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

July 23

Boy A

Calling Wes Andersons Fans

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"Working in a self-consciously quirky key that owes a strong debt to Wes Anderson's Rushmore, [director Garth] Jennings keeps his busy pieces in harmonious play, creating a miniaturized world as detailed, painstakingly determined and insulated as an ant farm. He crams the frame with bright colors and comic bits of business; tosses in an interloper, a French Billy Idol called Didier (Jules Sitruk); and makes room for the occasional melancholic stretch. And although the film’s visual style feels more borrowed than organic, there’s enough truth to [the lead characters'] actions -- and to the uninflected, touching performances of the two young leads -- to keep the film humming along, even when Mr. Jennings veers into sentimentality and lets one too many tear drop." -- from Manohla Dargis' N.Y. Times 5.2 review of Son of Rambow.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on May 03, 2008 at 10:39 AM

comment #1

The Winchester says ...

I loved this movie. Gave it a lot of slack, beccause even though it has the Rushmore vibe, it was done with a British acccent, which instantly makes it a classier affair.

Posted by The Winchester at May 3, 2008 11:19 AM

comment #2