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Commentary – In The Land of Blood & Honey (Angelina Jolie Interview)
In terms of Angelina's directing style, I'm glad that she just shot it straight, it's clean and authentic. She didn't try to be an auteur, no gimmicks, nothing vague or highbrow. And as a side note: each scene was shot twice; once in English and another in the language of the region, creating two versions of the film...
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Highlighting: Filmmaker Nikias Chryssos (Tower Block and Der Bunker)
Remember the interview I did for QFest back in July with filmmaker Scud? (click for post) Well, that got the attention of a Munich-based film production company (Deutsche Exotik Filmproduktion) which focuses on independent and art-house films – They asked if I would be interested in interviewing director Nikias Chryssos whose first film Tower Block about a young boy who lives with his sadistic,17 year-old, tormenting brother in the slums of Germany, did well on the festival circuit. Chryssos latest project is called Der Bunker, it deals with education, excessive demands & mental overload. Nikias approaches these topics in his very own style – playful, artistic and at times bizarre…
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5 Mini Movie Reviews – The Artist, Girl w/the Dragon Tattoo, Mission Impossible, We Bought a Zoo, New Year’s Eve
I didn’t do a lot of Christmas shopping this season, didn’t try any new restaurants and my lips were left cold and wanting on New Year’s Eve. But on a bright note, I did manage to fit in 5 films between Christmas and New Years. The Artist (Writer/Director Michel Hazanavicius) – Silent film star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is riding high, full of fame, ego and verve, one moment at the height of stardom, the next crashing down to earth, brought low by the advent of sound – “The Talkies”. This same new movie craze propels his ingenue, protege Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) into celebrity starlet status. Silently, sans color…
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10 Best Films I (Tinsel & Tine) Saw in 2011
Although my list may be somewhat eclectic, these were the films that immediately came to mind when I sat down to do a top 10 list. Each of the above films has a combination of seamless storytelling and characters that just struck a chord within me...
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Beer Tasting – Left Hand Brewing Company
I stumble upon a beer tasting at the Plymouth Meeting Whole Foods earlier this month. And took a liking to all of the selections Dan Conway from Left Hand Brewing Company (Longmont, Colorado) was pouring, although if I had to pick a favorite, I’d go with the Milk Stout. I asked Dan if I could record his descriptions of all the brews and he agreed so here it is: Milk Stout – Made with lactose sugar (milk infused sugar) which gives it the creamy texture – aroma is of brown sugar and vanilla cream, with hints of roasted coffee. Sawtooth Ale: An English style bitter. We aim for a perfect…
