Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Serenity, Spirited Away, Antichrist

Melissa Molina
Film critic,
latinoreview.com

Joss ­Whedon’s short-lived cult show Firefly spawned the feature Serenity. Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and his crew dodge the Alliance ­that’s hunting for his two newest additions. The film is full of sweet visual effects, witty dialogue, a lot of heart, and the stereotypical bad-ass girl that’s always in ­Whedon’s stories.

We all have a relationship that we wished never happened. So, what if you could erase it? Michel Gondry leads us through the cracking world of Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) in The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind as memories of his relationship with Clementine (Kate Winslet) are purposefully erased. It’s hard to look away when transitioning from one recess of his mind to the next.

Serenity
(USA) 2005, Universal Pictures
List price: $10.98

Sponsored
Sponsored

The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
(USA) 2004, Focus Features
List price: $9.98

Philip Haxo
Designer
Mira Mesa

After watching Spike ­Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are — which left me with mixed feelings — I went back and watched the classic animated Where the Wild Things Are and Other Maurice Sendak Stories. My kids loved this growing up, and In the Night Kitchen and The Nutshell Kids reminded me of reading the same books as a kid. Bouncy Carole King music keeps the kids singing along. A straight book-to-film translation that should satisfy any fan of the ­books.

I always thought kids’ movies should be about stretching the imagination and challenging expectations. No recent film did this better for me than ­Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. In an era of filmmaking when most scripts seem mundane and predictable, Spirited Away is completely original, and shows real growth in the lead character without ever being preachy. Plus, ­it’s ­gorgeous.

Where The Wild Things Are and Other Maurice Sendak Stories
(USA) 1973, New Video Group
List price: $14.95

Spirited Away
(Japan) 2001, Walt Disney Pictures
List price: $29.99

Mauricio Chernovetzky
Filmmaker
likefireproductions.com

Lars Von ­Trier’s meta-horror film Antichrist is both playful and genuinely disturbing. He introduces his story with the mother of all slow-motion sequences. What begins as a poke in the eye to ­Hollywood’s dependence on manipulative techniques soon turns into a punch in the gut. The ­film’s conclusion pays homage to ­Tarkovsky’s Mirror in so twisted a way ­I’ll never see the original the same way ­again.

The Red Riding Trilogy: Even if this neo-noir trilogy fails to add up to much, it definitely made an impression. I was struck by the first film in which director Julian Jarrold tells the story of a rookie journalist trying to solve the elusive case of a serial killer. The viewer is steered through a narcotic haze characteristic of the period. In order to plunge us into an almost dream-like experience, Jarrold boldly risks losing the ­plot.

Antichrist
(Denmark) 2009, Criterion
List price: $39.95

The Red Riding Trilogy
(England) 2009, IFC
List price: $29.98 (three discs)

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Why Unified® Review: What To Expect Dropshipping (Positive & Negative)

Melissa Molina
Film critic,
latinoreview.com

Joss ­Whedon’s short-lived cult show Firefly spawned the feature Serenity. Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and his crew dodge the Alliance ­that’s hunting for his two newest additions. The film is full of sweet visual effects, witty dialogue, a lot of heart, and the stereotypical bad-ass girl that’s always in ­Whedon’s stories.

We all have a relationship that we wished never happened. So, what if you could erase it? Michel Gondry leads us through the cracking world of Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) in The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind as memories of his relationship with Clementine (Kate Winslet) are purposefully erased. It’s hard to look away when transitioning from one recess of his mind to the next.

Serenity
(USA) 2005, Universal Pictures
List price: $10.98

Sponsored
Sponsored

The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
(USA) 2004, Focus Features
List price: $9.98

Philip Haxo
Designer
Mira Mesa

After watching Spike ­Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are — which left me with mixed feelings — I went back and watched the classic animated Where the Wild Things Are and Other Maurice Sendak Stories. My kids loved this growing up, and In the Night Kitchen and The Nutshell Kids reminded me of reading the same books as a kid. Bouncy Carole King music keeps the kids singing along. A straight book-to-film translation that should satisfy any fan of the ­books.

I always thought kids’ movies should be about stretching the imagination and challenging expectations. No recent film did this better for me than ­Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. In an era of filmmaking when most scripts seem mundane and predictable, Spirited Away is completely original, and shows real growth in the lead character without ever being preachy. Plus, ­it’s ­gorgeous.

Where The Wild Things Are and Other Maurice Sendak Stories
(USA) 1973, New Video Group
List price: $14.95

Spirited Away
(Japan) 2001, Walt Disney Pictures
List price: $29.99

Mauricio Chernovetzky
Filmmaker
likefireproductions.com

Lars Von ­Trier’s meta-horror film Antichrist is both playful and genuinely disturbing. He introduces his story with the mother of all slow-motion sequences. What begins as a poke in the eye to ­Hollywood’s dependence on manipulative techniques soon turns into a punch in the gut. The ­film’s conclusion pays homage to ­Tarkovsky’s Mirror in so twisted a way ­I’ll never see the original the same way ­again.

The Red Riding Trilogy: Even if this neo-noir trilogy fails to add up to much, it definitely made an impression. I was struck by the first film in which director Julian Jarrold tells the story of a rookie journalist trying to solve the elusive case of a serial killer. The viewer is steered through a narcotic haze characteristic of the period. In order to plunge us into an almost dream-like experience, Jarrold boldly risks losing the ­plot.

Antichrist
(Denmark) 2009, Criterion
List price: $39.95

The Red Riding Trilogy
(England) 2009, IFC
List price: $29.98 (three discs)

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Yo-Yo Ma, Wagner, and Tchaikovsky come to San Diego

Next Article

Gonzo Report: Stinkfoot Orchestra conjures Zappa at Winstons

His music is a blend of technical excellence and not-so-subtle humor
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.