Please enable javascript to view this site.

Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Image
Select a Page

Movie Reviews and Ratings

Cowboys and Aliens
Ted Faraone
0

By

2011/07/28 at 12:00am

Reviews

Cowboys and Aliens

07.28.2011 | By |

Cowboys and Aliens

Helmer Jon Favreau seems to have found his métier as a director of sci-fi flicks.  That may be good for his bank account, but not so good for auds.  Favreau is a very talented guy who has done just about everything that one can do in film and largely done it well.  A few box office hits in the sci-fi genre with bankable stars in the cast (Iron Man and Iron Man 2) have shown him the light.  It’s not exactly the headlight of an oncoming train at the end of the tunnel, but he could do better.

Cowboys & Aliens, which opens Friday, July 29, is a silly movie.  That is not to say that it isn’t fun to watch.  Even the 1936 propaganda film, “Reefer Madness” (a.k.a. Tell Your Children) offers a degree of amusement.  But watching “Cowboys & Aliens” is akin to ordering from a Chinese buffet menu — One from column A, two from column B.  Pic is a blend of clichés from high-tech sci-fi pix (think “Aliens,” “Priest,” and “Super 8”), a morality tale, and a western, topped off by a sucker-punch to auds delivered by a hummingbird.

It also stars Daniel Craig as bandito Jake Lonnergan who has a bad case of amnesia and Harrison Ford as former Union Army Civil War Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde and current local cattleman and padrone of a one-horse town in the wild American West of 1873.  In other words, it was bankable.  Dolarhyde is a greedy bastard who has trouble showing emotion.  He also has a son, Percy (Paul Dano) who is the local bully.  Keith Carradine is perhaps one of pic’s two or three most convincing thesps as the local sheriff.  And Olivia Wilde graces the screen as a good space alien — which explains why her eye makeup withstands explosions, physical attack by bad space aliens, and plunges into deep water.  Max Factor, eat your heart out!  At least she gets a better part than she had in “Priest.”

Throw in a cast of thousands including a plucky kid (Noah Ringer), a loyal dog, a tough-talking minister (Clancy Brown), and an Indian chief (Raoul Trujillo), and a bunch of bad space aliens who look like a cross between the thing from “Super 8” and the acid-blooded creatures from “Aliens,” and shake until the mixing glass is frosty.  You get a movie of sorts.

What little humor “Cowboys & Aliens” offers comes from some deadpanned punchlines uttered by Craig, Carradine, and Brown.  Dialogue is not pic’s strong suit.  Best lines seem to go to Trujillo who allegedly speaks only in the Apache language.

There is a moment in an adventure or crime movie when an experienced filmgoer will say to himself — or to the very attractive and incisive amateur critic seated to his left), “I knew that was going to happen.”

“Cowboys & Aliens” has more than a few.

Pic opens with a wounded Craig waking up in a desolate landscape wearing an odd metal bracelet and being set upon by a trio of bad guys.  He dispatches them with super-human dispatch, a gift which serves him well throughout pic’s 118 minutes.

Arriving in the one-horse town, he dispatches the local bully and gets the attention of gun toting Ella (Wilde) and the sheriff, who recognizes him from a “Wanted” poster.  What Craig doesn’t remember is that he has stolen gold from Ford and that he was abducted and escaped from the bad space aliens.  Evidently amnesia is one of the after-effects of alien abduction.

Just as Craig and Percy the bully (who accidentally shoots a deputy) are about to be handed over to U.S. Marshalls, Ford arrives to spring his kid.  At the same time, the bad aliens attack the town with what appear to be jet fighter-bombers.  In the process they kidnap about half the inhabitants.

The rest of pic centers on a few revelations (Craig’s memory slowly returns thanks to Ella and some Indian mysticism) and the need for banditi, greedy guys, a good space alien, and the Apache to join forces to defeat the aliens before the planet is taken over for its gold deposits.  The bad space aliens arrived on a rocket-powered space ship which contains both gold mining and refining equipment.  Like Nazis, they even pull the gold teeth from their captives.

Ending is totally predictable.  Harrison Ford’s shell cracks.  The “Wanted” poster is forgotten.  The bad aliens appear to be dispatched, some good guys die heroic deaths, and the plucky kid comes of age early.

Pic’s sucker punch comes in the form of a hummingbird, a special-effects hummingbird, no less, connected to Ella, which appears to Craig first as he regains his memory and again in the final reel only to scream a figurative “sequel!”

“Cowboys & Aliens” offers more than a few good action scenes.  Special effects, save the bad aliens, are not bad.  Best effect is Wilde emerging buck naked from a funeral pyre set for her by the Apache.  In order to keep pic’s PG-13 rating Craig covers her with an Indian blanket before any more than her fine backside appears on screen.  Have no fear in taking the kids.

The morality tale, utterly politically correct in today’s climate, is that greedy people have to set aside their greed and unite with their erstwhile enemies for the common good.

A final note:  “Cowboys & Aliens” boasts a list of writers, producers, executive producers, and production companies almost as long as its cast of thousands.  With that many cooks, it is no wonder that the stew verges on mish-mash.

Jack Rico
0

By

2011/07/28 at 12:00am

InterviewsMovies

Is Jayma Mays the nicest celebrity in Hollywood?

07.28.2011 | By |

Nice and humble are rarely two words used to describe any celebrity in Hollywood, but Jayma Mays might take the cake.

In an interview I did in New York City recently for ‘The Smurfs‘ movie, I had a chance to chat with Jayma Mays and ‘it’ guy, Neil Patrick Harris (yes, he’s still Doogie Howser M.D to me). I asked them both about their thoughts of their careers up to this moment. Mays began by saying that this film was “a big deal” to her. But later on she gave me an answer that not only floored me along the Columbia Pictures staff in the room, but also Neil, who could only riposte with a rib-hurting remark. Was she for real or did she yuk it up for the cameras? After all, they are actors. But no, she was for real and as sincere as you could possibly be.

My hats off to Jayna Mays for having the ‘gaul’ to be true to her modest and self-effacing self to answer, what must go down as, the most humble answer in the history of interviews. You’ll never hear another celebrity EVER say what she said. Take a look for yourself and be the judge.

