This week at the video store we look at the winning animated adventure ParaNorman , the action blockbuster The Expendables 2 , the dance-stravaganza Step Up Revolution , the crap-stravaganza The Apparition , and a pair of films that missed theatrical releases despite being directed by Joe Dante and Amy Heckerling.
End of Watch perfectly embodies writer-turned-director David Ayer’s crime movie formula (Training Day, Harsh Times, etc). You take a basic crime movie premise, twist it initially in an intriguing way, populate it with talented actors, tease out some unexpectedly dark drama, toss in a few brutal set pieces, and then slowly let it all slip away as the film becomes increasingly conventional in a race to the finish line.
As TIFF 2012 finishes up its first weekend, our ongoing coverage looks at The Master , To the Wonder , High Park on Hudson , End of Watch , Aftershock , Sightseers , The Crimes of Mike Recket , No One Lives , and Midnight's Children .
From top to bottom, ParaNorman is a little genre gem for longtime fans and pint-sized newcomers. This is an animated film that refuses to talk down to children, packs in more entertainment value than should be legally allowed, and actually has something to say to the impressionable viewers.
In the age of the omnipresent CG animated film and vapid big budget spectacle, it’s incredibly refreshing to see a lovingly handcrafted stop-motion animated movie like ParaNorman come along. We had a chance to speak with directors Chris Butler and Sam Fell earlier this year, and talked about the talented young cast of the film, the directors' own experiences with bullying, ParaNorman 's relationship to the horror genre, the importance of zombies, and much more.
In the age of the omnipresent CG animated film and vapid big budget spectacle, it's incredibly refreshing to see a lovingly handcrafted stop-motion animated movie like ParaNorman come along. We had a chance to speak with directors Chris Butler and Sam Fell earlier this year, and talked about the "John Carpenter meets John Hughes" origins of the film, how technology has helped make stop-frame animation more practical, and much more.
50/50 is that rare breed of film that effortlessly combines comedy and drama, creating a memorable cocktail that tackles friendship and family, while testing how far each can be stretched.
