By Sandra Kraisirideja
Comic book superheroes aren’t the only fictional characters who need a reboot now and then.
Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe put their spin on the Robin Hood mythology in their latest collaboration, “Robin Hood.” The film marks their fifth together and proves the relationship still works. “Robin Hood” is a solid action-adventure spectacle worthy [...]
By Sandra Kraisirideja
Amanda Seyfried— the young actress who helped propel “Mamma Mia!” to over $140 million in ticket sales—may become the next female romantic comedy star.
Seyfried’s latest feature, “Letters to Juliet” draws on her inherent sweetness and has a story that could only be found in a romantic comedy.
On a pre-wedding trip to Italy, Sophie [...]
Date: April 3, 2010
Location: Moscone Center South, San Francisco, CA
Player(s): Sam Bayer, director; cast members Jackie Earle Haley, Kyle Gallner, Rooney Mara, Katie Cassidy, and Thomas Dekker
Backstory: It’s been over 25 years since “A Nightmare on Elm Street” introduced a new horror icon to teen audiences. Freddy Kreuger represented a new kind of villain as [...]
By Sandra Kraisirideja
“The Square” is a movie that cannot be condensed down to a simple, Hollywood narrative, which is not a bad thing, but it makes writing a review that much harder. Discussing elements of the story would also give away the movie’s surprises leaving not much to say in terms of what “The Square” [...]
Date: April 15, 2010
Location: Telephone one-on-one
Player(s): Allen Wolf, writer-director
Backstory: Plenty of filmmakers max out credit cards to raise money for their film projects, but not many launch a board game company, like Allen Wolf did, to get the financing they need. Wolf, the writer-director of “In My Sleep,” spent five years raising money for his [...]
By Sandra Kraisirideja
At any given time of day people receive a slew of advertising messages from their car radios, televisions, smart phones and computers. The ads that aren’t as obvious are the ones that come from co-workers, friends, neighbors and family members. Product recommendations from trusted sources are easier to buy into, especially when the [...]
By Sandra Kraisirideja
Kick-Ass, a regular guy-turned-superhero, is the latest comic book character to get his own movie. Both the comic book and the movie show what happens when an ordinary teenager decides to don a mask and costume to fight crime. Without superhuman powers and a bottomless bank account, however, Kick-Ass learns quickly that being [...]
Date: April 3, 2010
Location: Moscone Center, San Francisco, CA
Player(s): John Romita Jr., Jane Goldman, Aaron Johnson, Clark Duke. Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Chloe Moretz.
Backstory: On the second day of WonderCon the cast of “Kick-Ass” gathered before their late afternoon panel in a room behind . At the same time Christopher Nolan was making a surprise appearance [...]
By Sandra Kraisirideja
With the help of Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning successfully erases her persona as a sweet, innocent child actress with her portrayal of rock singer Cherie Currie in “The Runaways.”
Stewart, who plays guitarist Joan Jett, also separates herself from the lovelorn Bella in the “Twilight” franchise and both actresses appear to relish their brief [...]
By Sandra Kraisirideja
“Shutter Island” is not for audiences who want to be spoon-fed entertainment and expect a movie to be nothing more than a mindless distraction.
That is not director Martin Scorsese’s style, which he proves once again in “Shutter Island,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo and Ben Kingsley. Scorsese has created a sophisticated film that [...]
