New Review: Evan Almighty (2007)

Hello all.

As we get into the thick of Oscar-bait season (look at all the glamorous performances by people trying to snag an Acting nomination), here is a review of a movie that won't even be remembered by Oscar time, Evan Almighty. Let's just say, it's not very good.

Here is a direct link to the review.

Don't forget to vote in the current Cinema Utopia poll. And if you don't like the choices, feel free to email your suggestions for our next poll.

See you at the movies!-- Cinema Utopiawww.cinemautopia.com/index.html

New Review: Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

Today there is a new feature review posted at Cinema Utopia: Pan's Labyrinth (El laberinto del fauno) (2006), a Best Foreign Film Oscar nominee earlier this year. This Mexican film tells a visually stunning story about a girl's fantasies in war-torn 1944 Spain.

This film was chosen for review by last month's blog poll (which all of one person voted on). The new poll starts today. Submit your vote for a film you'd like Cinema Utopia to review.

Here is a direct link to the new review: www.cinemautopia.com/panslabyrinth.html

See you at the movies!

Cinema Utopia
www.cinemautopia.com/index.html

New Review: The Lives of Others (2006)

Today there is a new review posted of The Lives of Others, this year's Oscar-winner for Best Foreign Film. This German film tells the story of the surveillance of an artist by the East German secret police in the 1980s. Fascinating and complex, this thought-provoking film features an excellent script, sure direction, and strong performances.

Here is a direct link to the review: www.cinemautopia.com/thelivesofothers.html

Don't forget to check out recent Capsule reviews: www.cinemautopia.com/capsule.html

And don't forget that you can be a movie critic too! Submit your review now to Cinema Utopia.

See you at the movies!

"On the Lot" -- final result

So, evidently very few people were watching "On the Lot." Very few. The final show, when the winner was revealed, attracted an audience of about 2.5 million people. I think there might be reruns of "SportsCenter" that attract a larger audience. (I'm only slightly kidding.)

But the competition ended well, if the final show was very, VERY drawn out. In the end, sentimental favorite Will Bigham won. This is not that much of a surprise -- he is very much like Steven Spielberg, someone who is a strong visual storyteller and whose films wear their hearts on their sleeves.

The end of the episode was pretty anticlimactic. After being announced as the winner, Will Bigham was driven to the front gate at Dreamworks Studios, where he was personally greeted by Steven Spielberg, who handed him the keys to the kingdom (actually a key that was supposed to be for his new office).

And he was never heard from again. Maybe. It's possible because there has been NO news coverage of the result of the show. No promotion. No interviews with the winner. No news releases. It doesn't bode well. But a development deal is still a development deal. Personally, I hope that something comes of it for the young filmmaker.

New Review: Murderball (2005)

Today, there is a new review posted at Cinema Utopia of the 2005 documentary Murderball. This film is fantastically interesting and entertaining as it shows part of the life of members of the US quadriplegic rugby team. This film is very well-crafted and was nominated for an Oscar (Best Documentary, Feature).

Here is a direct link to the review.

And don't forget to visit the blog to vote for which film you'd like to see reviewed in the upcoming weeks.

See you at the movies!
Cinema Utopia
www.cinemautopia.com/index.html

"On the Lot" -- The Final Four

And then there were four. The final four contestants on "On the Lot" were announced this evening before they each showed new films. The most recent director voted out was a bit of a surprise -- early favorite Zach (the special effects guy) was voted out after two weaker efforts. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I think he will be hired by someone, perhaps as a special effects guy, though my guess is that he will be given a job as an assistant director on a special effects-laden film. Eventually, I expect to see his name as a feature director, though.

But on to the final four. Each of the films was solid, but one was truly excellent and one was notably weaker than the rest. Based on this, my hunch is that Sam will be voted off because his film seemed like a poor man's 9 to 5.

Otherwise, the film's were inventive, technically strong, and funny. Will (who I think now is the favorite) had his best moment of the competition with his film, a screwball comedy about office politics. Afterwards, all of the judges praised him effusively. But Garry Marshall went farther and gave him a compliment I don't think he'll ever forget -- telling him that when one person in a film is funny, it's because he's funny, but when several people are funny, it's because of the director. You could see in his eyes how much he was struck by the judge's positive compliments.

But the real surprise of the evening was Adam, whose film "Army Man" was inventive, zany, and had a better ending than most studio films. In fact, given that each of the films was about a man who wakes up in a dress, Adam's last line reminded me of Some Like It Hot, which as one of the greatest last lines in movie history.

