Review: The Red Riding Trilogy

The “Red Riding Trilogy” is a five-hour noir opus. Adapted from a series of novels by author David Peace, the trilogy explores the dark corners of Yorkshire, a once sleepy British province, torn asunder by corruption and crime.

The three films- which take place in 1974, 1980 and 1983- follow three different protagonists. A young journalist (Andrew Garfield), a noble cop (Paddy Considine) and a crusading lawyer (Mark Addy), all of whom are swallowed up by the hopelessness and greed that has consumed Yorkshire. Sean Bean casts a long shadow over all three films as John Dawson, the real estate developer who funds the seedy activities that tear apart Yorkshire.

“The Box:” Richard Kelly Goes Mainstream… Kind Of

Richard Kelly has had a pretty crazy career already. While his first feature “Donnie Darko” underperformed at the box office, it  has found a massive cult following on DVD. His follow-up, “The Southland Tales” was a disaster. A confusing and nearly unwatchable mess that was pretty much reviled by everyone. Having loved “Donnie Darko” I have been eagerly waiting ‘The Box,” Kelly’s first attempt at playing in the major studio’s sandbox. Does the studio system that is traditionally only interested in their financial bottom line stifle his vision?

Indie to look for: “(Untitled)”

Thanks to my duties as film critic I got a chance to see “(Untitled),” a new movie about two brothers navigating the New York City art scene. I loved the movie (you can read my review for it here) and really think it is one that holds a lot of appeal for any film fan. Click on for more of my thoughts on the movie.

Farewell Miramax

It feels like the end of an era. Variety reported Friday that Miramax President, Daniel Battsek, is stepping down and that the studio will now only be releasing three films a year.

To see the studio that did more than any other to push indies and foreign films into the mainstream be relegated to such an afterthought is quite sad. While the studio lost much of its name value with the departure of the Weinstein brothers, Miramax had continued to release a slate of very strong and intelligent films- Most notably 2008′s Oscar Winner for Best Picture, “No Country for Old Men.”

3 Reason’s to get “An Education”

“An Education” lives up to the hype. The film, about a young girl falling into a relationship with a much older man is beautifully scripted, performed and directed.  Here are three reasons why you definitely should check this one out in theaters:

“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” vs. Subtitles

Really interesting article over at ifc.com about how foreign movies that are raking in money internationally still have trouble finding a release stateside.

These “Brothers” Look familiar

While I am usually not in favor of remaking movies that were great the first time around,  I am excited about “Brothers.” It is a remake of a danish film of the same name directed by the awesome Susanne Bier. The remake comes out in December and stars Jake Gylenhaal, Natalie Portman, and Toby Maguire and is directed by Jim Sheridan. That is a heck of a lot of pedigree.