Movies & TV - Sept. 30, 2009
Milwaukee Film Festival heads toward strong finish
They haven't run out of popcorn or excellent movies at the Milwaukee Film Festival, which continues through the weekend at the Oriental Theatre on the East Side and Marcus North Shore Cinema in Mequon. If you haven't checked out any of the movies yet, OnMilwaukee.com film expert Mark Metcalf has some recommendations to help you plan your schedule.
Tags: film festival, mark metcalf, oriental theatre, marcus north shore cinema

Movies & TV - Sept. 24, 2009
Showtime! Milwaukee Film Festival opens tonight
It has been a long and difficult year, but the Milwaukee Film Festival is ready to rise from the ashes of its predecessor. Thanks to the hard work of Jonathan Jackson, Kyle Heller, TJ Fackelman and a board of directors that includes many of the smartest, most imaginative, active and important people in the community -- people with a deep passion for film, the creative world and Milwaukee -- this is a time to celebrate. The Milwaukee Film Festival opens today!
Tags: film festival, jonathan jackson, mark metcalf, oriental theater, marcus theater, racing dreams, film fest

Movies & TV - Sept. 19, 2009
Metcalf's Screening Room: "Amores Perros," "Spun"
In this edition of the Screening Room, OnMilwaukee.com movie expert Mark Metcalf looks at "Amores Perros," a film by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, and "Spun," which features There are outrageous performances from actors like John Leguizamo and Brittany Murphy along with solid work from Mickey Rourke and Jason Schwartzman.
Tags: mark metcalf, amores perros, alejandro gonzalez Inarritu, spun, brittany murphy, mickey rourke, jason schwartzman

Movies & TV - Sept. 12, 2009
Screening Room: "9" and "The September Issue"
In this edition of the Screening Room, OnMilwaukee.com movie expert Mark Metcalf takes a look at the animated movie "9," which seems to pay more attention to video game marketing than plot line, and a documentary about Vogue and the world of high fashion entitled "The September Issue."
Tags: 9, tim burton, the september issue, mark metcalf

Movies & TV - Sept. 5, 2009
Screening Room: "Tulpan" and "Tony Manero"
In this installment of the Screening Room, OnMilwaukee.com film expert Mark Metcalf looks at "Tulpan," the first narrative feature of a Kazakh documentary filmmaker named Sergey Dvortsevoy. "Tony Manero" is about a Chilean man who earns his meager living as a dancer but is trying to make it up and out of his existence by entering a John Travolta lookalike contest.
Tags: tulpan, tony manero, mark metcalf

Movies & TV - Aug. 29, 2009
Metcalf's Screening Room: "Inglourious Basterds"
Movie violence can be gratuitous, but it can also be elegant and exciting. That describes Quentin Tarantino's latest film. All in all, it's a fun popcorn movie. It doesn't break any new ground, but it may take old familiar Tarantino ground to new levels of fun and indulgence. And the name, "Inglourious Basterds," misspelled, in only the way a boy from Tennessee might spell it if he was called upon to create a myth.
Tags: inglourious basterds, mark metcalf, quentin tarantino, brad pitt, cristoph waltz

Movies & TV - Aug. 15, 2009
Metcalf's Screening Room: "District 9"
South African director Neill Blomkamp based this movie on a short film of his called "Alive In Joburg." It has no known stars in it, unless South African audiences know them. Peter Jackson, who directed the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "King Kong," produced. That alone may be enough recognition to market the film to the broad audience that it deserves. The script is wonderfully layered, the concept both frightening and funny, with all kinds of political and sociological connections. The execution is great.
Tags: district 9, neill blomkamp, peter jackson, mark metcalf

Movies & TV - July 18, 2009
Metcalf's DVD Screening Room: Men in the Movies
A lot of men who grew up in the 1950s and '60s took their cues on manhood from movies. In this edition of the Screening Room, OnMilwaukee.com movie expert Mark Metcalf takes a look at some classics like "The Professionals," "The Magnificent Seven" and "The Wild Bunch," and what those films -- and the actors and characters contained within -- taught him about being a man.
Tags: mark metcalf, the professionals, lee marvin, burt lancaster, kirk douglas, the magnificent seven

Movies & TV - June 20, 2009
Metcalf's DVD Screening Room: "Mrs. Brown"
We know from hundreds of movies about Kings and Queens that monarchs are surrounded by yes-men and servants, but seldom by ones that "speak truth to power." Mr. Brown appears to have been one of the few. Here are some thoughts on the 1997 movie "Mrs. Brown."
Tags: mrs. brown, judy dench, mark metcalf

Movies & TV - June 13, 2009
Metcalf's DVD Screening Room: "Gran Torino"
Thinking of renting a DVD this weekend? OnMilwaukee.com movie expert Mark Metcalf weighs on "Gran Torino," the film that stars Clint Eastwood, who also produced and directed. The film, about a working-class man in a working-class neighborhood, gets a working-class treatment from Eastwood, who is known for that blue-collar, lunch pail approach to making movies.
Tags: gran torino, clint eastwood, mark metcalf

Movies & TV - April 18, 2009
Metcalf's DVD Screening Room: April 18, 2009
Location can mean a lot to a film. It means almost everything to "Mongol." The vast, rolling plains with the vague outline of snow-capped mountains in the background; a solitary man, or three, on horseback, isolated in that huge panorama. There is enough drama in the landscape to make three movies. And this is just what Sergei Bodrov is planning to do. The Russian director is making a trilogy about the life of Genghis Khan. This is Part One.
Tags: mark metcalf, mongol, sergei bodrov, the dark knight, heath ledger, christian bale

Movies & TV - Feb. 19, 2009
Video of the Day: "The Visitor"
OnMilwaukee.com movie expert Mark Metcalf has tabbed Richard Jenkins as his pick to win the Oscar for Best Actor. Here is the trailer for "The Visitor."
Tags: richard jenkins, the visitor, trailer, mark metcalf

Movies & TV - Feb. 19, 2009
Helping Oscar handicap the Best Actor nominees
Will Brad Pitt win a statue for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"? Will Frank Langella's portrayal of Richard Nixon carry the day? Can Sean Penn break through for "Milk"? What about Richard Jenkins (pictured in "The Visitor")? OnMilwaukee.com movie expert Mark Metcalf considers all the candidates for Best Actor and makes his selection inside.
Tags: academy awards, best actor, sean penn, frank langella, brad pitt, richard jenkins, mark metcalf

Movies & TV - Feb. 7, 2009
Metcalf's DVD Screening Room: February, 2009
Thinking about renting a DVD this weekend? OnMilwaukee.com movie expert Mark Metcalf weighs in on the slacker/stoner hit "Pineapple Express" and a Pacino-DeNiro combination in "Righteous Kill."
Tags: mark metcalf, pineapple express, seth rogen, jud apatow, righteous kill, al pacino, robert deniro

Movies & TV - Jan. 15, 2009
Bunker won't let economy dampen his film work
The current economic climate might not really seem to be the time to try to raise nearly $185,000 to try and make an independent, feature-length film, but that's not stopping Milwaukee filmmaker Tate Bunker. Bunker, along with Found the Ribbon Films -- run by The Wicked Hop's Miles O'Neil -- is pounding the pavement and working the phones to finance what they call, "a high-end, low-budget, simple and captivating film to screen and sell at a major festival."
Tags: Tate Bunker, Miles O'Neil, Found the Ribbon Films, Mark Metcalf, Susan Kerns, Resurrection Ferns, Hannah Obst, Paige Bunker, UWM Film