Title: Haywire’ Director: Steven Soderbergh Starring: Gina Carano, Antonio Banderas, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum, Michael Angarano Espionage action thrillers have failed to hold viewers captive in recent years, as many of the genre’s recent entries have only served as platforms for the most memorable stunts by the male leads. Once again, Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh was unafraid to push the limits of filmmaking by crafting a realistic female character-driven spy movie. ‘Haywire’ proves that women can be just as effective as men in any job they set out to do. ‘Haywire’ follows highly trained operative Mallory Kane (played by Gina Carano), who works as a highly-trained black-ops…

Title: Haywire Director: Steven Soderbergh Starring: Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas So was this Steven Soderbergh’s final project for film school? The question is posed for it seems that the stylish director (Ocean’s flicks, Traffic, Contagion, etc.) couldn’t afford a talented lead for Haywire. Plus, the sound edit, uh, sounds as if a micro-budgeted indie filmmaker made this on his Macbook. Actually, one could probably get better sound out of that computer. Obviously, this isn’t Soderbergh’s senior project and there was some coin behind it ($25 million) as you can surmise from the talented cast that chimed in on this 93 minute flick….

Title: Haywire Director: Steven Soderbergh Cast: Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, Michael Angarano, Bill Paxton Steven Soderbergh is an interesting throwback to directors of yore, in that he is far less precious with his career than many of his contemporaries, and seems to regard the medium of film as inherently a place to explore, and play around. This means not only that he’s rather astonishingly prolific, but also engages in willful genre experiments (the “Ocean’s” trilogy, certainly, as well as something like “Solaris,” and even “Contagion”), plus low-fi adventures like “Full Frontal,” “Bubble” and “The Girlfriend Experiment.” Rather than own one genre or mood,…

Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar’s stylish output is such that he’s almost a genre to himself. His latest movie, “The Skin I Live In,” is not only his first film with star Antonio Banderas in many years, but it also marks a certain return to provocative form, so deliciously warped are its plot pivots. At the core of it, though, is a stirring performance from Elena Anaya, who plays Vera, the mysterious captive of Banderas’ rich surgeon, Dr. Robert Ledgard. Revelations about the depth and nature of their relationship are a big part of what drive the movie, but it suffices to say that Vera’s situation is rife with layered trauma, making for a…

I think people were groaning when they first heard that the “Shrek” lore would continue with the addition of a spinoff film about Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas). I was groaning too. However, I forgot that Puss in Boots is one of the better characters out of the “Shrek” series. Still, I wasn’t sure if he could hold his own in a movie. I was wrong, and I’m sure a lot of other people out there are eating crow (perhaps brought to them by a cat who was “hunting”) along with me. The critics and audience alike love “Puss in Boots,” which received an 82% from both critics and regular…

Title: Puss in Boots Director: Chris Miller Starring (voices): Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton, Amy Sedaris, Constance Marie Puss in Boots takes the titular character introduced in the Shrek movie franchise and tells the adventurous feline’s story in 90 minutes of 3D animated glory. Yes, the animation executed by DreamWorks Animation is once again splendid and crisp. Do you need to shell out the extra cash for 3D ticket prices? Not at all. There’s plenty of scope in the traditional 2D screenings and the kiddies will be entertained just the same. The character is a cunning cat version of Zorro set in a screenplay that blends…

We’ve seen both Salma Hayek and Antonio Banderas share the big screen for decades and take it over internationally through a vast array of movies. Now the two of them have reunited once more, but this time with their voices as they lend them to two cute little cats in DreamWorks Animation’s “Puss in Boots.” Go ahead and read on as the two talk about their experience working with Chris Miller, the director of the adorable “Shrek” movie spinoff, and how popular the orange feline has become in recent years. The story takes place before Puss met Shrek and Donkey, when he was a swashbuckling hero who protected the innocent….

A discussion and review the week’s new movie release from your favorite entertainment and celebrity website. Hello everyone, this is episode 18 of the Movie Night Podcast. This week Rudie Obias and is joined by Jeremy Kirk, a writer for FilmSchoolRejects.com and the co-host of The Golden Briefcase on FirstShowing.net, they discuss “The Thing,” the prequel to John Carpenter’s “The Thing”. Also, Rudie Obias and Perri Nemiroff discuss “Martha Marcy May Marlene,” “Melancholia” and “The Skin I Live In,” as part of the 49th New York Film Festival. Subscribe on iTunes or Download and Listen Here. “The Thing” features Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Ulrich Thomsen, Eric Christian Olsen and…

Recently, we wrote about The Hollywood Reporter‘s story on President Obama going to Los Angeles on a fundrasing trip in an effort to raise the Latino support. Now, The Hollywood Reporter has added that Obama will be adding another stop on his trip. According to the site, Obama will also have a dinner at the Hancock Park home of James Lasseter, producer of the film “Hitch,” and his wife, Mai. Immediately following the event, which will be $35,800 a person, the Latino fundraising gala will occur at the home of Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith. Other high-profile guests include Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Lady Gaga’s manager Troy Carter and…

Title: The Skin I Live In Directed By: Pedro Almodóvar Starring: Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Blanca Suárez, Jan Cornet, Marisa Paredes, Bárbara Lennie, Eduard Fernández, Roberto Álamo Ever since the release of the film’s trailer, it’s been quite apparent that The Skin I Live In doesn’t play by the industry’s standard rules of story telling. While this is generally a stellar characteristic in terms of innovation, it also runs the risk of, well, being confusing. The Skin I Live In isn’t too tough to follow, but the storyline does delve into some elements particularly deeply and glosses over others, and while this recipe might work for some, for others it…