FestivalsTIFF ’11 Review: Death Takes a Holiday in Portland in Gus Van Sant’s “Restless”Applying the spare style of "Elephant" and "Paranoid Park" to a mainstream love story, Gus Van Sant's latest feels disarmingly honest, even ...byStephen SaitoSep 8, 2011
ReviewsReview: Rooney Mara, Brie Larson Have a Lesson Plan of Their Own in “Tanner Hall”The burgeoning stars lead a quartet of boarding school girls in this coming-of-age story that proves to be a tough education both onscreen a...byStephen SaitoSep 8, 2011
ReviewsReview: Edgerton and Hardy Beat the Odds and Each Other in “Warrior”Mixed martial arts and two fresh-faced stars put a new spin on the classic underdog tale to thrilling effect.byStephen SaitoSep 3, 2011
FestivalsDocuweeks 2011’s Another Two to See (Only in L.A.) – “Semper Fi” and “Being Elmo”If you're in L.A., there's still a week left to catch some of the year's most interesting nonfiction films. Here are two you should see if y...byStephen SaitoSep 3, 2011
ReviewsReview: Tsui Hark Sets “Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame” AblazeA mashup of an old school detective story with freshly minted special effects, the new adventure from Hong Kong action master Tsui Hark is t...byStephen SaitoSep 1, 2011
To Live and Screen in L.A.Flashback: Al Pacino on His “Amateur Status” As a Director on the Eve of “Wilde Salome”‘s Premiere in VeniceYears in the making, the legendary actor's documentary about his production of "Salome," starring a then-unknown Jessica Chastain, will fina...byStephen SaitoAug 31, 2011
ReviewsReview: Vincent Gallo and Jerzy Skolimoski Come Out From the Cold with “Essential Killing”Two of cinema's great enigmas in recent years join forces for an expectedly strange but effective thriller about an alleged terrorist's stor...byStephen SaitoAug 31, 2011
Kickstart This!Kickstart This! – Jacob Halpren’s Relationship Drama “Laying Over”Told from both perspectives, the story of two exes brought together by a delayed flight is taking off itself on Kickstarter.byStephen SaitoAug 29, 2011
ReviewsReview: The Unmediated Impact of Steve James & Alex Kotlowitz’s “The Interrupters”The latest documentary from the director of "Hoop Dreams" is another undeniably powerful look at inner-city Chicago, this time centering on ...byStephen SaitoAug 26, 2011
InterviewsInterview: Jesse Peretz on “Our Idiot Brother,” Marijuana Farmers-Turned-Franciscan Monks & the Fiery End of A Rock ‘n’ Roll CareerThe writer/director talks about his reunion with his "Chateau" star Paul Rudd, his first collaboration with his sister, Vanity Fair writer E...byStephen SaitoAug 25, 2011