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(09/09/10 5:49am)
Written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Tony Scott, True Romance (1993) is one hell of a rush. Tarantino's twisted, bloody film is a highly energized, action-packed adventure that still manages to add humor through the absurdity of its characters. The heroes of this uniquely violent romance are a pair of lonely misfits. Clarence Worley (Christian Slater) is a record store employee who watches kung-fu movies during his free time and has such a strong infatuation with Elvis that his conscience often takes his form (Val Kilmer). Alabama Whitman (Patricia Arquette) is a call girl who is much tougher than she looks and is waiting to find her one true love. After one night together, both Alabama and Clarence exchange "I love yous" and get hitched. And although it is not that believable they actually love each other, the rashness of their choice reflects their fearless, live-in-the-moment personalities.
(04/22/10 4:50am)
I'll be honest. I had to watch Layer Cake (2004) twice in a row to understand exactly what was going on in this fast-paced gangster thriller. Director Matthew Vaughn continues the British tradition of dialogue-driven films, forcing viewers to pay careful attention to every word if they are to follow the narrative. Daniel Craig - famous for his work in the recent James Bond films - stars as the film's nameless protagonist (referred to as XXXX in the credits), who is planning to retire early from his lucrative work as a cocaine dealer. The film opens with a long voice-over by the mysterious main character describing his line of work and the careful rules by which he abides to make heaps of money and never get caught: "Don't be greedy, always have a plan and work with a small number of people whom you trust."
(03/25/10 5:58am)
When a John Mayer song starts playing on my iPod, my immediate reaction is to hit "next." I went into Tuesday's concert with a similar mentality, expecting a weak performance of soft, mundane melodies. He surprised me, then, with his opening of "Heartbreak Warfare" - a song that embodies the overall impression given by his most recent album Battle Studies, a conflicted mood with a relaxed feel. I didn't particularly care for "Heartbreak Warfare" when I heard it on the radio because it reminds me of Mayer's sensitive, pop side, the one that he demonstrated on his initial release Room For Squares. Somehow, however, Mayer brings new life to this song when he performs it live, and I can say the same for every song he played Tuesday night. Infused with the energy of his band and the audience, Mayer broke out mad guitar chops accompanied by some odd-looking facial expressions, as he belted out his lyrics in a passionate frenzy.
(03/04/10 6:52am)
Released at the fall 2008 Venice Film Festival, director Kathryn Bigelow's Iraq war drama The Hurt Locker has attracted critics and is now nominated for Best Picture and Best Director.
(02/25/10 7:03am)
Michael Hoffman'sThe Last Station, released in January in the United States, is a historical drama set in 1910 that depicts the later life of Leo Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer) - the Russian author, essayist and philosopher who is most widely known as the author of War and Peace and Anna Karenina. His success as a novelist was not Tolstoy's only accomplishment, however, as he spent the later years of his life spreading a doctrine of spiritual love and passive resistance - the focus of the movie.
(11/05/09 5:37am)
Although there won't be a football game this weekend, the streets of Charlottesville will be packed as ever. Hundreds of filmmakers, writers, directors and tourists from near and far are expected to arrive throughout the course of the weekend to celebrate their love for cinema. Moviegoers from all over will have the chance to experience the unique advantages and talents that the Charlottesville and University communities have brought together to make this year's 22nd Annual Virginia Film Festival the most memorable yet.
(10/22/09 5:25am)
F. Gary Gray, director of The Italian Job, once again displays his love for action, cool gadgets and the beauty of explosions in this year's Law Abiding Citizen, which stars Jamie Foxx (Collateral, Ray) and Gerard Butler (300, P.S. I Love You). Taking place in Philadelphia, the film delves right into the action as Clyde Shelton, a seemingly average Joe (Butler), is forced to watch the murders of his wife and daughter as he is tied up during a home robbery invasion. Clyde's attorney, Nick Rice (Foxx), fails to successfully convict both of the assassins even though he knows both are guilty: "It's not what you know but what you can prove in court," he says. The rest of the film takes place 10 years later and deals with a major scheme engineered by the angered Clyde as an attempt to prove the failure of the justice system by which the country operates.
(10/08/09 6:07am)
Written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Matt Robinson, The Invention of Lying is a satirical comedy that takes place in an alternate reality where lying does not exist.
