“300” Director Zach Snyder Warner bros. 2 paws Fun fact: Frank Miller’s graphic novel “300” showed a great deal of male nudity and was content with a highly minimalistic plot. Zach Snyder’s film adaptation manages to do the opposite. “300” is an account of the historical battle in which 300 Spartan soldiers fended off an […]
Author Archives: Dean Leng
Penn Name
Kal Penn has come a long way: from one Taj Mahal to another. It’s been five short years since most audiences were introduced to the New Jersey-born Indian actor in the comedy “National Lampoon’s Van Wilder,” in which the UCLA graduate played Taj Mahal Badalandabad, an endearingly earnest exchange student determined to lose his virginity. […]
Screen Scene: “Avenue Montaigne”
“Avenue Montaigne” Director Danièle Thompson Thinkfilm 4 Paws Would you sympathize with someone who laments the high costs of maintaining their fleet of Ferraris? Essentially, that’s what “Avenue Montaigne” asks of its viewers. The official French submission to this year’s Oscars, “Avenue Montaigne” is a lighthearted mosaic of the lives of several highly privileged Parisians […]
Screen Scene: “The Number 23”
“The Number 23″ Director Joel Schumacher New Line Cinema 2 paws Circling every 23rd word of this review will get you nothing. “The Number 23″ is a psychological thriller and the latest film by Joel Schumacher, and his second with Jim Carrey. (The two also collaborated on the “masterpiece” that was “Batman Forever.”) The movie […]
Screen Scene: “The Monastery: Mr. Vig and the Nun”
“The Monastery: Mr. Vig and the Nun” Director Pernille Rose Grønkjær First Hand Films Love can blossom in the strangest ways. And “The Monastery: Mr. Vig and the Nun” is as unexpected and unconventional a love story as one could possibly imagine. Mr. Vig, an 82-year-old bachelor, has a lifelong dream of turning his somewhat […]
It’s the Reel thing
Click here to vote for your favorite film in the Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker’s Award competition. A man with a vision. $7,500. Coke. These ingredients could wind up a recipe for success for UCLA film student Austin Formato. Formato, a graduate student in film directing, is a finalist in this year’s Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker’s Award competition. […]
Screen Scene: “Seraphim Falls”
“Seraphim Falls” Director David Von Ancken Samuel Goldwyn Films LLC A few years after the Civil War, one man finds himself running for his life as another hunts him mercilessly through the Western wilderness on the fringes of civilization. “Seraphim Falls” certainly appears to have all the ingredients for success. Liam Neeson (“Batman Begins”) and […]