By Matt Brunson
THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON
**1/2
DIRECTED BY Chris Weitz
STARS Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson
Hollywood’s second foray into the Twilight zone features enough fantasy and romance to satisfy most hardcore devotees of Stephenie Meyer’s vampire saga, but just as many viewers will notice that this is too often a case of the emperor — or, more specifically, buff teenage boys — wearing no clothes. (more…)
By Matt Brunson
AN EDUCATION
***1/2
DIRECTED BY Lone Scherfig
STARS Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard
Coming-of-age movies are a dime-a-dozen, but one as exemplary as An Education deserves nothing less than the opportunity to command top dollar on the open market. Sensitively directed by Lone Scherfig and exquisitely penned by Nick Hornby (adapting Lynn Barber’s memoir), this lovely drama set in London during the early 1960s stays true to its title by showing how its teen protagonist learns life lessons as they relate to issues of class, sex, schooling and her country’s own growing pains. (more…)
By Matt Brunson
PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE
***
DIRECTED BY Lee Daniels
STARS Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique
“Kitchen sink realism” was the term invented to describe a specific type of artistic movement that took place in England in the 1950s and 1960s, and here comes Precious to borrow that expression for a more modern, decidedly Americanized look at life among the lower classes. Adding to the appropriateness of subletting that term is that fact that a good part of this harrowing drama is set in and around the kitchen, as a frying pan to the head and hairy pigs feet to the arteries both take a toll on the well-being of the story’s heroine, 16-year-old Claireece “Precious” Jones (Gabourey Sidibe). (more…)
By Matt Brunson
THE BLIND SIDE
**1/2
DIRECTED BY John Lee Hancock
STARS Sandra Bullock, Quentin Aaron
Precious is different in that it allows an African-American character to tell her own story, never ceding the camera to anyone else and remaining the focal point throughout. The Blind Side is more typical of the sort of racially aware films Hollywood foists upon middle America, purportedly focusing on a black protagonist but really serving as an example of the goodness of white folks. The only reason this young black boy exists, it seems to hint, is so that a Caucasian woman can feel good about herself. (more…)
The Blind Side
The Blind Side – Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron
An Education – Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard
Planet 51 – Animated; voices of Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire – Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique
The Twilight Saga: New Moon – Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson
Following is a list of some major DVD releases debuting today. For a complete list, go to www.amazon.com. (more…)
That Evening Sun
SUNDAY, NOV. 15 – The Good Book may have designated the seventh day as a period of rest, but then again, it’s obvious that back in Biblical times, there wasn’t an Asheville Film Festival that needed constant attention. (more…)
Photo credit: Don Fairbanks
SATURDAY, NOV. 14 – When it comes to this annual celluloid event, it’s clear that the times they are a-changin’ – and that was more evident on Saturday than on the fest’s previous two days. (more…)
FRIDAY, NOV. 13 – Today may have been Friday the 13th, but ill omens were nowhere to be found on the streets of Asheville. Instead, filmmakers, film critics and film buffs were all in good spirits as downtown turned into a veritable treasure trove of independent cinema. (more…)
In the immortal words of Curly Howard of The Three Stooges: "I'm trying to blog but nothing happens!"
THURSDAY, NOV. 12 – Well, it wasn’t really Day One, since the Seventh Annual Asheville Film Festival didn’t even kick off until well after the sun had gone down. But you get the gist. (more…)
