Just when I thought I had seen all the crazy movies available at the NYAFF, along comes Symbol, an out-of-body afterlife-centric experience which, besides testing your patience, is one of the most surreal and existential films ever made. Starring acclaimed Japanese comedian/TV host Hitoshi Matsumoto, who also directs this odyssey into life after death, Symbol is a film filled wih equal parts of humor and dread. There’s no denying the fact that it will test your patience – especially the first hour. But just like a test of will, sticking through to the end is a reward worth the wait as Hitoshi transcends the slapstick humor with a visually surreal journey into the unknown.

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Brought to you by Dan Meth, the guy behind the Trilogy Meter, comes The Futuristic Movie Timeline. Check it out below after the jump.

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Moon is one of the most refined science fiction films of the 21st Century. Its a visual feast filled with intriguing themes, ideas, and it even conveys a heartfelt friendship. It is a dramatic character study that uses science fiction as a back drop for the story.

The story centers around astronaut Sam Bell who has been on the moon for three years working to supply earth with it’s primary source of energy, Helium-3. Sam Bell has been suffering with loneliness and stress, and his only companion is his loyal computer friend Gerty. Two weeks before Sam Bell gets to return home, he starts seeing things that may or may not be real.

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In honor of the Dreamworks Animation Monsters Vs. Aliens hitting theaters this weekend here is a list of my 15 favorite animated films of the last 10 years:

15. Coraline 3-D (Selick, 2009)

Henry Selick uses 3-D technology to perfection in order to create a massively immersive fantasy. With a story based on a Neil Gaman book, we are led into a variety of environments with a world of intriguing characters.

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Apparently, there will be two Terrence Malick films to feast on in the near future. As reported over at AICN, the upcoming Malick film The Tree of Life, starring Sean Penn and Brad Pitt, will be two full, separate movies, the first of which will be the narrative The Tree of Life which we’ve all been expecting while the second will be an “‘imax only’ feature depicting the birth and death of the universe.” (AICN)
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As reported in Variety, Melissa Leo,  Frozen River star and recent first-time Oscar nominee, has signed on to the indie film Betty Ann Waters, joining Sam Rockwell, Hilary Swank and Minnie Driver. Longtime character actor Tony Goldwyn is set to direct the film – he has previously directed the Zach Braff-helmed The Last Kiss and a handful of Dexter episodes. He also directed the underrated Ashley/Hugh Jackman rom-com Someone Like You nearly a decade ago.

Here’s a rundown of the plot, courtesy of Variety reporter Dave McNary: ” ”Betty Ann Waters’ centers on an unemployed single mother who saw her brother begin serving a life sentence in 1983 for murder and robbery. Convinced that he was innocent, she earned a law degree and challenged the conviction with DNA evidence, resulting in her brother being freed in 2001.”

Swank is set to play the lead with Leo playing the solitary police officer bent on proving the man’s guilt. It’ll be interesting to see her as the antagonist.

I have always liked Goldwyn and feel he is a confident director capable of taken on this serious (and potentially Oscar-baiting) subject. Leo’s running hot right now and Swank can pretty much do no wrong all the time with the Academy (save The Reaping). And the more Sam Rockwell the better as far as I’m concerned.

What do you think? Does this film interest you?

Remember that time when you were sitting around talking movies with a few friends, and then suddenly that movie comes into the dialogue? You know, that movie. It’s the movie that the rest of your cohorts begin to laud or defame as either a “cinematic milestone” or “hugely overrated,” while you sit there, clueless, and soak up their opinions because you’re supposed to have seen it. Well no worries, we’ve all got that movie, if not more, and what follows is a dedication to those movie buffs who are a bit too proud to admit that they’re not as up on the coveted classic film canon as most would expect. On the other hand, you could just be one of many average film goers who couldn’t care less what movie snobs said if you hadn’t seen a film, and that’s just peachy too.

In no particular order:

Citizen Kane (1941): First off, I’ll admit that this film’s presence on this list is entirely dependent on the kind of film goer you are. One might not lie about having seen this film if attending (or having attended) film school, or any film class for that matter, simply because there’s an extremely high probability that they’ll wind up seeing it in that environment at some point or another. However, given the film’s legendary status among most other movie buffs, there also exists a rather high probability that anyone who hasn’t seen it wouldn’t like to admit otherwise.

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By Dan Mecca

This list intends to pay homage to recent classics that have not been given the appropriate respect. In no particular order:

1. Lord of War (2005)  - dir. Andrew Niccol

Nicolas Cage as a smooth-talking gunrunner. The opening credits alone are haunting.

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(No, it’s not her.)

According to The Hollywood Reporter Warners Bros. and producer Dan Lin are in early development on a a reboot of Tomb Raider,  the popular video game action franchise.

Lin will produce along with Stephen Gilchrist, Ian Livingstone, and Matt Reilly. Lin is the producer behind Warners’ upcoming Guy Ritchie-directed update of Sherlock Holmes and the adventure film Jonny Quest.

The new project, however, is expected to revamp the character and her mission and bear little resemblance to the original pictures. It will reimagine the origins of the character, her love interest and the main villain.

As an open-writing assignment, the project is still in its nascent stages. An actress who could play the role Angelina Jolie made famous would likely come on after a writer and director are attached.

The first pic, which came out in 2001, grossed a whopping $275 million worldwide, while the 2003 follow-up earned a more modest $157 million.

The first pic concerned Croft’s race against a secret society known as the Illuminati to find a key, while the second centered on her quest to find “Pandora’s Box.”

I have one question, does this need to be made? I would rather them focus their time on a new possible franchise. I enjoyed the Tomb Raider films, but they weren’t that spectacular.

Who could play the new Lara Croft? Do we even need a new Tomb Raider film?

Hollywood Reporter hosted a rountable discussion with these year’s best directors: Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon), Gus Van Sant (Milk), Ed Zwick (Definace), Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler), Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) and Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino). Nolan and Fincher are missing, but here are a few of the clips from the talk: