Roger Ebert on Michael Jackson

Perhaps the best piece I've ever seen written about Michael Jackson was produced today by legendary film critic Roger Ebert.

He talks about Michael as an abused child, an adult who never wanted to grow up and an amazingly talented, sad man.

Read the piece in its entirety here.

And yes: Jackson did have a film connection that warranted Ebert's attention—he was one of the stars in the 1978 movie THE WIZ.

Academy Returns to "Golden Age" of Nominations

It was announced today that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has expanded the number of nominees for Best Picture in the upcoming Oscar race, which will culminate March 7 in Los Angeles.

In the early years, there were 10 or sometimes 12 nominees, but for the past several decades there were only five.

I'm not sure how I feel about this shift, as it seems to me it could make nominees out of non-worthy films and make it more of a popularity contest. But I'll reserve judgment until I see the announcement of films on February 2.

It's a Double Show for CB #74

The hosts are going to take a week off for the Independence Day holiday here in the states, but they'll be back on July 13th with a special Double Show to commemorate the 3rd anniversary of Cinebanter (July 17th) featuring the new Johnny Depp flick PUBLIC ENEMIES and the Netflix-able documentary DEAR ZACHARY, which Michael spoke about on episode #73.

As a special bonus, if you (the listeners) would like to send in an anniversary wish‚ we'll be playing a few on the air. Simply record your message on an MP3 (please keep to 1-2 minutes) and e-mail it to cinebanter@gmail.com no later than July 6th.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Cinebanter #73 - DRAG ME TO HELL and SIFF 2009

The MP3 of Cinebanter #73 is available here.

In this episode, Michael and Tassoula gasp in horror at each other's reaction to the new Sam Raimi flick DRAG ME TO HELL. Plus, Tassoula reveals her top five movies from the 35th annual Seattle International Film Festival. The breakdown is as follows:

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:32 DRAG ME TO HELL Discussion
• Break
• 27:13 To Sum It Up
• Break
• 28:07 SIFF 2009
• Break
• 50:38 Credits and Outtake

If you'd like to subscribe to the show (it's free, of course) via iTunes, click here.

The show is also available on Podcast Alley, and blubrry. Please vote for us at any of those sites and leave comments if you like what you hear.

Want to donate to the show and help with production costs, server fees, etc.? Click on the "Make a Donation" button to the left of this blog.

Special thanks to Brad Daane and Mark Cummins for providing the original music in this episode.

Reviews and/or notes of every movie Michael sees can be found at his MichaelVox website.

Tassoula has reviews, musings and movie-related product links at Tassoula's Movie Review Blog.

Feedback is always welcome - you may leave comments here or e-mail the hosts at cinebanter@gmail.com.

We hope you enjoy the show!

SIFF Sighting: TALHOTBLOND (documentary; USA)

Director Barbara Schroeder (known for her work as a reporter on Extra!), made this compelling documentary by telling the story of three people involved in a scandalous tangle of cybersex, mistaken identity and murder.

'Talhotblond,' the sultry girl, falls for 'marinesniper,' the handsome military man, online and begins a steamy cyberaffair, which is soon complicated by a case of mistaken identity. Also in the mix is a third participant in the chat room 'Beefcake,' the boy-next-door twentysomething who coincidentally works with 'marinesniper' in a factory.

It is difficult to say anything about the actual order of events without spoiling the story, so I'll just applaud Ms. Schroeder for making a captivating movie (though it feels more like a Dateline episode than a film) and encourage you all to see it when it comes out in the theater and/or is released on DVD. You'll be shocked you never heard about the story in the news. I know I was.

TALHOTBLOND screened at the 35th Annual Seattle International Film Festival.

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SIFF Sighting: NORTH (dramedy; Norway)

Rune Denstad Langlo's NORTH follows the journey of Jomar (Anders Baasmo) as he ventures through arctic landscapes to meet the son he never knew existed. He is not unlike a large portion of the population: he's depressed, he hates his job and he wishes he were in a place where he could feel safe and comfortable again (in his case, that turns out to be a mental hospital).

