http://azmovienetwork.com Fri, 20 Apr 2012 13:58:04 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 http://azmovienetwork.com/96-minutes/ http://azmovienetwork.com/96-minutes/#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 22:21:46 +0000 admin http://azmovienetwork.com/?p=2600 I was fortunate enough to catch this at SxSW a few weeks ago and it’s continued to stick with me. I can see the obvious comparison to CRASH although it’s a bit unfounded as this movie really didn’t seem to be about race at all to me. It just felt like it was about four kids struggling to make their way. Four kids who were all searching for something. Sure their circumstances were different and so they were searching for different things, but what unified them was that they were all just looking to be accepted by their families or their peers. To me, that’s a universal story and one that lots of people can relate to. Evan Ross and Brittany Snow gave really amazing performances – well beyond what we’ve seen of them previously and both stand out to me a real talents to watch. The movie isn’t perfect and I’m sure some will find it to be on the nose, but that’s only because so many people don’t have the life experience to know that this is the way it goes. I’ve worked in a shelter for homeless youth for several years and the stories these kids tell me are not too dissimilar. I would encourage all of those who see the themes as stereotypical to get outside of their own box for 2 minutes and spend some time with those who will you give example after example of how the youth in this country still struggle with the same things as they did 10, 20, and 30 years ago. ]]> http://azmovienetwork.com/96-minutes/feed/ 0 http://azmovienetwork.com/bookers-place-a-mississippi/ http://azmovienetwork.com/bookers-place-a-mississippi/#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 22:20:54 +0000 admin http://azmovienetwork.com/?p=2597 While filming a documentary in Mississippi in 1965, Frank De Felitta forever changed the life of an African-American waiter and his family. In 2011, Frank’s son returns to the Delta to examine the repercussions of that fateful encounter. ]]> http://azmovienetwork.com/bookers-place-a-mississippi/feed/ 0 http://azmovienetwork.com/think-like-a-man/ http://azmovienetwork.com/think-like-a-man/#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 22:19:44 +0000 admin http://azmovienetwork.com/?p=2594 Four friends conspire to turn the tables on their women when they discover the ladies have been using Steve Harvey’s relationship advice against them. ]]> http://azmovienetwork.com/think-like-a-man/feed/ 0 http://azmovienetwork.com/the-eye-of-the-storm/ http://azmovienetwork.com/the-eye-of-the-storm/#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 22:18:27 +0000 admin http://azmovienetwork.com/?p=2591 It quite simply is a miracle of old money that this film exists. Not since the ‘International cinema days’ of the 80s has Australian film making produced such a splendid and intelligent film. If your cinema going has included such Australian quality films as CAREFUL HE MIGHT HEAR YOU or WE OF THE NEVER NEVER or PHAR LAP or MY BRILLIANT CAREER, or you yearn for the qualities of those, then EYE OF THE STORM is for you. The deep credits of ‘extra thanks’ detail who put money up for this, and every dollar of the $15m spent is on screen. Also reminiscent of great WB dramas of the 40s or even as literary as ALL ABOUT EVE, this new film from Fred Schepisi is prestige film making and a presentation of emotional intelligence of an era and a lifestyle that still exists in old moneyed mansions and bitter family brittleness. I live across the road from the avenue of Centennial Park mansions where the film is set, and I can vouch that there are streets of them in Sydney. Geoffrey Rush and Judy Davis are impeccable and with Charlotte Rampling as Mother/monster make a three headed hydra of drama. The art direction and set design is as much a feature of the film as is Patrick White’s bitter pill dialogue and the acting and casting itself. A feast for stage drama and theatre lovers, EYE OF THE STORM is (hooray!) an Australian film that is intelligent bitter and absorbing. ]]> http://azmovienetwork.com/the-eye-of-the-storm/feed/ 0 http://azmovienetwork.com/the-moth-diaries/ http://azmovienetwork.com/the-moth-diaries/#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 22:17:20 +0000 admin http://azmovienetwork.com/?p=2588 “The Moth Diaries”, based on the book by Rachel Klein, tells the story of a sixteen-year-old girl who is returning to boarding school for the year at Brangwyn, a secluded girl’s school that was once a grand hotel in its heyday. The girl is Rebecca (Sarah Bolger), and she’s still dealing with the trauma of losing her poet father to suicide, so she seems to invest all of her time and emotion into her friendship with fellow student Lucie (Sarah Gadon). It’s a new year, Rebecca has her circle of friends, there’s a hot new English teacher at school (Scott Speedman), and by all accounts, it seems like it’s going to be a great year for her. That is, until Ernessa (Lily Cole) arrives at the school. Tall, dark-haired, and mysteriously brooding, Ernessa seems to have a secret. And when she and Lucie become too close for Rebecca’s comfort, she goes a bit mad. Is Rebecca overreacting, or does Ernessa have ulterior motives?I’m going to be frank here; with Mary Harron (the woman behind “The Notorious Bettie Page” and “American Psycho”) penning the screenplay for this and directing it, I expected more and got less. I’ll begin by telling you what’s wrong with this movie and then end my review on a more positive note with what was done well. The biggest problem with this film is, almost fatally, its overall plot structure. Harron’s script is terribly