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New DVD Releases: Dear John, The Road, True Blood

Andrew Payne — Tue, 25 May 2010 15:25:51 +0000

A slowish week in DVD-land as we only get two feature films (Dear John and The Road) to keep us company why we avoid The Prince of Persia at all costs.

Luckily, there’s one titan of a TV on DVD set hitting shelves to quench our entertainment thirst in the midst of a movie drought as True Blood unleashes its second season in all its silver-disced glory. Just in time to catch up before the second season starts in mid-June.

Check it out below…

FEATURE FILMS

Dear John

Didn’t this movie just come out in the theater? I could’ve sworn when I went to see MacGruber on Friday (big mistake) this movie was playing in another theater.

Seriously, it had Amanda Seyfried in it, the movie was something about mail, and it certainly had a romantic look to the poster. I swear this movie is out right now! What a revolution to release a movie on DVD the same week in opens in theaters!

Oh. Wait. You mean that movie is called Letters to Juliet and is completely different? Coulda fooled me.

So I guess if you go see that one, you should still check out this completely different movie on DVD.

The Road

It’s time to be that guy. That guy you all hate. The guy who says the book is better than the movie. But I’ll do it with a caveat. “The Road” is not actually that much better a book than it is a movie. The problem is that if you’ve read the book the movie is entirely ruined for you.

This is because The Road is simply a straight plot adaptation of the book. So faithful that it pulls out absolutely no new tricks to fans of the McCarthy work – it just moves along in the exact same way as the book.

Because of this, the movie becomes incredibly boring if you’ve read the book. There’s just nothing new on the screen that wasn’t on the page. So it isn’t a bad movie, just bad for those who’ve read the source material.

So check it out on DVD if you haven’t read the book. Though you’d probably be better off with the original.

TV ON DVD

“True Blood”: Complete Second Season

“Lost” is gone. Yes, it’s over. A tear, a whimper, whatever you’d like to mourn its passing. But I’m more interested in what’s going to take its place. What show is going to inspire such insane loyalty?

Why not this series? Why not a series densely populated with memorable characters and a story that moves rather than languishing around the same center like so many other dramas.

While this doesn’t have as many big questions to discuss as “Lost”, it does deliver buzzworthy moments with every episode in much the same way as that island-dwelling series.

Don’t believe me? Check out Season 2 on DVD. It may help you move on.

Also:

“Flashpoint”: Season 2 – Buy Now
“Leverage”: Season 2 – Buy Now
“Royal Pains”: Season 1 – Buy Now
“The Virginian”: Season 1 – Buy Now

SPECIAL EDITION OF THE WEEK

Stagecoach – Criterion Collection

Hard to believe this one hasn’t gotten the Criterion treatment yet, as this is really the quintessential Western film. More so than The Searchers. More so than High Noon as those were sort of the beginnings of the post-modern Western. This is your grandfather’s Western, in all its John Fordian glory. And now we finally get it in a two-disc set loaded with extras. Including:

New, restored high-definition digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
Audio commentary by western authority Jim Kitses (Horizons West)
Bucking Broadway, a 1917 silent feature by John Ford, with new music composed and performed by Donald Sosin
Journalist and television presenter Philip Jenkinson’s extensive 1968 video interview with Ford
New video appreciation of Stagecoach, with director and Ford biographer Peter Bogdanovich
New video interview with Ford’s grandson, Dan Ford about the director and his home movies
New video piece, featuring journalist Buzz Bissinger, about trader Harry Goulding’s key role in bringing Monument Valley to Hollywood
New video homage to legendary stuntman Yakima Canutt, with celebrated stunt coordinator Vic Armstrong
Video essay by writer Tag Gallagher analyzing Ford’s visual style in Stagecoach
Screen Director’s Playhouse 1949 radio dramatization of Stagecoach, with John Wayne, Claire Trevor, and Ford, downloadable as an MP3 file
Theatrical trailer
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by David Cairns and Ernest Haycox’s “Stage to Lordsburg,” the short story that inspired the film

What DVD will you be picking up this week?

