Film & TV
Earth to Disney
Cashing in on Earth Day, Disney brings us Earth, a nature documentary chronicling the trials and tribulations of various adorable critters.
Wright on the Money
Street: Why was it so important for you to use volunteer members of the homeless community as extras? Joe Wright: I felt I had no absolutely right to speak for them and just pick their lives without their involvement.
Tokyo Drift
Wind enters through an unclosed window, disturbing an otherwise serene home. This opening scene of Tokyo Sonata foreshadows the storm brewing in the Sasaki family.
Observing & Reporting
Street: Where did you look for inspiration when playing this darker character? Seth Rogen: Inspiration is not a word that comes up a lot when talking about my acting career. Street: Do you see any similarities between your character and yourself? SR: No, not really.
State of the Union
The spheres of politics and journalism converge around two mysterious deaths in the sleek thriller State of Play. Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe), a streetwise reporter, quickly immerses himself in the case.
He Was Just Seventeen
There are two kinds of people who will like 17 Again. One is someone who will recognize the sad irony of Matthew Perry (“The One Who Was That Guy On Friends”), an actual has-been, playing a has-been.
Defibrillator: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)
Before John Travolta hammed it up in drag, the MGM movie/musical reigned supreme. Sure, Singin’ in the Rain may get all the credit in the history books, but dig deeper and you’ll discover a cinematic gem: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, the story of the feisty tavern cook Milly and her search for love and family in 1850s Oregon. Unfortunately for Milly, when she marries backwoodsman Adam Pontipee, she’s forced to take care of his six brothers, who are blessed with the charm and manners of drunken Penn students at Fling.
The Games People Play
Any will girl will tell you “it’s all about playing the game.” In A Game For Girls, director Matteo Rovere showcases the lives of four beautiful, wealthy Italian high school girls and the sinister tricks they play on others.
Bumping Cars
Have you ever wondered why amusement park employees subject themselves to a summer of bumper cars and corn dogs?
The Rural Jurors
12 sets the tale of the 1957 classic 12 Angry Men in crooked modern-day Moscow. The 12 titular jurors must decide the fate of a young Chechen boy accused of murdering his stepfather.
Guilty Pleasure: Ella Enchanted (2004)
Giants, ogres and elves… oh my! I thought I’d outgrown fairy tales, but when Ella Enchanted, the film version of my favorite childhood novel, came to theaters, I was instantly, well, charmed.
We’ll Love You Forever, We’ll Like You For Always
Sideways Stories from Wayside School Louis Sachar’s loopy series revolving around a 30-story elementary school has the perfect blend of wacky characters and winning story lines to translate onto the big screen.
Questions for the Answer Man
Street: So, much to my excitement, The Answer Man is noticeably set in Philadelphia. How did you make the decision to shoot in our city and what do you feel it brought to the film?
The Best of the Philadelphia Film Festival
The Answer Man The Answer Man has the trappings of a great movie: a Philadelphia set, an excellent cast and a topical conceit that pokes fun at those who think they know all.
Two Lovers Make Civil Hands Unclean
Carefully spaced family photographs line a wall of Leonard’s parent’s apartment. Tracing many generations of his traditional Italian family, they soon come to represent confinement.
Paging Pixar
In the seminal case of Monsters vs. Aliens, an enormous woman battles googly-eyed antagonists from outer space.
Defibrillator: A Streetcar Named Desire
It’s hard to imagine Marlon Brando as anyone other than the notorious Godfather. But before he was Don Corleone, Brando turned in a riveting performance as Stanley in Elia Kazan’s A Streetcar Named Desire, based on the play by Tennessee Williams. The film follows Blanche (Vivien Leigh), who arrives on her sister Stella’s doorstep claiming to be suffering a nervous breakdown.
Before Sunrise: A Tryst Gone Right
Act One Film Buff: Wow, I love your posters. Capra and Lynch, such an unusual mix.(1) Seducer: I almost put up my poster of The Third Man, signed by Orson Welles, but it’s much too valuable. Film Buff: [clearly impressed] Seducer: I rented a few films — Requiem for a Dream, The Bicycle Thief and A Woman Under the Influence— but I’m going to leave the final choice up to you.
How To Seduce A Film Buff
Step 1: Put up posters of films by under-appreciated directors. Purchase coffee table books on film noir, Italian neoRealism and cinéma vérité. Explain that your usual arts-haus indie theatre has been closed for inventory the recession, otherwise you would have met there.
