Merry (early) Christmas, movie house frequenters! I bring you tidings for Muriels season:
Simon Abrams, Chuck Bowen, and Glenn Heath all contributed to Slant’s best movies list of 2011. Check it out here.
And if that’s not enough Simon for you, he also recapped Fantastic Fest and wrote shorties on Sleeping Sickness, Dogfight, and Unfaithfully Yours.
Danny Baldwin reviewed the new-to-DVD Kung Fu Panda 2, The Hangover Part II, and The Debt, starring Muriel winner Helen Mirren and the ubiquitous Jessica Chastain.
And speaking of the lovely Ms. Chastain, here’s Andrew Bemis on Tree of Life.
Sean Burns discovered that it’s not easy Being Elmo. Except that it sounds like it kind of is, but never mind. He also had some harsh words for the new Sherlock Holmes adventure.
Chris Devlin shared two of his musical favorites from 2011.
Jim Emerson posted his thoughts on the awards-season jungle and the trolls who frequent best-of lists. And as if to prove his point, he shared the MSN critics’ composite list, to which he contributed.
James Frazier didn’t care for The Sitter.
Glenn Heath had qualified praise for Shame but was rather more enthusiastic about Hugo.
Craig Kennedy’s Living in Cinema is is your one-stop destination for awards season coverage, casting news, trailers, and interviews. See for yourself here.
Uncle Crizzle talked smack about Lindsay Lohan’s Playboy misadventures and shed some light on the work of Kevin Hart’s rapper alter ego, Chocolate Droppa.
Lucas McNelly enjoyed a sweet new iPhone app and ventured to Arkansas.
Marya Murphy disappeared from the blogosphere. Waaaaa!
Bryan Whitefield also shared his favorite music of 2011, along with news of a tasty-sounding new food truck and a recent photo he took.
Alison Willmore added some flavor to the AV Club’s eclectic list of the best films of 2011 and reviewed Cook County for them as well.
Finally, rather than posting a video today, I would instead like to provide a service for all you Muriel voters who are Netflix members. As Muriels season heats up, it can sometimes be hard to get your grubby paws on all the movies you’d like to see from the past year. Therefore, it might interest you that a decent number of this year’s Muriel-eligible titles are available to stream on Netflix. Sure, the quality might not be as good as a DVD, but it’s better than nothing, especially considering that some of these are not yet on DVD. Besides, it’s only going to get better, right? Anyway, the list:
13 Assassins (Miike)
The Arbor (Barnard)
Cold Weather (Katz)
Heartbeats (Dolan)
I Saw the Devil (Kim)
Leap Year (Rowe)
The Myth of the American Sleepover (Mitchell)
The Names of Love (Leclerc)
Potiche (Ozon)
The Princess of Montpensier (Tavernier)
Le Quattro Volte (Frammartino)
Rapt (Belvaux)
The Robber (Heisenberg)
Rubber (Dupieux)
To Die Like a Man (Rodrigues)
The Trip (Winterbottom)
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Joe)
Viva Riva (Munga)
The Way Back (Weir)
Hope this helps!
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Seven days without an update makes me weak: December 4th-10th
I really can't let this stuff sit this long. Oy.
- Simon Abrams reviewed the latest episode of Covert Affairs and another episode of Cowboy Bebop. He then broke down the PSA-bait 1990 version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, found much to like about Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, sorted through the madness of Zulawski's Possession, got down with the paranoid cinema of Clouzot, ragged on Short Circuit and slammed the holy hell out of Another Earth. Seriously, I don't know how he does it. YOU HEAR THAT SIMON I JUST CALLED YOU SARAH JESSICA PARKER HA HA HA
- The most important thing I gleaned from Chuck Bowen's negative writeup of the awful-sounding Seducing Charlie Barker? Holy crap, Daphne Zugina is still working.
- Sean Burns found Shame to be directly in his wheelhouse, then got to interview its director Steve McQueen. The he asked for another assignment, and for his sins, they gave him one.
- Dennis Cozzalio interviewed Edgar Wright about stuff he's never seen. Which is why he's a better man than I: Pretty sure my first and only question would consist of "AAAAAAH I LOVE YOUR MOVIES AAAAAH."