Anyway, it was another exciting episode. It has been fun and educational to see these young directors develop over the summer. They've been given access to Hollywood level actors and technical people, and their films have gotten more sophisticated as they've learned to use these tools. And, watching the decisions they have to make, makes it easier to appreciate how much skill directors of bad movies must have (I know that I've seen movies that I thought could have been directed by random people on the "behind the scenes" studio tours).

New Review: Becket (1964)

Today, there is a new review posted at Cinema Utopia of the classic 1964 film Becket, starring Richard Burton as Thomas Becket and Peter O'Toole as Henry II. Nominated for 12 Oscars, the film is a strong adaptation of the acclaimed stage play about the struggle between the King and the Archbishop of Canterbury in medieval England.

Here is a direct link to the review.

See you at the movies!
Cinema Utopia
www.cinemautopia.com/index.html

Pick an Upcoming Feature Review

Here's a great opportunity for you to see what you want to see on Cinema Utopia. Once every couple of weeks, we'll post a list of movies on the blog: vote for the one you'd like Cinema Utopia to review.

You can vote multiple times. You can vote for multiple movies. And if you don't see a movie you'd like reviewed, please feel free to submit suggestions to Cinema Utopia.

New Review: Hairspray (2007)

Today, there is a new review posted at Cinema Utopia of the new movie musical Hairspray, starring John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, and newcomer Nikki Blonsky. The film is a rousing adaptation of the Broadway musical.

Here is a direct link to the review.

See you at the movies!
www.cinemautopia.com/index.html

"On the Lot" -- Directors in the Making

I am not the biggest reality show fan. But I think that Mark Burnett (producer of "Survivor," "The Appretice," and other reality shows) and Steven Spielberg have created a fantastic show in "On the Lot." The show pits young filmmakers in a competition for a development deal with Dreamworks Studios.

Unfortunately the ratings for "On the Lot" have not been very good. I imagine that FOX is disappointed with the low ratings for an original summertime show. But the show itself has been very good. The 18 semifinalists produce films (at the rate of 5 or 6 per week). A celebrity panel of three judges, featuring two big Hollywood names -- Carrie Fisher (not just an actress, but also a respected author and screenwriter and, rumor has it, respected script doctor) and Garry Marshall (director of such good films as Pretty Woman and Overboard and such not so good films as The Princess Diaries 2) -- and a third guest judge each week. Just like "American Idol," the show appears live each week and viewers can vote for their favorite films/directors after each show (though unlike "Idol," the voting is basically free through phone calls, text messaging, and Internet voting). Directors receiving the fewest votes are sent home. The others live to direct another short film.

So far, the competition has been straightforward. Evidently, 12,000 people submitted films to try to earn a spot in the competition, and 50 aspiring filmmakers were on the first 2-hour episode. But of the 18 semifinalists, but even among these, there was a clear distinction between the top 5 or 6 directors and the others. All of these people have talent, and perhaps all of them will someday work professionally (though not all as Directors -- many probably as 1st and 2nd Assistant Directors), but a few of them have demonstrated real talent. Now that the competition is down to the final 8 (and 6 as of next week), it is a competition amongst the cream of the crop.

In a future post, I will comment further on these really good contestants individually. One is a special effects whiz; one is a fantastic visual storyteller; one is the most polished; one has the best heart in his stories. What I am impressed by is that these people are clearly making the most of their chance to use Hollywood level talent (both actors and crew). My guess is that, regardless of who wins the development deal with Dreamworks, at least 4 of these aspiring directors will sign development deals with studios by the end of the year and some of their films will be released in 2008.

So if you're not watching, you should be. It will give you a greater appreciation for the craft of movie-making, and it will give you hope about some of the up-and-coming behind the camera talent -- especially those that seem to have real story-telling abilities.

For example, last night's program featured Action movies (each movie is a 2 1/2 minute short). All of the action sequences showed skill; in fact, I thought it was, on the whole, the best evening of short films in the series so far. The biggest surprise was from Jason, whose action short was an action comedy called "Sweet" about a guy trying to buy a last minute anniversary gift. It was perfectly done -- an inventive spin on a familiar story, well paced, with great visuals and great action, and with humor and affection. Jason's earlier films had shown promise, but this was fantastic, and suddenly moves him into contention in the competition.

Lastly, a few words about the judges. Carrie Fisher and Garry Marshall have both been very strong, particularly Carrie Fisher, who has been unafraid to be fairly honest with the contestants, but who also has been supportive of them even in her criticism. Garry Marshall tries too hard to be funny, but there is a great deal of wisdom in many of his comments. The guest judges have been a mixed lot, but mostly good. The one real surprise was blockbuster director Michael Bay, who was exceptional -- all of his comments were to the point and on the nose.

