I didn't even go to Comic-Con, so I can only imagine the flood of information coming out of it is even more intense in person. But even from afar, the tidal wave of new content was overwhelming. It got to the point where I decided I was going to give the con a few days rest after it ended and then attempt to make sense of everything that came out of it. This is that attempt. I've wrangled together every post Cinematical got out of this year's convention and have grouped them together, in mostly chronological order, by project, for easy digestion.

Filed under: Action, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fandom, Movie Marketing, Comic/Superhero/Geek, ComicCon

Continue reading Cinematical at Comic-Con 2010, the Definitive Wrap-Up

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It's easy to forget that the '90s had its own unique look and vibe -- just like the '80s, '70s, and '60s before it. It's not until we throw a film into the player that we remember just how rampant the flannel was, how many sexy women were swathed in over-sized clothing, and how the cinematic landscape was rife with raw and emerging indie talent. It was a decade kicked off by Richard Linklater's $23,000 Slacker, which then inspired the whirlwind that was Kevin Smith and Clerks.

From Cameron Crowe's Singles to Chasing Amy, the '90s were fueled by ties to indie culture and a feverish DIY sense. I'm not referring to today's DIY littering magazines and blogs, but the moments when fledgling talents bravely set out not only to relish the alternative scene, but to create their own art, maxing out credit cards and renting equipment before it became all too easy with YouTube and DSLR movie cameras. The movement produced a lot of intimate, gritty, and unpolished features that rose beyond their modest means. But one often gets lost in the '90s shuffle, perhaps because it was a film free of the low-budget feel -- Wes Anderson's fumbling thief film, Bottle Rocket.

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Continue reading Cinematical Movie Club: Bottle Rocket

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Back from Montreal, and though I am kind of movied out, just sitting at home, watching baseball, and catching up on my Fantasia reviews isn't going to be an option: It seems like I have to see Inception in order to understand half my Twitter feed, the Brattle's got a number of things that won't be hanging around, and so on.The Brattle opens Valhalla Rising for four days (although it only plays

It occurred to me that all American film feels too artificial due to the complication. This movie is so simple. ”Lake Of Girl” took the time to perfect the art of Murder Mystery. This film looks very much like Twin Peaks or the first two acts of brick and Girl . the dragon tattoo. Although these contemporaries who might assume [...] Related posts:

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At last week's Comic-Con in San Diego, ShockTillYouDrop.com got a chance to talk to Let Me In writer/director Matt Reeves and star Chloe Moretz. You can read the two interviews here and here , respectively. Opening in theaters on October 1, Let Me In tells a terrifying tale about an alienated 12-year old boy named Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) who is viciously bullied by his classmates and neglected by his divorcing parents. Achingly lonely, Owen spends his days plotting revenge on his middle school tormentors and his evenings spying on the other inhabitants of his apartment complex. His only friend is his new neighbor Abby (Moretz), an eerily self-possessed young girl who lives next door with her silent father (Richard Jenkins). A frail, troubled child about Owen's age, Abby...

One of the shirts given away at last weekend's Comic-Con features a mysterious black and white image of what appears to be a Spanish conquistador and, on the back, Guillermo del Toro's name and signature alongside the Legendary Pictures logo. The image, illustrated by comic book artist Tim Bradstreet, also appears on the artist's Facebook page with the tile El Guerrero (as seen below), though it is unknown if this is the name of the property of simply the title of the piece. Though del Toro's schedule is one of the busiest in Hollywood, the only recent connection to Legendary dates back to 2008 when director Scott Derrickson reported that that he was going to talk with del Toro about his own project, an adaptation of the 17th century John Milton poem, Paradise Lost ....

BROOKLYN, NY -- Brooklyn is getting some more moviegoing options that provide more than just the movie.