The Road’s Depressing New Trailer

Krystal Clark — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:25:55 +0000

Another trailer has been released for the John Hillcoat drama, The Road and it’s grittier than ever. The film will hit theaters this Thanksgiving and doesn’t exactly evoke warm and fuzzy feelings on the inside. It might be weird to watch people starving in a post apocalyptic world when you’ve got a Turkey dinner waiting at home. Either way, the latest trailer shows Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smitt-Mcphee as a father and son on a mission to survive.

Check out the second trailer for The Road…

As I previously stated, The Road is scheduled to hit theaters on November 25th, which might serve as an obstacle for the promotion of the film. The talent and the story are definitely not in question, and everyone involved has something amazing to bring to the table. Even though it will depress the hell out of me, I might give the film a shot when opening day comes around.

Check out our interview with Viggo Mortenson, John Hillcoat, and writer Joe Penahll and our first look at the film from The London Film Festival for more on what we and they thought about the film.

What do you think of the new trailer for The Road?

The London Film Festival Awards

Mali Elfman — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:07:47 +0000

The Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival is officially over. The theaters are back to their usual routine, press conference rooms filled with boring business people, and awards have been passed out to some of the finest new-comers and veteran filmmakers in the business. As you can see we were able to briefly cover the film festival and bring you both first looks and interviews from Up in the Air, The Road, and The Fantastic Mr Fox. Sadly we missed out on a number of other amazing films which ended up winning awards but hopefully, due to their success at the festival they will be making their way across the pond soon.

And the winners are…

BEST FILM: Un Prophete
HONORABLE MENTION: The Road
BEST BRITISH NEWCOMER: Jack Thorne, screenwriter of the film THE SCOUTING BOOK FOR BOYS
SUTHERLAND AWARD: Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani took the award for their film AJAMI
GRIERSON AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY: Yoav Shamir for his film DEFAMATION
BFI FELLOWSHIPS: John Hurt for acting and Malian filmmaker Souleymane Cissé directing

All the details of each award, who presented, and a quote from each presenter can be found below…

BEST FILM

In recognition of original, intelligent and distinctive filmmaking, the new award for Best Film was judged by an international jury chaired by Anjelica Huston and fellow jurors John Akomfrah, Jarvis Cocker, Mathieu Kassovitz, Charlotte Rampling and Iain Softley. The Star of London for Best Film was awarded to Jacques Audiard’s A PROPHET and was presented by Anjelica Huston..

On behalf of the jury Anjelica Huston (Chair) said:

“A masterpiece: UN PROPHETE has the ambition, purity of vision and clarity of purpose to make it an instant classic. With seamless and imaginative story-telling, superb performances and universal themes, Jacques Audiard has made a perfect film.”

The jury also gave a special mention to John Hillcoat’s THE ROAD, praising the film’s breathtaking vision, extraordinary performances and profound political statement.

BEST BRITISH NEWCOMER

Presented for the first time, the award for Best British Newcomer celebrates new and emerging film talent, rewarding the achievements of a new writer, producer or director who has demonstrated real creative flair and imagination with their first feature. Dominic Cooper and Jodie Whittaker presented the Best British Newcomer Star of London to Jack Thorne, screenwriter of the film THE SCOUTING BOOK FOR BOYS. The jury said:

“Jack Thorne is a poetic writer with an end-of-the-world imagination and a real gift for story-telling. Thorne’s substantial authorship is revealed in the unique voices of the film’s characters and the rich, soulful and playful layering of the story.” The jury also gave a special mention to J Blakeson, the writer and director of THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED, commending his accomplished, original and ambitious filmmaking.

SUTHERLAND AWARD

The longstanding Sutherland Award is presented to the maker of the most original and imaginative first feature screening in the Festival. This year, Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani took the award for their film AJAMI, which was presented by Alfonso Cuarón. Jurors included Paul Greengrass, Kerry Fox and David Parfitt. The jury said “A bold and original piece of filmmaking, AJAMI tells an important story in a thoroughly engrossing and cinematic way. A fantastic achievement, Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani have made a film with a heart and a vision that speaks for a common humanity.”