TCM's new Spielberg interview

Last night, TCM premiered a new documentary about the films of Steven Spielberg, appropriately titled "Spielberg on Spielberg." The film is an edited interview with Spielberg, intercut with scenes from his films, lasting about 90 minutes.

I am a huge fan of Turner Classic Movies. I love that all of their films are telecast uncut and in their original theatrical aspect. And most films features brief introductions; sometimes, I will just watch the introductions to films to learn a little more about them. In addition to this, TCM continues to produce original interviews with famous actors, directors, and producers. Some of these interviews are fascinating, such as the 2006 interview with Angela Lansbury ("Private Screenings: Angela Lansbury").

This was a slightly different sort of interview. The interviewer, Time Magazine's long-time film critic Richard Schickel, does not appear on screen and his questions are never heard. Instead, Spielberg's comments are given film by film, usually in chronological order. I think that this was done to maximize Spielberg's comments in the film.

But I found the entire documentary rather hum-drum. I missed the interaction between interviewer and interviewee. Partially it made Steven Spielberg appear more as a talking head than someone having a converstion. But it also made the affair somewhat choppy, as the comments were clearly edited (for length) and then placed in context film by film. So there were few overall evaluations of filmmaking or Spielberg's career or the specific genres that he has been successful at. And few of Spielberg's comments were that surprising on a film by film basis. Perhaps they weren't very insightful; mostly they felt that they'd all been said before in previous interviews.

It would be hard to describe the documentary as a waste of time. Spielberg is one of the classic directors, and it is worthwhile to hear him comment on his films. But it would also be hard to encourage people to go out of their way to see it. So, on the whole, I would classify it as a disappointment.

Evidently, Paramount is excited about Transformers

More to the point, executives at Paramount Studios are thrilled -- possibly ecstatic -- over the box office performance of their heavily touted and very expensive summer movie Transformers.

How excited are these executives? They released the Tuesday box office numbers on Wednesday morning, which was itself the July 4th holiday no less. $27.4 million in tickets sold on Tuesday, plus $8 million more on Monday night (see one article).

I cannot remember any studio releasing such midweek numbers before. I think that George Lucas released these numbers for the second Star Wars trilogy, but otherwise the box office estimates are released on Sunday afternoon.

New Review: Superman Returns (2006)

Today, there is a new review posted at Cinema Utopia of the 2006 summer blockbuster Superman Returns, starring Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, Frank Langella, and Marlon Brando (ah, the magic of cinema).

Here's a direct link to the review.

See you at the movies!

Cinema Utopia relaunched!

I am very excited to announce the relaunching of the new and expanded Cinema Utopia website. While parts of the new site are still being constructed, and a few broken links are still being corrected, the site is posted and ready for visitors.

The site still features full-length reviews of movies, which are sorted now by movie title and by the date the review was published at Cinema Utopia. And there are still capsule reviews (though much of this part of the site is still being built).

But there are new bells and whistles.

• We are at our new cyberhome (drumroll please): http://www.cinemautopia.com/.


• Movies are now graded with pluses and minuses, allowing for better understanding, at a glance, of our overall grade of movies.


• While there are only about 40 full-length reviews, there are hundreds of movies which have been graded at Cinema Utopia (with more added all the time). So now, when you access the list of all movies, it not only provides links to feature reviews and capsule reviews, but all listed movies have grades. (This list is still being added to the site. Currently all movies A-J have been added to the pages. More will be added every week, until the list is complete.)


• There is now a Cinema Utopia blog, which will offer movie-related information and notification of updates to the website. There is a link to this blog on every page on the website (be aware, the blog opens in a new browser window, so it won't open unless you allow pop-ups from Cinema Utopia).


• There is a site-specific search engine being tested. Currently, each page has a search box; however, this search engine is not yet functional -- you can submit searches, but currently you will get no results. Soon, the kinks should be worked out.


• AND, last but certainly not least, Cinema Utopia will now accept submitted reviews for publication at Cinema Utopia. Submissions must be suited for publication to a general English-speaking audience (i.e. no profanity) and be no longer than 750 words. You may submit reviews to guestcriticsubmissions@cinemautopia.com.

We are very excited about all of these new features. Rest assured, you'll still get the thoughtful movie analysis you've come to expect from Cinema Utopia, with occasional special movie lists (like the recent 30 at 30, which is posted on the site).

You are always welcome to browse our site. If you like what you see, please tell your friends about us. And, if you would like, you can always join our web group (groups.google.com/group/cinemautopia), through which you'll receive an email to notify you every time new reviews are posted at Cinema Utopia.