Austin, Tex., has the Alamo Drafthouse. San Francisco has Foreign Cinema. Portland, Ore., has McMenamins. And Brooklyn has -- well, Brooklyn has many places where you can bring a blanket and a picnic basket and watch a film in a park or on a rooftop, but few indoor options for dinner-and-a-movie year-round. That will change on Friday, with the opening of reRun Gastropub Theater, a movie screen, bar and restaurant that is an expansion of reBar in Dumbo. The space, with 60 seats, some on low-slung couches, has a college town art-house feel and a sophisticated concession stand, serving things like pulled pork and popcorn topped with duck fat. The programming will focus on festival films that don’t have distribution, as well as cult favorites. (The opening lineup includes "Audrey the Trainwreck," an off-kilter romance that played at South by Southwest this year, and a one-night-only showing of "The Prowler," a 1981 B-movie.) A similar theater, indieScreen, is to open in Williamsburg in the fall.

Read more in the New York Times. Also mentioned in the New York Post.

COTTAGE GROVE, MN -- We are 12,000 members strong for our "Save the Cottage View Drive-in" facebook site - please, feel free to 'LIKE' the page - even if you don't live in MN. The support of everyone here would be greatly appreciated. Facebook Page Thanks! -Thomas, Moderator of the "Save the Cottage View Drive-in" Facebook page.

MORGAN HILL, CA -- Preservationist-minded citizens are challenging the City Council which favors tearing down the 1952 Granada Theatre to build a mixed use housing and retail development. Although a business plan to renovate the theater as both a cinema and a mixed-use entertainment venue has been presented, council members feel the theater is not historically signficant and think a construction of a new cinema would be preferable. Current mayoral candidates are on opposite sides of the issue.

But a group of citizens and local businesses say saving and renovating the Granada as a local entertainment center is key to the revitalization effort, and are making a last attempt after 18 months of battles through a petition drive to put the future of the theater on the November ballot. "We think we've put out a fairly compelling business model," said Stephen Beard and Pamala Meador of the Save the Granada Foundation. "But we've been blocked every step of the way."

The story is in the Contra Costa Times.

I like Earth Day, especially because it has the feel of a horror movie 80 regional. For someone who is a horrible time in the city of Eugene, Oregon, will realize that it is the only place where a movie like this would have complete and total sense. Not so much an invention as it is a [...] Related posts:

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WASHINGTON, DC -- I have recently leased the old Inner Circle 5, 6, 7 space in Washington, DC and will reopen it as the West End Cinema -- a three-screen art-house movie theater -- this fall. The old Inner Circle was a move-over house opened in 1985 at 23rd and M Streets, as a sister venue to the Circle 1 -4, which was located a block south on 23rd (in a building that was torn down to build the Ritz Carlton residences). The 5, 6, 7, which I leased, is in a multi-use building and was never demolished -- in fact, it still has the projector systems, platters, sound systems, screens, seats and concessions line exactly where they were when the theater closed in late 2003/early 2004. I look forward to moving this theater from the "old" listings to the "new" listings on Cinema Treasures soon!

H. Donald Busch, 74, died July 12. In 1984 he became president of Budco Theatres, Inc. a Philadelphia area movie theater chain, and upon its acquisition in 1987 by AMC, became president of AMC Philadelphia until retiring in the mid 1990s.

When a Pennsylvania state law was passed to ban blind bidding, movie distributors sued the state, Budco Theatres, and Fox Theatres. The U.S. District Court eventually ruled that the state law banning blind bidding was legal. It was a big win for movie theaters, said Adam Koppel, Mr. Busch's stepson. By 1987 Budco had 113 movie screens in 42 locations when it was acquired by AMC Entertainment Inc. Mr. Busch was president of AMC Philadelphia until retiring in the mid-1990s. He was past chairman of the National Organization of Theater Owners.

