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

McCarthy's Rave

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"A thematic companion piece to Mystic River but more complex and far-reaching, Changeling impressively continues Clint Eastwood's great run of ambitious late-career pictures," writes Variety's Todd McCarthy, who was given an early look at the Burbank Studios on May 5th. "Emotionally powerful and stylistically sure-handed, this true story-inspired drama begins small with the disappearance of a young boy, only to gradually fan out to become a comprehensive critique of the entire power structure of Los Angeles, circa 1928. Graced by a top-notch performance from Angelina Jolie, the Universal release looks poised to do some serious business upon tentatively scheduled opening late in the year."

McCarthy's liking for Jolie's performance is well put: "As she did in A Mighty Heart, Jolie plays a woman abruptly and agonizingly deprived of the person closest to her. But impressive as she may have been as the wife of Danny Pearl, her performance here hits home more directly due to the lack of affectation -- no accent, frizzed hair or darkened complexion, and no attempt to consciously rein in emotion. There are inevitable one-note aspects to her Christine Collins, as she must exasperatedly repeat her positions to the authorities again and again. But Jolie makes it clear Christine maintains a grip on her sanity in the face of many assaults on its stability."

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on May 20, 2008 at 02:50 AM

comment #1

juligen says ...

Great to see Jolie give anothercritic acclaimed performance, her career seems to be in a much better place now than 5 years ago.

She is picking much better roles and material these days, also glad to see Clint still working and enjoying films.

Posted by juligen at May 20, 2008 04:44 AM

comment #2

actionman says ...

Wow this film sounds fucking incredible

Posted by actionman at May 20, 2008 09:54 AM

comment #3

Jeffrey Kunze says ...

Is it Changling, The Changling, or The Exchange. What the bloody fuck?

Posted by Jeffrey Kunze at May 20, 2008 10:32 AM

comment #4

Richardson says ...

I want to know how Amy Ryan was.

Posted by Richardson at May 20, 2008 12:29 PM

comment #5

The Bandsaw Vigilante says ...

Same here. Loved her on THE OFFICE this past week.

Great to hear that J. Michael Straczynski's work on this film's script attracted such top-notch talent, with these results -- the guy certainly deserves it.

Posted by The Bandsaw Vigilante at May 20, 2008 02:06 PM