You may not have heard of German director Uwe Boll, but you’ve probably heard of his movies. You almost certainly have never seen these movies, but instead passed by Screen 124 while on your way to  the blockbuster on Screen 1.  Boll has directed such classic crap as  Alone in the Dark, BloodRayne,  and House of the Dead. All three are adapted from relatively plotless video games. And with even fans of the games complaining, you can imagine how bad these films are.

In fact, people are so annoyed at Boll that after a facetious remark he made in an interview with The Guardian, stating that he’d quit if a million people asked him so, there is now a petition to do that very thing. Check it out here, and get voting!

In retaliation, Boll posted a hilarious video response, claiming that his work is genius and better than all that “social-critic George Clooney bullshit that you get every fucking weekend”.

It’s pretty obvious that Boll is very aware of himself and is generating self-promotion through such ridiculous claims. This is, after all, a man who challenged 5 of his worst critics to boxing matches (and won all five). His movies are flops, and he is only able to make them through a loophole in the German film industry tax-break scheme (am I the only one thinking of Max Bialystock?). Anyway, I implore you to turn the tables on Boll’s plan, and vote against him. Let th epublic decide!

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Julian Schnabel’s “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” won best picture at this year’s Prix Lumieres in Paris. The Lumieres are similar to the Golden Globes where winners being voted on by a committee of some 200 foreign journalists based in France.

Mathieu Amalric, who also starred in “Munich,” won for actor of his portrayal of the stricken editor in “Diving Bell.”

“La Vie en rose,” a French domestic and international hit of 2007, won Marion Cotillard the actress nod.

Reportedly the most emotional moment of the awards presentation was master of ceremonies’ Claude Lelouch’s glowing tribute to actor Jean-Pierre Marielle for his 50 years and 54 films as an actor. Marielle is regarded as one of the greatest French actors ever.

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Monday night at the 13th annual Critics’ Choice Awards sponsored by the Broadcast Film Critics Association handed “No Country for Old Men” its best picture nod. “No Country” also won best director for Joel and Ethan Coen and best supporting actor for Javier Bardem.

Daniel Day-Lewis for “There Will Be Blood” and Julie Christie for “Away From Her” both won top acting awards. Amy Ryan from “Gone Baby Gone” got top pick for the critics’ best supporting actress.

“Hairspray” and “Juno” each celebrated two Critics’ Choice Awards. “Hairspray” won for best ensemble and best young actress for Nikki Blonsky. “Juno” snagged best comedy and best writer for scribe Diablo Cody.

The Writers’ Strike was mentioned by presenters and rightly so.

I am very happy for Julie Christie. “Away From Her” is on the DVD shelves; it is highly recommend by all. I remember first seeing Christie in “Dr. Zhiavago” (1965) and have enjoyed her ever since.

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Ahh, 2007 is almost over, and what it year it was, from disappearing British children to protesting Monks, from Greek and California fires to Sarkozky to the 7 New Wonders of the World, it’s been a blast. But what about the year in film? Personally, I’ve been gently disappointed in that no single film has blown me way (unlike last year’s Pan’s Labyrinth, United 93, Borat, etc), although it has been a consistently good year. Below of five of the films I consider to be the best, although bear in mind that over here in Ireland we’re yet to receive Award favourites such as No Country For Old Men, There Will Be Blood, and so on. And since I’m a wannabe critic (a job which requires 50% analysis, and 50% bitterness), I also included the 3 biggest let-downs of the year. Enjoy!

FIVE OF THE BEST

Knocked Up

Judd Apatow came from nowhere to astound me with The 40-Year Old Virgin, an endearing and hilarious film which had a quality joke per scene, which very few films can boast. His follow-up is this rom-com about a young, directionless, man who has a one-night stand with a confident, sexy career gal. While not all jokes work, Seth Rogan and Katherine Heigl are real yet adorable enough to sympathise with both sides, while getting a few good gags on the side. And like Apatow’s previous movie, I suspect Knocked Up will warrant repeated viewing.

Zodiac

David Fincher’s return to cinema has been widely anticipated, but the wait was worth it. Zodiac is more than a serial-killer flick. Instead, Fincher turns into a drama about the obsession with mystery. Jake Gyllenhaal is excellent as the newspaper illustrator who cracks one of the codes left by the San Francisco based murderer, and when everyone else gave up, he became the authority on the topic. The film perfectly captures the frenzy and armchair excitement that all of us experience when we get sucked in by an unsolved issue. Read on »

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The London Critics Circle gave eight nominations each to two British films: “Atonement” and “Control.” Although I have heard lots about “Atonement,” I have not heard much about “Control.” Variety says “Control” is a “biopic of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis, from his teenage years through the rise of the influential band to his suicide on the verge of Joy Division’s first American tour.”

I am more inclined to stick with “Atonement.” It’s hard for me to watch films that lead to the ultimate suicide. But, don’t get me wrong. I am sure “Control” is a great film, well deserved of a nominee.

In looking over the list of winners, I noticed that the London Critics did not nominate these two films for best picture. However, they are nominated for Attenborough Award for British Film of the Year. It’s funny how that works some times.

The hopefuls for best film are “The Assassination of Jesse James by Coward Robert Ford,” “Zodiac,” “No Country for Old Men,” “There Will Be Blood” and “The Bourne Ultimatum.”

The London Critics award ceremony is February 8, 2008. Here are some nominees. I’d love your feedback.

FILM OF THE YEAR

“No Country for Old Men”

“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”

“There Will Be Blood”

“Zodiac”

“The Bourne Ultimatum”

ATTENBOROUGH AWARD FOR BRITISH FILM OF THE YEAR

“Once”

“Control”

“Atonement”

“Eastern Promises”

“This Is England”

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The complete list of films playing at the Toronto International Film Festival can be clicked on here. While the Telluride Film Festival takes place this weekend, it is the Toronto festival that is usually considered the launching pad for the award worthy films released this Fall and Winter. Among the more famed films introduced in Toronto were American Beauty and Brokeback Mountain.

Just the first day alone features Persepolis, Neil Jordan’s The Brave One starring Jodie Foster, Carlos Saura’s Fados and Dario Argento’s Mother of Tears. French New Wave veterans Eric Rohmer and Jacques Rivette have new films almost fifty years after leaving film criticism for filmmaking. The Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men and David Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises are also scheduled. Among the classic films to be screened are The Flower Drum Song and Jean Renoir’s Grand Illusion. Many of the films will get regular theatrical releases soon, but other films may be harder to see, either to be seen at art and indie theaters, DVD, or only on the film festival circuit. We will keep Screenhead readers informed about the hits and misses coming out of Toronto. The festival begins September 6.

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Batman and Robin did more than stink at the box office. It blow the super-bubble. Every in-production superhero movie came to a crashing halt, as the rise of the supes sustained by the first Batman flick by Tim Burton suddenly and completely lost its footing.

For the past couple of years, I’ve been second-guessing myself as to just when that will happen for the current crop of super-flicks. And all my guestimations have passed by the wayside. I first thought Catwoman - a movie which far surpassed Batman and Robin in terms of  sheer gawdiness and took a far worse box office crunch (making only 40 million to its 100 million dollar production budget domestically). Surprisingly, they kept coming - I believe because of Troy, which skyrocketed the average budget and made 100 million dollars look like chump change.

In the wake of the box office record and predictions more sequels and three-quels are on the way, I have to question - if comic book flicks aren’t the fad, are franchises?

Read on »

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