As is also common, negativity breeds trouble. When one feels sorry for oneself, bad luck seems to magnify and each day after the next is a tougher challenge. This is true for Jomar, who battles snow blindness, a broken snowmobile and other things that can only happen to those traveling alone in the snowy wilderness who hate their life.

He encounters different folks, who seem quirky by obligation, and has random exchanges with all of them—some who give him shelter; others who try creative ways to get him drunk.

As with any road trip movie, in NORTH one hopes to be taken somewhere new. Unfortunately the main character's rare moments of humor and intrigue only succeed in keeping us somewhere familar.

NORTH screened at the 35th Annual Seattle International Film Festival.

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SIFF Sighting: LOVELY LONELINESS (romantic comedy; Argentina)

It's good to know that the roles and rituals of grieving single women are universal. That American women aren't the only ones who stay up late rearranging furniture to make the apartment look different without his things there, and that it's okay to sob when we lock ourselves out of our homes and realize there's no one to let us in.

It's also interesting to learn that all of us "single ladies" must be neurotic, because our star player in this film, Soledad (Inés Efron) makes Bridget Jones look borderline balanced.

We meet the hypochondriac heroine after she has broken up with Nico. She is clearly devastated and begins worrying about her own blood pressure, which causes her to buy a velcro contraption to wear around her arm so she can check it compulsively. She also orders her sandwiches in a complicated way, elects to relieve herself elsewhere instead of having her plumbing fixed, and makes regular visits to the doctor for various (most likely fabricated) ailments.

Basically, she's a pain in the ass.

But that doesn't stop her from being endearing. Her smile lights up a room, her eye for décor makes her good at her job, and her quirky issues (mostly medical) are so sincere you can forgive her for having them.

And that's exactly what Nico 2 (Fabian Vena) does.

After swearing off men for two to three years (because the pain and suffering of loss is too unbearable), she reluctantly agrees to a dinner with architect Nico (having just had her heart stomped on by musician Nico), even though she doesn't "eat much at night." Despite a dizzy spell at the table and a very random conversation, Nico decides that her cuteness is worth it and continues to see her.

He fixes her toilet, buys her breakfast after a night of lovemaking, dismisses her offhand comments and turns out to be a very stable force in her life. And that's just what's wrong with the movie.

Nico 2 comes into her life during a hard time, Nico 1 tries to contact her a few times, but the two never meet and barely any conflict is noted between any of the them, save for the original breakup. That, tossed in with her mom getting a boob job and her dad marrying someone with a similar hobby to Soledad's—both for no apparent reason—doesn't add up to much.

The actors are appealing, especially Efron, but their inherent charm is not enough to carry this somewhat pointless film.

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LOVELY LONELINESS screened at the 35th Annual Seattle International Film Festival.

New Written Reviews (6-10-09)

The Cinebanter hosts have posted new written reviews on their personal blogs.

Michael recently saw ANATOMIE DE LE'NFER and Tassoula saw AMERICAN COLLECTORS.

Watch for more SIFF Sightings from Tassoula in this final week of the Seattle International Film Festival.

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Cinebanter #72 - UP

The MP3 of Cinebanter #72 is available here.

In this episode, Michael and Tassoula rise to the occasion by reviewing the animated feature UP. In the Last Five®, Michael demands that Tassoula see a specific documentary before he elaborates on it, while Tassoula revisits an early Pixar favorite. They also respond to listener feedback and agree to disagree on Eli Stone. The breakdown is as follows:

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:32 UP Discussion
• Break
• 20:31 To Sum It Up
• Break
• 21:23 The Last Five®
• Break
• 49:49 Listener Feedback/Eli Stone discussion
• 1:00:34 Credits and Outtakes

If you'd like to subscribe to the show (it's free, of course) via iTunes, click here.

The show is also available on Podcast Alley, and blubrry. Please vote for us at any of those sites and leave comments if you like what you hear.

Want to donate to the show and help with production costs, server fees, etc.? Click on the "Make a Donation" button to the left of this blog.