Read the full story in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

I have an old theater with a mechanical ticket machine and I need to purchase some packets of 2,000 tickets each. Tickets can read admit one-adult or child or read with an auditorium no. Email me and let me know what you have or you can call 276-701-6901. Thanks

A long, but pretty fruitful Saturday at Fantasia; not one bad movie seen, and things ended on a pretty good note. There was a large and enthusiastic turnout for Suck, which aside from being fun & Canadian had some scenes set in Montreal, and that's always going to get a big rise from the crowd (more on that "tomorrow"). It also had a pretty good line-up of guests who did an entertaining Q&A:

by Vadim Rizov

In 1962, Don Draper went to see La Notte and loved it. He's up on his cinema, and that's no surprise. When someone asked if he'd seen The Bridge on the River Kwai, he responded, "I've seen everything, and I have the ticket stubs to prove it." Not that Don could assimilate Antonioni into advertising that quickly. He's much more likely to use Bye Bye Birdie as a starting point for his work; foreign innovations are, for now (the show's up to 1964), just that. As Kieron Clark pointed out, "Advertising then did exactly as it does now: it co-opted, re-used and ripped-off cinematic culture, both high and low. As both Don Draper and Matthew Weiner know only too well, the Mad Men of Madison Avenue ignore the movies at their peril." Right now, Don's viewing choices may not have much to do with his work. Soon, they may have to if he wants to survive the '60s gracefully.

Style-wise, the show's oft-muted colors make the '60s seem more modern than a meticulous recreation: its influences are ahead of the chronological period, even as the characters fight to keep pace with the '60s. As James Wolcott notes, Don's living in "Gordon Willis dark" rooms "without Godfather justification," a man out of time in a way that’s not fashionable yet. Maybe not quite The Godfather— although Draper brooding in the dark in the fourth season's premiere episode isn't far off either—but visually, Don's ahead of the times, meanwhile struggling to keep up with them.

Continued reading The Antonionian Ennui of Mad Men...

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(THE FUTURIST! on Jul 27, 2010 10:54 AM) With no aforethought of "sucking up" to the writer, but this piece is one the best things Mr. Rizov has written ... at least of the work this reader has seen from Mr. Rizov's output. It perfectly expresses what this reader felt about what little he had seen of the MAD MEN visual sense and could not, himself, articulate.

(Noel Murray on Jul 28, 2010 5:40 AM) Keen stuff, Vadim.

SPENCER, IA -- Fridley Theatres will soon be closing the Spencer 3 which opened as the New Spencer in 1941 and became a triplex in 1979. Jeri Lagenfeld, who started working for Fridley in 1978 as a summer employee at one of their drive-ins and who has managed the Spencer 3 since 2004, shares her thoughts in this article from the Spencer Daily Reporter.

Originally, the theater utilized reel-to-reel projecting. "The projectionist had to flip from one projector to the next and had just a matter of seconds to flip-flop and the movie continued onto the second reel," Langenfeld explained. Because the projectionist had to change and manually rewind reels every 15 to 20 minutes, he or she stayed in the booth for the entirety of each film.

CORONA, CA -- The Krikorian Dos Lagos 15 will reopened by the end of July by Knoxville, Tennesee-based Phoenix Big Cities theaters. The new operator plans to add additional 3D capability and other upgrades, and rename the theater as the Dos Lagos Stadium 15.

Karen Lane, vice president of marketing and advertising for Phoenix, said the theater is still being assessed, but plans include expanded concessions, digital projection and surround sound, online ticketing, and digital 3D. Harrington said the site has a 3D theater now, but two or three more will be equipped, too. Plans also could include a bar and lounge in the lobby, he said.

The full story is in the Press Enterprise.

RIDGEWOOD, NY -- Friends of Ridgewood Theatre is dedicated towards the long-term preservation, restoration, and creative adaptive reuse of the 1916 Ridgewood Theatre (55-27 Myrtle Ave). We are seeking preservation-friendly buyers who will acquire, restore, and creatively& adaptively reuse the Ridgewood Theatre, ideally as a performing arts center with community spaces. It would border 2 boroughs, and serve up & coming Ridgewood, emerging art communities of Bushwick & Williamsburg, as well as create jobs, enhance property values, and preserve the country's oldest extant first-run theater designed by America's foremost theater architect Thomas Lamb. Future owners would be eligible for restorative grants & tax credits, and we would help launch fundraisers. Please e-mail, and leads will be shared with the appropriate parties. It has been listed by Massey Knakal for $3.4 million.

