything in order on the streets. As the game unfolds, the owner of the bank, Mr Case (Christopher Plummer),calls in Madaline (Jodi Foster),a power broker, to retrieve something potentially damaging from his past that is hidden in the bank.

Back at the bank, it is slowly becoming obvious to Frazier that he may not be in control of this situation, and that the bank robbers are up to something more than a heist.

Spike Lee does a great job of capturing the fast pace of New York City with a lot of dynamic shots and handheld cameras, and the epic score pounds into you, working in sync with the film to keep you on your toes.

Inside Man is truly worth the money to see at the theater, so i would definately recommend checking this one out.

And check out Left Of Center at PCN for all your movie reviews of the not-so-mainstream cinema.

The film fest is over

Well, i survived another Cleveland International Film Festival, and lemme tell you, it's getting kind of difficult to do that lately. Nothing against the Film Festival, they do a wonderful service to the city of Cleveland, but they need to take a look at how they run the thing. As the attendence steadily rises year by year, the Film Festival really needs to take a look at a serious expansion. I'm sure no one seeing this has ever been to the Cleveland International Film Festival, so here's how it works; there are three kinds of ticket holders: 1- passholders-they spend $400-$600 dollars and get an all access pass to every movie and reserved seating in every movie.
-2- plain old Ticket holders- these are folks that have bought their tickets in advance but did not pay the $ for a pass. -3- stand by- when a film is sold to about 60%-70% capacity, it goes on stand by, so you have to go to the fest 1 hour before the movie, buy your stand by ticket, and wait for everyone else to be seated, then they seat whoever can be fit into the theater.

So there is how that works, and here is the annoying part. If you are not a passholder, like myself, you must wait outside the theater in roped off lines until your movie seats, you are not allowed in the theater, as it is a privelage of the passholders only. Another annoyance is that lengthy seating times and introductions cause almost every film to start late, and with only 10 or 15 minutes between films, it makes it difficult to get a good seat in your next film if the one you're in lets out late.

I was lucky this year, i only had to get my money back for one movie that had already been filled by the time the movie i was in let out. but it was cut very close on a number of occassions. The solution: either drop $400 big ones for a pass, or deal with it, because the folks at the festival think they have everything under control.

That rant aside, here are the rest fo the films i got to see at the Film festival.

AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE (En Folkefiende) from Norway and directed by Erik Skjoldbjærg and set against the lush landscapes of Norway is about Tomas, an uncompromising consumer advocate. After differences with his TV show producers he returns with his family to the village of his youth to a water bottling plant he and his brother are starting in the hopes of bottling the purest water in the world froma secluded mauntain spring. But all goes foul when tests show the waten has been poisoned with a pesticide, and Tomas must face his brother and the village to stop the shipment of this tainted water.

SOPHIE SCHOLL: THE FINAL DAYS from Germany directed by Marc Rothemund is the story of the last six days in the life of Sophie Scholl, the famed female anti-Nazi activist. She and her brother are caught in relation to the handing out of anti-Nazi pamphlets, and are held and interrogated to get the rest of the names involved. Through it all Sophie remains loyal to her cause, dimaying her Gestapo interrogator, who obviously has some respect for her strong sense of loyalty.

HENRI LANGLOIS: PHANTOM OF THE CINEMATHEQUE from france and directed by Jacques Richard is a documentary about the famouus film historian and collector who founded the Cinematheque Française in Paris in 1936 with friends Jean Mitry and Georges Franju. The documentary looks at his excentricities which lent themselves to his unique ability to get films and keep them, even through the Nazi occupation of France. It looks at his influences on the French New Wave and film preservation today.

TAPAS Directed by José Corbacho, Juan Cruz from Spain is a light hearted comedy centering around a tapas bar in Barcelona. Lolo, the owner of the bar doesn't appreciate his wife, so she pickes up and leaves. He hires a Chinese chef to help out, and he turns out to be a pro. Cesar is getting ready for a big birthday bash with his friends when he falls for one of his mother's friends, a lonely middleaged divorcee with a passion for online dating. And Conchi, an older woman with a dying husband spends her time selling drugs to pay for her husband to have a relaxing and happy end.

THE PROPOSITION directed by John Hillcoat and written by music legend Nick Cave, is from Australia and the UK. Starring Guy Pearce, Emily Watson, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, and Danny Huston, this story from the 19th century Outback centers on Charlie, an outlaw who is given the choice to go and kill his older brother in order to save his younger one, who is to be hanged if Charlie fails. Set amidst the harsh climate of the deserts of Australia, this modern reinvention of the western is a must see for anyone who likes violence and genre flicks.

Well thats it for now, Check out PodCasterNews.com for reviews of all these films and more at the Left Of Center film and DVD review.

First Weekend of 30th Cleveland International Film Festival almost over

Well, the first weekend of the 30th Annual Cleveland International Film Festival is coming to a close. It has been an extremely busy couple of days, the biggest Friday attendance in the history of the Festival. But of course with all this going on its been extremely hectic as well. I will be heading up there to see some more films tonight, but here is a rundown of what I have see so far:

THE PORCELAIN DOLL (A Porcelánbaba), from Hungary, is a film in three parts all surrounding events in the mystical village of Star Farm. It is based upon the book "star Farm" by Ervin Lázár, which consists of grimm fairy tales. The film is directed by Péter Gárdos

QUO VADIS, BABY?, from Italy, is a neo noir thriller about a woman snoop who is prompted to investigate her sister's apparent suicide 16 years earlier. As she comes closer to understanding what happened to her sister that night, she feels that she is being watched, and that things might not be as they seem. Directed by Gabriele Salvatores.

