|
|
|
Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here.
I've been trying to meet a deadline all week, and it ended up consuming every waking hour for about six days in a row, so I honestly lost track of what was opening this weekend until I got this from Capone in the inbox. Now that I've turned in, I think I'm going to try to spend all day Saturday and Sunday catching up on some of the new releases I haven't seen like THE RUINS or THE BANK JOB or THE VISITOR or... well... these three...
Hey folks. Capone in Chicago here.
SMART PEOPLE
Posted in | »
|
Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.
How anyone manages to cover ShoWest and SXSW at the same time is a mystery to me, but Capone once again proves that he will bend time and space if he has to in order to do a smashing job for us here at AICN.
This week sounds like he’s doing a little catch-up, which I’m about to do myself, so I’ll let him get to it:
Posted in | »
|
Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
Posted in | »
|
Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
Posted in | »
|
Hey, everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
Some truly outstanding films open up this week (I'll have a bunch of reviews for you tomorrow), but more importantly the 43rd Chicago International Film Festival begins today with the Opening Night screening of the haunting THE KITE RUNNER, the latest from director Marc Forster, who is always looking for new ways to surprise his audiences with films like FINDING NEVERLAND, STRANGER THAN FICTION, and MONSTER'S BALL. Forster will never be accused of repeating himself (don't forget, he's directing the next Bond movie), and his adaptation of the wildly popular novel by Khaled Hosseini is essential viewing. Telling the story of Amir from his childhood in Afghanistan to a new life in America (after fleeing his homeland when the Russians moved in) to his return to his Afghanistan during the height of Taliban rule to help an old friend, Forster does a remarkable job drawing us in to some of Amir's most private and painful memories. As a child and a man, Amir is far from flawless. In fact, he betrays his best friend Hassan at a pivotal time in their life. In many ways, THE KITE RUNNER reminded me of THE NAMESAKE, but Forster's work deals with far more weighty issues and life-or-death turmoil. Some people may have scratched their heads when this film was named Opening Night film of this festival, but once you've seen it, all will seem right.
Posted in | »
|
Hey, everyone. Capone in Chicago here. Still slightly soggy, but in slightly better shape than a couple days ago.
You guys have been great, even the nasty Talkbackers, who never fail to crack me up. The only thing worse than evil Talkbackers is no Talkback at all. I particularly laughed at those of you who somehow live under the belief that Harry doesn't pay us. I’m not sure where that rumor got started, but I loved watching it explode like the mold in my condo walls. And just to be clear, I was not asking for money from anyone. But many of the Chicago-based readers had asked if they could help out, and putting that PayPal link out there (which was actually a part of my wife's site before this incident) was the easiest way to make that happen. If you think it's unnecessary, that's perfectly alright. We have insurance, and we'll be fine. More importantly, I talked to Christian Bale, motherfuckers!
For the entire summer, I've been practically tripping over film sets for THE DARK KNIGHT. A couple months ago, the crew was shooting about two blocks from my house. And just last week, the production took over the lobby, two floors, and most of the outside of the building where I keep an office in downtown Chicago. You can't walk through the Loop without hitting either THE DARK KNIGHT or WANTED (the new Angelina Jolie) filming somewhere in this city. Every week, I get an e-mail or seven from someone working in an office building telling me how some part of their building has been converted into a set for a weekend or an entire week. It's actually been kind of exciting, but also slightly frustrating since the production has been operating under a complete and total press blackout, and I can't arrange an official set visit.
This doesn't necessarily mean I don't have a few things up my sleeves as far as THE DARK KNIGHT, including this interview with Christian Bale, in which the subject of Batman is hardly discussed (be patient; I really do have long sleeves, with many things up them). But let's be honest, you could fill pages just talking about the films Bale has impressed me with in just the last three years, including RESCUE DAWN; THE MACHINST; THE PRESTIGE; HARSH TIMES; THE NEW WORLD; and the upcoming 3:10 TO YUMA, which opens next Friday and is the reason I was put in a room with him, as well as November's I'M NOT THERE, in which he plays Bob Dylan, along with many other actors.
I should add at this point that there were two other writers in the room with me asking question, but they were two guys I happen to like, so often their questions were on my list of topics to discuss as well.
