Monthly Archives: February 2013

Outtakes, Slider

Outtakes: Looking for Valentine Romance?

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Looking for a shot at romancing your way into a fine Valentine’s Day? The Gateway Film Center (1550 North High St.) is way ahead of you. How better to woo your guy or gal than with the best romantic comedy since Fight Club, Shaun of the Dead?
 
For the third year running, the theater with a special place in its heart for horror unspools the hilarious zombie romp starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. As bromantics Shaun and Ed, the duo need to come to terms with one unhappy girlfriend, one unwanted stepdad, and one zombie horde. Best place for that? The pub.
 
It’s a truly brilliant film, one worth seeing again and again with the one you love. It’s also an excellent choice for viewing when you’re trying to avoid all the ‘one you love’ shenanigans this time of year. 
 
Bonus: both Valentine screenings (7:30 and 9:30 pm this Thursday, 2/14) will open with the short “Til Death”, a macabre take on love gone wrong. The film comes from local filmmaker Jason Tostevin, who won the Gateway’s Homemade Horror Short contest in October with his medical spookfest “Room 4C”. 
 
It’s a film pairing that, like love itself, tells you to aim for the heart. 
 
Wait. Scratch that. The heart will do you no good. Apparently you’re supposed to aim for the head.
Tickets are $6.50. Expect prizes, trivia, and drink specials (which couldn’t hurt your Valentiney chances).

For Your Queue, Slider

For Your Queue: True Tales of Fascinating Women

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By Hope and George

 

We’ve got a couple wild documentaries For Your Queue this week..

If you don’t know much about Diana Vreeland, picture the possible female inspiration for famous beer pitchman The Most Interesting Man in the World. Vreeland’s answer to most every question would begin with “Good God!” before regaling all with stories of rhino hunting or the time she saw Hitler, and then letting loose with some unexpected exclamation.

Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel documents her globe-trotting childhood (“hideous..and maaahvelous!) and eventual career as the longtime fashion editor at Harper’s Bazaar, editor-in-chief at Vogue, and all-around influence on fashion and popular culture.

Co-directed by granddaughter-in-law Lisa Immordino Vreeland, Diana’s story is told through interviews, archival footage, and transcripts from a meeting she held with writer George Plimpton to discuss her memoirs. Together, they paint a completely entertaining picture of a strong woman who embraced independent thinking and lived a determined life of unapologetic originality.

Appreciation for the film may actually increase the less you know about Vreeland, as you giddily discover a true visionary. The Eye Has to Travel is a wonderful reminder of the vibrancy of her work, and her exuberant zest for life.

For an even wilder true life account, look into 2007’s Crazy Love, a tale of obsession, maiming, prison rot, and finally, marriage. Burt Pugach served 14 years in prison after hiring thugs to throw lye in the face of Linda Riss, the young woman who’d spurned his love after finding out he was married. They later married.

Wait, what?

This is not even the end of the story – more nuttiness follows. And it is so plainly stated that it feels inevitable, acceptable, and disturbing all at once. Burt Pugach (who passed away a few weeks ago) set out to ensure that no one else would ever possess his Linda, and he succeeded. Yet somehow these horrifying turns of event are made almost charming by her cantankerous

New In Theaters

The Bond of Two Broken Souls

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By Hope Madden

 

Why do strangers Stephanie and Ali form such a fierce bond in Rust and Bone (De rouille et d’os) ? Stephanie (Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard) trains orcas and struggles with tragedy, while Ali (Matthias Schoenaerts) lives in the present moment, accepting any offer, opportunity or bit of fun that presents itself without a thought of the consequences to himself or his young son.

Writer/director Jacques Audiard (A Prophet) doesn’t provide all the answers in his challenging exploration of their relationship.  His drama, in French with subtitles, is a gritty, punishing  tale of sexual redemption between two broken people unconventionally well suited to each other. The chemistry between the leads keeps the film taut, and Audiard’s wandering storyline and loyalty to his characters forever surprises.

4 stars (out of 5)

 

 

New In Theaters

Hot Zombie Love

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By George Wolf

 

Around the time Twilight ruined vampires and werewolves, horror fans began to cling to zombies as the only real monsters left. You can’t Twilight a zombie, right?  They aren’t wolf-boys who can’t keep their shirts on, they are stinking, rotting corpses out to eat your brain. Nothing romantic there.

If you’re thinking, “What about zombie Michael Jackson from the “Thriller” video?” I say, good point, but Zombie MJ was more dancer than romantic lead

Well, it took Hollywood a while to catch up, but Warm Bodies shows they have figured out how to Twilight a zombie. They even hired that girl who looks exactly like a blonde Kristin Stewart (Teresa Palmer)  to play romantic lead in this teen romantic comedy version of Romeo and Juliet.

Of course, in this particular case Romeo (Nicholas Hoult, “Beast” from X-Men:  First Class)  is a reanimated corpse that the young ladies should have no problem swooning over.

Working from Isaac Marion’s novel, screenwriter/director Jonathan Levine (50/50) mines adolescent anxiety for a sweetly charming if less than thrilling romance. Hoult is instantly likeable, while Rob Corddry and Analeigh Tipton draw a few chuckles.

While Warm Bodies falls far short of the greatest romantic comedy with zombies, Shaun of the Dead, it is harmless fun that would serve as a fine date night for the younger crowd.

3 stars (out of 5)