KARLA, from Canada, is the true story of Canadian serial rapist and murderer Paul Bernardo and his wife and possible accomplice Karla. The film tells the unflinching story from Karla's point of view as she speaks doctor who is evaluating her in prison. Directed by Joel Bender and starring Laura Prepon ("That 70's Show")

SCREAMING MASTERPIECE (Gargandi Snilld), from Iceland, is an amazing documentary about the current musical scene in the small country of 300,000. It takes a look at over 20 bands, and how they have taken influence from their native roots and American and European cultures. Artists include Björk, the Sugarcubes, Sigur Rós, Bang Gang, Quarashi, and many more. Definitely my favorite so far this weekend.
Directed by Ari Alexander Ergis Magnusson. Soundtrack available at Amazon.com.

MIDNIGHT MOVIES: FROM THE MARGIN TO THE MAINSTREAM, from Canada, is a fun look at six films from the late 60's and 70's that started the trend of the Midnight Movie, films which didn't make it at the box office, but gained a cult following playing a few nights a week at midnight. It looks at "El Topo," "“Pink Flamingos,"” "“Night of the Living Dead,"” "“Eraserhead,"” "“The Rocky Horror Picture Show,"” and "“The Harder They Come." Directed by Stuart Samuels.

ZOZO, from Sweeden, tells the story of ten-year-old Zozo growing up in 1987 Beirut during the civil war. He and his family are awaiting paperwork so that they can escape to Sweeden to be with their grandparents. Unfortunately, once the paperwork arrives his family is killed, and Zozo must rely on himself to try and make it to the airport and to Sweeden. Directed by Josef Fares.

RED MERCURY, from the United Kingdom, is about three British Muslims who must flee when the police are tipped off that they are making a bomb. In the confusion, they Greeke to take a greek restaurant and its patrons hostage. Police and counter-terrorism are called in to assess the situation, as the three inexperienced bombers converse with their hostages, and weigh the heavy burdon of what they have to do. Directed by Roy Battersby.

Today I'll be seeing AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE (En Folkefiende), directed by Erik Skjoldbjærg from Norway, and SOPHIE SCHOLL: THE FINAL DAYS (SOPHIE SCHOLL: DIE LETZTEN TAGE) directed by Marc Rothemund from Germany.

Also check out Left Of Center at PCN in the coming weeks as I review the films I see at the 30th Cleveland International Film Festival.

Exorcist vs Exorcist

If any of you had the unfortunate luck to see Renny Harlin's Exorcist: The Beginning last fall, you know it wasn't very good. This prequel to the original 1973 William Friedkin horror milestone The Exorcist fell short on many levels, becoming in the end just another bad, gory special effects horror film.

BUT, what you may not know is that in 2003, another director, Paul Schrader (writer of Taxi Driver and director of Blue Collar) was assigned the task of making a prequel to the Exorcist. He did, and upon completion, the studio execs hated it. Enough so that they claimed it was not even marketable as a horror film. So the entire 99% completed film was canned, along with Schrader and all the cast except for Stellan Skarsgård.

After the complete lack of successs of Exorcist: The Beginning, Paul Schrader's version, Dominion: A Prequel to the Exorcist, began being screened in a limited number of theaters. Far superior to Harlin's film, Dominion takes a stance of less gore and more psychology and history, particularly on Father Merrin. The two stories are quite similar, dealing with Merrin's loss of faith during his early priesthood in Holland during the Nazi occupation. He is forced to pick 10 parishiners to be executed by the Nazi's, This leaves Merrin broken, and he takes a leave of the Church and goes to Africa for an archaeological dig. There he discovers a 5th century Christian church buried beneath the sands, seemingly on purpose. As the dig uncovers more and more of the church, evil seems to be washing throught the valley. The only hope in all the evil is a young native boy, Cheche, born with a disfigured arm and recovering from a badly broken leg. He heals at amazing speeds, while the British army and the native tribe prepare to clash outside. As the evil builds, it is obvious that some Evil is affecting them all, and it is linked to the church.

With some minor CG effects and some forgivably cheesy scenes, Schrader's brooding Prequel is the antithesis of the over-the-top original, and an altogether better film than the previous prequel. Though not perfect, I would definately suggest checking these two films out for yourself and making your own decision.

Also, check out my review of A History Of Violence now on DVD over at Left Of Center on PodCasterNews.com.

And look forward to a bunch of reviews in the comming weeks as I attend the 30th Cleveland International Film Festival.

Metropolitan dvd and Night Watch PCN review

Yesterday i checked out The Criterion Collection's recent DVD release of Whilt Stillman's 1990 film METROPOLITAN. It is the story of a group of debutante Manhattan preppies who welcome in Tom, a twentysomething of lesser means. Though he claims to despise such groups, Tom enters into the group and becomes one of them. Audrey, a quiet fan of Jane Austen, falls for Tom, who is still interested in an ex girlfriesd, Serena. But Serena is dating Rick, a "Baron" who loves only himself. Tom gravitates toward Nick, who's acidic attitude is bent on hating Rick. This film won the 1990 Independent Spirit Award for best first feature. Unfortunately, the DVD extras here are quite minimal, only a trailer, some outtakes, and a commentary. It is a quiet, fun film for fans of the late 80's, early 90's slacker sort of films. Though the characters are well off, they are still obsessed with failure.

Also, check out my review of Timbur Bekmambetov's Russian film NIGHT WATCH, which is now playing in select cities, on PodCasterNews.com.