An Enchanting Chinese Fairy Tale Reborn

A Chinese Ghost Story was one of the first Hong Kong movies to really break through to a Western audience in the form it was made, finding considerable success on the UK and US arthouse circuits back in the late 80s. The story was loosely based on a Qing Dynasty literature ‘Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio’, which is a collection of nearly five hundred mostly supernatural tales written by Pu Songling. While it has been retold several times, Tony Ching Siu-Tung directed and Tsui Hark produced version is still the

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Getting Up To Speed: I Am Number Four, Finding Mr. Destiny, Unknown

So many movies, so little time. I think I need to speed up with a few quick reviews on some movies I've seen since the last update. And here’s my opinion on three new films opening this weekend at the cinema. Roll it!

I Am Number Four
Director D.J. Caruso and mega-producer Michael Bay focus on teenage aliens and their assassin pursuants (sound familiar?) in the teen-friendly, sci-fi adventure “I Am Number Four”. If fighting an alien enemy isn't adequate, Caruso also surrounds his lead character, played by British actor Alex Pettyfer, with every imaginable teenage drama. The premise of the movie is that John Smith (Pettyfer) is one of nine alien kids from a planet called Lorien, which was destroyed by malicious enemy called the Mogadorians. They followed these nine alien kids to Earth and

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Gnomeo & Juliet

G | 1 hr 24 mins | Musical, Children's movie
William Shakespeare's tragic romance gets a garden gnome twist in this computer animated musical featuring the voices of James McAvoy and Emily Blunt, with music by Elton John.
Synopsis:
A funky retelling of William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" finds a war between the lawns of two houses and the red and blue garden gnomes that live within. When one adventurer, Gnomeo (James McAvoy), meets and falls for the rival lawn's Juliet (Emily Blunt), the two star-crossed lovers attempt to overcome both the dictates of a society that would keep them apart and the overall artistic fate that demands their story end in tragedy.

Director: Kelly Asbury
Starring: Starring: James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine, Matt Lucas, Jim Cummings, Julie Walters, Richard Wilson, Maggie Smith, Jason Statham, Patrick Stewart, Ashley Jensen, Stephen Merchant, Ozzy Osbourne, Dolly Parton, Hulk Hogan

Movie Trailer Gnomeo & Juliet

New Rules 4 New Scream of the Decade

Over a decade has passed, and Sidney Prescott, who has put herself back together thanks in part to her writing, will again meet her ceaseless arch-enemy, the Ghostface Killer. Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson’s revolutionary slasher “Scream” series was always the most cerebral of the horror movies. The first film (1996) being a reverence of the whole slasher genre with dialogue that satirized the convention, received generally positive reaction among film reviewers. They appreciated the shift from the teen slasher films of the 1980s and their "endless series of laborious, half-baked sequels." Williamson's script also was praised as containing a "fiendishly clever, complicated plot" which "deftly

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Goodbye For Now....

Try as I might, I cannot seem to post. It makes it worse when I see my ideas and concepts that I've had for years taken (some may say stolen) and watered down by other Black film blogs. It really irritates me, in fact, and I need to direct that focus elsewhere.

So instead of holding this energy of guilt over this blog, in addition to being highly annoyed by certain other ones, I will be concentrating my energies on my other projects. I've been quoted from this blog, nominated for awards, and linked to major media outlets, so I feel like I've definitely accomplished something here, but onward.....


I have a Blog Talk Radio Show called "Cinema In Noir", and it's on every Sunday at 6pm EST, (3pm PST), and we have fun. I do it with three other female Black Cinema bloggers, Kimberly Renee, Rebecca, and Candice, who all sincerely love film just as much as I do. We decided to have a show all about Black film from a Black female perspective, but male listeners love it too...and trust, we are definitely not spending our time commiserating about Tyler Perry, lol.

You can listen to our podcast here; my name is Rocky (now you know) so you'll know when it's me:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cinemainnoir


I will be writing a weekly column for the fabulous "Black Box Office" blog:

http://theblackboxoffice.com/


I really do talk about film almost all day, every day, just not here, haha. Please join me to talk about it with me and my comrades over on Twitter. You can find me here:

http://twitter.com/BlkCinemaAtLarg


Finally, and very lovingly, I've been curating Black film screenings in the San Francisco Bay Area under the moniker "Black Cinema At Large". This is my passion and my love, and my ultimate mission since I first started this blog in 2007. I will eventually put up a link to which screenings are when and where, sort of a calender of events.