Michael's Last Five in this episode were: THE BUSINESS OF BEING BORN, THE GENERAL, DOLPHINS, DEAR ZACHARY: A LETTER TO HIS SON FROM HIS FATHER and HOLLYWOOD CHINESE. Tassoula's Last Five in this episode were: NINE GOOD TEETH, ANGELS & DEMONS, SISTER HELEN, A BUG'S LIFE and CHOP SHOP.

Special thanks to Brad Daane and Mark Cummins for providing the original music in this episode.

Reviews and/or notes of every movie Michael sees can be found at his MichaelVox website.

Tassoula has reviews, musings and movie-related product links at Tassoula's Movie Review Blog.

Feedback is always welcome - you may leave comments here or e-mail the hosts at cinebanter@gmail.com.

We hope you enjoy the show!

SIFF Sighting: MOMMY IS AT THE HAIRDRESSER'S (drama; Canada)

We've all had times in our lives where we were ignorantly content—maybe our bills were paid, our job was secure and our loved ones were safe. Times where our biggest problems were finding the minutes to catch up on the newspapers or being late to a friend's dinner party.

The family in this film, the Gauvins, is in one of those zones, with the exception of the father, who is blissfully having an affair. While he tends to his mistress, his wife acts as the penultimate partner, and mother to their three children: the precocious Elise (Marianne Fortier), the inventive Coco (Elie Dupuis) and the possibly autistic Benoit (Hugo St-Onge-Paquin). She makes elaborate meals, plays the piano, looks after their education and maintains her looks with the utmost care.

When she is blindsided by the news of her husband's indiscretions, it's too much for her to take and she escapes to a new career in London, leaving behind the children that need her so desperately.

Each child is affected differently, but the weight of the loss weighs heaviest on Elise, who feels at once responsible for her younger brothers and reckless with anger. She begins to alternately disappear to a riverside retreat and rescue Benoit from various difficult situations. Marianne Fortier plays the role with such steadfast conviction, you almost have to wonder if she's endured an abandonment in real life.

Another great tidbit about the film is the authentic feel of the 60s—we can tell from the cat-eye glasses, the cars, and the Beatles references that we're in that era, but none of it feels forced.

With superb performances and a pitch-perfect lacing of Beethoven to give it the perfect touch, I can't help but recommend this film.

MOMMY IS AT THE HAIRDRESSER'S screened at the 35th Annual Seattle International Film Festival.

SIFF Sighting: PRODIGAL SONS (documentary; USA)

In Kimberly Reed's PRODIGAL SONS, the audience at first believes they are going to see a 'coming out' of sorts, as Kimberly (yes, the director) returns to Montana for her high school reunion. When she attended the school she was a quarterback on the football team; now she is a successful woman complete with a (female) partner, a successful career and a life in the Big Apple.

But when she arrives at the reunion, instead of being met with hostility or anger at the new life she's chosen, she's greeted warmly by old friends and welcomed back into her hometown with open arms. What she didn't bank on was that her most challenging relationship would be with her adopted older brother, Marc.

Years ago, Marc flipped his car and suffered a serious head injury. Over the years he's had multiple surgeries to help correct the seizures and violent outbursts caused by the damage to his frontal lobe. Nothing so far has worked and his memory loss and aggression is only getting worse.

It appears when Kimberly returns with her partner Claire that Marc wants desperately to be close to them and accept them for who they are. But he can't let go of his past feelings of inferiority where Kimberly is concerned and Kimberly wants nothing to do with the past.

As if the situation isn't complicated enough, Marc's search for his biological parents ends when he learns that he is the son of Rebecca Welles--the daughter of Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth. Soon he is mourning the loss of a mom he never knew and immersing himself in the life of his famous grandfather, with the help of Orson's soul mate in Croatia.

This compelling documentary not only emphasizes the importance of acceptance and grace, it serves as a brutal reminder of why we can't turn away from those with mental illness. For everyone's sake.

PRODIGAL SONS screened at the 35th Annual Seattle International Film Festival.

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Marc