LONDON FILM FESTIVAL GRIERSON AWARD for Best Documentary in the Festival

This award is co-presented with the Grierson Trust, in commemoration of John Grierson, the grandfather of British documentary. The jury included Nick Broomfield, Molly Dineen, Ellen Fleming and Christopher Hird, and was presented by Broomfield to winner Yoav Shamir for his film DEFAMATION.

On behalf of the jury Nick Broomfield said: “A fantastic film, Defamation does exactly what documentary, at its best, can do, making us re-examine our assumptions about an important and complex subject, in an absorbing and funny way. The film’s intellectual courage, boldness of conception and the excitement of the journey on which it takes you make this a winning film.”

BFI FELLOWSHIPS

The highest accolade that the British Film Institute bestows was awarded tonight to distinguished British actor John Hurt and renowned Malian filmmaker Souleymane Cissé for their significant achievements in the fields of acting and directing. Hurt, whose films 44 INCH CHEST and THE LIMITS OF CONTROL, were featured in the festival, received his award from producer Jeremy Thomas and director Michael Caton-Jones both of whom have worked with Hurt on a number of films. Cissé’s TELL ME WHO YOU ARE had its UK premiere at the festival this week and his award was presented to him by actress Charlotte Rampling.

LFF: The Road Press Conference – Staying True to the Book

Mali Elfman — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:19:39 +0000

The main subject of The Road press conference at The London Film Festival was that everyone from the writer and director to the grips and the make-up team, all stayed true to the book. With a copy of Cormac McCarthy’s novel in their back pockets, director John Hillcoat, screenwriter Joe Penhall, and the star of the film Viggo Mortensen all gave themselves to the honesty and the truth of McCarthy’s dark and dreary world.

With no intentions of changing anything, Penhall spoke about how he did his best to simply rewrite the novel into a different format, Hillcoat placed his crew in situations that were not unlike the book in order to make it feel as real as possible, and Viggo, being the ever intense actor that he is, had to open up to the vulnerability, fear, and danger of living in post-apocalyptic world where man and nature are no longer wanted.

Here’s what they had to say below….

John, the look of The Road, you would off thought would be vastly different from the last vision you gave, The Proposition, and yet while I was watching it I was struck by the similarities between the two. What drew you to the material?

John Hillcoat: I love heat and sun. I’m from Australia. [Both films] are polar opposites and yet they’re both extreme worlds. I’ve always been interested by extreme environments; the way that environments impact people. My first film Ghosts of the Civil Dead was a pretty old interior prison film, but as simple as that where it’s a character for the other characters to react from. I think we all do that.

You shoot in freezing cold weather, without many luxuries and in many different locations. Was that hard for you and the cast?

John: I love travel and I love to unwind in the middle of winter. I hope this happens on an end that it adds the pressure that I’d hope. I think this is true that the performers — our amazing cast — react off of the environment, and it helps add a reality. As Kodi (Smit-McPhee) said, for him, it’s a lot easier to be a bit cold than to act cold on top of the informational stuff. So as a crew, I think it helps focus everyone on what sort of world we’re trying to enter into. To me, working in a green-screen studio is much harder than actually — it’s much tougher.

Where did you mainly shoot? And how did you get an empty freeway?

John: That was to do with the abandoned freeways there [Pennsylvania], the citrus trees and the leaves and strip lighting. We also went to places like New Orleans for the aftermath of Katrina — the cleanup was still going on. And Mount Saint Helens and also Oregon for the grey leaches.

Joe, how do you make the book play a part in your screenplay?

Joe Penhall: My usual bad tricks like dialogue, plot were quite irrelevant, it was really all about the environment and about the landscape. I loved John’s film The Proposition where the landscape is the character. I really enjoyed taking my hands off the steering wheel and being guided by someone else really. Writing a film that relied on the landscape, relied on the epic business and the elements and didn’t rely at all on dialogue.

In a script with little dialogue, how detailed are you?

Joe: You have to write every weed, the color of the sky. That was what was so fun about it: the descriptions of the landscape. Some of them were half-a-page long and I really enjoyed that. It was incredibly detailed and it really paid off.

You also got amazing human beings for characters.

Joe: I love stories like that and the stories that I’ve done in the past always been about one person on a mission. I find it quite hard to run lots of characters so this was great for me. It is as it is in the book. I did my best to put the book into a different structure.