Captain America: The First Avenger
Jack Rico
0

By

2011/07/21 at 12:00am

Reviews

Captain America: The First Avenger

07.21.2011 | By |

Captain America: The First Avenger
Friends with Benefits
Ted Faraone
0

By

2011/07/21 at 12:00am

Reviews

Friends with Benefits

07.21.2011 | By |

Friends with Benefits

It is sometimes amazing to see a well-worn Hollywood formula repackaged for the umpteenth time and still work.  Such is the case of “Friends with Benefits,” a star vehicle for Justin Timberlake (art director Dylan) and Mila Kunis (headhunter Jamie).  Before the opening titles there are two breakups:  Dylan’s girl in LA dumps him and Jamie’s boyfriend in New York dumps her — just as both are dragging their tardy guys to their favorite chick flicks.  Via a cute bit of editing (kudos to Tia Nolan) auds are led to believe briefly that it is one breakup — Dylan and Jamie — until the bi-coastal synchronicity sets in.  Both battle scarred veterans retire from the field.  No more romance for them.
 
Jamie lures Dylan to New York for a job interview to be the new art director of GQ Magazine.  He aces the interview.  The pair become fast friends — as in we like each other but there’s no sex.  That changes when Jamie utters, “God!  I want sex.”  Can two great friends have a sexual relationship that is “no relationship, no emotions, just sex, whatever happens?”  Auds will quickly figure out the answer.  As Stephen Sondheim wrote in one of the lyrics to A Little Night Music, eventually the nets descend.  The questions for “Friends with Benefits” are “How long will the arrangement last?”, “When will the nets descend?”, and “What happens after the inevitable breakup?”
 
While skein is busy answering said questions, pic reveals itself as a valentine to New York City, which is as much a character as any of the cast.  In the opening reel Jamie takes Dylan on a tour of New York to sell him on leaving LA.  It’s full “fish out of water” Angelino in Gotham jokes, but it works — both cinematically and as a plot device.  Dylan is sold.  Good thing, too, because by the time they get to the “just sex” part, pic is on to its second reel.
 
It’s nice to see Timberlake in a non-smarmy role, which he handles convincingly, but it is Kunis who steals her scenes as the tough, fast-talking, wisecracker.  Supporting roles are notable.  Patricia Clarkson does a star-turn as Jamie’s goofy, ex-hippie mom wherein there is a running gag about the nationality of Jamie’s dad.  Woody Harrelson has the unenviable task of being comic relief in a comedy.  His over-the-top gay sports editor sports more cliché gay jock jokes than your critic imagined exist.  To his credit, he plays the role big, bold, and farcical — think of Zach Galifianakis minus the annoying aspects.  Richard Jenkins as Dylan’s dad suffering the early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease and Jenna Elfman as sister Annie anchor pic’s serious scenes.  Jenkins comes across as sympathetic rather than pathetic.  Elfman has the least to work with but does well with what scribes Harley Peyton, David A. Newman, Keith Merryman and Will Gluck (who also directed) give her as the primary caregiver for dad and her son, a ten-year-old tuxedoed magician (Nolan Gould) whose trick failures are another one of pic’s myriad running gags.  In this regard “Friends with Benefits” bares careful scrutiny.  There are no loose ends.  Everything that happens in the picture happens for a reason and will probably happen again to move the plot along — or at least leave auds saying, “I knew that was coming.”  Sharp-eyed viewers will notice Paul Mazursky’s 1969 sexual revolution comedy, “Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice,” unspooling on a TV in the background of one scene.  It is one of pic’s many inside-film references.
 
Plot hinges on the overheard conversation, a truly shopworn device, but it gets the point across.  Jamie, unseen by Annie and Dylan, listens to Dylan argue with his sister that there is no relationship between Jamie and him; that the girl is damaged goods.  This leads to the inevitable breakup which takes place on Independence Day weekend at Dylan’s oceanfront boyhood home in what appears to be Santa Barbara.
 
Rest of pic’s 109 minutes are spent keeping auds guessing whether it will end as a romantic comedy (“Before Sunset”) or a weeper (“The Break-Up”).  Dénouement’s impetus comes from two characters both unlikely given their backgrounds and at the same time very likely given Hollywood tradition:  The parents.  Jenkins’ Mr. Harper in a lucid moment, punctuated by a perfectly timed gag, clarifies Dylan’s thinking.  Goofy, unreliable Lorna (Clarkson) does likewise for Jamie.  This plot trick has been done to death, but here it enjoys a resurrection.
 
“Friends with Benefits” is rated R.  For once the R rating is right.  There’s plenty of language and some pretty hot sex.  Children won’t understand it.  However, for adults it offers good lensing, adequate sound, and about a laugh a minute — even in the serious scenes.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Jack Rico
0

By

2011/07/13 at 12:00am

Reviews

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

07.13.2011 | By |

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2’, the final installment of the most profitable film series in history, is not only the preeminent work of the saga, but it is one of the top ten films I have seen so far in 2011. The film is so well crafted I had to see it twice. And for those who think I am an obsessed zealot, my statement comes from a critic who has never read any – not one – of the tomes. I am clearly not a ‘pothead’, as hardcore Potter fans are referred to. You don’t have to be a fan of the books to appreciate it, it stands alone as a fantastic and entertaining film that one can understand and enjoy. This is not a good movie, this is a great movie and great movies need to be recognized for their artistry come award season. ‘The Deathly Hallows: Part 2’ should be considered as a Best Picture contender come the Oscars next year and should clearly score nods for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Original Score, Best Sound Mixing, Best Visual Effects and Best Adapted Screenplay. In the same way ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ won the top prize in 2004, ‘Potter 8’ should go out with a bang.

‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2’ is an action drama that is entertaining, intriguing and emotionally transfixing. Part 2 picks up where Part one’s quasi-epic-finale ends with Voldemort obtaining the Elder’s Wand from the coffin of Dumbledore. Potter needs to find three more horcruxes to kill his archenemy, but before he does that, our boy wizard will need the help of his friends, Hermione and Ron, to get back to Hogwarts and face old friends that are now traitors and discover the truth that will change his life forever. However, things won’t be easy, the battle between the good and evil forces of the wizarding world escalates into an all-out war and many loved friends die. It is Harry Potter who may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice as it all ends in a climactic showdown with Lord Voldemort for the future of Hogwarts and ultimately the world.

Throughout the last decade, beginning with director Christopher Columbus, these installments have at one point or another been nominated for many Oscars, particularly in the technical field. But none of them never have deserved the best film prize – until now. It is hard for movies with great commercial success to have a place amongst the best come award season, but that mentality is slowly changing. For example, Avatar recently did it and it was in 3D. So it can be done, but for the purposes of this argument, I’ll limit myself to Peter Jackson’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy as source material. The parallels between the ‘Harry Potter’ series and Jackson’s three epic offerings have gone on for many years amongst connoisseurs. They are both considered Hollywood blockbuster films with gargantuan production budgets, they rely heavily on visual effects to bring to life their stories, their genres are also the same – action, drama, epic fantasies – and even the narratives stand on themes of underdog characters predestined to fight the ultimate battle of good versus evil. So if LOTR can win Best Picture, why can’t ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2’?  The premise was as exhilarating and gripping as I can remember any movie this year, the special effects were once again dazzling, the soundtrack by Alexandre Desplat (The King’s Speech) set off chills, the script by Steve Kloves was an emotional and moving coaster ride, the direction of David Yates was managed with great skill, and even though no one actor will be nominated for an Oscar for their work, neither were the ones for ‘Lord of the Rings’, except Ian Mckellen, once. The year is young and we must await for the fall movies to be released in order to judge Potter’s sustainability amongst its competition, nevertheless, it must be part of the conversation.

Why it took the producers of the Potter series 8 movies to get the mix right might be attributed to these sequels not providing real conclusions which take a toll on a persons tolerance. You can also argue that most of the previous seven films were slow paced and, dare I say, boring. However, all the ingredients have come to fruition on this final chapter including the acting skills of the beloved protagonists. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint have come a long way since being pre-adolescents and they deliver wonderful and demonstrative performances that will manage to extract a tear or two from more than one spectator or fan.

I had the privilege of seeing the movie at the New York red carpet premiere and then again the next day at the Lowes Lincoln Square IMAX theater (which holds the largest IMAX screen in the world after Australia). Both were presented in 3D, but the 3D visuals were modest at best in the standard 3D screening during the premiere. Much of it probably had to do with the movie being converted to 3D in post-production as opposed to being shot in 3D. This ‘backdoor’ process usually provides a dull and dim experience too many who see it, but that wasn’t the case in the IMAX theater. The colors were so much more pristine and the 3D conversion was barely felt. It looked impressive. So if you’re looking to see it in 3D, make sure you see it in an IMAX screen, preferably the one in the aforementioned theater.

If ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2’ is truly the last we will ever see of the cast and its crew then it was an unforgettable farewell to all of those who have stood by them throughout all these years. When we look back 10-20 years from now, hopefully we can all look admirably at this franchise with awe, and in particular, highlight this last film as the best of the series, and perhaps, one of the best films of 2011.

Rango
Jack Rico
0

By

2011/07/12 at 12:00am

Movies

Rango

07.12.2011 | By |


Jack Rico
0

By

2011/07/11 at 12:00am

Movies

Latinbeat Film Festival announces 2011 lineup

07.11.2011 | By |

Latinbeat Film Festival announces 2011 lineup

New York, NY, July 7, 2011-The Film Society of Lincoln Center announced details for the 2011 Latinbeat Film Festival (August 10–24) including 23 films representing 15 countries. Screening at FSLC’s Walter Reade Theater (165 W. 65th Street), the 12th edition of the oldest (and first) Latin American film festival in New York City will feature 4 US Premieres. Those films include Lais Bodanzky’s THE BEST THINGS IN THE WORLD; Tristan Bauer’s CHE, A NEW MAN; Mariano Cohn’s and Gastón Duprat’s QUERIDA VOY A COMPRAR CIGARRILLOS Y VUELVO; and Marta Ferrer’s EL VARAL.
 
Featuring films from 11 different Latin American countries as well as France, Germany, Spain and the U.S. and just as abundant an array of genres and styles, Latinbeat continues to follow the latest trends of filmmaking in Latin America by showcasing both up-and-coming directors and internationally recognized filmmakers. Films range from romantic comedies, classic thrillers, coming of age stories, animation and documentaries.
 
Gustavo Taretto’s romantic comedy SIDEWALLS will make its East Coast Premiere as Latinbeat’s Opening Night selection. A crowd-pleasing hit at the Berlin Film Festival, Taretto’s feature film debut pays homage to Buenos Aires as it follows two people navigating through a sea of personal phobias as they (hopefully) head toward their eventual meeting and happy romantic destiny. A Sundance Selects release, SIDEWALLS opens the festival with a screening on Wednesday, Aug 10 at 7:00PM with Taretto, the film’s star, Pilar Lopez De Ayala and composer Gabriel Chwojnik in attendance.
 
Latinbeat will also feature a Special Filmmaker Panel Presentation entitled Central American Cinema Today. Co-presented with Casa Clementina and Cinema Tropical and sponsored by New York Women in Film and Television, the panel will feature the festival’s filmmakers discussing innovative forms of local film production in Central America, marking the first time the subject has been addressed at a NYC-based film festival. Offered free to the public with a purchased ticket to the 1:00PM screening of MARIMBAS FROM HELL, the panel takes place Sunday, August 14 at 11:00AM.
 
Latinbeat is also proud to present the screening of the Cuban film, LONG DISTANCE, by Esteban Insausti, who is considered one of the most prominent directors of the avant-garde movement in Cuba. Co-Presented with the New England Festival of Ibero American Cinema, LONG DISTANCE explores the emotional impact of the exodus of Cubans to the US over the last several years through the story of a single woman coming to terms with the loss of her friends. Insausti, a major exponent of the new generation of so-called “independent” Cuban filmmakers will be in attendance and will be joined by the film’s stars, Alexis Diaz de Villegas, Anna Biu and Zulema Clares for Q&As following the screenings. 
 
Two special screenings will feature live musical accompaniment: THE STOESSEL EXPEDITION is a restored gem from 1928 about a car journey from Buenos Aires to New York that includes previously unseen footage of Latin American capitals at the time. The screening will feature live piano accompaniment by original score composer Donald Sosin. The Brazilian Coffin Joe horror cult classic THIS NIGHT I WILL POSSESS YOUR CORPSE will feature the original music score and performance by guitarist Gary Lucas. 
 
Additional highlights include; Lais Bodanzky’s Brazilian coming-of-age story THE BEST THINGS IN THE WORLD, based on the “Mano” bestselling book series and starring teen-heartthrob Fiuk Pedro and Francisco Miguez; Marcel Rasquin’s drama, BROTHER, the Venezuelan submission for Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar consideration this year; Tristan Bauer’s documentary CHE, A NEW MAN, featuring rare footage not seen before today; renowned writer, Alberto Fuguet’s turn behind the camera for the Nashville-set, COUNTRY MUSIC; the return of New Directors/New Films alums Matias Bize with the Chilean love story, THE LIFE OF FISH and Mariano Cohn & Gastón Duprat with their black comedy QUERIDA VOY A COMPRAR CIGARRILLOS Y VUELVO; Jairo Carrillo’s beautiful 3D animated doc LITTLE VOICES, made from drawings and with voices of real characters whose lives it depicts; and Marcelo Cohan’s Argentinian thriller NO RETURN starring Leonardo Sbaraglia and Federico Luppi.
 
Additional filmmakers confirmed to attend Latinbeat include: Matias Bize (Director of THE LIFE OF FISH), Julio Hernandez Cordon and Pamela Guinea (Director and Producer of MARIMBAS FROM HELL), Alberto Fuguet (Writer/Director of COUNTRY MUSIC), Victoria Galardi (Director of MOUNT BAYO), Bettina Perut and Ivan Osnovikoff (Directors of THE DEATH OF PINOCHET), and Paula Siero (Director of THE WATER AT THE END OF THE WORLD).
 
“This year’s Latinbeat Film Festival captures a stunning variety of films – both commercial and independent currently coming out of Latin America, said Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Marcela Goglio. We are especially proud to spotlight the creative search for new forms of production in Central America and the Caribbean. The exploration of documentary/fiction boundaries that took such an exciting turn in Latin American cinema in the last few years has spread to this region and we are beginning to see the results of that now.”
 
Goglio added, “We are also thrilled to be able to share some great new films from traditionally underrepresented countries, like Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Uruguay and Venezuela.  We believe it will all add up to make  this one of our most vibrant film festivals yet.”

FILM DESCRIPTIONS FOR THE 2011 FSLC LATINBEAT FILM FESTIVAL

ACORAZADO (2010, 97min)
Director: Alvaro Curiel
Country: Mexico/Cuba
Curiel’s hilarious debut tells the story of Veracruz native Silveiro, whose buddies help him hatch an unusual emigration plan: turning his old taxi into an improvised raft.
ACORAZADO screens Thursday, August 11 at 4:45PM; and Friday, August 12 at 7:00PM.

ALL YOUR DEAD ONES (Todos tus muertos) (2011, 88min)
Director: Carlos Moreno
Country: Colombia
When a Colombian farmer stumbles upon a pile of corpses, he finds that the officials have other priorities in this searing attack on a culture of corruption, poverty, and violence. ALL YOUR DEAD ONES is a Shoreline Films release.
ALL YOUR DEAD ONES screens Saturday, August 20 at 2:45PM; Sunday, August 21 at 9:30PM; and Monday, August 22 at 6:30PM.

THE BEST THINGS IN THE WORLD (As Melhores Coisas do Mundo)
(2010, 100min)
Director: Lais Bodanzky
Country: Brazil
In this sweet, funny coming-of-age tale set in Sao Paolo (with a great soundtrack), a 15-year-old boy’s carefree life is complicated by a shocking revelation. The film is an Intra Movies release.
THE BEST THINGS IN THE WORLD screens Thursday, August 18 at 4:30PM; Saturday, August 20 at 9:30PM; and Tuesday, August 23 at 9:00PM.
 
BROTHER (Hermano) (2010, 96min)
Director: Marcel Rasquin
Country: Venezuela
Two futbol-playing brothers have their love and loyalty put to the test when a scout invites them to try out with the best team in Caracas in this inspiring family drama. BROTHER is a Musicbox Films release.
BROTHER screens Friday, August 12 at 5:00PM; Saturday, August 13 at 2:40PM; and Sunday, August 14 at 8:45PM.

***Special Filmmaker Panel Presentation***
Central American Cinema Today
Co-presented with Casa Clementina and Cinema Tropical
Sponsored by New York Women in Film and Television
Latin Beat filmmakers will discuss innovative forms of local film production.
Central American Cinema Today is free with ticket to the 1:00PM screening of MARIMBAS FROM HELL.
The Central American Cinema Today panel takes place Sunday, August 14 at 11:00AM.
 
CHE, A NEW MAN (Che, un hombre nuevo) (2010, 94min)
Director: Tristan Bauer
Country: Argentina
Twelve years in the making, Bauer’s intimate look at the larger-than-life Che Guevara demonstrates both his ideals and his passion, with never-before-seen private documents and recordings. CHE, A NEW MAN is a Match Factory release.
CHE, A NEW MAN screens Wednesday, August 10 at 4:30PM and 9:30PM; and Sunday, August 14 at 6:40PM.
 
COUNTRY MUSIC (Musica campesina) (2011, 100min)
Director: Alberto Fuguet
Country: Chile/U.S.
A Chilean man who loves country music roams through Nashville in this fresh take on immigrant stories, laced with funny dialogue and boasting a terrific soundtrack.
COUNTRY MUSIC screens Friday, August 19 at 6:30PM; Sunday, August 21 at 3:00PM; and Monday, August 22 at 4:15PM. (Alberto Fuguet will participate in Q&As following each screening.)

THE DEATH OF PINOCHET (La muerte de Pinochet) (2011, 70min)
Directors: Bettina Perut & Ivan Osnovikoff
Country: Chile
A raw yet intimate look at Chilean history, this provocative documentary takes to the streets on the day of Pinochet’s death, capturing intensely divided reactions.
THE DEATH OF PINOCHET screens Sunday, August 14 at 3:00PM; and August, 17 at 7:00PM. (Directors Bettina Perut and Ivan Osnovikoff will participate in Q&As following each screening.)
 
JEAN GENTIL (2010, 84min)
Directors: Laura Amelia Guzmán & Israel Cárdenas
Country: Mexico/Dominican Republic/Haiti
This poignant tale vividly captures the day-to-day life of an educated Haitian immigrant as he travels through the Dominican Republic in search of work and a meaning to his life.
JEAN GENTIL screens Saturday, August 13 at 4:45PM and Monday, August 15 at 4:15PM.