STANLEY, WI -- New work is being done to bring the Stanley Theater back to its look during its heyday.

It is that look, with the Vitrolite glass, that Eslinger is bringing back with the current project. It’s not easy, since production of that kind of glass ceased around 1950, according to Dunn. His business is to find the glass as old buildings are torn down around the country, retrieve the glass, and install it in restoration or other projects like the one at Stanley Theater. He is the tops in the field, worldwide, if you want Vitrolite glass.

Read more in the Chippewa Herald.

I am a New York City tour guide and a couple of days ago I had a passenger on my bus who disputed something that I always believed to be true. I am in the firm belief that over the years I read that Otis Elevators of Yonkers, New York invented and manufactured the side lift mechanism of the orchestra pit lift for Radio City Music Hall. The passenger claims it was Westinghouse. Please fellow Cinema Treasurers, what say you?

1,025 vintage theater seats for sale!! These seats are in wonderful condition as they were refurbished within the last few years. All have been recovered. The the wood was refinished on the arms and the metal was repainted. These really are in mint condition!! Serious inquiries e-mail. These seats are located in the Milwaukee, WI area and buyer must pick up.

Okay, it looks like I kind of spent Friday making not-so-great choices. I led off the day heading out for the Dragon Boats I had seen advertised on St. Catherine Street. I don't know what I was expecting; a Chinese variant on Viking longboats or something. Instead, I saw this:Which I don't mean to mock at all; it was cool to see the Olympic basin and all, but the races went quick and there

I felt a little bad about bolting on the Neverlost Q&A to get to [REC] 2, but the movie ran longer than expected and almost everything in de Seve seems to be starting a few minutes late this year. That meant I wound up of in a corner, which wasn't really so bad, although I would be back in the center section, fourth-seat-from-the-left in the fifth row for the rest of the day.Also: First

Think of this as an addendum to our podcast recorded during last year's New York Film Festival, in which Armond White, Andrew Grant and myself (along with party crasher Sylvia Miles) debated Welcome to the Dollhouse and Palindromes auteur Todd Solondz's newly released Life During Wartime:

Part sequel, part variation on his acclaimed and controversial Happiness, the newest film from celebrated director Todd Solondz assembles an amazing ensemble cast including Allison Janney, Shirley Henderson, Paul Reubens, Michael Kenneth Williams, Ally Sheedy, Charlotte Rampling, and Ciáran Hinds in an utterly hilarious exploration of the boundaries of forgiveness, family, and love.

Ten years have passed since shocking revelations shattered the world of the Jordan family, and now sisters Joy (Henderson), Trish (Janney), and Helen (Sheedy), each embroiled in their own unique dilemmas, struggle to find their place in an unpredictable and volatile world. The past now haunts their family both literally and otherwise, and jeopardizes the future. Alternately hilarious and tragic, outrageous and poignant, Life During Wartime is an audacious comedy with unexpected resonance.

I met up recently with Solondz at the SoHo Grand Hotel Lounge to discuss his thoughts on forgiveness, The Wire, the political undertones of his new film, being accused of misanthropy, and whether (as I once heard him say in 2002) he still disliked filmmaking as the medium for telling his stories.

To listen to the podcast, click here. (16:44)

Podcast Music
INTRO: Talking Heads: "Life During Wartime (Alt. Version)"
OUTRO: Daniel Rey: "Welcome to the Dollhouse"

[Life During Wartime is now playing in limited release and on demand. For more information, please visit the official site.]

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Not much to say. Saw some movies, gotta leave to see more now.Goo-reu-meul Beo-eo-nan Dal-cheo-reom (Blades of Blood)* * ¾ (out of four)Seen 21 July 2010 in Theatre Hall (Fantasia 2010)Just who and what is Lee Joon-ik's Blades of Blood (aka Like the Moon Escaping from the Clouds) about? It takes the form of a movie about an "avenging the slain family" movie, but smothers that story under a