Additionally, if you have any questions, suggestions, or just would like to share things with our lead critic, please email Cinema Utopia at critic@cinemautopia.com.

See you at the movies!

Cinema Utopia (www.cinemautopia.com/index.com)

Most Interesting Movie Weekend of the Summer

Everybody was excited for the big-time box office showdown between the three big sequels of the summer (all of which was, coincidentally, the third movie in the series): Spider-Man 3, Shrek the Third, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Who Remembers What the Rest of This Really Long Title Is Because No One Reads After the Colon Anyway. The first two have already crossed the $300 million threshold in US ticket sales, and Pirates should get there sometime in July.

But I've been more interested in the opening weekend receipts for only one movie this summer: Pixar's Ratatouille. Partially, this is because I am a big fan of all the Pixar movies -- they are consistently the best-written movies in Hollywood. But mostly this is because of a rumor I heard almost a year ago. After initial marketing tests, the studio executives discovered that people had little interest in seeing a movie called "Ratatouille." So, over the last nine months, Pixar and Disney have done a lengthy and sophisticated marketing campaign. They released a lengthy part of the movie (almost 9 minutes) as an Internet sneak trailer. They've carefully presented the title of the movie in different ways, including a pronunciation guide: "rat-a-too-ee".

Now all that remains to be seen is how effective this campaign has been. The only other big movie opening this weekend already opened, Die Hard or Live Free, and there's some counter programming, including a new chick-flick, Evening. But the other studios have conceded the weekend to the new Pixar movie. There's little doubt it will open as the #1 movie in the US, but it does remain to be seen how big the opening weekend will be (especially after last weekend's disappointing opening for Evan Almighty). My guess is that it will open around $50 million, which is good, but less than last year's Car's opening of $60 million. But I could be wrong....

AFI's New 100 Years...100 Movies List

I am a huge supporter of the American Film Institutes 100 Years lists. They generally provide some excitement about really good movies in June (when sometimes it's hard to get excited about the endless sequels and retreads brought out by the movie studios). And, apart from the rather disastrous 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes list (which was torpedoed by the abysmal list of nominated quotes that the voters could choose from), the lists tend to be pretty good.

Not that there aren't some problems with this year's list. And it's not just because I disagree with some of the rankings. Like Roger Ebert wrote about the lists, some movie critics may personally think that some films are overrated, and still understand why they rank on the list. (For Ebert, it is High Noon -- which you would think the sentimental coot would like; for me, it's 2001: A Space Odyssey which ranks as the most boring film I've ever sat through -- well that's a lie, it took me three sittings to finally watch all of the movie -- but others see as a classic.)

Also, it's hard to argue with the top of the list too much, given that it includes such films as Citizen Kane, The Godfather, Casablanca, Singin' in the Rain, Gone with the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, and The Wizard of Oz. (I love Martin Scorcese, Steven Spielberg, and especially Alfred Hitchcock, but the other films in the Top 10 are probably a little overranked.)

But there are certainly ideological problems with the list, starting with #100: Ben-Hur. Now, I don't say this just because Ben-Hur ranks within my personal Top 5 -- without question, Ben-Hur is one of the 20 greatest American films. But here it ranks as #100. Why? I think the answer is fairly obvious -- many of the voters are uncomfortable with the film's overtly Christian subject matter. And other voters are uncomfortable with the leading actor who went on to become president of the NRA.

Of course, this is not the only religious film to make the list, but the other emphasizes the political correctness evident in the list. D. W. Griffith's Intolerance, a classic silent film with four inter-woven storylines, makes the list at #49. Interestingly, the story of Jesus is one of these storylines. This would seem to suggest that overtly religious stories might not affect these rankings, except that Intolerance is present in the list because of the voters' complete inability to put Griffith's undisputed masterpiece in the rankings: Birth of a Nation. On any list, this is one of the greatest American films ever; in fact, statistics suggest that it was, per capita, the most seen film in movie theaters in American history. But our voters can't put it high on this list because of the inherent racism of the movie, particularly it's lionizing of the KKK. One day, we might be able to move past this -- hopefully people will soon recognize that the racism of the movie was the product of a racist society, however uncomfortable this realization will be for them. Until then, we have lists that can't honor movies that are too Christian or too extreme or with divisive actors.

But these are small quibbles with the list. There are notable inclusions on this list -- an updating of the list from 10 years ago: including Buster Keaton's classic The General, the drama All the President's Men (which inexplicably didn't make the previous list), and Toy Story. And the little film that could, The Shawshank Redemption, whose reputation continues to blossom the older it gets, also made the cut, at #72.