THE LIFE OF FISH (La vida de los peces) (2010, 84min)
Director: Matias Bize
Country: Chile
Returning to Chile after 11 years abroad, an expat writer meets old friends and is forced to confront his past in this insightful, emotionally intense love story.
THE LIFE OF FISH screens Friday, August 12 at 9:15PM, and Tuesday, August 16 at 6:30PM. (Matias Bize will participate in Q&As following each screening.)
 
LITTLE VOICES (Pequeñas voces) (2010, 75min)
Director: Jairo Carrillo
Country: Colombia
Beautifully animating their drawings, this extraordinary 3D documentary depicts the lives of displaced Colombian children who have grown up amidst guerrilla fighting. The film is a Films Boutique release.
LITTLE VOICES screens Wednesday, August 24 at 6:30PM.

LONG DISTANCE (Larga distancia) (2010, 93min)
Director: Esteban Insausti
Country: Cuba
Insausti explores the dramatic emotional impact of the mass exodus of Cubans to the US through the story of a woman who finds that she has lost all of her friends to this crisis.
Co-presented with The New England Festival of Ibero American Cinema. LONG DISTANCE screens Saturday, August 13 at 6:35PM; Tuesday, August 16 at 8:45PM; and Wednesday, August 17 at 5:00PM. (Esteban Insausti and the film’s stars, Alexis Diaz de Villegas, Anna Biu and Zulema Clares will attend and participate in Q&As following each screening).
 
MARIMBAS FROM HELL (Marimbas del infierno) (2010, 75min)
Director: Julio Hernández Cordón
Country: Guatemala/Mexico/France
This funny and moving story of an improbable artistic collaboration—between a homeless marimba player and a pioneer of Guatemalan heavy metal music—straddles documentary and fiction. The film is a FiGA Films release.
MARIMBAS FROM HELL screens Sunday, August 14 at 1:00PM; Monday, August 15 at 9:00PM; and Tuesday, August 16 at 4:45PM. (Julio Hernandez Cordon and producer Pamela Guinea will attend and participate in Q&As following each screening.)
 
MOUNT BAYO (Cerro Bayo) (2010, 86min)
Director: Victoria Galardi
Country: Argentina
On the cusp of ski season, a peaceful Patagonian village is tested by an incident that divides a local family, in Galardi’s funny and gentle dramatic comedy.
MOUNT BAYO screens Saturday, August 20 at 7:15PM; Monday, August 22 at 8:30PM; and Tuesday, August 23 at 5:00PM. (Victoria Galardi will attend and participate in Q&As following each screening.)

NORBERTO’S DEADLINE (Norberto apenas tarde) (2010, 89min)
Director: Daniel Hendler
Country: Uruguay
When a young man joins a theater group—following his boss’s orders—his life starts to change, in this tender and offbeat tale of personal reinvention. NORBERTO’S DEADLINE is an Outsider Pictures release.
NORBERTO’S DEADLINE screens Friday, August 19 at 4:30PM; Sunday, August 21 at 1:00PM; and Tuesday, August 23 at 7:00PM.

NO RETURN (Sin retorno) (2010, 100min)
Director: Marcelo Cohan
Country: Argentina
An intense, perfectly calibrated thriller with a twist ending, Cohan’s debut feature also engages sensitive issues of ethics and justice that will make spectators squirm in their seats. Starring Federico Luppi and Leonardo Sbaraglia. NO RETURN is a Latido Films release.
NO RETURN screens Friday, August 19 at 9:00PM and Wednesday, August 24 at 8:35PM.
 
QUERIDA VOY A COMPRAR CIGARRILLOS Y VUELVO (2011, 80min)
Directors: Mariano Cohn & Gastón Duprat
Country: Argentina
In this black comedy, a mediocre real estate agent enters a Faustian deal with a stranger who has superpowers. With great performances by Eusebio Poncela and Emilio Disi.
QUERIDA VOY A COMPRAR CIGARRILLOS Y VUELVO screens Wednesday, August 17 at 5:00PM; Sunday, August 21 at 7:30PM; and Wednesday, August 24 at 4:30PM.

***OPENING NIGHT PRESENTATION***
SIDEWALLS (Medianeras) (2011, 96min)
Director: Gustavo Taretto
Country: Argentina/Germany/Spain
Taretto’s clever romantic comedy pays homage to Buenos Aires as it follows two lonely souls who live on the same block but have somehow never met. SIDEWALLS is a Sundance Selects release.
SIDEWALLS screens Wednesday, Aug 10 at 7:00PM (with Gustavo Taretto, the film’s star, Pilar Lopez De Ayala and composer Gabriel Chwojnik in attendance); Thursday, August 11 at 7:00PM; and Saturday, August 13 at 9:10PM.

SOUTHERN DISTRICT (Zona Sur) (2009, 109min)
Director: Juan Carlos Valdivia
Country: Bolivia
Valdivia’s stylish, class-conscious feature envelops viewers in the insular world of an upper-crust Bolivian family in decline, through the eyes of two Aymara Indians who serve them. The film is a Shoreline Films release.
SOUTHERN DISTRICT screens Thursday, August 18 at 9:00PM and Saturday, August 20 at 12:30PM.

THE STOESSEL EXPEDITION (Expedición Argentina Stoessel: Raid Buenos Aires-Nueva York-1928) (1928, 60min)
Director: Adán & Andrés Stoessel
Country: Argentina
In 1928, two brothers began a two-year automotive journey from Buenos Aires all the way to New York, capturing their wide-ranging expedition on film. Copy restored by the Fundacion Cinemateca Argentina in cooperation with The Library of Congress of the United States.
The screening features live musical accompaniment by original score composer, Donald Sosin.
SCREENING WITH
FOR THE FIRST TIME (Por primera vez) (1965, 10min)
Director: Octavio Cortazar
Country: Cuba
The landmark Cuban documentary captures the reactions of isolated Cuban villagers to seeing films for the first time.
THE STOESSEL EXPEDITION/FOR THE FIRST TIME screens Sunday, August 21 at 5:45PM.
 
THIS NIGHT I’LL POSSESS YOUR CORPSE (Esta Noite Encarnarei no teu Cadáver) (1967, 108min)
Director: Jose Mojica Marins
Country: Brazil
Springing from the margins of Brazilian culture like a long-suppressed nightmare, Brazilian terror icon Coffin Joe returns, bent on his quest to father the perfect child.
The screening features live solo guitar accompaniment by composer Gary Lucas.
THIS NIGHT I’LL POSSESS YOUR CORPSE screens Thursday, August 11 at 9:30PM.