Did you know who was going to play the father? Did you have a character in mind? An actor in mind while writing it?

Joe: Yeah, I think John wanted Viggo (Mortensen) right from the start– really, really early on. That made it easy for me. They say when you write you shouldn’t have an actor in mind, but I often do. I’ve worked with Ray Winstone, Daniel Craig and now Viggo. The delight of it is that they always do almost exactly what I dreamt and hoped that they’d do.

[Joking] Well, because tell them to do it in the script…

Joe: Yeah, but well, they’re professionals, aren’t they?

Viggo let’s talk about getting this part. What was your first approach to the script? Had you read the book?

Viggo Mortensen: I’m a fan of Cormac McCarthy. I read all of his books except “The Road.” Even though “No Country for Old Men” won oscars and is quite well-known, “The Road” is still the most far-reaching work because it’s straight ahead, it’s easily understood. I hadn’t got around to reading it, just out of stubbornness. I was going to read it and I kept changing in and our of airports and so forth, and watching the Oprah Winfrey show, I just hand’t read it. I read the script and I thought it was a great story and I was honored to be playing this role. And then I ran to the store and got the book.

The script was a very good adaptation, which only became better and better as it became time to shoot. I think it’s the most faithful — not just in spirit, but in letter — adaptation. It’s very much like the book. I was drawn to it because — well any character that I play I always want to find (sooner or later), I want to find ways of coming out of hiding. And in this case, there’s a line that McCarthy has in the book, the frailty of everything revealed at last. I think he’s referring to nature and to people.

I like the journey. For one thing, in an actor, you’re only as good as who you’re with. First of all the landscape was so real, so truthful that he had to live up to that. He had to reflect and his behavior had to very real and emotional. I was worried when I got cast, I thought, Well this boy, in the story, in the book shows a great job. I didn’t find that boy, luckily Kodi was amazing in the movie. He’s an extraordinary individual, I think the matter is not just his talent but his humanity. He would be joyful everyday at work like a kid.

You have children yourself don’t you? Did that come into play in your role as a father?

Viggo: Yeah, to a degree. I think John also being a father and having a son was a way in initially. But you don’t have to be a parent to understand this story. It was a way in like other things that you might be able to do physically, but it really came down to being quite naked from inside, being very honest. It had to be that way or it wouldn’t work. It wouldn’t work if I didn’t have partner like Kodi, who could pull certain things out of me and then I would return it. I think that complicity and that relationship that was forced through hardship and also through having a good time, probably, is felt in the screen. And the journey, as hard as it is, has to be that difficult to earn what happens at the end, which I think is strangely a good thing and quite beautiful when everything is stripped away.

As the character says in the voice over, “If I were god, I would make the world just so…” I think any story that has a chance of inspiring you to feel that this life, no matter how complicated it is, this world, no matter how messed up it is, is good and beautiful in some way. That it’s worth while and you wouldn’t trade it for anything even if you could. That story’s done its job. I think this movie does its job.

Can you tell us about the process that you went through to become the Man?

At first because I wanted to seem somewhat healthier. He underwent certain things externally, obviously I couldn’t look extremely rough so I lost some weight, ate less. After a certain point it was more about being afraid for everyone involved. I think that’s why I like working in the movies, I like going to movies because in movies, there’s a shot there’s a close up, a conversation, there’s a look on someone’s face that’s beyond technical explanation, no matter how technologically advanced movie making, there are some things that are beyond explanation. In a case like this where the crew carries copies of the book around the whole time — what you felt accorded where everybody was trying to get there, on this journey.

Yes, I lost some weight. Yes, we thought about the logistics. You know, John shared movies that he was inspired by, in terms of the look of it. We talked about certain literature. Just those things that get you in a mood, but much less about the externals and far more about reveling yourself from the inside which is part of the attraction.

Why are you so fascinated with the story?

Viggo: One thing his pro-descriptions, he has the dialogue is quite spared in the story and at times it becomes about the unspoken, the reactions are emotional reactions to the story. Difficult circumstances, I guess. I like to expose descriptions in the book a lot. My favorite is “Blood Meridian,” I know John likes that book and I think that was his inspiration. His descriptions in that book, like in “The Road” they just stop me cold from reading along.

