WGBH - Film RSS

Argo is Another Success for Ben Affleck

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 20:05 PM +0000

October 10, 2012

Jared Bowen interviewing Ben Affleck

Ben Affleck’s latest film foray as director and star opens in theaters tomorrow, and he recently confessed to me that he tends to find directing agonizing.

When it comes to directing, Ben Affleck is not a confident man. His new film Argo tells the madcap, real-life story of a mission to rescue six Americans during the 1979 seize of the US Embassy in Tehran.

“I think that you have to have a lot of fear. It's like running a marathon,” Affleck said. “You know, you've done it once now at least you know that you can finish. So some of the fear is about why even complete this. Will it even be comprehensible? Or get pushed aside?”

So far, it’s a fear unfounded. His first two films as a director, Gone Baby Gone and The Town were critical and commercial successes. Now Argo is already drawing mountains of praise.

“But you know every director I talk to talks about, talks about the fear. Talks about halfway through the movie where they think this whole thing is a disaster, you know? It's really hard to do and I think if you don't have some of those feelings pushing you and driving you, at least if I don't, I wouldn't do as good a job,” Affleck continued.

Argo is test of Affleck’s confidence and boundaries. This is his first non-Boston based film—a thriller in which he plays a CIA specialist drafted to sneak the six Americans out of Iran at a time when anti-American fervor is at its bloodiest.

When asked about the filming of Argo as it coincided with the Arab Spring in the Middle East, Affleck said the uncertainty conveyed by the actors in the film started to feel quite real.

“As we were getting ready to make it, the Arab Spring was happening, these unintended consequences of revolution, these people that we had been kind of in bed with, and then they had this democratically-fueled revolution, but then there's fear about well, what will happens after this revolution. It seemed to be, you know, almost identical to what happened in Iran,” he explained.

John Goodman, Alan Arkin and Ben Affleck in Argo (Claire Folger/Warner Bros.)

Affleck, a Middle Eastern studies major in college, is a master of tension here as Iranian revolution forces close in on the CIA operation. You almost need a bottle of Pepto Bismol to cope with the amount of stress in Argo. Affleck’s methodology for achieving that rhythm is to give the audience more information than the characters are working with.

“Yeah, I think the way of accomplishing stress, you know, anxiety in an audience has to do with, you know, the way I've had success with it is setting up things that the audience knows that the characters don't know. It always has a sort of good tension to it. And making sure that it's grounded. Like, I think I check out of a movie when I start thinking ‘this isn't real.’ Or ‘this is a video game. I could just put another quarter in and have another life.’”

But for all its suspense, Argo is also superbly funny. To make its rescue mission credible, the CIA put a fake science-fiction film called Argo into pre-production, allowing them to claim the six Americans were part of the production team scouting locations in Tehran.

Then you’re gonna sneak 007 over here into a country that wants CIA blood on their breakfast cereal and you’re gonna walk the Brady Bunch out of the most watched city in the world?

“I think humor is really critical to tension,” Affleck said. “You can't hold it in the whole time. People’s face turns blue and they get tired, and then the mind wants to stop. If you give these release valves, it gives you arcs, you know, that you can use. You build the tension -- [sighs] – then let it out.”

Back to that confidence issue: Affleck says he’s perfectly happy to coast along as a director without buying the hype.

“You know what, I'm very cynical about good reviews or good notices. I know that these things come and go. I try to keep my own perspective. In terms of my own ego, I've been around this business long enough to see it come and go. The work that you do is the only thing that matters,” he said.

Film: Sleepwalk With Me

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 12:48 PM +0000

From Sleepwalk with Me (Mike Birbiglia, Lauren Ambrose, Carol Kane
and James Rebhorn. Photo credit: Adam Beckman, IFC Films.)

September 10, 2012

There’s this great little film making some big noise, and it's back in Boston. It’s Sleepwalk with Me, and it’s about a guy who can’t get his comedy career on track, can’t decide if he wants to commit to his girlfriend, and can’t stay in bed thanks to a sleepwalking disorder. As his anxiety grows with the first two, so does the sleepwalking — each incident increasingly funny and dangerous. It’s silly, sad and serious all at once. And it’s also semi-autobiographical.

Mike Birbiglia, a Shrewsbury, Massachusetts native, really is a comedian and really does have a sleeping disorder called RBD (rapid eye movement behavior disorder) that causes him to physically react to his dreams. What kind of physical reactions, you ask? How does jumping out of a second-story window of a motel sound? This incident really happened while Birbiglia was on tour in Walla Walla, Washington and ended with him getting 33 stitches in his leg.

Birbiglia turned the experience into a book, Sleepwalk with Me: And Other Painfully True Stories, and an Off-Broadway play that swiftly gained popularity. Soon after, his "no way are those true, but they are true" stories caught the attention of This American Life host Ira Glass, and Birbiglia became a regular contributor to the show. As the working relationship progressed, so did their idea for a film.

The screenplay took over two years to produce (with Seth Barrish and Joe Birbiglia — Mike’s brother — helping) and proved challenging, as neither Birbiglia nor Glass had experience structuring stories for film. It wasn’t uncommon for Glass to ask This American Life’s Facebook fans to attend secret screenings in order to audience-test and catalog feedback. The idea underwent numerous changes and story edits, and over time became a completed movie.