I am very stoked to be a California affiliate of AFFRM, which is as 100% dedicated to spreading the beauty of Black film as I am. It is a collective network of Black Film Festivals and Curators bringing QUALITY Black film to your neighborhood, which ordinarily would not be seen through the "conventional" studio system.

You can read about AFFRM and it's mission here:

http://www.affrm.com/



Like the old show Siskel & Ebert used to say before signing off; "See you at the movies".

Love!!!


UPDATE

3/14/11: Ms. Invisibelle finally joined 2008 by starting up her Facebook for real, haha. You can find me here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Black-Cinema-At-Large/152521598124915

Witness the Resurrection of Sea Monstrosity in Sector 7

Korean writer-director Bong Joon-Ho has crafted a film that has changed the face of creature flicks in South Korea, and completely set a highest new standard that until now still very difficult to be approached by other wannabes. “The Host” not only succeeded in cutting loose from monster movie clichés by centering on the human characters of a dysfunctional family, it also confronts the genre by running in drama, humor, political satire, and presenting an overview of life in huge city of Seoul. Hailed by many critics as the much-welcome return of the good, old-fashioned monster movie, is there any Korean creature film that finally able to confront “The Host” in this era of 3D? After two years of pre-production, an oil rig monster flick called

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Top 10 Historically Significant Black Films (Not According To Me)

Ok, here I is, lol. For those of you who like my blog, I am much, much, more active on Twitter (sadly) and my username is @BlkCinemaAtLarg. I guess I should put that on here, but I'm waiting for my new site design.

Anyhoo, while on the great twitterville I came across Entertainment Tonight's "10 Historically Significant African-American Films". And let me tell you, it was the best list I've seen so far from a mainstream outlet, which was surprising, cause I find ET about as deep and relevant to Blacks as Ryan Seacrest.

Here is the list:

Cooley High

Antwone Fisher

Ray

What's Love Got To Do With It

A Soldier's Story

Do The Right Thing

Eve's Bayou

Boyz N The Hood

A Raisin In The Sun

The Color Purple

This is a great list, admittedly. There are a couple on there though, that while I do think are significant, are not necessarily historical. In the Black community, maybe, but not universally, which I believe was ET's intended stance.

So I wanna talk about two a day, to kick off my theme weeks. I think I'll start with A Soldier's Story and Cooley High, since those two are grabbing me today.



A Soldier's Story

I agree with ET's assessment on this one. As a child who went to the movies with a father who was just as a voracious movie-lover as Ms. Invisibelle, I remember that this was the first post-70's drama that was well directed, well written, well photographed, and well acted. This was an excellent story that had elements of suspense, mystery, and drama. It addressed an array of factors; racism in the military, the pressure of even being in the military, and wearing masks to hide our true selves from others.

I was very young, but I was completely captivated by the story in front of me. It is also the first time I remember having on screen crushes; despite his personal life (that I found out about afterward), Howard Rollins was a very powerful and amazing presence, and for some reason I was drawn to a very nerdy-looking and bespectacled Denzel Washington way before he was really known for anything...I guess he was born with it.

This film opened up a door that relayed Black drama was just as compelling, intense, and brilliant as anything else that was out there in the 80's or any other decade. I think it's a shame that there are certain entities (that will remain unnamed) that will play "Soul Plane" ad nauseum as opposed to playing this even once.


Cooley High

What can I say about this film? For some reason I love everything about it, so I'm in agreement with ET. It is the only film that I have seen more than repeatedly next to "Friday", and I never get tired of seeing it. What Cooley High has is:

*A sense of nostalgia, even if you weren't alive or remember the time period

*Great music

*Characters that made you care

*Comedy and drama well-balanced--one was just as interesting and watchable as the other

*A very brief glimpse that, for at least one month, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs was fine as hell

*A very brief glimpse that, for at least one month, Glynn Turman was not weird and creepy as hell

*Arresting wardrobe and on-point set design

*The breeding ground of the classic song by Boyz To Men "It's So Hard To Say Good-Bye To Yesterday"

*A coming-of-age story that was realistic and relatable

This film was testament that a very fine, touching, and universally Black story could be made on a relatively small budget. This film speaks to generations, and everyone from your grandparents to your grandchildren love it, and I really can't think of another Black film like that.

Tomorrow two more.