- Chris Devlin spun some garage punk that sums up his attitude on life much of the time. (I concur, by the way. Especially around this time of year.)
- Jim Emerson thought David Cronenberg had some interesting stuff to say. And wouldn't you know it - he's damn right. (Can A Dangerous Method please hurry up and open around here?)
- Kenji Fujishima posted his latest consumption log and, in doing so, made me realize that I forgot to wish him a happy birthday. Fuck. Happy belated birthday, dude.
- Glenn Heath notes some surprising similarities between Let the Right One In and Dogtooth... and got a hat-tip from Roger Ebert for doing so. Good job bud! (He also wasn't terribly keen on Shame.)
- Daniel Johnson wrote up The Descendants and noted that not only is Emilio Estevez still being allowed to direct, but his latest is actually worth a look, if only for his old man.
- In the past seven days, Craig Kennedy has posted 38 times. 38! I don't think I've posted 38 things all year. Some highlights: interviews with Tom McCarthy, Mark Strong, Peter Straughan and Tomas Alfredson (the last three contributed by Jackson Truax); the biggest titles in this year's Sundance lineup; the faux-Hard Copy viral advert for Fincher's Dragon Tattoo; and a poster trailer combo for A Separation which if you haven't seen yet holy shit, do so pronto!
- Adam Lemke continued on with his year-end catch-up. (Was anyone actually excited by the prospect of 30 Minutes or Less?)
- Craig D. Lindsey showed off a review that went unpublished because the film in question was too shitty, got on Robin Thicke's case (scroll down to December 10th) and mounted a depressing defense for a depressing band. He also continued in his quest to rescue his back catalog from the wilds of the Internet; complete details of this week's archival posts can be found at his site.
- Matt Lotti's most recent batch of reviews appear to have been eaten by his site's coding. Come back, reviews! Come back!
- Sam C. Mac liked Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy so much that he wrote a review of it. By his own admission, it's his first full-length review in a year's time. The lesson here? Gary Oldman is magic.
- Lucas McNelly dressed up as a panda and made out on a pool table with a tiger. No, really. He also attended a rave for a French mime. No, really. And he watched a dude beat the hell out of another dude with a cricket bat. No, really. A Year Without Rent has taken a turn for the weird in my opinion, bud.
- Phil Nugent caught us all up on what he's been doing at The AV Club. Goodness, but does he keep busy.
- Philip Tatler was positive on Alex Cox's Highway Patrolman. Though, from his description, it doesn't sound like anyone takes turns dancing with Maria, so I'd probably just be disappointed.
- Alison Willmore slagged the galaxy of slightly orange people known as New Year's Eve, because of course it's that bad. She was more forgiving of The Sitter, sorta dug Knuckle and fully dug Young Adult.
Today's video: Too spent to think of something clever here. So here's what I'm about to go see.
- Simon Abrams reviewed the latest episode of Covert Affairs and another episode of Cowboy Bebop. He then broke down the PSA-bait 1990 version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, found much to like about Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, sorted through the madness of Zulawski's Possession, got down with the paranoid cinema of Clouzot, ragged on Short Circuit and slammed the holy hell out of Another Earth. Seriously, I don't know how he does it. YOU HEAR THAT SIMON I JUST CALLED YOU SARAH JESSICA PARKER HA HA HA
- The most important thing I gleaned from Chuck Bowen's negative writeup of the awful-sounding Seducing Charlie Barker? Holy crap, Daphne Zugina is still working.
- Sean Burns found Shame to be directly in his wheelhouse, then got to interview its director Steve McQueen. The he asked for another assignment, and for his sins, they gave him one.
- Dennis Cozzalio interviewed Edgar Wright about stuff he's never seen. Which is why he's a better man than I: Pretty sure my first and only question would consist of "AAAAAAH I LOVE YOUR MOVIES AAAAAH."
- Chris Devlin spun some garage punk that sums up his attitude on life much of the time. (I concur, by the way. Especially around this time of year.)
- Jim Emerson thought David Cronenberg had some interesting stuff to say. And wouldn't you know it - he's damn right. (Can A Dangerous Method please hurry up and open around here?)