Sleepwalk with Me premiered at Sundance, received rave reviews and the Audience Award, continued on to SXSW, and was the opening night film at our own Independent Film Festival, Boston earlier this year. Most recently, it grossed the third best per-theater average of the year, behind Moonrise Kingdom and To Rome with Love.

"Avengers director Joss Whedon recently declared war on our film, so we're surprised to see that our per screen average is so much higher than The Avengers at $47,698 per screen,” said Ira Glass on the Sleepwalk with Me Facebook page. “We look forward to beating his worldwide gross of $1.5 billion in the coming weeks." This was the rebuttal prompted be director Joss Whedon’s very public, and very fake, declaration of war with the film. You can watch the video here — it’s complete genius.

Sleepwalk with Me stars Mike Birbiglia, Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under), Carol Kane (Taxi), James Rebhorn (Meet the Parents), Cristin Milioti (star of Broadway's Once), plus comedians Marc Maron, Kristen Schaal, Wyatt Cenac, Jesse Klein, Henry Phillips and David Wain.

The film opened at Kendall Square on Friday, August 31, and at the Coolidge Theater on Friday, September 7. Visit landmarktheaters.com and coolidge.org for more information.

Sparkle: Whitney Houston's Last Role

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 12:04 PM +0000

Jared Bowen reviews the film Sparkle on Greater Boston (WGBH).

Part of the fan photo mosaic tribute to Houston on the Sparkle website.

This review aired on Greater Boston just before the August 16th premiere of the new film Sparkle, starring Jordin Sparks and featuring the late Whitney Houston.

Sparkle is about a group of girls growing up in 1960s Motown, trying to get together their own singing group and give the reigning Supremes a challenge. It's the last film that Whitney Houston completed before her tragic death. She plays the single mother trying to raise these three girls to walk along the straight and narrow.

Remaking the 1976 film Sparkle was Houston's vision, and a project that she had worked on for more than a decade. The disparate elements of the film don't come back to form a complete whole, but perhaps that's fitting, as the anchor to the film left a void as well.

Meanwhile, Jordin Sparks, winner of the 2007 American Idol competition at age 17, is coming into her own as an actress. She shines as the composer and leader of the trio who can't let go of the music.

Still, it's seeing Houston as a healthy, maternal figure who delivers one number of her own, that finally gives the film its poignancy. Houston fans have already ensured that this film will get some buzz regardless of its flaws.

To recognize Houston's passing, the Sparkle website features a special tribute to Houston, inviting fans to add their own photos to an interactive mosaic, along with messages to the belated pop star and those who continue to miss her.

Harvard Celebrates 100 Years of Paramount Pictures

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 15:58 PM +0000

(Paramount)

Listen to Edgar's interview with David Pendleton, programmer, Harvard Film Archive and film critic Garen Daley.

Shakespeare once asked asked, “What’s in a name?” For William Wadsworth Hodkinson and Adolph Zukor, I’d say quite a bit. In the early 1900s, they called their burgeoning film production and distribution company Paramount Pictures.

Last week on Boston Public Radio, we spoke with Peter Sokolowski, editor-at-large for Merriam-Webster. I consulted his trusty dictionary for the exact definition of that word "paramount." It means “superior to all others.”

This year, Paramount Pictures celebrates their 100th anniversary and starting in September the Harvard Film Archive is celebrating the famed studio by screening selected films from its considerable canon.

"It's a part of our attempt to bring a broad spectrum of film to Boston and Cambridge," said programmer David Pendleton, who explained that the addition of films with a broad appeal works well in the summer and compliments the theater's usual line up of film with a narrow window of distribution.

Here are excerpts from just a few of the films screening at the Harvard Film Archive:

"In Harm's Way" (1965)

"Popeye" (1980)

"She Done Him Wrong" (1933)

Film: Dear Mandela at The Brattle Theatre

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 11:42 AM +0000

August 12, 2012

Zama, Mazwi, and Mnikelo, have becomes the faces of political change in
South Africa as leaders of the movement Abahlali baseMjondolo.
(photo: dearmandela.com.)

Nelson Mandela was faced with many obstacles as president of South Africa in the early ‘90s. Top of the list was providing an improved quality of life for a nation recovering from apartheid–the same system of racial segregation that kept him jailed for over 20 years. The plan was to ensure fair housing for the impoverished shanty town communities many called home, a plan that proved far too ambitious for a country so deeply segregated and on the mend.

It’s 20 years later, and populations have doubled. And so have doubts about and trust in the government’s ability to deliver on its promise. Matters got worse when a nationwide eviction began. And in a country with a strong history of violence, it should come as no surprise that these efforts involved shack demolitions, guns, prison detentions without trial, and even assassination.

Filmmaker Dara Kell grew up in South Africa during the height of the tension, and in 2007 discovered and become intrigued with Abahlali baseMjondolo (Residents of the Shacks), a social and democratic movement founded to find alternative ways to fix their growing inherited problem. After Kell and filmmaking partner Christopher Nizza met with the movement’s young leaders and fell in love with their courage, idealism reminiscent of Mandela’s, and determination to take their own government to the highest courts in the name of democracy, Kell and Nizza set out to tell their story.

Dear Mandela is not a documentary about activism, but instead an exposé on the pressures of historical burdens put upon the self-taught, politically savvy, post-apartheid generation. It offers a new perspective on the role that young people can play in political change and is a fascinating portrait of South Africa’s coming of age.

