NOTE: We ran this article in 2011 and have updated it for 2012.
The Sundance Film Festival is the best known film festival in the United States. Say the word “Sundance” to anyone, film lover or not, and chances are they’ve heard of the festival. As a movie blog though, the problem with covering Sundance is that virtually all of the movies are brand new. We haven’t heard of them, you haven’t heard of them, so why would you even care about them?
More than any of the casting news, trailers or film stills that we post on a daily basis, what happens in that small corner of Utah for a little over a week in January is probably the most important movie event of the year. Even so, talk to the most seasoned movie fan and they don’t spend half as much time focusing on what’s going on at Sundance as they do bitching about movies that came out three years ago. Plain and simple, the best films that you will see in theaters for the next 12 months are being shown at Sundance over the next week and a half. And while you probably haven’t heard of them in January, you’ll definitely have heard of them by December. Don’t you want in on the ground floor?
For the next 10 days myself and Peter Sciretta will be in Park City, Utah at the Sundance Film Festival. And while you might not be eager to click and read about a movie you haven’t heard of yet, we urge you to do so. Some of the films that people hadn’t heard of when they played Sundance in the past are films like Saw, The Blair Witch Project, Donnie Darko, 28 Days Later, Napoleon Dynamite, Memento, Bottle Rocket, Clerks, Reservoir Dogs and The Usual Suspects. Think of all the movies that have been made since because filmmakers like Christopher Nolan, Wes Anderson, Kevin Smith, Quentin Tarantino and Bryan Singer broke out at the Sundance Film Festival. Who is the breakout star this year? You’ll have to follow our coverage to find out.
Still not convinced? We’ve compiled even more films that you know and love that got their start at Sundance after the jump. Read More »
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A few days ago, Brian Moylan over at Gawker wrote up a manifesto for spoiler alerts. I’d tell you to go read it, except Moylan straight up spoils plot elements from Treme, Game of Thrones, and Lost with no warning whatsoever. To quote my colleague Matt Singer, if you spoil things in your article about the rules of spoilers, maybe you’re not really an authority on spoilers.
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Alright, so Transformers: Dark of the Moon was not as bad as Revenge of the Fallen. But man, it did not fall under any definition of “good” that I use, as I was led to believe it might. I enjoyed many aspects of Dark of the Moon: some of the action set pieces were spectacular, the special effects were awe-inspiring, and it has the best use of live action 3D that I’ve seen since Avatar. Also, there is a lot of base jumping in this film, and it is exhilarating.
All that being said, this is a situation where the negatives outweigh the positives. Assume SPOILERS for the film follow beyond this point.
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/Film editor David Chen pointed me towards an article in The Sun which talks about a new technology patented by Apple that will “sense when people are trying to video live events — and turn off their cameras.” According to the article:
If an iPhone were held up and used to film during a concert infra-red sensors would detect it. These sensors would then contact the iPhone and automatically disable its camera function. People would still be able to send text messages and make calls.
While this idea leaves a bad taste in my mouth, I immediately saw a better use for such technology — movie theaters.
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When Lucasfilm announced that Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace would be released in 3D on February 10, 2012, the /Film readers spoke their minds. Here are some gems from the almost 100 comment thread:
- oh good so i can go and not see it again..
- You know George, when everyone called the movie flat and completely lacking in any depth, this wasn’t what they meant.
- Hey, this proves that the world will end in 2012!
- This franchise is deader than shit, for the love of god, stop raping its corpse.
- Nothing about this is appealing to me……..and Natalie Portman doesn’t get hot till the next one.
- Public distaste for Lucasfilm is at an all time high. This is going to be an epic fail at the box office. Why would anyone subject himself to the one of the worlds dullest movies AGAIN?
Well fans, Lucasfilm might have heard you.
According to a recent interview, Star Wars producer Rick McCallum suggested if The Phantom Menace 3D doesn’t live up to box office expectations, they might not release anymore Star Wars films in 3D. We explore the pluses, and minus, of that after the jump. Read More »
This isn’t so much a review as it is a disclaimer. Bridesmaids, which opens Friday May 13, isn’t what you think it is. I know the ads and trailers make it out to seem like a bit of a chick flick. Something that’s strictly for a group of girlfriends to go see akin to Sex and the City 2. Well, as Peter’s review said so well, Bridesmaids transcends the chick flick. More than that, it’s not just “the female Hangover” either. Bridesmaids is better than that. And funnier. And grosser. And the kind of comedy that both guys, and girls, will love equally. In fact, the guys might like it more.
I’ll attempt to explain that opinion without spoilers after the jump but, if this is as far as you get, let’s just be straight. Guys, it’s not only safe to see Bridesmaids this weekend, you totally should. Read More »
[The following contains major spoilers for Sucker Punch]
Battle: Los Angeles. I Am Number Four. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Clash of the Titans. The Wolfman. Resident Evil: Afterlife. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
What is it that these tentpole action films have in common?
They all received better reviews than Sucker Punch.
Yes, once hailed as being among the more anticipated cinematic outings of the year, writer/director Zack Snyder‘s fantastical pop culture mash-up was unleashed in theaters this week only to be met with an overwhelming amount of sneering hostility and ridicule. And yet, amidst the critical excoriation of the film for its spastic overindulgence and numbing stupidity, as well as the outright repudiation of its girl power themes (even /Film’s own Angie Han has shared her thoughts on the failed feminism of the film), I stand alone to shamefully whisper: I kind of liked it. And I think it’s about time to give this film its due. Read More »
Posted on Saturday, March 26th, 2011 by Angie Han
[The following contains major spoilers for Sucker Punch]
Is Zack Snyder‘s Sucker Punch exploitation or empowerment? That’s the question that’s been floating around since even before the film was released, and it’s a pretty obvious one given that the movie was marketed entirely on the appeal of scantily clad young women wielding big ass weapons. Most of the reviews I’ve read of the film at least touch on the issue, and Snyder has preemptively addressed it in interviews by saying he intends the film to be empowering to women.
It’s not.
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