Thoughts on Film

My Left Hand Man: Antonia Bogdanovich Explains What It Means To Be A Family

by Karen Tortora-Lee on January 24, 2012 · 0 comments

in Film, Interview, Karen's Interviews, Thoughts on Film

  I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at the new short film by Antonia Bogdanovich — MY LEFT HAND MAN —  starring Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Nanny McPhee, Love Actually), Andrew Howard (Limitless, upcoming “Hatfields and McCoys”), Kevin Bigley (“The Chicago Code,” “CSI: Miami”) and Erich Wildpret, who is a Latin American star. The [...]

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Casey Affleck’s “I’m Still Here” Starring Joaquin Phoenix-A Brilliant Experiment On Fame

by Anne Jordanova on September 20, 2010 · 0 comments

in Film, Review, Thoughts on Film

I left a screening late last night of “I’m Still Here” disturbed, alarmed, and literally unable to sleep afterward.  The ‘documentary film’ directed by Casey Affleck centers around the retirement of actor and brother in law Joaquin Phoenix, and his decision to descend into a downward spiral into the world of hip hop. After two [...]

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De Profil: ‘Le Concert’

by Anne Jordanova on August 18, 2010 · 0 comments

in De Profil, Thoughts on Film

I don’t ordinarily feature films in the ‘De Profil’ section on THM, but I figured this is a grand exception.  As I walked past the Aneglika today in Manhattan, I saw a film poster for “The Concert” starring a wonderful French actress named Melanie Laurent. I decided to check it out, and was blown away [...]

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Review of ‘Chloe’

by Anne Jordanova April 2, 2010 Film

It was great to see the crowd for this film at my local cinema last night. Yes, the reviews for this look like they are all over the map. But let it be said that without this fantastic casting (Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson and Amanda Seyfried-a powerful erotic, sexual trio), the glorious cinematography and the [...]

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‘Inglourious Basterds’ A Tarantino Masterpiece

by Anne Jordanova March 6, 2010 Film

Once upon a time, in Nazi occupied France… is the tag line of Quentin Tarantino’s latest masterpiece, which debuted last year at the 62nd Annual Cannes Film Festival. The film goes by the name “Inglourious Basterds” and its title addresses the many cast of characters in this film who are out for some good Jewish [...]

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“The Ghost Writer” Is A Sleek Homage To Hitchcock

by Anne Jordanova March 4, 2010 Film

“The Ghost Writer” is the latest film by Polish-French genius director Roman Polanski. It is a sleek, stylish, and smart political thriller that has channeled Hitchcock in ways that no one has done, since…well-Hitchcock himself. Like the master, Polanski sets his tone through ominous music, and bases this on a central character-an innocent who struggles [...]

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‘Das Weisse Band’- A Film You Won’t Soon Forget (Best Foreign Film Nominee 2010)

by Anne Jordanova February 28, 2010 Film

“I gave God a chance to kill me…” The White Ribbon is the latest film by Austrian born director Michael Haneke. Those who are familiar with Haneke know that he is a fan of long, detailed shots (Cache), and violence (Funny Games) to express and communicate to his audience. But his latest film Das Weisse [...]

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“Tell No One” Gets An American Makeover

by Anne Jordanova February 24, 2010 Film

So, it was announced as of April 2009, that Guillaume Canet’s incredible French thriller “Ne le dis à Personne” (or, Tell No One, en anglais) will receive the ultimate Hollywood retouch … an English language remake.  Not much was heard after that announcement, but now according to Variety magazine  Miramax and Focus Features will be [...]

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Book/Movie Tie-Ins: Alice In Wonderland

by Diánna Martin January 15, 2010 Books

I’m very excited about Tim Burton’s new take on Alice In Wonderland. I honestly can’t think of anyone else who could bring the tale to the screen and give it that surreal (read: trippy) quality that it properly deserves. The cast is amazing and includes Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Mia Wasikowska, Stephen Fry, Crispin [...]

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Science Fiction, Double Feature

by Karen Tortora-Lee August 3, 2008 Film

New York City in the summer can be brutal … hotter than hot and crammed full of people. While a lot of people spend their time doing the “Yay! Summer” chant, I spend June through September finding ways to avoid the whole thing. These last few weeks have been in the high 80s, the low [...]

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Dueling Evitas ~OR~ Shut up, Patti LuPone!

by Karen Tortora-Lee September 20, 2007 Broadway

There’s an episode of Will & Grace where Jack tries to ignore Patti LuPone as she chatters, crawls around on the floor, and just generally makes herself un-ingnorable. At one point he screams “Shut up Patti LuPone! Shut your brassy, magnificent trap!!!” She turns around and deadpans … “They either love me or they hate [...]

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