The film had its world premiere at the Durban International Film Festival in South Africa, where it was awarded the Best South African Documentary prize. Since then, it has screened in cities around the world, including New York, London, Prague, Seoul, and Vienna, and now Boston will get its chance to watch the documentary and participate in a discussion with the filmmakers. Dear Mandela will be screening at the Brattle Theatre, with Dara Kell and Christopher Nizza in attendance, on Monday, August 13th. Visit brattlefilm.org for more information.

Film Review: Ai Weiwei, The Gentle Revolutionary

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 12:25 PM +0000

August 7, 2012

Ai Weiwei in Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry (photo by Ted Alcorn; A Sundance
Selects release.)

Outside of the art establishment, Ai Weiwei is best known for his role in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, first as designer of the “Bird’s Nest” stadium and then as an outspoken critic of the event, which he called a “propaganda show” for which the government pushed workers and ordinary people out of the city in order to stage a prettier picture to send to the world.

The artist and activist knows about sending pictures to the world. In the beginning of Alison Klayman’s well-crafted, inspiring new documentary Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, now playing at Kendall Square, Ai says he does more than a hundred interviews a year with foreign journalists, and another hundred with Chinese. He gained a staunch following for his prolific and popular blog, and when that was shut down by the government, he turned to (uncensored) Twitter to get his messages out.

Gentle and soft-spoken, the man many call Teacher speaks eloquently in Klayman’s film, describing himself, as among other things, a chess player: “My opponents make a move, I make a move.” In the recent, best-known part of his career, the line between these moves and his art is unclear.

In her first feature documentary, and the first made about Ai, Klayman shows how in 2008, after Chinese officials refused to release the names or numbers of children killed in a brutal earthquake that destroyed government-built schools made with purportedly shoddy “tofu” construction, Ai investigated the matter himself, making a documentary about his efforts. Sending teams of volunteers out into the countryside, he compiled a list of 5,212 names and birthdates, and posted them on his blog on the anniversary of the quake. The government promptly took down the blog. Ai took to Twitter. Checkmate.

Meanwhile, Ai also tussled with the government over fellow dissident Tan Zuoren. When Ai traveled to Chengdu to testify on Tan’s behalf, police stormed his hotel room, hit him, and detained him until the hearing was over. They deny it, but he documented it. Later he was treated for a brain hemorrhage in Munich, where he was the subject of a major mid-career retrospective. He tweeted from his hospital bed. The media swarmed. He covered the façade of the museum with a mosaic made of children’s backpacks reading, in Chinese, “She lived happily on this earth for seven years” (a mom’s description of her lost daughter. )

Whether art or activism, Ai’s work is innovative, important, and inspiring, and Klayman, through generous access to Ai’s studio and extensive interviews with artists, curators, and media, does a much better job of condensing and contextualizing his career into her 90-minute film than I can do with either here. So I’ll just say: go see this film. With China rising, an election coming up, and the Olympics on, there couldn’t be a better time to learn about Ai Weiwei’s peaceful, artful brand of dissent.

Film Festival Preview: Action Film Series at The Brattle Theatre

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 18:04 PM +0000

July 30, 2012

Scene from The Raid: Redemption, Sony Picture Classiscs,
directed by Gareth Evans, 2012.

What do you get when you screen a mix of some of the best action movies of all time? A well-deserved kick in the pants, that’s what.

And the Brattle Theatre’s delivering just that with its International Asskicking! series. From now until the end of August, they’ll be showing a variety of international action flicks chock full of fight scenes, car chases, and karate chops to the head during these final dog days of summer.

Festivities kicked off on the 26th with a screening of indie filmmaker Gareth Evans’ The Raid: Redemption, a mind-blowing Indonesian favorite about a squad of cops who ambush an apartment building controlled by a gang lord. Guaranteed to be 101 of the most thrilling minutes of your life, its twist on the genre has not only earned it a “certified fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s also the inspiration behind the entire Brattle series.

Films continuing the series include District B13, Ong Bak, Once Upon a Time in China, Iron Monkey, 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow and the martial arts favorite Enter the Dragon.

And don’t forget your American butt whooping too. With Expendables 2 starring Stalone, Statham, Willis, Schwarzenegger, Van Damme, Li, Norris, Lundgren, Crews, Couture (and every other contemporary action hero you can think of before running out of breath) coming out soon, the Brattle considers what the all-star cast would have looked like had the film been made in the ‘70s. Caine, Marvin, Eastwood, Roundtree, McQueen and Bronson made the list, and you can watch their popular action flicks Get Carter, Point Blank, Dirty Harry, Shaft, The Getaway and The Mechanic on the big screen during the Brattle’s Classic Tough Guys series.

Mind-blowing lineup, right? (Insert stunt doubles and large expensive movie set explosions here.) The International Asskicking! series will screen on Thursdays and the Classic Tough Guys series runs from August 10th through the 12th. Visit brattlefilm.org for dates and times.

Film: The Devil's Carnival Comes to Boston

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 13:11 PM +0000

July 19, 2012

The Devil's Carnival, photo credit: beyondhollywood.com.

It’s off to hell we go...

Can you imagine a carnival-themed afterlife where sinners are sent to pay for their choices? And in this afterlife, what chance would a conniving kleptomaniac, a gullible girl, and a grief-obsessed father stand against their transgressions? The Devil himself, and his carnie minions, invite you to grab a ticket to The Devil’s Carnival to find out.

After their successful collaboration on 2008’s Repo! The Genetic Opera, director Darren Lynn Bousman and writer/actor Terrance Zdunich are back and billing their latest film adventure, The Devil’s Carnival, as hell in its purest form. Commit a sin and you’re sent to an alternate afterlife resembling a freakish carnival where demons are the carnies and the show is your punishment.

Carnival brings back Repo! favorites Bill Moseley, Alexa Vega, Terrance Zdunich, Nivek Ogre and Paul Sorvino as the world’s creator. And newcomers to the family include Marc Senter, Slipknot’s Shawn Crahan, Emilie Autumn, and Five Finger Punch’s Ivan Moody as Hobo the Clown.

And as you’ve probably guessed by now, it’s all coming to Boston. The Carnival team has put together a cross-country traveling show complete with a full film screening, carnival acts, a costume contest for the fans, and a personal Q&A meet and greet with the entire audience that makes the viewing experience unforgettable. Bousman is very passionate about his work and the fans supporting it, and chose to promote the film independently to preserve the integrity of both.

I was fortunate enough to attend a show a few months back, and it’s fantastic. The crew members are absolute ringmasters at audience participation and fan loyalty -- You don’t want to miss this.

The Devil’s Carnival will be screening at The Coolidge Corner Theatre as part of their @Fter Midnite series for one night only on Saturday, July 21st. Visit www.coolidge.org for more information and to purchase tickets.

How to Work the 2012 Woods Hole Film Festival

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 17:45 PM +0000

July 15, 2012

Documentary feature, Detropia, courtesy of woodshole.festivalgenius.com.

Film festivals are probably the last thing that come to mind when you think about Cape Cod. Yet I bet it has more film festivals per resident than anywhere else in the U.S. They’re big business on the Cape and Islands, and one that always tops the “must-do this summer” list is the Woods Hole Film Festival, the oldest independent festival in the area.

The Woods Hole Film Festival (WHFF) is an eight day showcase of independent films featuring daily screenings (at Woods Hole’s notable locations), workshops, panel discussions, and parties galore! And this year marks the 21st anniversary of WHFF, which means there is a lot to do.

So how do you tackle all of WHFF in one short week? Organization and a schedule, my friend. A good place to start would be at the workshops. WHFF has some great ones this year, including “How to Watch a Film”, designed to teach viewers how to look a film from a cultural, ideological, and theoretical standpoint.

Put your new viewing skills to test afterwards and make a list of the films you’re most interested in watching. Pick a variety of features and shorts, and go off the beaten path to discover the hidden jewels of the festival. Some notable screenings to consider: Bay of All Saints, a portrait of three single mothers trying to survive in the slums of Brazil during a bad time personally and economically; Breakfast with Curtis, a summer story about a young boy joining a project with an eccentric local bookseller; and the documentary short 24 Hours At The South Street Diner, produced and directed by Boston locals Tom and Melissa Dowler.

You should also plan on attending all of the screenings and discussions by this year’s Filmmaker in Residence, Lauren Greenfield. Greenfield, best known for her ability to chronicle youth culture, gender and consumerism, will be showing Thin, her documentary about four women struggling with eating disorders, as well as her most recent documentary about a family attempting to build the biggest house in America, The Queen of Versailles, which received critical acclaim as this year’s Opening Night film at Sundance. It also won Best Director in the U.S. Documentary Competition.

And last, but not least, don’t forget to attend a few parties and panel discussions in between and mingle with some of the masterminds behind your favorite films. Festivities begin on Saturday, July 28th, running through Saturday, August 4th. Visit woodsholefilmfestival.org for more information and the calendar of events.

Film: Bechard Brings Color Me Obsessed Back to Boston

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 17:03 PM +0000

July 10, 2012

The Replacements (photo by Greg Helgeson)

It has been a year since filmmaker Gorman Bechard screened Color Me Obsessed in Boston. The documentary, about 80’s rock band The Replacements, was an official selection and attendee favorite at the Boston Independent Film Festival in 2011, and was also named one of the “Seven Best New Music Documentaries of the Year” by Rolling Stone. And after touring numerous film festivals over the past year, it’s coming back to town for a special screening at the Brattle Theatre for a screening including a Q&A with the director and double feature billing with its new little brother, a music documentary about Chapel Hill, North Carolina-based band Archers of Loaf.

Color Me Obsessed takes us back to the very beginning of The Replacements, their public onstage breakup in 1991 and everything in between. Sounds standard, but it’s not - this is the first music documentary, that I’ve ever seen, that doesn’t include a single song, image, or member of the band it’s about. Instead, Bechard chooses to conceptualize The Replacements as a god-like figure in the documentary, asking viewers to not have to see or hear them in order to believe in their legacy.

It’s fascinating and it works, especially with his impressive list of over 140 “believers” sharing their personal anecdotal stories about the band, including writers and celebrities, as well as musicians from Hüsker Dü, The Decemberists, The Hold Steady, Archers of Loaf, Titus Andronicus, Deer Tick, Shellac, and Boston bands The Neighborhoods and The Figgs.

Joining the screening is Bechard’s latest musical odyssey, What Did You Expect? Archers of Loaf Live at Cat’s Cradle, about the recent reunion of 90’s indie-rock icons Archers of Loaf. And being a die hard fan since I was 13, I can’t tell you how excited I am to see this. The documentary shares rare concert footage and interviews from the band’s two legendary concerts in 2011 at the Cat’s Cradle in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The show was so successful the band continued to tour, including multiple sold out shows at the Middle East in Cambridge, while their entire back catalog was reissued by Merge Records.