- Kenji Fujishima posted his latest consumption log and, in doing so, made me realize that I forgot to wish him a happy birthday. Fuck. Happy belated birthday, dude.
- Glenn Heath notes some surprising similarities between Let the Right One In and Dogtooth... and got a hat-tip from Roger Ebert for doing so. Good job bud! (He also wasn't terribly keen on Shame.)
- Daniel Johnson wrote up The Descendants and noted that not only is Emilio Estevez still being allowed to direct, but his latest is actually worth a look, if only for his old man.
- In the past seven days, Craig Kennedy has posted 38 times. 38! I don't think I've posted 38 things all year. Some highlights: interviews with Tom McCarthy, Mark Strong, Peter Straughan and Tomas Alfredson (the last three contributed by Jackson Truax); the biggest titles in this year's Sundance lineup; the faux-Hard Copy viral advert for Fincher's Dragon Tattoo; and a poster trailer combo for A Separation which if you haven't seen yet holy shit, do so pronto!
- Adam Lemke continued on with his year-end catch-up. (Was anyone actually excited by the prospect of 30 Minutes or Less?)
- Craig D. Lindsey showed off a review that went unpublished because the film in question was too shitty, got on Robin Thicke's case (scroll down to December 10th) and mounted a depressing defense for a depressing band. He also continued in his quest to rescue his back catalog from the wilds of the Internet; complete details of this week's archival posts can be found at his site.
- Matt Lotti's most recent batch of reviews appear to have been eaten by his site's coding. Come back, reviews! Come back!
- Sam C. Mac liked Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy so much that he wrote a review of it. By his own admission, it's his first full-length review in a year's time. The lesson here? Gary Oldman is magic.
- Lucas McNelly dressed up as a panda and made out on a pool table with a tiger. No, really. He also attended a rave for a French mime. No, really. And he watched a dude beat the hell out of another dude with a cricket bat. No, really. A Year Without Rent has taken a turn for the weird in my opinion, bud.
- Phil Nugent caught us all up on what he's been doing at The AV Club. Goodness, but does he keep busy.
- Philip Tatler was positive on Alex Cox's Highway Patrolman. Though, from his description, it doesn't sound like anyone takes turns dancing with Maria, so I'd probably just be disappointed.
- Alison Willmore slagged the galaxy of slightly orange people known as New Year's Eve, because of course it's that bad. She was more forgiving of The Sitter, sorta dug Knuckle and fully dug Young Adult.
Today's video: Too spent to think of something clever here. So here's what I'm about to go see.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Muriel re-emerges: 19 Nov through 3 Dec, 2011
Back from our turkey comas to bring you more Muriel goodies for the season! Here’s what you’ve missed:
Since we last checked in with Simon Abrams, he’s been even busier than usual. Rather than bombard you with everything he’s done, some lightlights: his list of the best and worst of Kevin Smith, a recap of Toronto 2011, a look back at the heyday of the ZAZ team, and his and Steve Carlson’s latest Bad Idea Podcast. All that and more can be found at Simon’s blog, your one-stop shop for all things Simon!
Danny Baldwin praised Happy Feet Two. To which I say- really, bud? Really?
Sean Burns took down The Other F Word.
Paul Clark- yes, really!- had very few kind words for Breaking Dawn and Happy Feet Two.
Dennis Cozzalio heard Edgar Wright’s True Confessions, shed some light on New Beverly’s fight for 35mm, and gave thanks.
Chris Devlin posted the new single by Office of Future Plans.
Jim Emerson re-posted one of his golden oldies, an examination of morality in the films of Martin Scorsese.
James Frazier wasn’t much taken with Larry Crowne but was slightly more forgiving of J. Edgar.
A double dose of consumption from Kenji Fujishima!
Glenn Heath reviewed Happy Feet Two, Rampart, and The Descendants, plus examined the ins and outs of male friendship on film and took a second stab at Melancholia.
Daniel Johnson saluted the year’s creepiest movie, was stunned by Martha Marcy May Marlene and Michael Shannon’s performance in Take Shelter, discussed the MacGuffin in Margin Call, and enjoyed- to varying degrees- three new family-friendly titles.
