Blu-ray Review: @Criterion Collection's Scanners

One of the most eagerly anticipated blu-ray releases has arrived as David Cronenberg's sci-fi/horror classic Scanners has finally hit in glorious high def thanks to the folks at Criterion Collection. 

Scanners is one of those holy grail titles that fans have been chomping at the bit to see on blu-ray since the format launched. Until now, all that was available was sub par imports from overseas. Demand hit a fever pitch last year when Scream Factory released their double feature set of Scanners 2 and Scanners 3 and a lot of fans were expecting Scream Factory to drop the bombshell that they were going to release it. Instead, months later, thanks to one of Criterion's teaser images, word broke that the much loved label was releasing Scanners. 

And here we are, at long last, with a high def release that this classic film deserves.

Click the RAWR for the full review.

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Golden Globe Nom Oops I Mean Oscar Nominations!

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released this years Oscar nominations and they look a LOT like the Golden Globes.  I think with the exception of a nod for Judy Dench (replacing Kate Winslet apparently) they're near identical.

Some notable snubs?  Blackfish.  It's the years most talked about documentary and it is an extremely important one that is actually having a social impact.

For acting?  Brie Larson and Michael B. Jordan for their respective roles in Short Term 12 and Fruitvale Station.  Both delivered such real and heartbreaking performances.  It's a real shame they didn't get any recognition from the academy.

I'm a guy who loves award shows but this list of nominees just feels lazy to me.  It's cookie cutter.  Nothing shocking.  The fact that it mirrors the Golden Globes is probably going to be hell on the ratings.  Why watch if we're just going to see the same thing?

You can click the RAWR for the complete list of nominations. The big show airs on March 2 on ABC.

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Film Review - Don Jon

When watching those TV spots for Joseph Gordon-Levitt's new film, Don Jon, you forget it has anything to do with pornography like the original trailer suggested.  Those 30 second ads play it off like a typical love story, a romantic comedy about a tough guy playing hard to read and a tough girl playing hard to get.

The film written and directed by Gordon-Levitt does not forget.  At all.  Pornography is front and center the entire running time.  That's not saying it's a porno, just the topic of pornography works as a motif that mirrors the world Gordon-Levitt created for his characters and story.  It's a strong message that one doesn't expect a first time writer-director to convey so eloquently and so entertainingly, but Gordon-Levitt does it as smooth as Don Jon's slick back hair.

Don Jon centers around Jon Martello (Gordon-Levitt), who has been branded the nickname Don Jon by his boys due to his ability to score a chick every weekend.  He's a simple person.  He only cares about a few things in his life: his body, his pad, his ride, his family, his church, his boys, his girls, and...his porn.  Nothing compares to his porn.  That is until he meets Barbara Sugarman (Scarlett Johansson), a beautiful, smart, old fashioned girl who might be the one if they can find a mutual understanding.

Gordon-Levitt commands the screen as Don Jon, a character that we've never seen him embody, and it's refreshing to see him continue to take risks in his acting career even after transcending into the mainstream.  His transformation into this big-headed, East Jersey, Italian American, oozes of machismo, but manages to keep it from becoming a parody of what could have been a one-note character.  Scarlett Johansson is also unrecognizable as Barbara Sugarman, looking more like Jessica Alba or JLo (or maybe its just the accent and incessant gum chewing) and manages to imbue every word in a veil of sexuality.

These aren't your typical characters in a romantic comedy.  Jon has a porn addiction.  Barbara has control issues.  In both cases, both have these expectations of what a relationship should entail and because of these expectations, it is doomed to fail.  Gordon-Levitt rips a page from Erich Fromm's The Art of Loving and dissects everything that goes into relationships, love, and gender roles in a society that has all those defined for us in his first script.  The screenplay works on many levels and never knocks you over the head with its observations and comparisons to society.

The supporting cast consisting of Julianne Moore, Tony Danza, and Brie Larson to just name a few are also great, clocking in some memorable performances with characters that are just as dynamic as the main ones.

But all these great performances aren't just by accident.  One can see that Gordon-Levitt knows how to hone in on those great performances due to understanding the actor's process and the mindset it entails.  He manages to capture those intimate moments that might not even be evident to more established directors.  Even though I would like to see him direct something that he hasn't written, Don Jon is a great launching pad for his directing career.  If Ben Affleck stole Batman from Gordon-Levitt, then maybe Gordon-Levitt can take away some Affleck's directing chops. So far, so good.