Color Me Obsessed and What Did You Expect? Archers of Loaf Live at Cat’s Cradle will be screening at the Brattle Theatre on Wednesday, July 18th. Tickets are $10/$8 students, seniors, Brattle members; Double Feature Tickets $15/$12 students, seniors, Brattle members.

Jacob's Pillow Comes East

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 18:08 PM +0000

July 5, 2012

Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers in Kinetic Molpai, 1935.

Dance is notoriously hard to capture on film–or at least to capture well. Film squishes an intrinsically three-dimensional art form into two, and fails to capture the electricity of the live performance, including the undercurrent of danger that accompanies even the most mannered performances–that sense of doing the impossible, whether leaping or hurdling through space or just balancing en pointe. (Unless, of course, you’re Wim Wenders, whose Pina is the best film representation of dance I’ve ever seen [though being Pina Bausch’s biggest fan, I may not be the most impartial judge…])

Never Stand Still, Ron Honsa’s documentary about Jacob’s Pillow, on view at the MFA July 5–11, works well as a dance film largely because it focuses not solely on dance but also on the stories behind the place and the people who’ve made it what it is. There’s plenty of spectacular dance thrown in, of course, but with such a great story, the pressure’s off.

The documentary tells the story of how the late Ted Shawn, a father of modern dance bought an abandoned farm in Western Massachusetts in the 1930s, then set out to prove that dancing was a “viable profession for men.” He formed an all-male troupe that always came back to the farm between tours, working there and building what would become America’s premiere dance festival with their own bare hands. The footage from that time shows the merry male dancers cavorting around, dancing and working on the farm, and includes one of my now favorite dance images of all time: a dancer painting on a ladder, stretching out into an elegant arabesque to reach a far spot.

The film also outlines the festival’s more recent history, with appearances from some of the most important late-20th century dancers and choreographers, including Suzanne Farrell, Judith Jamison, Mark Morris, Paul Taylor, and the late Merce Cunningham. Bill T. Jones narrates, and there are performances by current risk-takers the Bad Boys of Dance and Shantala Shivalingappa (who’s danced with Pina Bausch).

“For those of us who choose a life in dance,” says narrator Bill T. Jones at the beginning of the film, “we have to insist on taking risks. Risks of ideas, and what the human body can express. There’s a place called Jacob’s Pillow where artists have done just that: taken leaps of faith, setting new ideas in motion. Because dance can never stand still.”

--
Never Stand Still
Screening at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, July 5–11
Avenue of the Arts
465 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115

Is Another Spider-Man Necessary?

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 18:40 PM +0000

July 3, 2012

Andrew Garfield in The Amazing Spider-Man, Columbia Pictures

Expected to be this summer’s biggest blockbuster, The Amazing Spider-Man promises new–and not just new actors. It’s promising a new world for Spidey fans to play in, a darker one where Peter Parker will be spending his time investigating the truth about his father and inventing artificial webs, all while barely casting a shadow of the geeky and goofy Parker of Spider-Man's past.

There are a number of reasons why a Spider-Man reboot is coming out so soon after the series, and they all lead back to Sony, the owner of the movie franchise, not being a fan of the webby mess that Spider-Man director Sam Raimi (Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, Army of Darkness) left behind with Spider-Man 3. Instead of having Raimi work on the fourth installment of the series, the studio instead opted for a reboot.

Raimi’s adaptation of the series rendered some major characters useless for future films. In addition to most of the noteworthy villains having been used already, Parker’s new love interest, Gwen Stacey, was a supporting character and love interest for Eddie Brock (Venom) in Spider-Man 3. Raimi also toyed with Spidey’s original mythology, cornering important story lines.

But do we really need to start over? Normally, I’d agree that when your intention is to reboot an entire series, it’s important to start at the beginning. But we’re dealing with a superhero whose origins are as familiar as Santa Claus. In my opinion, we already know what we need to know, or at least enough to suspend our disbelief for another two hours (and another couple of movies.)

Personally, I’d rather see the time and energy spent on more Spider-Man saving the world, working with different women all bearing characteristics of his first love, and introducing a plethora of new enemies for us to play with. We know it works–and it opens up oodles of opportunities for different stories, angles, and films for studios to make loads of money on (ahem, Batman). And Todd McFarlane wouldn’t mind making a few new toy models for people like me to buy and never take out of their boxes, right?

That’s Marvel geek talk for “I’d rather we move on,” but I’ll still welcome the fresh perspective on an old friend with an open mind.

The Amazing Spider-Man opens in theaters nationwide on Tuesday, July 3rd. Check local listings for show times.

Is Another Spider-Man Necessary?

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 18:35 PM +0000

Expected to be this summer’s biggest blockbuster, The Amazing Spider-Man promises new–and not just new actors. It’s promising a new world for Spidey fans to play in, a darker one where Peter Parker will be spending his time investigating the truth about his father and inventing artificial webs, all while barely casting a shadow of the geeky and goofy Parker of Spider-Mans past.

There are a number of reasons why a Spider-Man reboot is coming out so soon after the series, and they all lead back to Sony, the owner of the movie franchise, not being a fan of the webby mess that Spider-Man director Sam Raimi (Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, Army of Darkness) left behind with Spider-Man 3. Instead of having Raimi work on the fourth installment of the series, the studio instead opted for a reboot.