choppy, and the transitions in the film are wooden and seem like filler material. Since the film is based on a book that was written in journal form, Harron opted to use internal dialogue and asides from the Rebecca character, drawn out of her diaries. The problem this creates is that her placement of these asides and “thoughts” as they may be come across as inappropriate and almost cheapen the film to Lifetime status. The poor transitions here kill the plot momentum and also eliminate suspense, which a film like this needs in order to gain investment from its audience. ]]> http://azmovienetwork.com/the-moth-diaries/feed/ 0 http://azmovienetwork.com/darling-companion/ http://azmovienetwork.com/darling-companion/#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 22:15:48 +0000 admin http://azmovienetwork.com/?p=2583 This is a wonderful “feel good” movie that everyone can enjoy. It will be especially meaningful to anyone who has been part of a family when the last child is married off and the parents deal with their adult relationship with each other and other members of their families. It was directed and produced by Lawrence Kasden ( Big Chill, Grand Canyon and many more big time hits ) who also wrote the script along with his wife Meg Kasden . They put together an honest story that showed love, romance and every day comedy in way that most people should be able to relate to and immensely enjoy. They assembled a cast of actors who were able to embody the characters they created in a skillful and very authentic manner. Beth (Diane Keaton) and Joseph (Kevin Kline) are the newly “empty nested” parents as their daughter Grace (Kate Moss of “Mad Men” fame) ,the youngest of their children, finally finds Mr. Right and gets married. Jospeh is a spine surgeon whom Beth acknowledges may have always been a little full of himself but is shown to ultimately be a good guy. Penny is Jospeh’s divorced sister (Diane Wiest) who has found her new love Russell (Richard Jenkins) who is a bumbling guy who wants to marry Penny and open an English pub in Iowa. Bryan ( Mark Duplass) is Penny’s son who is also a spine doctor and has a touching flirtation with gypsy like housekeeper (Ayelet Zurer) of the family’s vacation house in the beautiful Colorado mountains ( which was filmed in the beautiful Utah mountains) . Sam Sheppard is Sheriff Morris who adds further warmth to the already tender story. What we haven’t told you yet is that the story is tied together by a lovable dog – that almost magically appears and then disappears ! The movie is the story about the search for the dog which occurs while the characters are finding themselves and their own bearings. The story is just right at 103 minutes . The acting is perfect-Diane Keaton is at her mature best, the country type music hits the spot and the film features a a dog! How can it go wrong? ]]> http://azmovienetwork.com/darling-companion/feed/ 0 http://azmovienetwork.com/jesus-henry-christ/ http://azmovienetwork.com/jesus-henry-christ/#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 22:15:07 +0000 admin http://azmovienetwork.com/?p=2582 There are a number of focus shifts in the film that tangent off its intended protagonist Henry James Herman (Jason Spevack), a petri-dish baby conceived through in-vitro fertilization technique opted by his feminist mom Patricia Herman (Toni Collette), turning out to be the unintentional genius with a videographic memory, retaining every single little detail that he’s experienced since conception. Jason Spevack would probably be yet another child actor to look out for since Freddie Highmore grew up, and this film will serve as his showreel if not for being upstaged by the other cast members given the narrative shifts that put the spotlight on them. ]]> http://azmovienetwork.com/jesus-henry-christ/feed/ 0 http://azmovienetwork.com/free-samples/ http://azmovienetwork.com/free-samples/#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 22:14:13 +0000 admin http://azmovienetwork.com/?p=2576 A Stanford law-school dropout named Jillian escapes to the anonymity of Los Angeles to figure out what she wants to do with her life, and on the day of her college boyfriend’s birthday, she finds herself stuck running an ice cream truck fending off locals and oddball friends alike. This one day spent in a truck on the streets of Los Angeles will wake Jillian from her aimless daze and make her see that life doesn’t stop just because you want it to ]]> http://azmovienetwork.com/free-samples/feed/ 0 http://azmovienetwork.com/chimpanzee/ http://azmovienetwork.com/chimpanzee/#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 22:12:42 +0000 admin http://azmovienetwork.com/?p=2567 A nature documentary centered on a family of chimps living in the Ivory Coast and Ugandan rain forests. ]]> http://azmovienetwork.com/chimpanzee/feed/ 0 http://azmovienetwork.com/marley/ http://azmovienetwork.com/marley/#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 22:11:58 +0000 admin http://azmovienetwork.com/?p=2566 Bob Marley’s universal appeal, impact on music history and role as a social and political prophet is both unique and unparalleled. “Marley” is the definitive life story of the musician, revolutionary, and legend, from his early days to his rise to international superstardom. Made with the support of the Marley family, the film features rare footage, incredible performances and revelatory interviews with the people that knew him best. From Academy Award-winning director Kevin Macdonald (One Day In September, The Last King of Scotland) comes the story of a towering figure of musical history, whose music and message has transcended different cultures, languages and creeds to resonate around the world today as powerfully as when he was alive. ]]> http://azmovienetwork.com/marley/feed/ 0