starring: Michael Angarano, Uma Thurman, Reece Thompson, Lee Pace, Rebecca Mader, Jake M. Johnson
written and directed by: Max Winkler
MPAA: Rated R for some language, sexual references and drug use.
Film Review: “Ceremony”
Category: Films
Film Review: “Water For Elephants”
starring: Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz, Paul Schneider, Hal Holbrook
written by: Richard LaGravenese (screenplay), Sara Gruen (novel)
directed by: Francis Lawrence
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for moments of intense violence and sexual content.
Spinning Platters Guide to the San Francisco International Film Festival 2011
The 54th annual San Francisco International Film Festival kicks off this Thursday, April 21, bringing with it two weeks of jam-packed film programming until its conclusion on May 5. Special guests and honorees this year include Oliver Stone, Matthew Barney, Zoe Saldana, Clifton Collins Jr., and Christine Vachon. The festival will also feature a live performance of the film scores of Claire Denis by Tindersticks.
For full information, check out the official festival website. But first, look after the jump for our top 15 movies to see this year at the SFIFF.
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Guide to the San Francisco International Film Festival 2011”
Film Review: “The Conspirator”
starring: James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Evan Rachel Wood, Alexis Bledel, Kevin Kline, Tom Wilkinson, Justin Long, Norman Reedus, Danny Huston, Jonathan Groff, Johnny Simmons, Stephen Root, Colm Meaney
written by: James Solomon (screenplay/story), Gregory Bernstein (story)
directed by: Robert Redford
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some violent content.
Film Review: “Scream 4”
starring: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Alison Brie, Marley Shelton, Rory Culkin, Mary McDonnell, Adam Brody, Anthony Anderson, Aimee Teegarden, Shenae Grimes, Kristen Bell, Anna Paquin, Nico Tortorella, Erik Knudsen, Marielle Jaffe, Brittany Robertson, Lucy Hale
written by: Kevin Williamson
directed by: Wes Craven
MPAA: Rated R for strong bloody violence, language and some teen drinking.
Film Review: “Your Highness”
starring: Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel, Justin Theroux, Rasmus Hardiker, Toby Jones
written by: Danny McBride and Ben Best
directed by: David Gordon Green
MPAA: Rated R for strong crude and sexual content, pervasive language, nudity, violence and some drug use.
Film Review: “Arthur”
starring: Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Greta Gerwig, Jennifer Garner, Nick Nolte, Luis Guzmán, Geraldine James
written by: Peter Baynham (screenplay), Steve Gordon (story)
directed by: Jason Winer
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for alcohol use throughout, sexual content, language and some drug references.
Spinning Platters Interview: Saiorse Ronan and Joe Wright on “Hanna”
“Does anyone have a terrible allergy to cigarette smoke?” Joe Wright, the director of Hanna, is hoping the answer is no. It’s a Friday afternoon, and he’s looking a bit rough. Perhaps it’s a combination of jetlag and the looming specter of WonderCon 2011, which will be kicking off in a few hours. While Wright is no stranger to publicity tours, this is the first time he’s working the geek festival circuit. His previous three feature-length directorial efforts — Pride and Prejudice (the 2005 version starring Keira Knightley in an Oscar-nominated lead performance), Atonement (the breakthrough film of Hanna star Saiorse Ronan, whose performance garnered her a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the age of 13), and The Soloist, a contemporary drama starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx — did not take him down this particular promotional path.
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Interview: Saiorse Ronan and Joe Wright on “Hanna””
Spinning Platters Interview: Rainn Wilson and James Gunn on “Super”
Rainn Wilson and writer/director James Gunn were in San Francisco this past weekend to promote their bold and demented new film, Super (read our Spinning Platters review here), at WonderCon. It was my first time entering the WC fray, and I found myself wishing I’d brought a bag of bread crumbs while navigating the labyrinthine expanse of Moscone South. But eventually I found the designated press room, where I waited patiently with a table of my fellow online press while Wilson and Gunn worked their way down a seemingly endless line of video interviews. One queasy highlight of this was watching Gunn being forced to awkwardly refer to “Jenna Fischer, my ex-wife” each time he was asked how Wilson came to be involved with the project.
But eventually the video interviews concluded, at which point they were escorted directly to our waiting table. “Here are the nerds!” Wilson cried out in relief upon approaching us. As they got seated (and Wilson bellowed “Hello machines!” into our assorted collection of recording devices), we kicked off a lively conversation on topics like how to make a homicidal maniac sympathetic, pioneering the concept of superhero female-to-male rape, and Wilson’s efforts to keep his character as far from Dwight as possible.
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Interview: Rainn Wilson and James Gunn on “Super””
Wondercon: The 2011 Film Panels
The 2011 Wondercon film panel lineup was the worst in recent memory. It was more notable for what was missing (Captain America, Thor, Super 8, Pirates of the Caribbean) than what was there (Immortals, Priest, The Three Musketeers). Jon Favreau noticed that movies weren’t prioritizing Wondercon for their promotion, and I can’t say I understand why. Was it the relative commercial failure of such ComicCon-loved properties such as Kick Ass and Scott Pilgrim? Or was it really all just about scheduling? But we did have film panels on Saturday (and one on Friday), so I was there. And this is what I saw. Continue reading “Wondercon: The 2011 Film Panels”