Read my first response to the film now to get a feel for what you can expect in theaters November 25th.

LFF: First Look at The Road and Press Conference Photos

Mali Elfman — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:21:47 +0000

***Update: Press Conference now available***

Surprise, surprise, I’ve made it over to London for the British Film Institutes’s 53rd Annual London Film Festival (a little late but here none-the-less).

I started the trip off on a bit of a depressing note, with a screening of The Road followed by a press conference with actor Viggo Mortensen, screenwriter Joe Penhall, and director John Hillcoat. All of whom were in much chipper spirits than there film was.

Check out a few photos from the press conference and some quick thoughts on the film below…

***Warning: Some Minor Spoilers Ahead***

My first opinion of the film, without worrying about writing a formal review (which will come later) is that the performances are gritty and heart-wrenching. The overall tone was well established, the writing was sparse but well done, and all and all, I liked it. Even if you’ve read the book or know the story, you never knew quite know what to expect next, which is always a welcome surprise in theaters.

In the film you’re never given an explanation as to what exactly has happened, you’re only given the desolate world in which they live in now (or rather try not to die in). The film did a good job of allowing us to understand as little about their situations as possible, which kept one from trying to predict what was next. In fact, just like the characters on screen, the only thing you could do was watch and hope, which helped you feel involved in the film and if nothing else a bit depressed (and possibly hungry if you forgot to eat before).

Overall, the tone, the art direction, the script, all helped to capture the desolate hopelessness of the film, but by the end of it, I couldn’t help from wonder what the greater meaning was of putting an audience through so much? Is it to never give up hope? Because they really don’t give you much reason to want to live. In the film, more people stay alive out of fear of dying than desire to live. To me I couldn’t help but wonder if the message of the film was “what’s the point in living if there is no life?”

That being said, after the screening I talked to some nice people, got a cup of coffee, and walked around London and felt extremely glad to be doing so – almost as if the film made me take a breath and look around. So maybe the point of the film isn’t to enjoy the process, but to realize what we have when we walk out of the theater – but it’s a rough road to get there.

Also, on a less deep, side note, what’s up with Guy Pearce randomly showing up in good movies for a few seconds as a crazy-ish character? He’s done that twice this year. First in The Hurt Locker and now this. He’s Guy Pearce for Christ’s sake! Someone give him some more lines!

That’s it for now! Getting late in London Town. If you want to keep up with ScreenCrave follow us on Twitter or check back in when you have a chance.

Check out the photos of Viggo Mortensen, Joe Penhall, and John Hillcoat from the press conference below…

And we will have the press conference typed up for you as soon as possible! And no, Viggo did not talk about retiring from acting. He was laid back and happy to quietly talk about the movie and even throw in some jokes. I for one could see him spending his days happily on a ranch somewhere. Especially since every movie he’s in they seem to try to break him via cold, sword fights, stab wounds, or something dangerous.

Coming up on my schedule for the next few days at LFF is:

The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Up in the Air (Screening and Press Conference)
Pirate Radio – formerly known as The Boat That Rocked (Screening, Roundtables, and a 1:1 to come) – This is actually not part of LFF, but I threw it in there because, hey, why not!

Check back in soon!

Two Posters for The Road

Krystal Clark — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:50:08 +0000

Today our site has been overflowing with posters from various upcoming films. Our latest batch comes from the John Hillcoat drama, The Road. Earlier we brought you five clips from the film that stars Viggo Mortenson, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, and Kodi Smit-McPhee. Since then, not one but two theatrical posters have been released for the movie, and they’re even grittier than I imagined.

Both of these posters make me feel thankful for every little thing I have. The type of world The Road takes place in is bare boned, and uncivilized. Everyone has to fend for themselves for the most basic necessities. I just want to swoop both them up and give them a shower and some clean clothes!

The Road will hit theaters on October 16th, and is based off the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same.

Images courtesy of Latino Review

What do you think of the first official posters for The Road?

