Cinematical Seven: Movie Titles That Make Us Hungry Published Sep 2nd, 10 I’ll admit that on the surface there’s nothing terribly deep to this topic of discussion, which is fairly self explanatory. But there’s something powerful in the well-composed film title that can evoke that visceral hunger in your stomach with just the right words. Words that represent foods you’ve tasted, tastes that trigger food memories that can water your mouth like a Pavlovian dog, trained to take notice subconsciously at the mere suggestion of an idea. Such was my immediate response to this week’s A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop (international title: A Simple Noodle Story), Zhang Yimou’s colorful Chinese remake of the Coen brothers’ Blood Simple  |
Framed: Eastern PromisesPublished Sep 2nd, 10 Welcome to Framed, a column at Cinematical that celebrates the artistry of cinema — one frame at a time. For most of his career, Canadian director David Cronenberg has been known for his intelligent and disturbing genre films. However, Cronenberg isn’t just a horror filmmaker — he’s a genuine auteur with a keen visual eye and a recurring set of thematic concerns that turn up in the majority of his work. |
Review: MachetePublished Sep 2nd, 10 “If you’re gonna hire Machete to kill the bad guy, you better make damn sure the bad guy isn’t you! ” As uttered in the original fake trailer attached to Grindhouse in 2007, that line sums up the charm of Machete as both a fleeting concept and, now, a feature-length endeavor. Robert Rodriguez has expanded that two-minute dose of goofy Mexploitation thrills into a somewhat ungainly, but mostly fun 105 minutes. Danny Trejo, second cousin to Rodriguez, returns as the former Federale-turned-freedom fighter, a super-stoic anti-hero with a knack for taking out the bad guys and lovin’ the ladies. In the former group falls Robert De Niro as a Texas senator hellbent on keeping immigrants out of this great land of his, Jeff Fahey as his shady right-hand man, Don Johnson as a proud minuteman and Steven Seagal as the drug lord who cost Machete his family. |
How Important is a Film Title to International Audiences?Published Sep 2nd, 10 International box office is obviously very important to films that are made in the U.S. Many times, domestic productions only become profitable after the world has had a chance to sample the goods. It makes sense that some movie titles will be changed in order to better communicate the movie’s concept; especially with so many relying on English-language idioms and slang that doesn’t translate well into other languages. Two films released today in France provide good examples |
Hugh Jackman Stars in Cancer Patient’s "Thank You" Video to His WifePublished Sep 2nd, 10 In October of 2009, Kristian Anderson was diagnosed with bowel cancer — and the news got worse: it had spread to his liver. The 35-year-old husband and father didn’t let the diagnosis get him down, though — and has since spent his time between chemotherapy treatments urging men to get tested early and often, saying “If I had got tests done when I first suspected something, I might have only had bowel cancer and they could have just gone straight in and cut it out … It doesn’t matter if it’s nothing but the best thing you can do is find out it’s nothing.” With his wife Rachel’s birthday approaching, Anderson wanted to do something special for her. He got in touch with a local radio show who helped him reach out to actor Hugh Jackman and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key. |
Review: Lohan! De Niro! Beheadings! Machete!Published Sep 2nd, 10 Review in a Hurry: Badass character actor Danny Trejo finally gets to topline an action movie courtesy of his pal Robert Rodriguez. And, to be kind, let’s just say we find out why he’s… |
Do 3D Movies Deserve Higher Ratings?Published Sep 2nd, 10 We’re all well aware of the subtle and subjective art of the cinematic rating system. Remove a word here, take out an innuendo or slip of the nip there, and suddenly that risque adult fare becomes palatable for familial audiences. But here’s a new goodie to consider: With the rise of 3D, will we start seeing the same film receive different ratings between the second and third dimension, and what will that mean for the ever-important box office take? It seems that overseas in Sweden, the country’s Board of Film Censors doled out two different ratings for Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore . |
