There really were Two and a Half Men

Turns out that show really did have Two and a Half Men. As much as I dislike the little pudgy kid who just kept getting pudgier over the years, it’s Charlie Sheen who turned out to be a half a man in the end. His recent comments on Alex Jones show got the entire show …

Roger Ebert presents At the Movies – coming in January 2011

The show that spanned over three decades is back. The show that got me (and a big chunk of my family) hooked on movies, er, on films – is heading back to television. We’re willing to forgive ABC and Disney the last few years of less-than-stellar reviews (and hosts), along with terrible past-midnight timeslots. We’re …

2010 Emmy Award Winners – Mad, Modern, Gleeful

Here’s an incomplete list of Sunday night winners of the 62nd Emmy Awards. A lot of new shows got the prize, a lot of regulars/favorites are walking away empty-handed. The time is right for new kids to get the spotlight – Glee, Mad Men (ok, they have been noticed before), Breaking Bad, The Pacific, The …

Bunny and the Bull (2009) – a low-budget gem from TIFF09

This quiet little gem of a movie came out of nowhere last year at Toronto Film Fest, and we really hoped it would pick up. Sadly, almost a year later, it’s gone through a handful of European film fests, and disappeared. Too bad. Bunny and the Bull really deserves to be watched, in small groups …

The Losers (2010) – in your face, over the top

As long as there are comic books that haven’t been adapted (or adapted successfully) to big screen, we’ll be regularly  assaulted with over-the-top, self-aware, tongue-in-cheek, archetypal, good vs. evil, paper-thin stories. Most of comic book culture revolves around fallen heroes, and every once in a while a movie is made that perfectly translates that comic …

Inception (2010) – a new frontier in filmmaking

Here’s a great infographic for Inception that actually manages to explain the movie’s multiple layers. It does so visually, and with a geometrically impossible object – which is the in-joke, of course. The film spends so much time establishing the rules of its universe, as it begins to observe some characters break those rules, the …

Life During Wartime (2009) – sequel to Happiness?

Todd Solondz’ latest film is considered by many to be a sequel to 1998’s Happiness. But personally, it is a little too different, much shorter, and somehow even has a lighter tone than Happiness. Or have we all gotten so used to bleak/black humour, and pathos in film, that this latest entry just doesn’t move …

Agora (2009)

I first saw Agora at TIFF in Toronto almost a year ago, and remember walking out thinking: “this film will not find a distributor easily (if at all), and that’s a real shame”. You see, it’s a ‘swords and sandals’ epic story, loosely based on the events in Alexandria, Egypt in 4th century. It shows …

Dennis Hopper RIP; thanks for Easy Rider, man

“For a brief moment there, there really seemed to be an independent film movement. Then it was over.” That’s how Dennis Hopper has described the unexpected and massive popularity of his 1969 movie Easy Rider. The little fill really did come out of nowhere and established Hopper, Peter Fonda, and a very young Jack Nicholson …

Congrats to Roger Ebert on winning a Webby award

Congratulations to Roger Ebert being chosen as person of the year by the Webby Awards. The Webbies, which celebrate Internet achievement, have singled Ebert and his blog for “raising the bar for online journalism” (read more here). This is fantastic news, and we’re so proud that the winner isn’t one of those typical web-savvy, 20-something, …