SDLFF Dispatch #3 – “Bonsái” & “La espera”

“They can’t all be good,” is a mantra that any regular attendee of film festivals must adopt as they shuffle from show to show, because there are inevitably low points at even the most prestigious of fests. Having seen three strong films in a row at SDLFF, however, I started to second guess that general rule – perhaps I could make it through a dozen-plus movies without disliking any of them. Crazier things have happened. But that thought didn’t last long, as the next two… [Read more]

SDLFF Dispatch #2 – “Urte berri on, amona!”

I’m about to head down to SDLFF for another evening of viewings, but first I must highlight a selection I just watched on screener. Telmo Esnal’s Urte berri on, amona! screens tonight and tomorrow night; if you’re in the area and don’t mind your movies weird, don’t even think about skipping this one. [Read more]

SDLFF 2012: Dispatch #1 – “El páramo” & “El dedo”

While the bulk of film bloggers are convening in Austin for South by Southwest, I remain here in San Diego covering the city’s 19^th annual Latino Film Festival, which boasts its own fair share of promising features, documentaries, and shorts. This is my first time attending the event, but with fellow San Diego Film Critics Society member and SDLFF programmer Glenn Heath to steer me right, I anticipate I will discover quite a few good films throughout the fest’s duration… [Read more]

2012 Oscar Picks & Predictions

I hadn’t planned on posting my predictions and personal picks for this year’s Academy Awards, because everybody who’s anybody has already posted theirs. We’re all essentially in agreement on the major categories, so my contribution to the discussion is limited. But because I figure it’ll be good to have on record in the event I hit 80%+ (for future bragging rights), I’m reluctantly throwing them up. In the event that you’re not already exhausted with Oscar picks, read on… [Read more]

Box Office Predictions – Weekend of Feb 3

Most Americans associate this weekend with the Super Bowl, not the movie theater, but this has historically been a decent frame to release two types of films: teen horror (The Roommate, The Messengers, When a Stranger Calls) and women’s counterprogramming (Dear John, Because I Said So). CBS Films hopes they’ve combined both into one with The Woman in Black, a ghost story that happens to star a female favorite, Harry Potter‘s Daniel Radcliffe… [Read more]

Box Office Predictions – Weekend of Jan 27

It’s that time of the week again, and I have box office predictions at the ready for the three films opening in wide release today. This weekend brings Liam Neeson battling wolves, Katherine Heigl bounty hunting, and Sam Worthington threatening to jump off a ledge – yep, it’s still January, all right. Additionally, because the Oscar nominations were released on Tuesday, you can expect some healthy jumps from those films that made the cut. Without further ado… [Read more]

Box Office Predictions – Weekend of Jan 20

Hello, readers – it’s once again time to play the weekly box office predictions game. Apologies for my unannounced absence last Thursday – a run-in with what I can only presume to be some of the worst food-poisoning man has ever experienced left me bedridden for nearly five days. But I’m back, baby, and ready to haphazardly throw around numbers as usual… [Read more]

2012 DGA Nominees Announced

This morning, the Director’s Guild of America announced the nominees for their 2012 award. In a surprise to industry prognosticators, neither Steven Spielberg nor Terrence Malick received a nod for their acclaimed work on War Horse and The Tree of Life, respectively. Here are the five nominees: Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris David Fincher, The [...]

‘Devil Inside’ Scares Up Unexpectedly Huge B.O.

In a feat for Paramount’s new distribution arm, Insurge, the found-footage horror film The Devil Inside outplayed all industry expectations and opened to a whopping $33.7 million. That’s more than they expected to make off the whole run. That being said, the movie is terrible and it earned a rare “F” CinemaScore in theater exit [...]

Box Office Predictions – Weekend of Jan 6

After a four month hiatus, during which time I completed college, I am back at the box office predictions game. Miss me? Like it or not, here is my take on the coming weekend… The big movie opening this weekend is Paramount’s camcorder exorcism horror film, The Devil Inside. The obvious comparison would be Lionsgate’s very similar The Last Exorcism, which did resoundingly well back in August 2010, with $20.4 million opening weekend… [Read more]

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