http://www.metrotimes.com/blog/b-roll.aspThe B-Roll Movie Bloghttp://www.metrotimes.com/blog/b-roll.asp?perm=1042Julian Temple is a British filmmaker who's made most of his career worshiping at the rock and roll altar, and who could forget his debut, the Sex Pistols' whacked The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle. There was a brief and, arguably, successful foray into musical feature filmmaking (Absolute Beginners, Earth Girls Are Easy), and even an interesting detour into literate docs (Vigo and Pandæmonium) but mostly his talents have been oriented toward slick music videos and romancing the punk rock scene. Now Temple has discovered Detroit. And he's doing a BBC doc that brings his take on the city's blight and neglect will beget innovation and evolution narrative. But if his recent article in the Guardian, which absolutely revels in descriptions of despair, is any indication, we might just get another b...Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:40:11 ESThttp://www.metrotimes.com/blog/b-roll.asp?perm=973Untitled Adam Goldberg, Marley Shelton, Vinnie Jones.Directed; by  Johnathan Parker Rated: R     Run Time: 96 Grade B+Untitled is a diamond-sharp and unsparing satire of pompous, New York gallery culture, so sharp in fact, it's in constant danger of slicing clean through itself, and exposing the crude wire frame beneath its own artful patina. That the art world is chockablock with pretentious twits is far from the freshest premise, there were probably snobs turning up their noses at cave paintings, but writer director Jonathan Parker has a canny knack for making terminal self-absorption both hilarious and pitiable at the same time.  Adam Goldberg stars as Adrian, a seething mass of intellectual pique, who channels his rage into dreadful, atonal sound...Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:46:04 ESThttp://www.metrotimes.com/blog/b-roll.asp?perm=946I guess I'm one of those haters Corey's talking about because while I found Up In The Air fine in a Jerry Maquire sort of way, I think it's a pretty superficial film that wants to pretend it actually has something to say. For me, the top films of this year were the ones that'll probably be forgotten by most of the award groups. Though The Hurt Locker will probaly end up in the running here and there, in my estimation it was one of the year's finest American releases. And so, this being the time o' year where the Detroit Film Critic's Society weighs in on what it regards the finest flicks of the year I thought I too should share my choices in the various film categories. Feel free to disagree... or let us know how you would have voted. Best Picture 1  The Hurt Locker2  Still...Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:15:30 ESThttp://www.metrotimes.com/blog/b-roll.asp?perm=943 Two Brittany film essentials that went unnoticed: It's a tragedy that Brittany Murphy's dead. Maybe not only because she was young and beautiful and had a suitcase pimp of a hubby, but because she was a mighty skilled actress, a fact that'll likely be overshadowed by her ditzy film personas. See, beyond the Clueless, Just Married and Don't Say a Word megaplex trips, and other lesser-known and unfortunate blonde-for-dollars roles, the lovely actress soared in true Tinseltown alternatives, out beyond 8 Mile. The chirpy girl-woman with the little bug eyes and bony elbows could convey real innocence and sadness, particularly as an extremely flawed character, a street urchin like those most people rarely notice in real life. And here are two little-seen films that show how Murphy was, in fa...Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:43:21 ESThttp://www.metrotimes.com/blog/b-roll.asp?perm=936The Detroit Film Critics Society, of which I am a proud member, has announced its nominations for 2009, and just like the group, it's pretty eclectic. The full list can be found elsewhere, but just for giggles, I've included my personal picks, many of which made the final list, and some that didn't. The most glaring omission in my eyes was the snub of Jeff Bridges, who was stellar as a boozed out old wreck of an underground country legend Bad Blake, an homage to Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, Ramblin Jack Elliot and other cig stained road warriors. Part of the problem is that the film hasn't opened yet, and the studio was a little tardy in getting the review copies out. The other real letdown was the shutout for the Coen Bros bleak, black comic kick in the nuts, A Serious Man. Maybe...Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:27:44 ESThttp://www.metrotimes.com/blog/b-roll.asp?perm=837In perhaps the least shocking surprise of the year, Paramount has declined to pre-screen G.I Joe for reviewing press. This, of course, is the international symbol that a movie is not only lame or not good, but likely bad enough to cause severe birth defects for generations to come. G.I Joe has been shown for interview purposes to junket press, like Channel 20's own Greg Russell, and for a small cadre of hand-picked bloggers like sweaty uber geek Harry Knowles, but, by and large, those of us ink-stained wretches who get paid to opine about such things got shut out. Well fine, Paramount, be that way. I'll take my action figures and go home. It's not as if I was exactly clamoring to see boyhood buddies like Snake Eyes and Duke turned into some sort of idiotic "extreme" sports drink-swilling a...Wed, 05 Aug 2009 09:55:33 ESThttp://www.metrotimes.com/blog/b-roll.asp?perm=735A few hundred eager area moviegoers were treated to a nice bonus on Monday night, when an advance screening of Terminator Salvation turned into a meet and greet with the film's director, the man know as McG.  Kalamazoo born and bred Joseph McGinty Nichol has made a splash in Hollywood with his glossy, hyper kinetic music video take on the Charlie's Angels flicks, and now he's traded Drew Barrymore for killer robots. The director was full of smiles and homeboy love for his fellow Michiganders, as he fired up the already juiced crowd, hyping the pic and hurling t-shirts into the cheap seats. He even hinted that our pleasant penninsula might host the next man vs. machine slugfest, saying: "Maybe we'll bring the sequel here and you guys can come hang out with Bale". Dude's got a point, if...Thu, 21 May 2009 09:58:07 ESThttp://www.metrotimes.com/blog/b-roll.asp?perm=666I was a pup when I first saw Bad News Bears; developed a heady childhood crush on Tatum O' Neal, as a matter of fact. Be that as it may, what really got me was the anti-heroics of 14-year-old Jackie Earle Haley — as Kelly Leak— the smirk-y, cigarette-pack-in-sleeve badass whose manner bucked all kid-'70s suburban conventions, down to the motorcycle wheelies in the baseball diamond. His rock star features and swagger shaped wet dreams of a teen-girl nation; he was what '70s cornflakes like Willie Aames or Leif Garrett or Scott Baio wished they were. I'd often wonder about Jackie Earle Haley and what happened to him, where he'd gone, how he survived. He sidestepped dire "Where are they now?"-type TV shows and by my imagination's connect-the-dots, seeped into some self-medicated netherworld (...Tue, 10 Mar 2009 09:17:01 ESThttp://www.metrotimes.com/blog/b-roll.asp?perm=614The president has been pushing for more civility lately, but it can't come soon enough to the multiplex. Last night I attended an advance screening for a hard R rated slasher movie, one held at a later time of night than usual. Exactly the sort of event where you wouldn't expect to hear the cries of an infant, but there were at least two in the theater. And strangely enough, the babies did what babies do in dark places with scary noises, they cried, through the whole two hour movie. While horror movies are not known for audience decorum, and there was plenty of screaming, hooting and talking back at the screen "Don't go in there!" "Oh My God you idiot he's behind you!!", etc. No biggie, when adults do it, but a child can't help them selves, because kids under five don't belong in a freakin...Wed, 11 Feb 2009 11:29:19 ESThttp://www.metrotimes.com/blog/b-roll.asp?perm=601Every month for the last few years, the Mitten Movie Project has taken to the screen, showing some of the best short subject films from around the state and beyond. It happens the first Tuesday night of every month, half-screening, half-party, a way to showcase local talent and bring local movie folk together.If you're a local filmmaker, you probably already know what's on offer. But for those considering plopping down $10 for some unknown films, it can be a gamble. Well, now, through the miracle of Internet video, those who are unsure what to expect can drink in some teasers when making up their minds.For a gander at one of the evening's more serious films, take a look at this clip for It All Adds Up, a doc about Wayne State University's Math Corps program.For a peek at a documentary abou...Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:47:40 EST