EL VARAL (2009, 75min)
Director: Marta Ferrer
Country: Mexico
Ferrer’s rueful documentary contrasts the fanfare of a village’s patron saint day with the post-celebration calm, haunted by the absence of families who have emigrated to the U.S.
EL VARAL screens Saturday, August 13 at 1:00PM and Sunday, August 14 at 5:00PM.

THE WATER AT THE END OF THE WORLD (El agua del fin del mundo) (2101, 85min)
Director: Paula Siero
Country: Argentina
Siero’s warm, intensely honest, and humane story of the real emotions between two sisters – one terminally ill, as they journey to the tip of South America. The film is an Outsider Pictures release.
THE WATER AT THE END OF THE WORLD screens Thursday, August 18 at 6:45PM and Saturday, August 20 at 5:00PM. (Paula Siero wll attend and participate in Q&As following each screening.)

 
PUBLIC SCREENING SCHEDULE FOR 2011 FSLC LATINBEAT FILM FESTIVAL:

Screening Venue:
The Film Society of Lincoln Center – Walter Reade Theater
165 West 65 Street, between Broadway & Amsterdam (upper level)
 
Wednesday, August 10
4:30PM             CHE, A NEW MAN (94min)
7:00PM             SIDEWALLS (96min)
9:30PM             CHE, A NEW MAN (94min)
 
Thursday, August 11
4:45PM             ACORAZADO (97min)
7:00PM             SIDEWALLS (96min)
9:30PM             THIS NIGHT I’LL POSSESS YOUR CORPSE (108min)
 
Friday, August 12
5:00PM             BROTHER (96min)
7:00PM             ACORAZADO (97min)
9:15PM             THE LIFE OF FISH (84min)
 
Saturday, August 13
1:00PM             EL VARAL (75min)
2:40PM             BROTHER (96min)
4:45PM             JEAN GENTIL (84min)
6:35PM             LONG DISTANCE (93min)
9:10PM             SIDEWALLS (96min)
 
Sunday, August 14
11:00AM             Central American and Caribbean Cinema Today (**filmmaker panel is FREE with 1:00PM MARIMBAS FROM HELL ticket) (90min)
1:00PM             MARIMBAS FROM HELL (75min)
3:00PM             THE DEATH OF PINOCHET (70min)
5:00PM             EL VARAL (75min)
6:40PM             CHE, A NEW MAN (94min)
8:45PM             BROTHER (96min)
 
Monday, August 15
4:15PM             JEAN GENTIL (84min)
9:00PM             MARIMBAS FROM HELL (75min)
 
Tuesday, August 16
4:45PM             MARIMBAS FROM HELL (75min)
6:30PM             THE LIFE OF FISH (84min)
8:45PM             LONG DISTANCE (93min)
 
Wednesday, August 17
5:00PM             LONG DISTANCE (93min)
7:00PM             THE DEATH OF PINOCHET (70min)
9:10PM             QUERIDA VOY A COMPRAR CIGARRILLOS Y VUELVO (80min)
 
Thursday, August 18
4:30PM             THE BEST THINGS IN THE WORLD (100min)
6:45PM             THE WATER AT THE END OF THE WORLD (85min)
9:00PM             SOUTHERN DISTRICT (109min)
 
Friday, August 19
4:30PM             NORBERTO’S DEADLINE (86min)
6:30PM             COUNTRY MUSIC (100min)
9:00PM             NO RETURN (100min)
 
Saturday, August 20
12:30PM             SOUTHERN DISTRICT (109min)
2:45PM             ALL YOUR DEAD ONES (88min)
5:00PM             THE WATER AT THE END OF THE WORLD (85min)
7:15PM             MOUNT BAYO (89min)
9:30PM             THE BEST THINGS IN THE WORLD (100min)
 
Sunday, August 21
1:00PM             NORBERTO’S DEADLINE (86min)
3:00PM             COUNTRY MUSIC (100min)
5:45PM             THE STOESSEL EXPEDITION/FOR THE FIRST TIME
7:30PM             QUERIDA VOY A COMPRAR CIGARRILLOS Y VUELVO (80min)
9:30PM             ALL YOUR DEAD ONES (88min)
 
Monday, August 22
4:15PM             COUNTRY MUSIC (100min)
6:30PM             ALL YOUR DEAD ONES (88min)
8:30PM             MOUNT BAYO (89min)
 
Tuesday, August 23
5:00PM             MOUNT BAYO (89min)
7:00PM             NORBERTO’S DEADLINE (86min)
9:00PM             THE BEST THINGS IN THE WORLD (100min)
 
Wednesday, August 24
4:30PM             QUERIDA VOY A COMPRAR CIGARRILLOS Y VUELVO (80min)
6:30PM            LITTLE VOICES (75min)
8:35PM             NO RETURN (100min)

Win free tickets to see all 8 Harry Potter films in a row!
Mack Chico
0

By

2011/07/09 at 12:00am

Movies

Win free tickets to see all 8 Harry Potter films in a row!

07.9.2011 | By |

Win free tickets to see all 8 Harry Potter films in a row!

Are you one of the few people in the world who has never seen a Harry Potter film? If you are, here’s your chance to witness first hand what the fuss is all about! On behalf of ShowBizCafe.com and Warner Bros., this Monday get ready for Harry Potter – The Legendary Adventure (Marathon). Harry Potter: 8 movies. 4 nights. The Legendary Adventure.

Revisit the entire Harry Potter epic and be among the first to witness the final film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, shown in RealD® 3D at the AMC Empire 25 234 West 42nd St. in New York City.

See two films each night, beginning on Monday, July 11 through Wednesday July 13 at 6 p.m. Then, on Thursday, July 14, see Part 1 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at 9 p.m. right before catching the premiere of Part 2 at 12:01.

This once in a lifetime marathon is valued at $45, but with ShowBizCafe.com you could be up close and personal watching Harry Potter history come to and end… for FREE!

To win, be one of the first 15 people to answer the following question:

What character does the Spanish actress Natalie Tena play in the Harry Potter series?

The first 15 people who correctly answer this question below in our comments section win!

Remember, this marathon series is only available in New York City!

Good luck!

Rated PG-13 for some sequences of intense action violence and frightening images. Parents Strongly Cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

The theatrical release will be July 15th.

http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/harrypotterandthedeathlyhallows/mainsite/index.html

Passes are not for sale.

