Adapted from Lewis Padgett’s, “All Mimsy Were the Borogroves” – the title originating from Lewis Carroll’s, “The Jabberwocky”, Director Bob Shaye weaves a tale of youth and the last hope of a future civilization. We begin with a brother and sister in Seattle where the wee ones discover an unusual item washed up on the shoreline…a black box. Being kids with of course an inquisitive nature, they discover the contents of this mysterious black box. Within it holds several items- an old bunny rabbit with a cyclic design on its belly, a bluish snail in glass and a sea shell.…
Author: Tobe R. Roberts
“Tribeca Talks” will be one of the major highlights at the upcoming 2007 Tribeca Film Festival in NYC. Playing host to film celebrities and entertainment professionals such as Eva Mendes, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Tiki Barber, and Rosario Dawson, this series of panel discussions will delve deeply into film trends in the industry. In addition, insight and experience will bring to the forefront aspects of filmmaking which are unique and sure to spark riveting talks. Some topics will include: Women in front and behind the camera, filmmakers who battle the forces of nature and live to tell about it, the increasing…
Two kindred spirits in a reality where they can’t seem to fit in. Growing up becomes an everyday ordeal for both Jesse Aarons (Josh Hutcherson) and Leslie Burke (Anna Sophia Robb). Ten year old Jess must contend with his harsh and martinet father (Robert Patrick), the Riga moral of daily chores, and a chatterbox little sister- May Belle (plus two older ones). Leslie, who is the daughter of novelist parents, and can pretty much beat any boy in a running race- must find escapism to a realm of sheer imagination when parents are just too busy. Based on the best…
“Earth and water”, for submission to the Persian Empire, King Xerxes I demanded this. However, both the Athenians and the Spartans did not take to this seemingly humble request as they both tossed the Persian messengers into pits in defiance. As part of the Greco-Persian War (incidently begun by Xerxes’ father Darius), The Battle of Thermopylae took place in 480 B.C. where 300 valiant Spartans led by King Leonidas, along with 700 Thespians and other allies, stood strong to protect a mountain pass vital to Greece’s survival. With morale very high to defend their lands, the Spartans battled forces numbering…
Showered in a multitude of praise, acclaim, and a whole list of awards from The European Film Award to recently an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, Director/Writer Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck delves into the past just prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Taking place in 1984 however, in “The Lives of Others”, East Germany’s “shield and sword”, the Secret Police/Stasi used surveillance mercilessly on the populace, leaving no stone unturned-ascertaining the most minute and personal information during a time where it was stated, “glasnost is nowhere in sight”. We open the film with…
Hollywood, California – February 25, 2007 – Tonight “The Lives of Others” won the Best Foreign Language Film Award, Other movies nominated in this category were After the Wedding. Days of Glory, Pan’s Labyrinth and water. “The Lives of Others” Das Leben der Anderen, the 2007 Oscar winner was the official entry of Germany. 1984. “Before the Fall of the Berlin Wall, East Germany’s Secret Police Listened to Your Secrets”. Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, “The Lives of Others”, shows us the intricate, extremely methodical system of surveillance imposed upon the masses in former East Germany prior to the…
Rachid Bouchareb tells the dramatic tale in 1943 of North African soldiers who enlist in the French army to liberate France from the clutches of the Nazis during World War II. Battling French racism and bullets from a common enemy, these unsung heroes of the French resistance left home and family for many reasons. Crossing through Algeria to Italy, then France with emotions running high from the start of the film, we first focus on one soldier, Saïd Otmari who leaves poverty and his mother behind for the cause of freedom for France. Why give one’s blood to free a…
Richly spun with artistic splendor, writer-director Guillermo del Toro weaves a fairy tale around war-torn Spain in the 1940’s. Definitely a tale strictly for adults, the film reflects dark overtones, stunning cinematography and a purely Spanish language dialogue. We find ourselves in the midst of a Spanish Civil War and a protagonist, in the form of a young girl named, Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) in search of her true greatness. Proclaimed as the young princess who once left her underworld kingdom in search of the world of Humans, Ofelia is believed to be this young royal reincarnated. With her immortal father…
Director-Writer Mark Steven Johnson who brought us “Elektra” and “Daredevil” from the Marvel Universe steps to the plate once again to deliver “Ghost Rider”. Nicholas Cage plays motorcycle daredevil, Johnny Blaze who makes a soul wrenching pact with Mephistopheles (Peter Fonda), the devil himself to stake claim on his soul in return for a favor. A favor, which had its dire and grim consequences. Upon knowing that young Johnny’s father (and also a death defying cyclist in his own right), Barton Blaze was stricken down by a fatal disease, Mephistopheles appears in a physical manifestation, “dressed to the nines” and…
Equally as powerful and poignant as its predecessor, “Letters from Iwo Jima” marks the second film in response to “Flags of Our Fathers”, a deep and introspective look into one of the most decisive battles of the 2nd World War. This time, our vantage point is from the view of Japan and those men who fought to maintain their stronghold. Also a sacred part of Nippon’s heritage, we begin at Iwo Jima in present day, at a dig where remains of items of fallen soldiers prompt us to journey back into the mindsets of these men whose hearts, like US…