The Further You Travel, The Insidious It Gets

When their original torture horror film “Saw” has turned into a fatigue, washed-out series, Australian writer Leigh Whannell and director James Wan, have re-teamed for a more promising, back-to-basic supernatural horror tale called “Insidious”. Also helped boost the new horror prospect is the producers, fresh from the phenomenon success of "Paranormal Activity", including Oren Peli, they signed onboard for what Wan calls a "haunted house movie which takes all the usual conventions and twists them on their head". Shot in Los Angeles early previous year on a somewhat tight finances and word on Whannell's screenplay that was appropriately muscular, “Insidious” has met

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Just Go With It

PG-13 | 1 hr 50 mins | Comedy Movie
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for frequent crude and sexual content, partial nudity, brief drug references and language)
Synopsis:
Danny (Adam Sandler) has a unusual overture to picking up women gain their sympathy, he pretends to be snuck in an miserable marriage. The second he waves his wedding ring, the deal is all but cinched. But when Danny finally meets a woman (Brooklyn Decker) that he really would want to marry, he breaks his usual approach for something a bit more subtle. Incredibly, it works. But when she discovers the wedding band that he used to use as a pick-up prop, Danny tries to cover his tracks by falling back on his tried and true divorce line. Unluckily for Danny, the plan backfires when his new girlfriend asks to meet his future ex. Desperate, Danny recruits his office manager, Katherine (Jennifer Aniston), to corroborate his ruse by posing as his current wife. Before long, the lies are snowballing, and by the time Katherine's kids get involved and everyone comes together for a trip to Hawaii and will change all their lives.

Director: Dennis Dugan
Starring: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman, Brooklyn Decker, Dave Matthews, Bailee Madison

Movie Trailer Just Go With It

Romantic Movies You May Have Never Heard Of

Valentine's Day falls on a Monday this year, probably the least romantic day of the week. But whenever it's, Valentine always the most special time to expressing your love for your someone special, and there can be no better romantic idea than to spend quality time with your partner watching good valentine movies. You can easily find

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100,000% Better Than Madea's Trailer...

While probably sighing the deepest sigh anyone ever sighed after the watching the "Madea's Happy Family" trailer (at least I think that was the name of it), I decided to clear my mind with fellow film blogger Issa Rae's new webseries "The Misadventures Of An Awkward Black Girl". It's getting a big buzz (cause it's hilarious) and will definitely mean we'll never pick up "Soul Sis-Star Reviews" ever again; I see a deal in her future... *another sigh*

For My Mighty Bay Folkses...

Black Cinema At Large will be having a couple of screenings this month; both at the Eastside Cultural Center and Arts Alliance on International Boulevard in Oakland.

For Valentine's Day on Sunday February 13th at 7pm we are showing one of Ms. Invisibelle's faves; "A Good Day To Be Black And Sexy". Bring your valentine, or just your sexy self.

On Friday, February 18th at 7pm, we will be screening "Night Catches Us", moderated by the Co-Founder of the Black Panthers, Bobby Seale.

Come out and how some support for Black film, as well as one of the only venues in the Bay Area whose 100% mission is to support diversity in art and politics. (And meet me, lol) For more info, click HERE.

Experience A Bold New Vision for Jane Eyre

The book of “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontë is undoubtedly one of the most iconic in English literatures and has been one of the world’s most popular books. A mainstay of school reading lists, it also has been translated into virtually every language and the subject of numerous previous adaptations. BBC turned the 19th century story about a governess who falls in love with her surly employer who has a dark secret into a miniseries that won three Emmys in 2007, while the latest feature, made

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Haunters: Offers Something Different to Superhero Genre

South Korean film "Haunters" aka “Psychich”, directed by debutante filmmaker Kim Min-suk, features a unique and intriguing story about a duel between two men, one with a supernatural power who can control people with his eyes and another is the only person who can’t be affected

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This Lunar New Year, Catch Some Fat Choi Spirits

With Lunar New Year directly around the corner, the Asian film industry is once again bracing for its busiest time of year. Keeping up with the tradition with its own genre called "he sui pian," meaning "New Year celebration movies," Asian cinema, especially

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The Rite

PG-13 | 1 hr 52 mins | Thriller Movie
The Rite is a supernatural thriller that uncovers the devil's reach to even one of the holiest places on Earth.
Synopsis:
The Rite follows a young skeptical seminary student Michael Kovak (Colin O'Donoghue), who reluctantly attends exorcism school at the Vatican. While in Rome, he meets an unorthodox priest, Father Lucas (Anthony Hopkins) , who introduces him to the darker side of his faith.

Director: Mikael Hafstrom
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Colin O'Donoghue, Alice Braga, Ciaran Hinds, Rutger Hauer

Movie Trailer The Rite