Ron Howard’s Angels & Demons, sequel to the blockbuster Da Vinci Code from 2006, is what you might call an equal opportunity annoyance — happily misrepresenting theology and science. Tom Hanks returns as Harvard scholar Robert Langdon, this time summoned to Rome by mysterious Vatican security to investigate the kidnapping of four Cardinals on the eve […]
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In 2003 the paper-thin romantic comedy How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days paired Matthew McConaughey with Kate Hudson and made over 100 million dollars. The rules of Hollywood economics, plus the overwhelming dictates of focus groups and researchers, meant they would have to be reunited. So, as soon as Hudson’s baby-body was fit …
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Keen-eyed readers will remember that a year ago I nominated The Golden Compass as my most-eagerly-awaited title of 2007. So, how did it pan out? I’m one of those who consider Philip Pulman’s His Dark Materials books to be the most important works of fiction produced in the last 20 years and I was surprised […]
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This week’s Capital Times film review, lavishly illustrated as usual: Hairspray (Adam Shankman); Ratatouille (Brad Bird); The Invasion (Oliver Hirschbiegel); Next (Lee Tamahori); Romulus, My Father (Richard Roxburgh). This is the first time that I’ve really felt the pressure of the 550 word limit and some of the writing has suffered as a result, so apologies for that.
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This week’s Capital Times film review, featuring illustrations and links: Black Sheep (Jonathan King); Ghost Rider (Mark Steven Johnson); The Road to Guantanamo (Michael Winterbottom & Mat Whitecross) and in advance of the World Cinema Showcase, Dans Paris (Christophe Honoré); Suburban Mayhem (Paul Goldman) and Habana Blues (Benito Zambrano).
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This week’s Capital Times cinema review (as-yet un-annotated): Brick, directed by Rian Johnson, World Trade Center, directed by Oliver Stone, Garfield : A Tale of Two Kitties, directed by Tim Hill, Tristram Shandy: A Cock & Bull Story, directed by Michael Winterbottom
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Dan Slevin is a New Zealand-based writer, broadcaster and consultant. He has reviewed cinema for the Capital Times weekly newspaper since September 2006, seeing and reviewing every film commercially released in Wellington in that time (except, for some reason, Flicka or Beverly Hills Chihuahua).
Dan is a regular contributor to Radio New Zealand National’s Nine to Noon programme and produces and co-hosts the weekly movie podcast, Cinematica.
In addition to being the finest swordsman in all France, he is also the meanest hombre west of the Pecos. He tweets here.
Why Funerals & Snakes? In Jean-Luc Godard’s Contempt (Le Mépris; 1963), Fritz Lang said of CinemaScope: “It’s only good for funerals and snakes.”