FilmCatcher - Latest Filmcatcher5 Feed

No One Saw The Reader

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:12:25 -0000

If you are like Hugh, now is your chance! The reader comes out on Thursday! We hear it's about Nazis who start a book club or something.

It's Ladies Night! What a Fight!

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:53:55 -0000

Fight Night

I don't know about you, but every week when my friends and I get together to rewatch Bloodsport with Jean Claude Van Damme, we always come to the same conclusion. Wouldn't this be way better if Jean Claude had boobs?

Well wish no more fighting fans. Jonathan Dillon's Fight Night gives you all of that hot underground fighting circuit action but instead of following a bloody dirty sweaty Belgian, it follows a bloody dirty sweaty wife beater wearing chick. And she kicks a lot of ass.

A straight to DVD release, Fight Night has it's fair share of cheese, but the story is over all solid and the fight scenes, though physically unbelievable (Rebecca Neuenswander who plays the lead must not weigh more than a buk twenty but has no problem taking down guys the size of King Hippo from Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!! ), the action is incredibly rough and satisfying.

Hooray violence!

Deca-Matrix: 10 Years of Red Pills

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:51:58 -0000

The Matrix 10th Anniversary Edition

10 years ago a little movie opened called the Matrix, and nothing was ever the same. If films are cultural watermarks of society’s thought process, moral standing and philosophical leanings we all got a little whacky 10 years ago. And boy did we ever need that.

The basic concept of transcending reality to find a deeper truth is one of the oldest of the mystical stories. The Matrix framed this concept within the context of the technology that we are developing at increasing alarming rates.

After 10 years of terrorist attacks, insane political leaders, school shootings and Paris Hilton, the Matrix has been there, challenging us to in turn challenge the assumptions we draw every day from this “world” we live in. "Life is but a dream." is the last line of one of the most famous children's songs ever. The Matrix proved that not only was it a dream, but one from which it is incredibly sucky to wake up.

Dear God, It's me, Bill. Screw You.

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:08:05 -0000

Religulous

Outside the Toronto film festival’s debut screening of Bill Maher’s RELIGULOUS there was a protest. About twenty people marched around in a designated protest space carrying signs with whitisisms attacking the movie. I was convinced that it was just a gimicky ploy by the film's marketing team to drum up some controversy, but these people were actually concerned that Bill Maher was somehow going to disrupt the time/faith continuim with a documentary about why religion is stupid.

In reality it is a fairly typical Maher rant against people buying into religion too freely. The film crosses the line between sincerely questioning and smarmy sarcasm a few times but can mostly be found on the later side. By framing the religious question in his usual condescending tone, Maher makes sure that Religulous does what he does best: preaches to the choir.

A Box Set... OF DANGER!

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 21:20:15 -0000

The Venture Bros.: Season Three

We’ve started to take our super heroes pretty seriously. As the films get grisslier it seems easier to overlook the fact that, in real life, people don't actually have masked arch enemies or super science equipment ready at hand. But what if they did? The Venture Borthers imagines a world where villians and heroes are managed by beuracratic agencies, where one eyed vixen assasins can be talked into baby sitting for enough blue jeans, where "Boy Adventurer" is a valid entry on a resume. Armed with some of the sharpest satirical writing on Television today, and improving with every season, the third installment of The Venture Brothers will turn a skeptic into a fan and a fan into some kind of crazed costume wearing zealot. Have fun!

Drum Role

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:21:34 -0000

Role Models
What happens when you take really talented under-ground comedians and stick them into a big budget Hollywood comedy? Well sometimes you get School For Scoundrels and that is too bad, but sometimes you get Role Models. Relying heavily on what could be called Apatow-esque humor, this film delivers genuine laughs from beginning to end and that is something we call all look up to.

Right On

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:15:28 -0000

Let The Right One In
Adorable and deadly vampire kid? Brilliant! This quietly terrifying Swedish story of the friendship between a young boy and his blood sucking playmate has slowly but surely built a word of mouth campaign that seems to be growing exponentially even after the film’s theatrical release. At the end of the day it is simply a story of innocense, fear and draining the lifeblood from your neighbors one by one. Don't get left behind and make sure you see this one.

Blow Me Away

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:10:17 -0000

Punisher: War Zone
The third movie dealing with the classic Marvel anti-hero, Frank Castle aka The Punisher came and went without much fanfare, and while we honestly think it is the weakest of the three efforts, it is by far the most violent. And that counts for a lot in our books. The new DVD release promises even more gore and guts which in this film involves a lot of fractured skulls. Ouch, it gives us a headache just thinking about it.

Let the Other One In

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:06:17 -0000

Twilight
Twilight isn’t so much a movie at this point as it is a confusing piece of pop culture. It is hard to explain exactly why this schmaltzy Vampire romp based off the novels of a Mormon writer has managed to latch its fangs into the hearts of tweens everywhere, but this double disk release of the film with a myriad of extras might hold the key to understanding. If you figure it out please drop us a line and let us know what the deal is. We’ll be watching Let The Right One In

Never too Old to be Great

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:02:24 -0000

Elegy

Between her Oscar for Vicky Cristina Barcelona and her much lauded performance in Elegy, 2008 was a banner year for Penelope Cruz. In Elegy she plays the young lover of a dynamic and austere Ben Kingsley as he explores the ideas of aging, desire and regret. Isabel Coixet’s direction makes for a film that is intermittently thought provoking and emotionally devastating. Oh and Denis Hopper is in it too, so you can't lose!