Bale is a soft-spoken but very focused man, and when he answers your question, when he's talking to you, he looks you directly in the eyes. I can't be sure, but I'm pretty sure he never blinked as he locked his laser-guided glare on me. It's slightly intense, but not scary, and it forces you to listen to him, since his body language and eye contact don't really change. That being said, getting him to smile or laugh seems to loosen him up (as I had evidenced the night before my interview with him at a post-screening Q&A he did for YUMA). And so I began my conversation with Bale with this question.
Posted in | »
|
Hey folks, Harry here... Our notorious Chicago contributor, Capone, got dealt a heavy blow this week. He hit me with the news through an IM just a few days ago - but even still... the weight of having your roof randomly removed and instantly having to move... well... it's a nightmare. The jokes about living in the "windy city" instantly lept to mind - but I imagine they're about as funny as a kick to the nards. Capone asked if I'd put this up... 1. to explain his future absence. 2. to let friends he's made world wide through the site to know what exactly has happened to him. I also suggested he give an address or a way for people to help. We here at AICN are going to do our part - I just saw Capone and met his gorgeous wife at my wedding. And I saw a side of Capone at my bachelor party that I never needed to actually see... and perhaps that is why he was dealt this blow. Whatever, he's a friend that has tirelessly provided reviews and interviews for 9 years. I've always enjoyed his wit and contribution to the site - and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Right?
Posted in | »
|
Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
Thanks to a certain three-day, Chicago-based music festival taking up my entire weekend last Friday-Sunday and a particularly busy week, the time I would usually spend on writing my reviews this week was severely depleted. As a result, I'm going to attempt something I haven't done for years: a round-up of the week's releases. So my goal was to devote no more than two paragraphs to each of these six movies. Now, granted some of these paragraphs are damn long, but you get the point. If I stray beyond two 'graphs, it's only because I love the movie so much I can't help myself. We'll see how it goes.
Posted in | »
|
Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
Every so often, a dream interview drops in my lap that comes seemingly out of nowhere. Without going into specifics, the opportunity to interview some of the creators and cast members of the new film THE TEN came from a not-in-Chicago source that approaches me every couple of months with some completely out-of-the-blue major film personality to speak with. I've wanted to interview Paul Rudd for as long as I've been writing for Ain't It Cool, no lie. I think he's a gifted actor and in recent years has proved himself to be on the most naturally funny men in film. The guy has done Shakespeare, tackled the devastating works of Neil LaBute (on stage and in film), and lately he's surrounded himself with two groups of creatives that make terrifically funny movies.
Posted in | »
|
Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here, with reviews of three films opening in Chicago (and possibly where you live) soon that you should keep an eye out for amidst the box office giants. These are all movies worthy of your attention and support and perhaps even a road trip. Read on...
STEPHANIE DALEY
In this gripping indie drama, a 16-year-old is hospitalized during a class ski trip after giving birth in a ski lodge restroom to what she claims was a dead premature baby. She also alleges that she had no idea she was pregnant until the event. Accused of murder, young Stephanie ("Joan of Arcadia's" Amber Tamblyn) is forced into several sessions with forensic psychologist Lydie (Tilda Swinton), who is tasked with discovering whether Stephanie is telling the truth. Lydie herself is pregnant and got that way with her husband (Timothy Hutton) just months after having a stillborn birth of her own. She's in a constant state of mild anxiety over both her pregnancy and her crumbling marriage, and in becomes clear after several sessions with Stephanie that she views the solving of this tangled case as the means to solving several crucial issues in her own life.
Posted in | »
|
Hey everyone. Caponein Chicago here.
WAITRESS
In late 1996 (this would predate my time with Ain't It Cool News), I was basking in what may have been my first- or second-ever Chicago International Film Festival. I went to an ill-attended screening of a little indie work called SUDDEN MANHATTAN, the feature debut from the film's writer, director and star, Adrienne Shelly. The only reason I went to see this movie was because I had a mad crush on Shelly, who had charmed me with the neurotic, put-upon characters she played in Hal Hartley's THE UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH and TRUST. She popped up with some amount of frequency in a handful of independent films, but nothing really captured what I loved most about her as those early Hartley works, but that didn't stop me from searching high and low for every film I could get my hands on in which she starred.
