Made as a 1920s-style silent movie, this hugely enjoyable film is already a classic. And while it’s far from mainstream, it’s also packed with more wit, passion and invention than all of the films in any given multiplex combined.

In 1927, George is Hollywood’s top star, swashbuckling through adventure blockbusters with his faithful sidekick dog Uggy. At one of his premieres he meets Peppy, a mystery girl who gets her own shot at stardom as a dancing extra in one of George’s films. His grumpy wife isn’t happy about this. And there’s more trouble when the studio boss decides to switch to talkies. So George walks out to make his own silent film, while Peppy becomes a sound-movie star. But she doesn’t forget that he gave her a break.

Filmmaker Hazanavicius tells the story in pristine black and white with an expressive musical score and title cards to convey the dialog. trailer

{ 0 comments }

Opens Friday, January 6

Based on John Le Carre’s classic novel of the same name, the international thriller is set at the height of the Cold War years of the mid-20th Century. George Smiley (Gary Oldman), a disgraced British spy, is rehired in secret by his government – which fears that the British Secret Intelligence Service, a.k.a. MI-6, has been compromised by a double agent working for the Soviets. “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” is a dense puzzle of anxiety, paranoia, and espionage that director Tomas Alfredson pieces together with utmost skill. The top notch cast also includes Colin Firth, John Hurt and Tom Hardy. trailer

{ 0 comments }