Raimi’s adaptation of the series rendered some major characters useless for future films. In addition to most of the noteworthy villains having been used already, Parker’s new love interest, Gwen Stacey, was a supporting character and love interest for Eddie Brock (Venom) in Spider-Man 3. Raimi also toyed with Spidey’s original mythology, cornering important story lines.

But do we really need to start over? Normally, I’d agree that when your intention is to reboot an entire series, it’s important to start at the beginning. But we’re dealing with a superhero whose origins are as familiar as Santa Claus. In my opinion, we already know what we need to know, or at least enough to suspend our disbelief for another two hours (and another couple of movies.)

Personally, I’d rather see the time and energy spent on more Spider-Man saving the world, working through different women all bearing characteristics of his first love, and introducing a plethora of new enemies for us to play with. We know it works–and it opens up oodles of opportunities for different stories, angles, and films for studios to make loads of money on (ahem, Batman). And Todd McFarlane wouldn’t mind making a few new toy models for people like me to buy and never take out of their boxes, right?

Basically that’s Marvel geek talk for “I’d rather we move on.” But I’ll still welcome the fresh perspective on an old friend with an open mind.

The Amazing Spider-Man opens in theaters nationwide on Tuesday, July 3rd. Check local listings for show times.

Five Films to Watch on the Fourth of July

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 16:26 PM +0000

July 3, 2012

Tom Cruise in Born on The Fourth of July (Universal Pictures, 1989).

The Fourth of July is a great time to have that summer barbeque you’ve been daydreaming about, maybe let the kids play with some sparklers, and later watch fireworks with the family. But more importantly, it’s a time to pay tribute to our military efforts and all who have sacrificed to afford us the comfort of this leisurely day.

And what better way to celebrate than to watch some good ol’ American films? Here are some of my favorites to celebrate patriotic efforts and American pastimes:

Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

Based on a true story, Born on the Fourth of July is a fantastic representation of the Vietnam War through the eyes of a veteran. It recounts some of the more gritty and real moments endured during the war and how they changed the perspective of those who fought in it. One of the more startling moments of the film occurs when Ron Kovic (Tom Cruise), who has accidentally shot a member of his own platoon, later encounters the man’s family. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won Best Director and Best Film Editing. Born on the Fourth of July stars Tom Cruise, Willem Dafoe, and Bryan Larkin.

Independence Day (1996)

WOO HA, let’s kill some aliens! I love this movie; it’s fun and jam packed with pride (the good kind). The U.S. is under one massive alien invasion, and Americans must work together to save not only the country, but the world. Behind its unbelievable action scenes and Hollywood blockbuster appeal, the narrative focuses on bringing people from different cultures and lifestyles together to make it all happen. Although no formal nominations or awards were given, the film was well-received by critics and audiences. Independence Day stars Will Smith, Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum.

Glory (1989)

Glory is based on the first all African American, American Civil War regiment, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. It begins during the Battle of Antietam, ends at Fort Wagner, and is a great portrayal of the regiment’s courage, and the courage of over 180,000 volunteer soldiers, who fought in the war. President Lincoln himself considered their efforts instrumental in securing a victory for the Union, and watching this film it’s easy to see why. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, and won Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, and Best Sound. Glory stars Denzel Washington, Matthew Broderick, and Morgan Freeman.

Captain America: First Avenger (2011)

One of my favorite Marvel Comics film adaptations, Captain America: First Avenger takes place during World War II. It’s about Brooklyn native Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) volunteering to be genetically transformed into a super soldier/secret weapon to help fight the war. The villan is Red Skull, Adolf Hitler’s ruthless head of weaponry, who intends to use a device well known to Marvel fans (the Tesseract) as an energy source for world domination. And let’s not forget that Captain America is played by Boston’s own hearthrob, Chris Evans.

The Sandlot (1993)

Of course, we need a film involving America’s favorite summer pastime, right? In The Sandlot, Scotty Smalls narrates his childhood move to a new neighborhood in the summer of ‘62. Smalls starts hanging out with a group of neighborhood kids who spend their lazy summer days and nights riding bikes, sleeping in tree houses, chasing after pretty lifeguards, and of course, playing baseball. The Sandlot stars Tom Guiry, James Earl Jones, and Boston’s Dennis Leary.

Let's Do the Time Warp (Never) Again!

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 07:34 AM +0000

July 2, 2012

Mural on the AMC Loews Theater in Harvard Square (dbking/Flickr)

BOSTON — The AMC Loews Harvard Square Theatre is closing. What does this mean for Rocky Horror fans and neighboring movie houses? Award winning film programmer and driving force behind the Boston Science Fiction Film Festival, Garen Daly, discusses the change with WGBH Radio host Callie Crossley and said this closing did not have to happen.

Wahlberg Takes Bro-mance to a New Comedy Level in Ted

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 18:25 PM +0000

June 30, 2012

Mark Wahlberg in Ted (Universal Pictures)

BOSTON — Just about a minute into the film Ted a huge surge of uproarious laughter washes over the audience and, for the better part of two hours, it barely subsides. All as we watch the wayward young man John (Mark Wahlberg) come of age with his teddy bear (voiced by Seth MacFarlane). It’s a rite of passage that includes playing Nintendo, smoking pot, and appearing on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. (Ted’s magical gift of life turns him into a short-lived celebrity during a 1980s heyday). But there’s turbulence as John turns 35 and his girlfriend Lori (Mila Kunis) wants a level of commitment absent of plush BFFs.