Stripes

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 01:20:23 -0000

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Not to give away the end of this movie, but the striped pajamas turn out to be from a Nazi prison camp. So if you are just a striped pajama enthusiasts I would refer you to the classic children’s show Bananas in Pajamas.

This movie is the story of the people who live just outside a concentration camp and the bond that forms between their son and a child from inside the camp. If that’s more your speed then you should check out our interviews with the film’s stars

Vera Farmiga

and David Thewlis

Peeking Duck

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 01:13:41 -0000

Howard the Duck
Do you remember the part in Howard the Duck where he is looking at a magazine called PlayDuck and there are scantily clad duck people in it and you’re only 8 years old and suddenly there a lot of new concepts coming at you that you just weren’t prepared to deal with? Do you remember that? Well I do and it keeps coming up again and again at therapy intake sessions. Now we can all relive this formative moment together with the new platinum edition DVD being released this week! Thanks George Lucas.

Happy in Every Dimension

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 01:09:30 -0000

Happy-Go-Lucky
Who can take a rainbow, wrap it in a sigh,
Soak it in the sun and make a strawberry lemon pie?
Sally Hawkins can.
I was on heavy psychedelic drugs the first time I saw this movie and it was like a wonderful finger painting revealing my deepest hopes for fulfillment and joy. On second and more sober viewing I found delightful character study in inspiration. I recommend experiencing it either way.
Click here to watch our interview with Sally Hawkins
And here for our interview with Mike Leigh

My Sean Penn Brings All The Boys to the Hood

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 01:02:51 -0000

Milk
I loved Milk. I did think from time to time Sean Penn’s interpretation of Harvey Milk got dangerously close to his character from I am Sam , but over all it was a helluva movie. Its release on DVD coincides nicely with the California court's revisiting of the Prop 8 fiasco that fortuitously coincided with the film’s theatrical run. Hmmm. That’s a lot of coinciding. Maybe Sean Penn somehow secretly toppled prop 8 to hype his movie. It all makes sense now.

Didn't See Synecdoche?

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:57:32 -0000

Synecdoche New York
Charlie Kaufman's debut feature film Synecdoche, New York was amazing. This hyperbolic fairytale about death, lfe and theater left me so existentially shaken afterwards I immediately required a milkshake. Due to its confusing title more than a few patrons who would have normally gone to see this film ended up just going yo Man on Wire (you can be sure what that one is about). So the release on DVD this week is a good chance for you to look into the abyss and have Chuck Kaufman look back.

Watch our interview with the man right here!

Hugh Got Me

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:35:51 -0000

Australia

The Oscars were pretty good. I really wasn’t expecting it were you? I mean Hugh Jackman seemed like a pretty awful choice, but I have to admit that when he got up there a-singin’ and a-dancin’, I was a quick convert. So as a reward I feel like we as a nation need to give Australia another shot. I mean what were we expecting from Baz Luhrman going crazy in his home country? Remains of the day? Baz don’t roll that way. So channel a little Busby Berkeley, grab someone you want to kiss long and deeply and give it another whirl. Hugh earned it.

Take Another Look: MORE VIOLENCE!

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:24:34 -0000

Taken: Extended Harder Cut (PAL/Region 2)

So a little bit ago I went and saw a movie called Taken. You can read my reaction to it here . Anyway I loved the movie but when I left I found myself asking only one question: Could there have been more violence? I mean there was a lot of murdering and a lot of torturing and I was very happy with all that, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there might be a little more violence to be added somewhere. Well just to prove that The Secret really works, here is the more violent edition of the movie. It got an 18 rating (equivalent to an NC-17 in America). You do need a multi regional format DVD player to watch it, but if seeing Albanian sex traffickers ruthlessly murdered by the guy from Kinsey is as much a priority in your life as it is mine, then I would say this is the perfect time to get one.

I Loved This Not That Long Ago

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:17:21 -0000

I've Loved You So Long

I’ve Loved You So Long didn’t manage to bring home a Ceasar (the French Oscar) but this quiet film about a woman reuniting with her sister after a lengthy jail sentence is well placed on any top-ten list of last year. The key to the film is a devastating performance by Kristin Scott Thomas in which she actually makes her face age backwards without any kind of Benjamin Button technology.

...We Gonna Go Obama's Way

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:12:09 -0000

The Inauguration of Barack Obama: A Moment in History

I don’t know about you, but I find it confusing to like the president so much. I almost feel a little guilty about it. But if you are in my boat and can’t get enough of that sweet sweet Obama, you can pick up this DVD of the man’s inception into the highest office in the land. Then whenever you are overcome by a fresh wave Barack cravings you can go relive the moment we all partied after.

Who Narrates the Watchmen?

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:00:30 -0000

Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic

If you haven't heard there is a little movie coming out this weekend called the Watchmen, which follows a group of super heroes who start a business repairing time pieces. The movie promises to be a super blockbuster with all kinds of ramifications for the movie biz in the way we look at animation, actors, and Vince's short term agent Amanda on Entourage. But before this comic-esque movie was a movie, it was a comic. This DVD set is not animated. It is a progression of still images of every frame of the comic with narration, soundtrack and sound effects (KAPLOW!). I wonder if after I see the jillion-dollar version this weekend if it will hold up to this original.