Watch 5 Clips from The Road

Mali Elfman — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:30:18 +0000

WARNING: I don’t think you should watch these. I watched about 5 seconds of each and it’s already spoiled too much for my liking. The one thing I can tell you about this film from my very limited viewing is that they’re in the dark a lot. Frankly, that’s all I want to know. I’m a big believer that a film should be seen in it’s entirety and not in bits and pieces.

That being said, I know not everyone agrees with me so here are the clips…

“Never Killed a Man“:

“Bad Guys“:

“Catch Us“:

“He’s a God“:

“We Did Good“:

The Road is a tale of hardship and perseverance that centers on the complicated relationship between a father and son. The film is based on the novel written by Cormac McCarthy, and is directed by John Hillcoat. As you can see from the above clips, the straggly duo travel across a post-apocalyptic U.S. in search of food, shelter, and in many ways, their own sanity.

The Road stars Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Charlize Theron. It debuts in theaters on October 16th.

What do you think of these 5 clips from The Road? Do they show too much from the film?

New Photos of Jennifer’s Body and The Road

Krystal Clark — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 22:50:25 +0000

Today we are in Megan Fox overload, but it’s what the people want. Over at Collider they’ve posted some new photos from the upcoming releases, Jennifer’s Body and The Road. This sudden influx of photos stem from the promotion of this year’s Toronto Film Festival. Both films will run at the annual event, so enjoy a few production stills before they hit the big screen. View the photos below.

Jennifer’s Body centers on a popular high school girl, who transforms into a man eating cannibal when she becomes possessed by a demon. The only person aware of her recent change is her nerdy best friend, played by Amanda Seyfried. It’s up to her to save the town’s young men from Jennifer’s ever growing appetite. The film hits theaters on September 18th.

The Road is a tale of hardship and determination centering on a father and his young son. The two truck across the wasteland that is now considered the U.S. after the country experiences a serious post-apocalyptic trauma. The Road stars Viggo Mortensen and Charlize Theron, and debuts in theaters on October 16th.

What do you think of the latest photos from these two films?

The New Trailer for The Road Kicks Ass

Mali Elfman — Thu, 14 May 2009 21:30:41 +0000

Yesterday we posted some of the highlights from one of the first early review for The Road, starring Charlize Theron, Viggo Mortensen, Guy Pearce, and Robert Duvall and today we get the trailer.

It’s amazing. In fact it’s so amazing I’m going to just shut up and let you watch it and then talk about it after…

AWESOME! End of the world movie that comes complete with a good story and special effects. Viggo Mortensen is known for being intense and this seems like the perfect movie for him to go all out with.

The film was adapted from the Cormac McCarthy‘s insanely popular novel and adapted by Joe Penhall. Many people were hoping for the film to be released at the end of last year, but as we all know, it was put on hold. Although some people were saying it was because the film was having problems, it looks and sounds like Director John Hillcoat has been fine tuning it.

Viggo Mortenson told AICN:

My understanding is that they know that they’ve got a story that a lot of people want to see, because of the book. [...] And, the people that read the book, which are many, were very moved by it and by this relationship between this boy and this man, in particular, in that setting. And, I think that they are really aware of the fact that they’ve got one chance to do it, and if there’s any little things that they still want to work on a little more, to get it just right, whether it’s the music –I don’t know what it is — a variety of things, they want to do it right.

Granted, this is not the best quote. But! It sounds like everyone, including Viggo is eager to see the film, but perhaps we should all just trust that Hillcoat knows what is best for his film.

The film should be in theaters this October!

If the film is anywhere as good as this trailer, I’m in. How about you?

First Review of Viggo Mortensen’s New Movie The Road

Kara — Wed, 13 May 2009 00:15:34 +0000

Although the film, The Road, doesn’t hit theaters until October 16th, that doesn’t stop people from talking about it. Esquire Magazine has written the first review for the movie they seem to really like the film. In fact, they say it is “the most important film of the year.” That’s quite the statement!

The film is directed by John Hillcoat, and stars Viggo Mortensen, Rober Duvall, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, and Kodi Smit McPhee and is based off of Cormac McCarthy’s novel, The Road. The story is about a man (Mortensen) and his son (Smit McPhee) as they travel through a post-apocalyptic America. The setting is very dark, and covered in ash. The two are attempting to make it to the coast, yet they don’t know what awaits them there.