Overall, it's a very light-hearted film that has a lot to say.  Hopefully, it will get the recognition it deserves regardless of its taboo subject and not disappear among all the serious fare that have less to say during awards season.  Definitely a must see.

10 of 10 Hail Mary's

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Shadow Dancer - Opens in Theaters May 31st, Available Online Now

Shadow Dancer is a British Film by director James Marsh.  Marsh is best known for directing documentaries, including Man on Wire which won an Oscar for Best Documentary in 2009.  Perhaps his success in documentary filmmaking has taught him that a film doesn’t need a lot of spectacle to pull an audience in.

Shadow Dancer definitely does that.  There are no big special effects, action sequences, or even bright colors, except for the main character’s red coat which stands out in an otherwise drab palette, much like the little girl’s red coat in Schindler’s List.  There are some very suspenseful, tense moments and subtle but real emotion.

This film follows Collette McVeigh (Andrea Riseborough), a woman whose family is deeply embedded in the IRA in the 1990’s. Having watched her younger brother die of a gunshot wound as a child, she feels a sense of accountability towards her family and the IRA cause.  She has second thoughts about planting a bomb in the subway and leaves the package but doesn’t set the timer.  Shortly after, she gets picked up by MI5 agents, led by Mac, played by Clive Owen.  Collette is questioned, but she refuses to give up any information.  Mac convinces her that if she does not cooperate and become an informant on her brothers, she will be sent to prison and lose her son. 

Collette feels pressure on all sides and must make some very difficult decisions.  This film is a refreshing change from Hollywood films.  There is no simple answer at the end, and the story goes against what American audiences have come to expect from a movie.  The characters are complicated and elusive, and their relationships are even more complicated and elusive.  Riseborough’s performance is restrained but powerful.   Gillian Anderson also gives a great performance as Kate Fletcher, Mac’s MI5 superior.  

This independent film has made the festival rounds and has won many well-deserved awards for directing and acting.  It is being distributed in a new way that is becoming more popular.  It is already available for online rental before it comes to theaters on May 31^st.

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2011 SAG Award Nominees!

Some really interesting choices here.  We might have quite the fun Oscars this year!  Could Bridesmaids squeak out a Best Picture nomination??


FILM

Male Actor, Lead
Demián Bichir, A Better Life
George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Jean DuJardin, The Artist
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Male Actor, Supporting
Kenenth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Armie Hammer, J Edgar
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Female Actor, Lead
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Female Actor, Supporting
Bérénce Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help

Cast in a Motion Picture
The Artist
Bridesmaids
The Descendants
The Help
Midnight in Paris

TV

Male Actor, TV Movie or Miniseries
Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood
Paul Giamatti, Too Big to Fail
Greg Kinnear, The Kennedys
Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce
James Woods, Too Big to Fail

Female Actor, TV Movie or Miniseries
Diane Lane, Cinema Verite
Maggie Smith, Downtown Abbey
Emily Watson, Appropriate Adult
Betty White, The Lost Valentine
Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce

Male Actor, Drama Series
Patrick J. Adams, Suits
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall, Dexter

Female Actor, Drama Series
Kathy Bates, Harry's Law
Glenn Close, Damages
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Julianna Marguiles, The Good Wife
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Male Actor, Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Steve Carell, The Office
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

Female Actor, Comedy Series
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Betty White, Hot in Cleveland

Ensemble, Comedy Series
30 Rock
The Big Bang Theory
Glee
Modern Family
The Office

Ensemble, Drama
Boardwalk Empire
Breaking Bad
Dexter
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife

Lifetime Achievement Award
Mary Tyler Moore

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Sintel - Short Film Review

Sintel Poster by Raikoh14 of Deviantart.com

Sintel is the story of a young woman who befriends a wounded dragonling.  While nursing the young dragon's wound, the two become very close until one day her friend, who she has since named Scales,  is abducted by another dragon.  Sintel sets off to the Dragon Lands to rescue her friend and an adventure ensues.  The ending left me speechless.

This short film captures more emotion in it's fifteen-minute runtime than most full-length feature films. The animation is very smooth and resembles the Final Fantasy CGI movies.  I could easily see this movie being turned into a full-feature animated film. Sintel is the product of an independent film produced wholly inside an open-source 3D creations suite called Blender.

Unfortunately since this is an independent release, it's not available on ITunes, Netflix, Amazon.com or any other pay services to download.  I'd love to support this venture as a lot of passion was put into it with great results.  Currently there is a pre-order for a DVD, but it's packed with great stuff for animators and is priced too high for people wanting just the short-film.

You can watch it on youtube or you can download the bittorrent on this page

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