Posted in | »
|
Hey, everyone. Capone in Chicago here with one of the most laugh-filled interviews I've had in a long time.
I kept trying my best to keep things professional by soon-to-be 21-year-old Shia LaBeouf kept daring to make our conversation fun, darn him. In our short time together, we cover a lot of ground because, well, the kid has a lot going on and he has since he was a wee lad. I first saw Shia when he was cast in the lead role of the "Project Greenlight" film THE BATTLE OF SHAKER HEIGHTS, and a couple times a year since then, he's popped up in a wide variety of roles playing both youngsters and young adults in films such as HOLES, THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED, CONSTANTINE, I, ROBOT, BOBBY, and my personal favorite, last year's A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS. Our conversation happened in conjunction with his latest work, DISTURBIA (opening Friday), but we also managed to sneak in some discussion of TRANSFORMERS, SURF'S UP, and whether or not his status on INDIANA JONES 4 has changed at all.
Posted in | »
|
|
Hey folks, Harry here with the latest screening ruminations from Capone, who had nothing to do with the songs from HUSTLE & FLOW. Though he does whoop that trick every chance he can! Our darling Al has been seeing all the screenings as of late (a
Posted in | »
|
|
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with Capone who has a wrap up on a handful of holiday film fare. I haven't seen one of these movies yet. Damn, I'm so behind... Seeing PRODUCERS next week, though. So I'm at least on the road to getting caught up... Here's C
Posted in | »
|
|
Hey folks, Harry here with Capone's Best of list... Interesting choices, some that I really don't agree with, some that I do, and yet a couple that I have yet to even see. Now before you get too hard on Capone for being late with his list. Remembe
Posted in | »
|
|
Hey folks, Harry here with the latest set of flicks from Capone... I, myself am terribly behind with my reviews, and plan to fight my way through them in abbreviated review fashion, to just get this stuff talked about from my views. Anyway, haven
Posted in | »
|
|
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with a note from our main man in Chi-town, Capone. Sounds like a sweet event. All you lucky Chicago geeks enjoy!!!
Hey, all. Capone in Chicago here. The Windy City will be a heaven for geeks of all types this coming weeke
Posted in | »
|
|
Harry here and I've got about a zillion arguments with Capone's list of the best. However, I'll just let it go, as Capone didn't comment on my list... twitch... twitch... here ya go...
Hey Harry. Capone in Chicago here. Well, we're well int
Posted in | »
|
|
Hey folks, Harry here with the man that just churns em out... CAPONE... If Moriarty is "one of those comic artists," ya know... the ones that miss deadlines due to peyote experiences... Well Capone is a John Byrne or a Curt Swan... the type th
Posted in | »
|
|
Hey folks, Harry here... Unfortunately I get the idea that this article will be skipped over most, of all the articles I'll post today, which is just sad, because this is a list of films that you should go out of your way to seek out... Either in th
Posted in | »
|
|
Harry here - Capone is here... on February 19th with a look at his picks for 2002. Who does he think he is' Moriarty' Well read on...
Hey, Harry. Capone in Chicago here. More tardy than ever and loving it. In
an effort to be a completi
Posted in | »
|
|
Harry here... I hate Capone and it is really sad that his ticket to BNAT 4 has just been sold.... sissafrassafrishafrassss... Argh, me like the sounds of this event. Couldn't go if I wanted. Blasted Chinese Government!
Hey, Harry. Capone h
Posted in | »
|
|
Hey folks, Harry here... Well it looks like Capone has decided to take the title from Moriarty as being latest AICN overlord to turn in a list... We're way into February and he's just now turning this one in. Sigh... Yup, typical eh' Also if you
Posted in | »
|
|
Harry here with that booze hound, that guggler Canadian Alcohol... I am, of course, referring to Capone. While turning that nose of his red, he's come up with two more reviews of films of high interest to cinephiles... Without further ado, let's
Posted in | »
|
|
Hey folks, Harry here with the 'lost Capone reviews'. He sent these last week, but they didn't quite seem to find my eyes. I have no real reasons for this, I suppose it is Moriarty's fault. No, It is definitely Moriarty's fault. He has been comi
Posted in | »
|
|
|
