PSIFF is back with Stars: Cate Blanchett, Colin Farrell, Austin Butler, Sarah Polley, and Steven Spielberg,  with 35 contenders for Best International FIlm, & great documentaries like "The Grab."     I speak annually with Palm Springs Lead Programmer, and former Newsweek critic David Ansen about film.   This year he attended the New York film festival, and saw twenty-five films in Toronto—many narrative, and many wonderful document...

Dumbo, Review: Have ears, will fly When they first thought of a new Dumbo, perhaps the best decision Disney and Burton made was to remake their 1941 animation film in live action, adding 3D for the heightened reality effect. The first Dumbo rescued Disney from financial disaster arising out of three previous expensive films. Its 2019 avatar has a different storyline, though the name and the basic premise—that of a baby elephant that can fly--are retained. Abounding in the usual generic ...

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent There was a time when Sofia Coppola could be at an awards show and overlooked as a famous daughter; not anymore, not for years now since LOST IN TRANSLATION. But in her new film, THE BEGUILED, which is a retool of a 1971 Clint Eastwood starrer, she really comes of age as a visionary writer/director. Even in what is considered a remake of a movie based on a novel by Thomas Cullinan, it has a distinctive feel that's all hers. The film opens J...

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent There are many reasons to wonder silently about the HFPA and their Golden Globe Awards, uhm, maybe the NSA knows more than some of us. (But not likely.) Last year Theo Kingma took the helm, and most of us hoped for the best after the sale to Peter Guber and friends.  What if the HFPA, founded in 1947, came back to its core directive as a charitable institution and gathering place for international journalists in Hollywood? Once w...

A down to earth mans-man, actor Jeremy Daniel Davis is what leading men are made of. With a steely gaze, charming smile and all the charisma packed into his athletic frame that you can stand-he is a directors dream.Not only does he refurbish his own race cars, sings in his dad’s band, but likes to see chick flicks. Really. His healthy sense of humor and gusto for life have landed him in a string of big international films.When you first meet Jeremy Daniel Davis, the first thing you notice is h...

  by Marla Lewin Heath Ledger and Verne Troyer Photo by Liam Daniel, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics   The Los Angeles AFI premiere of the latest Terry Gilliam movie,was a spectacle to behold. The Chinese Theatre red carpet blends with the decor, and the rush line produced many fans anxious to see this film. At the gate, I met the producer Sam Hadida, who was anxiously looking for his tickets.   The President of the AFI, Robert Gazzale took the stage and told the histor...

Tuesday, November 20---------------If it's Thanksgiving, then it must be time for the Sundance Film Festival to begin announcing the fims for its 2008 edition, which runs from January 17 to 27th in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. IN BRUGES, the directorial debut of Irish playwright Martin McDonagh will open the Festival on January 17th. The film, which stars Ralph Fiennes, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson is, according to the Festival release, "a twisted tale of two L...