(09/24/09 6:01am)
Directed by Brillante Mendoza of the Philippines, Serbis (2008) vividly and realistically depicts the despondent tale of the Pineda family's struggle to survive in an inner Philippine city. Nanay Flor (Gina Pare
(09/17/09 5:22am)
OFFscreen, a student-run club which screens independent films in Newcomb Hall Theater each Sunday, gives students the opportunity to see films for a reasonable price that they would not otherwise get to see in Charlottesville - or, for that matter, the rest of Virginia. Typically, the overall theme of an OFFscreen season generally centers around global cinema. This season, the offered films come from countries as far-flung as Denmark, the Philippines, Russia, France, Chile, Canada, the United Kingdom, Norway, Argentina and South Korea. Within this broad theme of global cinema, however, are usually a series of smaller themes - this season's being "Sex on Celluloid." Intrigued? Sex on Celluloid is a theme featuring films that focus on pornography and sex in the social space.
(09/10/09 6:11am)
Alan Ball, director and creator of the popular series Six Feet Under, brings life back to HBO with season two of the blood- and sex-infused True Blood.
(04/16/09 6:22am)
The successful Rascal Flatts trio takes no new risks in their recently released album, Unstoppable. The album has that same country/rock/pop feel featured on the group’s previous albums, and it is this combination of genres along with the powerful, unique vocals of front man Gary LeVox that factor into the band’s continued success since the release of its 2000 debut. While the group has certainly grown throughout the years in terms of the members’ own personal strengths as musicians and their ability to mesh together to create an ever-pleasing sound to almost any listener, they fail to produce a wide variety of songs.Instead, the trio tends to create either happy and upbeat or sad and slow songs, which make the listener either want to joyously shout out all the lyrics or just sit alone and listen to the painful heartache that is continually expressed through slow-paced, melancholic songs about the suffering of lost love. “She’d Be California” and “Summer Nights” from Unstoppable, for instance, can be categorized with the ever-popular celebratory songs such as “Fast Cars and Freedom” from Feels Like Today (2004) or “Love You Out loud” from Melt (2002). “Things That Matter” and “Why,” on the other hand, can be associated with slower songs like “While You Loved Me” from their first, self-titled album. The stories about painful love that these slower songs attempt to address can really be felt through LeVox’s immensely powerful vocals. There is no denying that when he sings, LeVox pours all of his heart and soul into his voice, convincing almost any listener that he is genuinely struggling through the pains of love.Rascal Flatts has improved musically throughout the years, both in terms of their instrumental technique and overall ability to create a compelling, unified voice. The group’s nomination as the Academy of Country Music’s and Country Music Association’s top vocal group since 2003 illustrates how immensely important the strength of LeVox’s vocals are for the trio. Though Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, keyboards, vocals) and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, vocals) definitely play a large role in the band’s success, it is LeVox’s voice that truly gives Rascal Flatts a presence within the music industry. Whether you are a fan or not, when you hear the beautiful, harmonic sound of LeVox’s emotionally-drenched vocals mixed with a country twang, there’s no question in your mind as to whether you are listening to Rascal Flatts.And while Unstoppable may sound like other Rascal Flatts albums, it is pure gold to those die-hard fans that would most likely be disappointed if the trio attempted anything besides sweet love songs and summer hits. So, don’t expect something new and different to come from Rascal Flatts’ newest and very popular album. Because of the trio’s undying fame and multi-platinum streak of records, the group finds no reason to change direction on Unstoppable. Thus, (if you are a fan) be assured that Rascal Flatts has continued to produce the same style of music, only attempting to further perfect their sound to better bring out LeVox’s distinct voice.