Here are two excerpts from the Esquire Magazine review:

“The Road is no tease. It is a brilliantly directed adaptation of a beloved novel, a delicate and anachronistically loving look at the immodest and brutish end of us all. You want them to get there, you want them to get there, you want them to get there — and yet you do not want it, any of it, to end.”

“A story without guarantees. In every moment — even the last one — you’ll want to know what happens next, even if you can hardly stand to look.” … “You have to see it. Really. You do. Not because it’s grim, not because it’s depressing, or even scary. The Road is all of those things, both acutely and chronically. But there was not a single stupid choice made in turning this book into this movie. No wrongheaded lyric tribute to the novel. No moment engineered simply to make you jump.”

The Road has the makings of being a really good film. The cast is really good, and the story sounds pretty good. A positive review at this time definitely doesn’t hurt.

What do you think? Does this interest you at all?

Source: Slashfilm

Top 9 Gift Ideas For Movie Lovers

Ryan C — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 20:00:32 +0000

We here at ScreenCrave have compiled a list of gift ideas that will satisfy any movie fan, gawky geek, savvy cineaste, or casual viewer (totally botched my alliterative streak there). Take a gander and if you’ve got any of your own suggestions leave a comment below.

9. Movie-Themed T-Shirts

The staple of movie fans everywhere the “themed T-Shirt”. Keep your wardrobe updated with the latest movie inspired tees. Check out some of these highlights–I Am McLovin, The Audacity of Joke, Wolverine Evolution, Artoo’s Premium Beer, and Tarantino Babies. Your girlfriend may not share your love for them, but we here at ScreenCrave think you’d look pretty spiffy in these shirts.

Prices Vary Depending on Store and Shirt: Starting at $18.00 and up – Nerdy Shirts | 80stees.com | Red Bubble | Dutch Southern

8. Sony HVR-HD1000U Digital High Definition Camcorder

Know any aspiring filmmakers? The digital revolution has made movie-making infinitely more accessible than it once was, and if you’re looking for professional-quality video equipment at a (relatively) modest budget, Sony’s powerful HD Camera is a great place to start. Or, if you can afford to hand out a rain check, GearCrave points out that RED is unleashing their two new lines of Scarlet and Epic HD cameras starting in Spring 2009.

Immensely customizable and built for the future, these babies can shoot at resolutions from 2K to a whopping 28K (why you would need to shoot at 28 times the resolution of 1080p is beyond me).

Kick start that career in Hollywood, or make some kick-ass looking home videos of the dog sniffing itself.

Price: $1,950.00 for the Sony; The REDs start at $2,500.00

7. Philips Prestigio Universal Remotes

Ever since we saw the Philips’ Prestigio SRT9320 touchscreen remote, we’ve been itching to play with it. The sleek design is beautiful and with the ability to control up to 20 devices you’ll never need another remote again. The combination of a hard keypad and a 2.8-inch touch screen grants you full command of even the most unwieldy home theater systems. The caveat though is that this pretty little thing won’t be available until the first quarter of 2009, and carries a hefty price tag of $250. Philips’ Prestigio line does have some currently available and cheaper alternatives, though, including the SRU 8008 and the SRU8015.

Price: $250.00

6. Movie Collectibles

Nothing warms the movie geek heart like movie collectibles. Take this Reservoir Dogs action figure pack, or these Dark Knight and Joker bobbleheads as examples. Useless? Maybe. But geektastically cool? Oh yeah. High end shoppers can also peruse the finely-crafted merchandise at Sideshow Collectibles. More price-constrained shoppers can check out WickedCoolStuff.com’s wicked cool collection.

Prices Vary Depending on Site and Product: $13.99 and up

5. Movie Related Books

Just because we love watching movies doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate a good book, (as long as its about movies). The more scholarly types can check out books on movie history, like “You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story” or “The Stanley Kubrick Archives.” There’s something enthralling about learning how Hollywood came to be the wacky place that it is, and studying the people who helped shape the face of cinema today.

