Author Archive
 

 

THE BIJOU @ TIFF: Whit Stillman’s “Damsels In Distress”

> Whit Stillman has one of the most distinctive voices in American film, and his 13-year absence from the screen barely shows in his new comedy DAMSELS IN DISTRESS; it feels as though, had it been made immediately after The Las...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SHOWBUZZDAILY REVIEW: “Straw Dogs”

    STRAW DOGS:  Watch It At Home – Pointless In Every Way   Forget about the artistic comparisons, the insult to film history, and the lack of respect to a great filmmaker no longer with us.  There’...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE BIJOU @ TIFF: Midnight Madness – “Sleepless Night”

> When the inevitable US remake of the French thriller SLEEPLESS NIGHT arrives, it’ll benefit from some sharper dialogue (assuming the subtitles in Toronto were fully translating the original), a bit more characterization...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE BIJOU @ TIFF: “The Moth Diaries”

> Mary Harron’s career has previously included such fascinatingly transgressive films as I Shot Andy Warhol, American Psycho and The Notorious Bettie Page, which is the only sensible explanation for the inclusion of her n...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE BIJOU @ TIFF: “The Deep Blue Sea”

> If you were going to describe the films of Terence Davies (Distant Voices, Still Lives, The Long Day Closes, The House of Mirth) in one word, that word would not be “dynamic.”  Or “kinetic.” ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE BIJOU @ TIFF: Midnight Madness – “The Incident”

> As has been reported, there really was an ambulance outside the Ryerson Theatre in Toronto after the midnight premiere of Alexandre Courtes’ THE INCIDENT, there to rescue at least one person who had fainted during the m...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED: WEDNESDAY — Early Results

> Facing the finale of America’s Got Talent (a 3.3 demo rating from 8:00-9:30), Survivor premiered at a 3.3 or 3.4 (depending on rounding) last night, slightly below our Fall forecast for the granddaddy of all reality sho...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED: THURSDAY Ratings This Fall

> THURSDAYS this Fall officially start September 22, with virtually all series debuting or returning on that night.  The main exception is The CW, with Vampire Diaries and Secret Circle premiering tonight and a few late pr...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE BIJOU @ TIFF: “The Woman In the Fifth”

> Pawel Pawlikowski is a filmmaker whose name deserves to be better known: his films Last Resort and My Summer of Love are small but beautifully realized stories of intricate human emotion. His new picture The Woman In the Fift...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED: WEDNESDAYS This Fall

> WEDENESDAYS this Fall officially start September 21, although several series get an early start tonight: Survivor on CBS, Up All Night and Free Agents on NBC in a special 10-11 pm time period after the finale of America’...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED: TUESDAY — Early Results

>NBC’s Parenthood premiered last night to a 2.3 Adult 18-49 rating in the fast nationals.  This is down 36% from the America’s Got Talent lead-in and down 15% from last season’s premiere episode...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE BIJOU @ TIFF: Madonna’s “W.E.”

> One of the enduring questions of Madonna’s illustrious quarter-century career is how someone so brilliant in managing every other facet of her persona has consistently made such terrible decisions when it comes to movie...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE BIJOU @ TIFF: “Your Sister’s Sister”

> Lynn Shelton’s Humpday in 2009 was one of the most engaging pictures to come out of the mumblecore movement (“mumblecore,” for the uninitiated = ultra-low-budget, small scale film with dialogue mostly improv...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED: TUESDAYS This Fall

>TUESDAYS this fall officially start the night of September 20, but we get a sneak peak at the night tonight with the early premieres of three shows:  Parenthood on NBC and 90210 and Ringer on The CW.  Click “re...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE BIJOU @ TIFF: “Rampart”

> Oren Moverman’s first film as a director, The Messenger, was a beautifully contained, emotionally detailed story about soldiers assigned to deliver tragic news to the families of the deceased.  In his new film RAMP...
by Mitch Salem