Horrible Bosses
Jack Rico
0

By

2011/07/06 at 12:00am

Reviews

Horrible Bosses

07.6.2011 | By |

Horrible Bosses

‘Horrible Bosses’ is a futile attempt by director Seth Gordon to create a modern version of The Three Stooges. It is also one of the most vexing, exasperating R rated comedies I have seen all year. It opens with the great promise of a clever film, a great cast and an enthralling ‘can’t wait to see this movie’ premise. But all it delivered was lame jokes, incomprehensible plot points, unrelenting idiocy and characters no one human can possibly relate to – well, besides wanting to kill your boss at one point in your life. Altogether, most of the jokes just didn’t work.

Jason Bateman plays management candidate Nick Hendricks who has been logging 12-hour days and taking all the abuse he can withstand from Dave Harken (Kevin Spacey) his boss with the promise of a well-earned promotion. But now he knows that’s never going to happen. Meanwhile, dental assistant Dale Arbus (Charlie Day) has been struggling to maintain his self-respect against the relentless X-rated advances of Dr. Julia Harris (Jennifer Aniston), when she suddenly turns up the heat. And accountant Kurt Buckman (Jason Sudeikis) has just learned that his company’s corrupt new owner, Bobby Pellit (Colin Farrell), is not only bent on ruining his career but plans to funnel toxic waste into an unsuspecting population, after the unfortunate death of his father (Donald Sutherland). Their plan isn’t to quit their gigs, but to murder their bosses. So, on the strength of a few-too-many drinks and some dubious advice from ‘Motherfucker Jones’ (Jamie Foxx), a hustling ex-con whose street cred is priced on a sliding scale, the guys devise a convoluted but foolproof plan to rid the world of their respective employers… permanently. But even the best-laid plans are only as good as the brains behind them.

The promise of the premise alone is enough to attract people to the film, without having to hire A list comedians, because it relies singlehandedly on a story that almost anyone can identify with. As long as people can relate to a subject matter, you have half of the battle won. Disappointingly, the premise becomes diluted by all types of artificial writer devices to draw laughs and the film ultimately collapses under it.

The whole film felt comically forced and passé. The jokes felt engineered and seemed to be dictated by the success of today’s R rated comedies instead of the freshness that they initially brought.

The key problem with ‘Horrible Bosses’ though begins with Dale Arbus’s self-righteous storyline played by ordinary man Charlie Day (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) who is engaged to an ordinary looking woman. As you already know, the premise behind the film is about people who hate their bosses so much that they have decided they are going to kill them. But as you read above, the notion of an engaged heterosexual man being disgusted by the thought that his unbelievably hot female boss wants to bed him therefore wanting to kill her is abnormal. Yes, I understand his character is a nice guy who doesn’t want to cheat, but to want to kill her for this? No one is going to buy it. Not even women… unless he is secretly gay. Oh yes, somehow, screenwriters Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein thought this plot line was funny. A drop dead gorgeous woman breaking the law, endangering her career and acting like a porn star over an average looking joe is not funny. It’s ridiculous. Yes, men would all love it, but we know it will never happen. Somehow they have confused the idea of ridiculous for hilarity. What would have worked and created a sense of realistic tension is for Dale to have to bed a hideous, unsightly woman. At that point all men would relate to him, something I couldn’t do throughout the whole movie. Movies are about the willing ‘suspension of disbelief’, the idea of infusing enough semblance of truth into a skeptical situation to convince a viewer to suspend judgment, even for a moment, about the implausibility of the narrative. None of that existed here. To have this be part of the principal plot was an affecting and inane decision.

But by no means is ‘Horrible Bosses’ unwatchable. I think the team meant well. It just wasn’t thought out well enough to live up to its potential. To be fair, its most clever parts are arguably during the opening, Bateman and Spacey’s interaction, the Jamie Foxx encounter, and bits and pieces towards its denouement. That is perhaps a total of 20-25 minutes of cleverness, not enough to pay for in today’s high priced movie ticket market.

Perhaps Seth Gordon won’t admit it or not, but there was an “inspired by…” The Three Stooges angle somewhere in here. These seemingly coherent men somehow are massive idiots when it comes to executing the basic functions of a plan. It begs the question – how did they get their jobs?

I must confess that the cast ensemble was a big coup. We haven’t seen Kevin Spacey play the big bad boss so convincingly since ‘Swimming with Sharks’ (1994) and ‘Glengary Glenn Ross’ (1992). But perhaps the biggest gift the producers have given film history is Jennifer Aniston’s sexually charged potty mouth that will be impressed into the memories of every man and lesbian that watches this. The sexual vile that comes out of her lips is lasciviously filthy. So why didn’t this movie do better then? It goes to show you that even a great cast and potent individual characters don’t always make for a great movie. All the ingredients were there though to pull this off. I’m curious to know what would have been the fate of this film had it been in more dexterous hands such as Judd Apatow.

I really wanted to like ‘Horrible Bosses’ and even though it was a good try, the reigning 2011 best R rated comedy is still ‘Bridesmaids’, which fused the best of everything, including Apatow.

Sneak Peak: The Smurfs set visit
Namreta Kumar
0

By

2011/07/06 at 12:00am

Movies

Sneak Peak: The Smurfs set visit

07.6.2011 | By |

Sneak Peak: The Smurfs set visit

Of all the nostalgia and young memories New York has to offer, for movie goers and movie lovers, Kauffman Studios is probably at the top of their list. No matter what location a movie is filmed at in New York, nothing says filmmaking like Kauffman Astoria Studios. So of course, in true escapist tradition, The Smurfs choose none other than Kauffman to invade as their and our window to the true blue adventure:

On the last day of filming, back in 2010, we were invited to join cast and crew on the sets of The Smurfs. One E train ride later I was standing in the front of historic Kauffman and about to partake on another “underground” journey.

The press trickles into the atrium of the studio and we all begin to wonder at the pictures and pros of past films around us. We are then greeted and escorted through a corridor on the left and upstairs through a set of cubicles, into which we shamelessly peer in for glimpses of what we are about to see and magic of filmmaking. We make it over to open space lined with chairs facing a stool in the front and center of the room.

As we sit idling checking our phones and tape recorders we start to piece together our memories of the Smurfs as we knew them, when we are greeted by the actor who, now, probably knows them best: Neil Patrick Harris (NPH).

