Movies

Ted Kotcheff's "Wake in Fright," a lost Australian classic, comes to the Edina Cinema

By Jim Brunzell III, The Optimistic Pessimist

Opening this Friday, December 14, at the Edina Cinema is what was believed to be a lost Australian classic from 1971: Ted Kotcheff’s Wake in Fright.

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REVIEW | "Disney On Ice Celebrates 100 Years of Magic," at the Xcel Energy Center, is fun for kids (as long as they have a little popcorn)

By Katie Huseth, TC Daily Planet

Courtesy Disney On Ice

My husband and I took our two-year-old and four-year-old daughters to the December 6 opening performance of Disney on Ice Celebrates 100 Years of Magic at the Xcel Energy Center.

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Are movies getting too long?

By Jim Brunzell III, The Optimistic Pessimist

Photo by Mark Payne (Creative Commons)

Maybe I am just speaking for myself, but these days I value my time more than just about anything else. These past few months I have had more time than usual and believe it or not, I have found numerous things to keep me plenty busy; one of those activities has been catching up and enjoying going to the movies. I've taken in everything from Oscar hopefuls, entertaining action-packed explosive set pieces and soft-spoken Foreign language films. Some have been dazzling; others have been a complete waste of time. I have been averaging about a film a day for the past two months and now that December has hit, it could very well grow to two a day, as I catch up on films that I missed throughout 2012 and others now being released in theaters.

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"Red Dawn" is a wreck

By Derek Anderson, Tuesday Movie Men

In Red Dawn, the remake of the 1984 Patrick-Swayze-starring original, North Korean soldiers drop from airplanes into the small town of Spokane, Washington, and they aren’t there to sightse

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Tuesday Movie Men

2012 British Arrows Awards at the Walker Art Center: You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll cheer

By Jay Gabler, TC Daily Planet

In his farsighted 2000 book Nobrow, John Seabrook argued that the defining feature of contemporary art and culture is the collapsing distinction between cultural products and the marketing campaigns meant to sell them. There aren't many illustrations of his thesis more pure than the annual British Arrows Awards screenings at the Walker Art Center: people paying to watch TV ads at a venerable museum of fine art.

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Thanksgiving movie preview: "Life of Pi," "Silver Linings Playbook," "Red Dawn," "Rise of the Guardians," and "Anna Karenina"

By Jim Brunzell III, The Optimistic Pessimist

This past weekend at Twin Cities area theaters, the final Twilight film, Breaking Dawn: Part 2, was released—so now we can all rest easy that the final Twilight film is out in the theaters, grossing an astounding $141 million at the box office this past weekend in the U.S. alone. The timing of the film seemed perfect, as it got a jump on other releases opening this Wednesday, November 21 at local theaters and there will sure to be repeat ticket buyers for Breaking Dawn: Part 2, throughout the week and into the Thanksgiving weekend. There are five other films opening around the Twin Cities on Wednesday, but none will challenge the make-believe vampire fantasy juggernaut for the top box office spot. In fact, even if Skyfall were opening on Wednesday, it probably would still not surpass those two heartbroken kids for the top spot.

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"The Man with the Iron Fists" is a gory good time...some of the time

By Derek Anderson, Tuesday Movie Men

Within the first two minutes of RZA’s directorial debut, The Man with the Iron Fists, we see a man’s arms get pulled out of his sockets in a Kung Fu dinner brawl. And so the dominant tone of gory, zany unexpectedness that’s embedded in RZA’s flick is sprung upon us rather quickly. By the time the end credits invade the screen, we’ll have seen enough dismembered and punctured body parts to fill an episode of The Walking Dead. Yes, The Man with the Iron Fists likes extra servings of blood with its screen time, but there’s also some fun and laughs to be found amidst the guts strewn about the floor. Just watch where you step.

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Tuesday Movie Men

"Skyfall" is a practical addition to the James Bond series

By Derek Anderson, Tuesday Movie Men

In his third time around portraying the iconic, timeless spy James Bond, Daniel Craig looks like a perfect candidate for a Viagra commercial. There’s gray in his stubble, the bags under his eyes are starting to sag, and his hairline has perhaps taken a step or two back in retreat from the intensity that lives in his eyes. And yet, Bond still has a solid three inches of muscles slapped on his chest, the ability to charm women into bed with just one look, and the endurance to sprint rather than walk to destinations. Skyfall makes a point of featuring a Bond whose mind and body has lost a step in the wear-and-tear field of espionage, but who is still capable of getting the job done, even if you doubt he’ll succeed along the way.

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Tuesday Movie Men

Author Matthew Quick on David O. Russell's "Silver Linings Playbook": "A f*#ked-up fairy tale"

By Jim Brunzell III, The Optimistic Pessimist

One of the surefire Oscar contenders opening this holiday season is Silver Linings Playbook, written and directed by David O. Russell (Flirting With Disaster, Three Kings, The Fighter) and based on acclaimed novelist Matthew Quick’s dramedy. Silver Linings Playbook won the Audience Award at the Toronto International Film Festival this past September; many past Audience Award winners—including Slumdog Millionaire and The King's Speech—have gone on to Oscar glory. Opening in limited release this weekend in New York and L.A. and opening locally next Wednesday, November 21, the film has already been lining up certain nomination “locks” in Oscar pools for categories including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor and Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay.

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