Title: Poetry Writer-director: Lee Chang-dong Starring: Yun Jung-hee, Lee David, Kim Hira, Kim Yong-taek, Ahn Nae-sang A former high school teacher and novelist turned filmmaker, South Korean Lee Chang-dong has, with movies like Peppermint Candy, Oasis and Secret Sunshine, crafted a body of work ripe with mesmeric understatement, shining a light on quotidian pain and delight, and locating meaning as much in how his characters don’t react to certain situations as in any more active plotting. His latest film, Poetry, the Best Screenplay award winner at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, centers on a sixtysomething grandmother who, after learning two bits of potentially devastating news, tries to center herself and find release  [ Read More ]

Another poster has arrived from the Cannes Film Festival and this is a particularly awesome one. It comes from D*hOLLYWOOD (via First Showing) and is advertising Olivier Assayas’ Carlos, a massive five-hour flick about Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, also known as Carlos the Jackal, who conducted a series of botched bombings before earning most wanted status for raiding the OPEC headquarters in 1975 making him one of the most wanted fugitives worldwide. The film will be shown at the festival in its entirety, but will be available on the Sundance Channel as a mini-series. D*hOLLYWOOD also notes that a significantly shorter cut will hit some theaters later in the year. I’m  [ Read More ]

With the Cannes Film Festival about to begin, brand new posters are popping up all over town. Empire is on the scene and has already posted snapshots of promo material for three films, Gulliver’s Travels, Kane & Lynch and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The third installment of the Narnia series gets a fairly run-of-the-mill showing. It’s difficult to make out the faces on either side of the title, but anyone can tell that one is clearly the lion, Aslan. The Kane & Lynch advertisement isn’t anything particularly noteworthy either, featuring silhouettes of the film’s stars, Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx. The lack of a  [ Read More ]

Variety.com is reporting that Sean Penn has unexpectedly pulled out from two upcoming projects, citing the need for a sabbatical to spend time with his family. The projects would have been “Cartel”, about a man who goes to Mexico to save his son after crime cartels murder his wife, and “Stooges”, the much-talked about biopic about the legendary comedy team of the Three Stooges. It is unclear who will be replacing him in the productions. Penn was also in negotiations to star in “This Must Be The Place” from director Paolo Sorrentino, according to a report from the Cannes film festival. Despite his break, Penn announced that he still intended  [ Read More ]

Variety reports that Clint Eastwood’s latest film “Changeling,” starring Angelina Jolie and John Malkovich will hit the theaters in a limited release on October 24th, 2008. “Changeling” recently premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. The film is set in 1920′s Los Angeles and follows Christine Collins (Jolie), a mother who’s kidnapped son returns home unharmed, but soon after she suspects that the boy is not her own. The script is written by J. Michael Straczynski (World War Z, Silver Surfer). Stay tuned to Toxic Shock TV for the latest “Changeling” movie news and more.