Godzilla 1954 a.k.a. Gojira, with Takashi Shimura and Momoko Kôchi. Somewhat surprisingly, Ishirô Honda’s monster movie tackles the sociocultural upheavals in post-World War II Japan, as the young daughter (Kôchi)…
Volver with Penélope Cruz and Carmen Maura. Pedro Almodóvar mother-daughters comedy-drama Volver – literally, “To Return” – marks the filmmaker’s Goya Awards comeback, topping five categories, including Best Picture and…
Pan’s Labyrinth with Doug Jones as the Faun. Whereas Pedro Almodóvar’s Volver received on single Academy Award nomination – Penélope Cruz is up for Best Actress – Guillermo del Toro’s…
Water with Lisa Ray. Set in the late 1930s, during the British occupation of India, Deepa Mehta’s Water created quite a stir during its production in that country. Spoken in…
Helen Mirren Queen Elizabeth Double Awards Season Dose + Mexican Directors Are U.S. Critics’ Winners
Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen. Set in the aftermath of Princess Diana’s death, Stephen Frears’ The Queen, written by Peter Morgan, goes out of its way…
Captain Alatriste with Viggo Mortensen. The Spanish Academy’s Goya Awards’ top nominee, Agustín Díaz Yanes’ Captain Alatriste received a total of 15 nods, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Adapted…
The Dixie Chicks vs. U.S. President George W. Bush: Shut Up and Sing. Curiously, the Southeast Film Critics Association selected Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck’s political documentary Shut Up and…
Pixar Cars with Lightning McQueen. Featuring the voices of Owen Wilson (as McQueen) and veteran Paul Newman (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Hud), the Pixar blockbuster directed by John…
Pan’s Labyrinth with Sergi López. “If you expect to get laid after this screening,” Guillermo del Toro told the midnight (actually, closer to 1 a.m.) audience at the AFI FEST…
Pan’s Labyrinth: The Pale Man (Doug Jones) in underground, dark fantasy. Guillermo del Toro’s post-Spanish-Civil-War-set Pan’s Labyrinth / El laberinto del fauno was the National Society of Film Critics’ surprise…
Romanian actress Luminita Gheorghiu in The Death of Mr. Lazarescu with Ion Fiscuteanu. The Los Angeles Film Critics Awards’ most surprising winner was veteran Romanian actress Luminita Gheorghiu, selected as…