As you might have guessed, this directorial and screenwriting debut by Family Guy creator MacFarlane, is all kinds of wrong. No one is safe here — not gays, Iranians, Bostonians, African Americans, ALS patients, or one-time stars of Flash Gordon. That’s to say nothing of Ted’s backroom romp with a supermarket check-out girl, his “Dirty Fozzie Dance” (look away Jim Henson, look away), and a hotel room fight scene that riotously obliterates any lasting image we have of Wahlberg as Mickey Ward. In short, Ted is obscenely funny.

Strangely though, it all comes with a tremendous amount of sincerity and heart. Wahlberg is infinitely endearing as the puppy-eyed John who is legitimately torn between his loyalties to his best bear friend and the girl he loves. His John is so innocently hapless he can be excused for risking life and love for Ted—especially when Ted reciprocates with an equally deep regard for their friendship. Theirs ranks among cinema’s best bro-mances. And this will rank as the year’s funniest, most clever comedy.

Why Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Didn't Work on Film

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 15:21 PM +0000

June 28, 2012

That's right - you bow your head in shame, Lincoln. (Photo credit: IMDB)

Scathing reviews have been pouring in for the film adaptation of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. And unfortunately, mine is no different.

I was crushed, especially since reading Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter was the most fun I ever had in a book. The carefully thought out symbolism behind the axe swinging and honorable Abe Lincoln fighting a private civil war against vampires, within a public civil war for human rights, was eerily believable and consuming in written word.

But what we’re given on the big screen is more of a Wild, Wild Matrix with gratuitous CGE and a story that is a skeleton of its original self. It feels like the screenwriter barely read a CliffNotes version of the novel, which is uncomfortable considering Seth Grahame-Smith is the author of both.

So what happened? What happened is what I like to call the perfect storm in LA -- you get an overzealous producer with a ton of money and a pipe dream to create the ultimate book-to-film adaptation; he hires his director friend who only knows how to make one type of film with one type of camera shot that just so happened to make a hundred million dollars... once; he then sells the concept to a major film studio as a summer blockbuster to get an even bigger budget, and TADA, we’re given one of the worst most anticipated films of the summer!

Now you’re probably asking yourself: is that basically what happens with every film? And is THAT what happened with Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter?

Yeah, basically. But even the most earnest attempts at adapting a book to film can go to the bad place, which is what I really think happened here.

For starters, we’re forced to see this story through the eyes of one person, and it’s near impossible for that one person to capture and represent a story in the millions of different ways people have already adapted it. And no offense to director Timbur Bekmambetov, but he’s the last director I would have picked to adapt this novel. My visions of Abe Lincoln fighting vampires did not involve overly processed effects and enough shiny pretty things to light up a city.

Also, you can’t tell me how to watch this film, you’re not my mother! (Please disregard this if you’re my mother.)

Next, of course, is editing. Since he wrote a great book, I have no doubt that Grahame-Smith wrote an amazing screenplay too. I also have no doubt that he went through over a dozen editing sessions and was forced to watch his masterpiece whittled down to less than half its mass, both in size and story. That’s right folks¬ – if screenwriters were to adapt a book word-for-word, we would be sitting through five and six hour films. And let’s be honest: nobody is going to sit through that and not consider it “performance art.”

When are producers going to quit blowing their budgets on expensive directors and invest in a top notch editing team instead? Steven Spielberg has been using the same team for over 30 years, earning him over a dozen Academy Award nominations over the span of his career.

Anyways, the bottom line is that book-to-film adaptations can be downright impossible, and this isn’t new. The general rule has always been that if you plan on reading the book first, keep your expectations low for the film. And if you plan on seeing the film first, remember not to judge a book by its film.

(And fingers crossed that Burton and Bekmambetov haven’t locked themselves in a closet to plot their next adaptation.)

Boston Remembers Morphine Frontman Mark Sandman

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 17:07 PM +0000

June 21, 2012

CAMBRIDGE, MA - In 1989 musicians Mark Sandman and Dana Colley came together to form Morphine, a band whose success spanned a six-album career, and gave birth to a new genre within alternative rock known as “low rock”.

Morphine combined musical elements of blues, jazz, and rock, accompanied by a murky and dark sound that paired with a baritone saxophone, was complete genius. They became one of the most critically acclaimed bands of the ‘90s; highly regarded by indie rock communities across the U.S., and very successful abroad. But their 10-year reign ended in 1999 when frontman Mark Sandman suffered a heart attack while performing at a festival in Italy and passed away at age 46. Fans were crushed, including an entire Boston community.

Sandman was a native -- born and raised in Newton, an alum of the University of Massachusetts, and a resident of Cambridge. He was completely immersed in the local music scene, and on any given night during the ‘90s it wasn’t uncommon to find him frequenting Central Square businesses including The Plough and Stars, T.T. the Bear’s and The Middle East. Now, 10 years later, it’s not uncommon to find myself, on any given night, frequenting these places and finding traces of his presence lining the walls in memoriam. Appropriately, the intersection at Mass Ave and Brookline St. has been renamed Mark Sandman Square.

Shortly after his death, The Boston Phoenix published Morphine, Mark and Memories: Friends and Fans Look Back, a web page chock full of local fans and friends’ Sandman stories. Reading them is bittersweet. I was saddened by his death, but also touched by his reach. Whether he was helping a stranger at a bar get through a rough time, or allowing local musicians to use the recording space in his own home, he was a part of so many lives in the area.

And even after his passing, he’s still here. Friends and family established The Mark Sandman Music Project, a non-profit organization set up to benefit music education programs in the Cambridge public schools.