Craig Kennedy’s been busy too! Hop on over to his blog to see all he’s been up to these past few weeks. Take your time- we’ll wait.
Michael Lieberman shared the wisdom of Straub-Huillet and two images from the apocalypse according to Von Trier.
Uncle Crizzle posted a review that got rejected by an alt-weekly through no fault of his own, shared John Waters’ top 10 of the year, took on The Muppets and Arthur Christmas, and gave five reasons to attend the NC Museum of Natural Sciences’ Genghis Khan exhibit.
Lucas McNelly related his latest A Year Without Rent adventure, this one in Marfa, Texas.
Phil Nugent delved into his thoughts on Pauline Kael, looked at the current state of the Republican Party, and thought Eastwood’s Hoover movie, well, sucked.
Bryan Whitefield posted some new photos at his Tumblr.
Alison Willmore’s kept busy at Movieline and the AV Club.
Finally, I’d like to apologize for missing out on last week’s update, but I was busy with the preparations for my grandmother’s funeral. Grandma, who passed away at age 92, was a movie lover throughout her life, and while her tastes were pretty standard, she did have some unexpected favorites mixed in with the others. Six years ago, I remember her raving at Thanksgiving about Elizabethtown. So in her memory, one of the most memorable moments from Elizabethtown, beginning at the 1:00 mark. This one’s for you, Grandma:
Since we last checked in with Simon Abrams, he’s been even busier than usual. Rather than bombard you with everything he’s done, some lightlights: his list of the best and worst of Kevin Smith, a recap of Toronto 2011, a look back at the heyday of the ZAZ team, and his and Steve Carlson’s latest Bad Idea Podcast. All that and more can be found at Simon’s blog, your one-stop shop for all things Simon!
Danny Baldwin praised Happy Feet Two. To which I say- really, bud? Really?
Sean Burns took down The Other F Word.
Paul Clark- yes, really!- had very few kind words for Breaking Dawn and Happy Feet Two.
Dennis Cozzalio heard Edgar Wright’s True Confessions, shed some light on New Beverly’s fight for 35mm, and gave thanks.
Chris Devlin posted the new single by Office of Future Plans.
Jim Emerson re-posted one of his golden oldies, an examination of morality in the films of Martin Scorsese.
James Frazier wasn’t much taken with Larry Crowne but was slightly more forgiving of J. Edgar.
A double dose of consumption from Kenji Fujishima!
Glenn Heath reviewed Happy Feet Two, Rampart, and The Descendants, plus examined the ins and outs of male friendship on film and took a second stab at Melancholia.
Daniel Johnson saluted the year’s creepiest movie, was stunned by Martha Marcy May Marlene and Michael Shannon’s performance in Take Shelter, discussed the MacGuffin in Margin Call, and enjoyed- to varying degrees- three new family-friendly titles.
Craig Kennedy’s been busy too! Hop on over to his blog to see all he’s been up to these past few weeks. Take your time- we’ll wait.
Michael Lieberman shared the wisdom of Straub-Huillet and two images from the apocalypse according to Von Trier.
Uncle Crizzle posted a review that got rejected by an alt-weekly through no fault of his own, shared John Waters’ top 10 of the year, took on The Muppets and Arthur Christmas, and gave five reasons to attend the NC Museum of Natural Sciences’ Genghis Khan exhibit.
Lucas McNelly related his latest A Year Without Rent adventure, this one in Marfa, Texas.
Phil Nugent delved into his thoughts on Pauline Kael, looked at the current state of the Republican Party, and thought Eastwood’s Hoover movie, well, sucked.
Bryan Whitefield posted some new photos at his Tumblr.
Alison Willmore’s kept busy at Movieline and the AV Club.
Finally, I’d like to apologize for missing out on last week’s update, but I was busy with the preparations for my grandmother’s funeral. Grandma, who passed away at age 92, was a movie lover throughout her life, and while her tastes were pretty standard, she did have some unexpected favorites mixed in with the others. Six years ago, I remember her raving at Thanksgiving about Elizabethtown. So in her memory, one of the most memorable moments from Elizabethtown, beginning at the 1:00 mark. This one’s for you, Grandma:
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