South of the border political drama sells audiences on the idea of revolution
By Devin D. O’Leary
Your knowledge of late-’80s Central American politics isn’t really an issue when it comes to the new political drama NO. In fact, the less you know about the rule of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, the more thrilling the film will be. If your closest connection to the material is Dennis Miller’s “Pinochet Countdown” contest from “Saturday Night Live,” then you’re primed and ready to watch NO spoiler free.
Psychotropic sci-fi film drops countless references to cult films past
By Devin D. O’Leary
How are you at cult film trivia? Canadian director Panos Cosmatos digs three decades deep into the back shelves of the video store (if such a thing still exists) for his first writing-directing effort, the brain-twisting, eye-bending, ’80s-inspired, horror/sci-fi head trip Beyond the Black Rainbow
The advent of the vibrator gets the comic treatment, but filmmakers fail to touch a nerve
By Devin D. O’Leary
Imagine, if you will, a smirkingly lightweight comedy about the creation of the world’s first electric vibrator. Well, imagine no more, because the Brits have made one. Though nowhere near as odd as Alan Parker’s 1994 biopic about sexual health pioneer Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (The Road to Wellville), Hysteria is an unusual topic for cinematic enshrinement.
Psychological sci-fi thriller hypnotizes viewers, leading them into a world of cults and questions
By Devin D. O’Leary
In 2011, fed up with the “cute blonde in horror movie” roles she was being offered, actress Brit Marling turned writer-producer-star for the handcrafted sci-fi film Another Earth. That intriguing (though not entirely fulfilling) drama was enough to mark Marling as an ambitious up-and-comer. With barely a pause, Marling follows it up with her second writing-producing-acting stint, the equally mind-bending indie Sound of My Voice. While the speculative, dialogue-heavy drama might not sit perfectly with all viewers, it proves Marling is a voice and a vision worth paying attention to.
Now that Memorial Day is come and gone, the official summer movie season is in full swing. From now until Labor Day, we’ve got dozens of big-budget, explosion-filled films vying for our attention. Hidden among those Will Smith-filled blockbusters are assorted smaller-budgeted indie films worth your attention as well. To help guide you through this crowded battlefield of Hollywood offerings, we give you Alibi’s Summer Film Guide. Week-by-week Film Editor Devin D. O’Leary will provide you with all the pertinent info. Plus, we’ve got trailers! Read it over, mark up you calendar and get to the movies.
Crime comedy gives Jack Black his best role in years. Too bad the movie isn’t better.
By Devin D. O’Leary
It's hard to reconcile Richard Linklater, the young-turk auteur who gave us 1991’s Gen-X manifesto Slacker, with Richard Linklater, the movie industry vet (Fast Food Nation, The School of Rock, Bad News Bears) who delivers Jack Black's latest: a pleasantly quirky crime comedy called Bernie. Not that Bernie represents any sort of sad, corporate sellout on the part of Linklater. It’s just that aside from the inclusion of fellow Austinite Matthew McConaughey (who worked with Linklater on Dazed & Confused and The Newton Boys), Bernie isn’t recognizable as something from Linklater’s résumé.
Lyrical, lethargic flashback about broken hearts finds beauty in the bittersweet
By Devin D. O’Leary
Perhaps it’s the surreal, often science-fictional edge. Perhaps it’s the Kafkaesque clash of reality and fantasy. Perhaps it’s the gloomy exploration of trauma and loss. For whatever reason, few filmmakers have attempted to tackle the fantastical fiction of popular Japanese author Haruki Murakami (Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles, IQ84). In 1981, Japanese director Kazuki Omori adapted Murakami’s first novel, Hear the Wind Sing. Jun Ichikawa took on the short story “Tony Takitani” in 2004. The majority of Murakami’s work, however, remains untouched, possibly un-adaptable and firmly anchored to the page.
The year 2012 marks the centennial anniversary of New Mexico’s statehood. The KiMo Theatre in Downtown Albuquerque is joining in on the fun by hosting a year-long celebration of made-in-New-Mexico films. The monthly film series kicks off tonight, January 18, at 7 p.m. with a screening of Dennis Hopper’s 1969 counter-culture biker classic Easy Rider. Admission is free. Find out more, including a list of future films in the series, right here.
This year’s cinematic trends: 3D Disney, Batman vs. Spider-Man and Keanu Reeves with a samurai sword
By Devin D. O’Leary
The year 2012 looks ... a lot like previous years in Hollywood. The explosions are epic, the stars are plentiful and the trends are limited. So what might the movie-loving masses be watching in cinemas over the next 12 months? Here’s a sampling of the good, the bad and the over budget. (Keep in mind, all opening dates are subject to change.)
Blistering black comedy celebrates stunted development and spectacularly bad ideas
By Devin D. O’Leary
The last time director Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody teamed up, it was for a little film called Juno. Four years later they’re back together for another drama-laced comedy, Young Adult. Perhaps the two have grown older and wiser. Perhaps times have changed. But the snarky, impossibly well-spoken wit of Juno has dried up, replaced by the cynical comedy of discomfort.
Butch Cassidy takes his own famous advice and goes to Bolivia in vivid revisionist Western
By Devin D. O’Leary
Used to be Westerns were standard-issue Hollywood boilerplate. From the silent era up through the ’50s, cowboy movies were the backbone of the film industry. These quick-and-easy tales of white-hat heroism were simple, escapist fare—the equivalent of cop movies in the ’80s or superhero movies today. Nowadays, with rare exception (Cowboys & Aliens, for example), when someone chooses to make a Western, it’s not some flippant wild West fantasy about good guys and bad guys. More often than not, today’s Westerns are dark, elegiac compositions about a long-faded way of life—and, by extension, a long-faded genre of moviemaking.
Compellingly awful adaptation argues the merits of capitalism
By Devin D. O’Leary
Online searches for Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand's controversial 1957 magnum opus, spiked recently. It wasn’t some coincidental alignment of college lit classes driving the traffic. It was the surprising theatrical release of Atlas Shrugged: Part 1. The seemingly out-of-nowhere feature debuted in a meager 300 theaters this past weekend, prompting hordes of curious to ask, “Is this what I think it is?”
Wanna be in a Disney Channel Movie? Lemonade Mouth is a new Disney Channel original movie currently being filmed in the Albuquerque area. It’s based on the novel by Mark Peter Hughes. The movie stars Adam Hicks (“Zeke & Luther”), Bridgit Mendler (“Good Luck Charlie”) and Hayley Kiyoko (“Wizards of Waverly Place”). And maybe you.
Disney is looking for volunteer extras to play fans in concert footage scenes. They are looking for high school students and adults in the Albuquerque area. Each event date has its own age restrictions (see dates/locations) and general age limit is restricted to 14 years and older. No one under the age of 14 will be accepted.
FILMING DATES & LOCATIONS:
Friday 8/13/10 | Atrisco High School | Ages 14 to 20
Tuesday 8/24/10 | Santa Ana Star Center | Ages 14-65.
If you are interested in participating in this shoot, please visit the Albuquerque Little Theatre website for all of the details. Read the website instructions carefully, as there are requirements to participate.
Plenty of big-budget Hollywood movies have been shot here in New Mexico (Transformers, Terminator Salvation), but we've also got our own homegrown film industry filled with talented writers, directors and actors. Here's just a sample of some of the local indie efforts available on DVD.
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