(04/02/09 6:41am)
EOTO is the ultimate live music experience. Together, Michael Travis and Jason Hann (the percussionist and drummer from The String Cheese Incident) create, record, mix and remix live music on stage, producing a unique musical experience every time they play. Although the duo comes from the bluegrass-based jam band, The String Cheese Incident (SCI), the two do not attempt to imitate the same sound. Hann plays the drum kit, percussion and sampler while Travis is in charge of the tonal elements playing bass, guitar, keyboards, hand percussion and live mixing. Travis and Hann’s improvisation and cutting edge technology allows the pair to create an electric/house/breakbeat vibe that undoubtedly leads to an awesome dance party every time.After checking the band out on YouTube, I anticipated a ridiculous dance party and lights show that I would get to be a part of Tuesday night at the Gravity Lounge. There was, however, no lights show, and the fairly small, mellow crowd definitely did not evoke the dance party I was looking for. While there were a number of fans happily grooving to the beat in their own little musical worlds, there seemed to be a greater majority of people who were not dancing, or at least not wholly immersed in the musical experience that EOTO asks for. And, although most everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, the lack of high energy from the crowd similarly seemed to affect Travis and Hann, who produced a continuous stream of mellowness with the occasional climactic boom of intense, fast-paced beats that the crowd would respond to with cheers and fist pumps. In this way, EOTO and the crowd completely worked off of each other. While I was in the mood for a more energetic show, the majority of the crowd seemed to be satisfied with the subdued atmosphere, so that’s what EOTO gave them. Because the music is 100 percent improvised, EOTO is not one of those bands you go hear live to enjoy your favorite songs and see the artists whom you have idolized for so long. Rather than being about the band, EOTO is about the experience. After speaking with Hann after the show, he reconfirmed my thoughts about how important the crowd’s role is in enjoying the music and influencing the band’s performance. “It’s all improv, so it gives it a different kind of life ... the band is the crowd,” he said.The impact of the crowd on the band’s music is so strong that it is visually noticeable and amazing to watch and feel, as it gives the music a much more personal feel.The name EOTO illustrates another way in which the band is all about the experience. Pronounced e-oh-toe, Travis and Hann provide no explanation for the meaning of this strange name. Just as the music changes from show to show, so does the meaning. In this way, fans can choose what they want EOTO to stand for depending on how the music affects them. Such names include End of Time Observatory and Each One Teach One. While I don’t exactly know what I would call EOTO, it definitely is an experience I would recommend checking out. EOTO’s performance Tuesday may not have been exactly what I was hoping for, but it was by no means an indicator of future shows to come. EOTO is an ever-changing musical project relying on the crowd as much as the crowd relies on the band.
(03/19/09 6:27am)
James Cox’s Wonderland first premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2003, and tells the story of legendary porn star John Holmes’ (Val Kilmer) association with the infamous Wonderland murders that occurred July 1, 1981 in Los Angeles. The story of this horrific homicide may be more familiar to previous generations, but this gives us all the more reason to watch it. Cox organizes the film via a police investigation of the murders in which drug addict Holmes relates his account of his association with the crime through a series of flashbacks. Holmes’ convincing account is then compared with heroin addict David Lind’s (Dylan McDermott) equally telling narrative of exactly what went down on Wonderland Ave., causing even the most knowledgeable viewer of the incident to wonder how these men were involved in what was considered one of the most grisly murders up to that time.While the story of the Wonderland murders is interesting in itself, the construction of the film turns it into a truly intriguing investigation that explores much more than just who took part in the homicide. Wonderland explores an era in which sex, drugs and money were a prevalent and fascinating lifestyle. However, these indulgences are proven to be purely destructive not only in Holmes’ life, but also his mistress’ (Kate Bosworth), his drug dealing friend Ron Launius’ (Josh Lucas), infamous night club-owner Eddie Nash’s (Eric Bogosian) and numerous other individuals’. Holmes’ estranged wife (Lisa Kudrow) seems to be the only one in the film who has got it all together, but at the same time, she suffers from the loss of her once beloved husband and marriage that has seemingly turned into a “John Holmes charity” for whenever he needs help. Thus, while Wonderland investigates a murder, it also explores the personal lives of the prisoners to drugs and money that invoked it.Anyone who has seen the more widely known film, Boogie Nights, which stars Mark Walberg and is based on Holmes’ successful career within the porn industry, will be interested to see how life turned out for him once he could not resist the surrounding temptations. It is obvious that once Holmes touched cocaine he never got back on track, and his craving for drugs and money somehow caused him to become a prime suspect of the gruesome Wonderland murders. While Wonderland depicts a historical murder, the characters’ problems that lead to their involvement with the crime are still very prevalent in today’s world. Hopefully this film will warn viewers of the life-threatening consequences of such a lifestyle. However, even if you’re not interested in history or health lessons, Wonderland will prove to be a fascinating film to anyone who enjoys crime thrillers combined with the drama and action associated with sex, money and drugs.