Those into film criticism ought to check out any of Roger Ebert’s books, such as “Awake in the Dark” or the aptly-titled “Your Movie Sucks.” Another option is looking into the literary origins of popular movies. “Forrest Gump” started off as a book, and people curious about the inspirations behind Christopher Nolan‘s relaunch of the Batman franchise can pick up “Batman: The Long Halloween” or “Batman: Year One.” My personal recommendation is Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road,” the hauntingly beautiful post-apocalyptic tale that won the Pulitzer Prize and got adapted into a film opening next year starring Viggo Mortensen and Charlize Theron.

Price: $7.99 and up | Available on Amazon

4. Blu-Ray Player

If they haven’t upgraded to Blu Ray yet, it’s time. The price of Blu Ray players are dropping and Blu Ray movies themselves are becoming more and more ubiquitous. Unbeatable sound and picture quality aside, Blu Ray is the future, so there really is no reason to keep putting this off. I don’t have a brand preference for Blu Ray players, but the Sony BDP-S350 is a well-reviewed and affordably-priced one that does everything you could ask a BD Player to do: DVD Upscaling, update-able firmware, Internet connectivity for access to online features, and of course it spits out a gorgeous 1080p image with Dolby TrueHD Sound. It’s time to make the jump.

Price: $249.99

3. DVD Box Sets

For those who aren’t yet sold on making the switch to Blu Ray, one indisputable advantage that DVD still has over Blu Ray is a great collection of box sets. Here are three that we love. The Columbia Best Picture Collection comes with 11 Best Picture Oscar winners, including It Happened One Night, From Here to Eternity, On the Waterfront, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, Kramer vs. Kramer, and Gandhi, all for $99.99. Another option is The Nightmare Before Christmas Ultiimate Collector’s Edition.

Not only is it packed with goodies and special features, but it comes in a beautifully-crafted Jack Skellington bust (ScreenCrave actually gave one of these out earlier this year, and it was a hit). TV cartoon fans will also be ecstatic to see that Warner Bros. has released Batman – The Complete Animated Series. Get every episode of the seminal cartoon series across 17 discs, all for $75.99!

Price: Varies; highlighted items range from $75.99 to $159.99

2. Blu Ray Movies

Okay, but really, SWITCH TO BLU RAY (subtle, I know)! And why not, with a growing collection of outstanding movies now available in lush high definition. Not to seem like a Sony fanboy or anything (I’m more of a Samsung guy, personally), but non-believers should visit a Sony store to get the side-by-side comparisons; the difference really is amazing. For newcomers and the long-converted alike, check out classics like Casablanca, or the biggest movie of this year, The Dark Knight.

For more holiday-appropriate fare, why not revisit A Christmas Story to get your fill of yuletide cheer? TV shows like “Lost” can also be found on Blu Ray at a great price. But my favorite reason to shop Blu Ray this season is the Criterion Collection’s latest offerings on the format of the future. Cult classics like The Third Man and The Man Who Fell to Earth, as well as more modern films that set the arthouse crowd abuzz like Chungking Express and Bottle Rocket can now be found on Blu Ray, put together with top-notch special features and packaging by the cinema-savvy and impassioned folks over at Criterion.

Price: Varies; highlighted items range from $23.99 to $49.99 | Available on Amazon

1. Pioneer Kuro Elite PRO-111FD Flat-Panel TV

Being the first flat-panel TV to score a perfect “10″ for Performance on CNET is freaking awesome. There are many HDTVs to choose from these days, and this is just one of many, albeit an especially impressive one. The fact is that HDTV is the point these days; it’s the best way to enjoy movies and television, it’s why there’s such an emphasis on upgrading to Blu Ray in this article (though I do understand consumers who aren’t ready to make the switch yet), and for movie fans, it’s the only way to bring the cinema home.

At the top of our gift list is perhaps the best flat-panel TV you can buy today, Pioneer’s PRO-111FD, which roughly translates to 50 inches of brain-melting eye candy. Slick design, expansive picture control, a bevy of connector hookups, and unrivaled picture quality make this the holy grail of flat panel TVs. The only catch? It’s prohibitively expensive. If you’ve got something like $4,000 sitting around this could be the new centerpiece of your home theater setup. If not, well…you’re just going to have to sit here and sigh wistfully like the rest of us.

Price: $4,500 MSRP; ~$4,000 from other online retailers

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