To further celebrate the life and career of one of the greatest musicians of our time, filmmakers Robert Bralver and David Ferino are releasing Cure for Pain: The Mark Sandman Story, a very personal documentary about the life of Mark Sandman, featuring interviews from former band mates, friends, and family, and a glimpse into the truth about his inner demons.

Cure for Pain: The Mark Sandman Story will be screening at the Brattle Theatre starting Friday, June 22nd, and running until Sunday, July 1st. (Note: Producer Jeff Broadway will be a special guest at the 7:30pm screening.)

Photo from the film Cure for Pain: The Mark Sandman Story.

Brattle Theater
40 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 876-6837

Lost Bohemia is Found at MFA Screening

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 15:56 PM +0000

June 20, 2012

BOSTON - One of my favorite recent documentaries is Bill Cunningham New York (2010), which turns the camera on the New York Times’ irrepressible, octogenarian, all-analog, bike-riding fashion photographer for an infectious celebration of inextinguishable spirit and creativity.

In that film, we see Cunningham returning home on his Schwinn after long days shooting around town to what seems an odd domicile: Carnegie Hall. There, perched above the storied New York landmark, he lives in a tiny, cramped space filled not with furnishings but with rows and rows of filing cabinets, packed with decades of creative work. Apart from one oddball neighbor, 90-something portrait photographer Editta Sherman, it seems a lonely existence.

That wasn’t always the case. A new documentary screening at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston this week, Lost Bohemia, shows how for decades Carnegie Hall housed more than 150 similarly obsessive creative spirits in a complex of thoughtfully designed artist studios, serving as an incubator for some of the nation’s most treasured cultural output. Jerome Robbins worked there as did Leonard Bernstein. Marlon Brando, Kirk Douglas, Grace Kelly, and Marilyn Monroe all studied there, at the original Actors Studio. Ballerina Isadora Duncan lived there with her mother, sleeping on the floor.

The 170 studios were added to the famous concert hall in the late 19th century, thanks to Andrew Carnegie’s wife, who was thrilled by the arts she saw on their honeymoon to Europe. No two were alike. Painters got the best light, dancers and choreographers had wide spaces, musicians were grouped together. One space housed a massive pipe organ.

Rent was cheap, and artists remained in the de facto artist colony for decades. As of the filming, Cunningham and Sherman, who feature prominently in Lost Bohemia, had both been there for 58 years.

But times change. Despite extensive protests and legal actions from residents, Carnegie Hall reclaimed the spaces in 2007, filling the storied studios with office equipment and cubicles. Only a few rent-controlled inhabitants, like Cunningham, managed to stay on.

Director Josef Birdman Astor, himself a former resident, paints the move as no less than a crime against humanity. “You can't have people who have stayed here, lived here, paid rent, for 60 and 70 years, and then suddenly throw them out when they're 96 without some consequence,” says Cunningham. “There is a moral obligation, I think, of the management to realize that they could be causing the death of these people.”

Indeed, by the end of the film, some of the unforgettable characters, like the colony itself, are no longer with us. But they’ve certainly left their mark.

Photo: Editta Sherman in the film Lost Bohemia.

Lost Bohemia
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Opens Thursday, June 21, 2012
4:00 pm - 5:20 pm
(various screening times through Wednesday, June 27, 2012)
Remis Auditorium, 161

The 24 Hour Film Race: Who Will Represent Boston?

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 18:12 PM +0000

June 19, 2012

I get overwhelmed thinking about all of the things I could accomplish in 24 hours. For example: I could paint a picture, knit a scarf, watch every episode of Dawson’s Creek, write a new blog post, and bake 50 cupcakes. Notice making a movie isn’t on there? That’s because my brain cannot even begin to comprehend producing a movie in such a short period of time. Think you can make a movie in 24 hours?

Well, on the weekend of May 18th over 750 teams around the world were asked to do just that -- create a short film, no more than four minutes long, that incorporated: (1) the theme “one”, (2) the action “listening to music”, and (3) the prop “the number one.”

The 24 Hour Film Race 2012 challenges filmmakers from around the world to create a completed short in, you guessed it, 24 hours. And the Brattle Theatre will be premiering the top local films competing for the chance to represent Boston on Wednesday, June 20th. As for the grand prize, how does $10,000 sound?

Additionally, the following awards will be given to Boston’s stand-outs: Best Film, Best Direction, Best Writing, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Acting Ensemble, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Original Music Score, Best Sound Design, Best Animation, Best Visual FX, Best Special FX, Best Costume Design, and Best Make-Up.

Films playing include:

The Castle by An Elaborate Joke (Andre Wells)
To Be Determined by DnDFilmmaking (David Barrett-Rutter)
Call Me: Getting that #1 Spot by Erith (Erica Smith)
Confession by Fierce Hearts Productions (Jacob Fahey)
Butterfly by live.laugh.love films (Janelle Stockbridge)
LOST by MindRuption (Juan Soto)
Desire by Oh, But of Corpse Productions (David Hahn)
Solo by Renaissance Pictures (Scott Sullivan)
Have Another by Some Are Villains (Michael Interrante)
Cookie Problems by Team Brown (Mike Brown)
Mono by Well Dang! Productions (Alex Wroten)
One Thing by Yeti Films (Emile Doucette)

Doors open at 7:00pm, show starts at 8:00pm.

Brattle Theater
40 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 547-6837