edited by Jonathan Doyle

Mafioso (The Criterion Collection, 3.18.2008) Nino Badalamenti is a supervisor in a car manufacturing plant who hasn't taken a vacation in over two years. On his way out the door to visit his beloved childhood hometown of Sicily -- with his blonde wife and daughters -- Nino is handed a package by his boss and asked to deliver it to a powerful and influential Sicilian gangster named Don Vincenzo. Once in Sicily, Nino has a hoot seeing friends and family, but his wife has trouble fitting in and is unfairly dismissed as a snob by Nino's family. Even more worrisome, Nino finds himself entangled in an intricate web of secret mafioso dealings and is eventually sent on an unexpectedly... elaborate errand. (continued)

Upcoming

July 2

Hancock

July 3

The Whackness

July 4

Diminished Capacity

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson

Holding Trevor

Kabluey

We are Together

July 9

Full Battle Rattle

July 11

A Man Named Pearl

August

Eight Miles High

Garden Party

Harold

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Meet Dave

Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired

The Stone Angel

July 18

A Very British Gangster

Before I Forget

The Dark Knight

The Doorman

Felon

Lou Reed's Berlin

Transsiberian

July 22

Two Tickets to Paradise

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Boy A

Horn and Goldstein

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L.A. Times guys John Horn and Patrick Goldstein in a series of podcast chats about Oscar snubs, the apparent chasm between Academy members and critics regarding Best Picture choosings, the Academy's problem with violent movies, and the surgings of Volver and Penelope Cruz.

O'Neil on crunch time<< previous | next >>"Truth" DVDs Refused

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on December 30, 2006 at 05:54 AM

comment #1

corey3rd says ...

why must the critics awards match up with the Oscars (or the other way around)?

I still think that they shouldn't give out movie awards until five years later so it doesn't turn into heat of the moment campaigns. You have time to digest the films and know which ones truly stuck to your ribs.

Posted by corey3rd at December 30, 2006 07:29 AM

comment #2

bipedalist says ...

Newsflash! Does the surge of Volver mean they are attracted to Penelope Cruz? Pan's I would call a surge. Volver, dying on the vine. Lives of Others, the best of the bunch.

Posted by bipedalist at December 30, 2006 07:55 AM

comment #3

Walter Sobchak says ...

Penelope does, in fact, give me an Oscar surge. That being said, I still think "Volver" is wildly over-rated. It was "cute". That's about it. Oh, I'm sorry... It's ALMODOVAR! Forget I said any of that. Best Picture of the Year!

Posted by Walter Sobchak at December 30, 2006 08:53 AM