Check Out the Trailer

For the last few years, director Zhang Yimou has been crafting epic, martial arts fantasies like HERO and HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS. CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER may be his most epic yet. However not in the action set-piece sense of the world, but more so like a Shakespearean tragedy.

Empress Phoenix (Gong Li, MEMORIES OF A GEISHA) is slowly being poisoned by her heartless husband Emperor Ping (Chow Yun-Fat, CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON). The Empress is having an affair with her stepson Prince Xiang (Liu Ye, THE PROMISE), who is sleeping with Chan (Man Li, film debut), daughter of the imperial physician (Dahong Ni, TO LIVE). Returning home from battle is middle son, Prince Jie (Jay Chou, HIDDEN TRACK), who is torn between his devotion to his mother and his loyalty to his father. Jie is idolized by his younger brother Cheng (Qin Junjie, film debut). Also figuring into the mix is a mysterious ninja (Chen Jin), who holds dark secrets to the Emperor’s past.

Read the rest of this entry »

Check Out the Trailer

Ever since their success with THE ROOKIE, Walt Disney Pictures has carved out a nice niche for themselves with a host of inspirational sports films. For the most part, they have all worked quite well.

INVINCIBLE is based on the true story of Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg, THE DEPARTED), a bartender who never played college football who tries out for the Philadelphia, Eagles during an open try-out and makes the team. Papale is down on his luck — big time. He can’t keep a steady job teaching and his wife has just left him. And to make matters worse his beloved Eagles stink. College coach Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear, AS GOOD AS IT GETS) is hired to turn the Eagles around. As a good-will gesture to the Philly fans, he holds an open try-out. At first Papale is not interested in trying out, but his friends push him. Papale’s talents stand out and he is the only person at the open try-outs to be invited to training camp. Now Papale has to balance between holding his own against the more experienced players, his newfound celebrity and the pretty barmaid Janet Cantrell (Elizabeth Banks, SLITHER).

Read the rest of this entry »

Check Out the Trailer

Not nearly as awful as it was made out to be, M. Night Shyamalan’s bedtime story for grown-ups stumbles via the filmmaker’s self indulgence and lack of 100% commitment to his risky experiment.

Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti, AMERICAN SPLENDOR) is a lonely handyman at The Cove apartment complex. One night he finds a narf (aka water nymph) in the swimming pool. As legend states, the creatures of the Blue World will visit humans from time to time to inspire them. However, the narfs are in danger as grass-like wolves called scrunts stalk the water creatures. So Cleveland sets out to help the narf named Story (Bryce Dallas Howard, THE VILLAGE) find the writer she is supposed to inspire.

Read the rest of this entry »

Check Out the Trailer

This interesting biopic looks at the seemingly contradictory personality of famed pin-up model Bettie Page. Driving its appeal is the infectious lead performance of Gretchen Mol, who previously had smaller roles in DONNIE BRASCO and ROUNDERS. This is a star-making performance, which is sadly being forgotten now that it’s Oscar season.

Beginning when Bettie was young, the film chronicles her life under the rule of her religious mother Edna (Ann Dowd, FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS) and her brief, abusive marriage to Billy Neal (Norman Reedus, THE BOONDOCK SAINTS). After the tragedies of her early life, Bettie bounces back and moves to NYC to take a stab at acting, where she falls into modeling, which leads to nude posing and later fetish films for the nice couple Paula (Lili Taylor, SAY ANYTHING…) and Irving Klaw (Chris Bauer, BROKEN FLOWERS). The story follows Bettie’s career leading up to Senate hearings on pornography run by Estes Kefauver (David Strathairn, GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.).

Read the rest of this entry »