Neil Patrick Harris (NPH): “I am done. My work wrapped yesterday. I came here to talk for a bit, watch a little dance.”

Press: Was it all done here, in New York?

NPH: “We were here. HERE, here for most of it. There was a chunk in the middle where we went to FAO Swartz, and Central Park a lot, Prospect Park… but most of it was here.

Press: Are you singing and dancing?

NPH: “None for me.”

Press: Aww…

NPH: “I am very average husband and father.”

Press: How tricky was it dealing with the Green Screen aspect of it?

NPH: “I thought there would be more Green Screen. I thought it was going to be… I was really looking forward to that. I have always really wanted to do one of those things where you stare at the tennis ball as much as much the sticks that chase you around; but this was not that. The technology now, it’s in actual sets. You rehearse it with sort of these gelatinous, like jelly mold, Smurfs that are on stands. So that when you are rehearsing it they set them up in various positions, so you know exactly were they would be, you know the exact height they are supposed to be, and then you rehearse it that way with voice over people. And then they just move them away right before you shoot, and you look at, sort of, were the eyes would be. So no, only Hank [Azaria] really did the Green Screen stuff, because of Smurf Village.

Press: Can you talk about the sensibility of the movie.

NPH: “This is a family movie, but skewed an awful lot towards the core audience of people that watched the Smurfs growing up. They go from happy, happy Smurf Village to Central Park, New York City, so there is a lot of juxtaposition between angry New Yorkers. So you will see them trying to make everyone pleased.

Our conversation digresses there into Neil Patrick Harris’ other projects and then back around to the Smurf Design. For which, we are told to consult with Jordan Kerner (Jordon), and then escorted to another conference room lined with artwork and storyboard. In front of us there is a TV, but the artwork around us takes center stage in our curious minds. After a short wait we are joined by Jordon Kerner, who talks us through the design and the technical aspects of the film.

Jordon: “I apologies we are in the midst of the very last, last scene of the movie. As you guys come down you’ll see, it’s Gargamel’s dream at the end of the movie, he sees himself in his own music video. Glen Boward and Dave Stewart wrote the song. Glen is actually downstairs with us right now. We are recording forty dancers. It’s really cool, so you’ll see it when you come down.”

He then proceeds to direct us through the artwork on the walls, of the East Side apartment, where Clumsy Smurf is first discovered, the Smurf Village, Gargamel’s Castle, Gargamel’s map, and an important* Cavern. Without giving away too much of the movie here, let’s just say that these very detailed and captivating pieces of artwork outline where the story begins to when they are discovered in NYC, and some little gems about Patrick (Neil Patrick Harris) and Grace’s (Jayma Mays) journey to come.

Jordon: “What you see here is what you will see in a moment, Belvedere Castle. We built an exact replica of Belvedere, virtually to scale. It’s scaled in certain ways in length, but not in width because we had a certain amount of limitation on us by the size of the stage. But this very large closet area in Belvedere is a lot of concrete, so it didn’t really look that great when we saw it so we built in it a grate that you’ll see being used when you come downstairs. We did two little inserts that are here on either side. These are usually flat walls in Belvedere, but we have added these in for architectural interest. The reason we did all that, we built this whole set because you have an excellent conservancy in New York. With the park they wouldn’t let us put anything on a tripod and we couldn’t use a dolly, or any of that stuff. We could much further away, and we could get our wide shots but we couldn’t really shoot in this area. So we had to build the castle, because we loved the idea of Gargamel taking over the Belvedere castle.

He then proceeds to explain the procedure and nature of the scene, which we will be viewing shortly. Jordon then introduces to the prop of interest, which I will introduce to again below when we head down towards the set and props. But before we get there we are introduced to some of the animation and “photo-real” CG techniques used to bring The Smurfs and Gargamel to life.

Jordon: “Can we hit the lights?”

When we make down the maze of studio corridors and elevators, we are greeted by props lining the walls and a tall back stage, from the corner of which we can here the scored music video that is currently filming and will air at the end of the film. A small area is set for us to sit between props and watch the AV feed as cuts are recorded and re-shot. It is reel Hollywood in its real setting. Two by two as we were instructed, upstairs, we each get to go behind the curtain and into the staged Belvedere Castle to view what only the Cast and Crew get to otherwise see. And it is the splendor of detailed design, a regulated choreography, and of course the fun of the misstep and the perfect shot.

For some native New Yorker seeing a shoot on location is like taking a morning stroll, but to be in the studio redesigned and refitted to New York is not the same thing. In the large closet within Belvedere Castle, there are multiple monitors set up and an angled view for the crew to keep watchful eye of what gets captured. Outside Belvedere Castle about forty dancers walk in sync to Gargamel’s dreams of capturing the Smurfs. Once your ten minutes of fame are up, we walk back around the curtain and curious eye the props, until the dreamer Gargamel, or Hank Azaria (Hank) arrives:

Hank: “Yeah he’s Gargamel, what else can you say about him. He hates Smurfs and wants to conquer the world. Don’t know what else there is to say. He’s a Virgo. Loves water sports…”

As Hank gets called to set, we engage ourselves, for the last time, with the Smurfalator.

Jordon: “The Smufalator is very important because as a notion Gargamel, when he sang, or when he talked about the Smurfs he often talked about them with the notion of eat, ‘I want to roost them and roost them, I want to eat them, I want to turn them into gold or Smurf soup.’ SO rather than taking that literally, we tried to take it allegorically because Gargamel is a really smart guy even though he isn’t a smart sorcerer. Then if he ate all the Smurfs and boiled them that would be the end of it and his magic would only increase for a moment and they are magical creatures which is why he wants to eat them and get them but it would only last for a limited period of time and the power would be gone. Instead we thought, slightly more deviously, that he is going to harvest them. What that means is that he is going to capture them, he is going to shave papa’s beard, he is going to cut Smurfete’s hair, he’s going to make them sweat and gather the sweat, he is going to make them cry and gather the tears. And you will see how the Smurfalator works with that. There is a conveyer belt and chair goes right in there and the doors close. You can see steam coming out and going into the system makes it into a Frankenstein’s lab.”

A prop’s crewmember showed us the Smurfalator in action, and then walked us through Gargamel’s lab props, while the tail end press invited watched the final scenes of the filming completed. And another E train ride later, the Queens studio seemed to be another young memory of New York movie magic.

Follow SBC

Select a Page