Salon: Beyond the Multiplex

Bedtime for "Gonzo"

Andrew O'Hehir — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 03:45:00 PDT

Alex Gibney talks about his Oscar-winning "Taxi to the Dark Side" and his new look at Hunter S. Thompson, American hero. (Plus: Audio podcast.)

On the dopeness of "The Wackness"

Andrew O'Hehir — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 03:37:00 PDT

In this interview and podcast, director Jonathan Levine talks about how Holden Caulfield met Rudy Giuliani and Biggie in the heartbroken, heat-stricken New York summer of 1994.

Japanese film's not-so-new new wave

Andrew O'Hehir — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:02:00 PDT

Asia's greatest cinema power never really lost its mojo. But 10 years after Kurosawa's death, Japanese movies are hotter (and weirder) than ever.

A murdered wife who isn't dead

Andrew O'Hehir — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:52:00 PDT

Harlan Coben's beach-read bestseller "Tell No One" becomes a crackerjack thriller -- made in France.

"La Dolce Vita" in old age

Andrew O'Hehir — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:07:00 PDT

An elderly Spanish couple -- one dignified, the other not -- revisits the classic love affair between Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg.

Dalton Trumbo and American evil

Andrew O'Hehir — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:28:00 PDT

How the legendary screenwriter of "Roman Holiday" and "Spartacus" defied Congress, broke the blacklist and raised his family.

Indie film is dying -- unless it isn't

Andrew O'Hehir — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 03:27:00 PDT

Yes, distributors are closing, films are tanking and insiders are muttering that doom is nigh. But the best filmmakers always survive.

Meet the Japanese Brando

Andrew O'Hehir — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 04:00:00 PDT

Little known outside his homeland, haunted hero-villain Tatsuya Nakadai spans the best years, and greatest films, of Japan's postwar cinema boom.

Maddin and Herzog: Brothers of the ice!

Andrew O'Hehir — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 03:29:00 PDT

It's frozen allegory week -- in summer! Guy Maddin reveals the sleepwalking sex secrets of Winnipeg; Werner Herzog chases psycho penguins in Antarctica.

Monday roundup: Hulk vs. Shakespeare

Andrew O'Hehir — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:53:00 PDT

"Hulk" director says superhero flicks are boring! So I'm off to a 10-hour Japanese film. Also: A.P.'s wacky war against the blogosphere.

Kinky underwear in Antarctica

Andrew O'Hehir — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 09:27:00 PDT

Opening this week: Farmiga's feral femme fatale, Herzog at the South Pole, a true-life gay love story, the amazing "Blue Planet" and more.

The Little Tramp's killer comedy

Andrew O'Hehir — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:29:00 PDT

How Charlie Chaplin's poisonously dark "Monsieur Verdoux" drove the audience away -- and was embraced by critics and filmmakers as a masterpiece.

Sex, death and the city (i.e., Prague)

Andrew O'Hehir — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 03:10:00 PDT

Smoldering Ana Geislerová lights up the screen in a dark, sexy blend of romance and social satire, one of the year's best foreign flicks.

Clint vs. Spike: WWII racial grudge match!

Andrew O'Hehir — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 03:52:00 PDT

A British paper lures Eastwood and Lee into an unfortunate feud. Here's the real question: Which of their films should the other one have made?

Genghis Khan, Harlan Ellison and RFK

Andrew O'Hehir — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:04:00 PDT

We haven't exhausted the kids' movies topic yet, believe me! Meanwhile here's a quickie guide to new films opening this week (that I'm not covering).

I'm on vacation. But you can help out!

Andrew O'Hehir — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 04:51:00 PDT

Seeking suggestions: Best movies for kids, non-current, non-Disney (or at least non-CGI) and non-obvious preferred.

"I Spit on Your Grave," Italian style

Andrew O'Hehir — Fri, 30 May 2008 11:34:00 PDT

Massive Euro-hit "The Unknown Woman" is ludicrous and trashy -- don't miss it! Plus: "Stuck" in a windshield and left to die.

Impaled on the windshield of life

Andrew O'Hehir — Fri, 30 May 2008 09:41:00 PDT

Is Stuart Gordon's black-comic horror movie "Stuck" just tabloid-fueled gore or American metaphor?

Post-Cannes update: Sony claims "Bashir" and "Tyson"

Andrew O'Hehir — Thu, 29 May 2008 12:58:00 PDT

What art-house recession? Sony Classics buys Israeli animation, boxing doc, Belgian crime drama. IFC grabs "Gomorrah," but no word on "Che," "Synecdoche."

"My kids think I work in a trailer"

Andrew O'Hehir — Thu, 29 May 2008 04:05:00 PDT

In this interview and podcast, Julianne Moore talks about being a normal mom and her distinctly abnormal role in the incest-murder drama "Savage Grace."

10 from Cannes, with love

Andrew O'Hehir — Tue, 27 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT

From "Che" to a rowdy Paris high school to a murderous "Tony Manero," here are Cannes' 2008 hits-in-waiting -- and a few more that deserve a second look.

At Cannes, a big win for old Europe

Andrew O'Hehir — Mon, 26 May 2008 13:00:00 PDT

Laurent Cantet's joyful, tragic "The Class" is the first French Palme d'Or winner in 21 years; Benicio del Toro named best actor for "Che."

Why the Cannes boo-birds are wrong (as usual)

Andrew O'Hehir — Sun, 25 May 2008 05:12:00 PDT

Argentine director Lucrecia Martel talks about her intriguing class-war drama "The Headless Woman" and its hostile reception at Cannes.

Meet the film world's new Steve McQueen

Andrew O'Hehir — Sat, 24 May 2008 03:50:00 PDT

In this podcast interview from Cannes, the British artist turned filmmaker talks about Bobby Sands, Abu Ghraib and his sensational feature debut, "Hunger."

Moliere and Sesame Street go to Iraq

Andrew O'Hehir — Fri, 23 May 2008 10:40:00 PDT

John Cusack talks about his new film "War, Inc.," a nightmarish satire about waging an outsourced war in the Middle East. Wait, isn't that happening?

Soderbergh's spectacular "Che"-volution

Thu, 22 May 2008 13:38:00 PDT

Messy, unfinished and utterly mesmerizing, Steven Soderbergh's two-part, four-hour Che Guevara opus, starring Benicio del Toro, sets Cannes buzzing.

Torn between "Two Lovers"

Andrew O'Hehir — Wed, 21 May 2008 09:50:00 PDT

In this podcast from Cannes, director James Gray talks about his intriguing romantic drama starring Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow and Isabella Rossellini.

Clint, Angelina and the movie with no name

Andrew O'Hehir — Tue, 20 May 2008 09:20:00 PDT

Eastwood and his pregnant star bring their moody 1920s L.A. thriller to Cannes. But what's it called?

Blood on the beach

Andrew O'Hehir — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:18:00 PDT

From a dizzying reinvention of the Mafia film to Tony Manero as serial killer to the death of Bobby Sands, it's a violent spring at Cannes.

Indy and the Martian Inca mummies -- vs. the French!

Andrew O'Hehir — Sun, 18 May 2008 14:00:00 PDT

"Indy 4" premieres, Harrison Ford charms the Euro-throngs and Cannes surrenders to celebutainment silliness.