AltWeeklies Wire
Brothers Brings the War Homenew
Director Jim Sheridan's adaptation has a contemplative steadiness far more common in European films than American ones.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
12-07-2009 |
Reviews
'Precious': Who Wants Some Oprah-Approved Ghetto Tourism?new
Sexual abuse and incest are realities, and there's no reason why art shouldn't confront them. But when pop culture addresses them (and Precious, with its against-all-odds cheerleading and music-video casting, is very much a pop-culture commodity), the results deserve scrutiny.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
11-19-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Precious, Lee Daniels
'The Cake Eaters': Not as Interesting as Cakenew
The Cake Eaters is another well-intentioned indie drama you don't need to see.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
03-26-2009 |
Reviews
'He's Just Not that Into You': The Longest, Most Unnecessarily Complicated Chick Flick Evernew
He's Just Not That Into You looks like a fun, awesome chick flick, and parts of it live up to that promise —- but unfortunately, this bitch is long, and by the time it finally ended, it felt more grueling than any bad date I've ever had.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
02-05-2009 |
Reviews
'Twilight' Makes a Far Better Movie Than Booknew
Largely freed from Stephenie Meyer's ponderous prose, the movie is surprisingly campy and fun, with a cheerful sense of humor about its own ridiculousness.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
11-20-2008 |
Reviews
Patti Smith Gets the Documentary She Deservesnew
With Dream of Life, director (and Smith superfan) Steven Sebring has assembled a strange and beautiful tribute to Smith, equal parts biography, music video, and love letter.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
10-31-2008 |
Reviews
'Stop-Loss' Is Frustrating Failurenew
Stop-Loss relies on stereotypes and cartoonish oversimplification to critique the US military. It's a frustrating failure, both ideologically and creatively.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
03-27-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Kimberly Peirce, Stop-Loss
'Honeydripper': John Sayles Meets Jim Crownew
Sayles' sedate, inoffensive film takes place in Harmony, Alabama, in 1950, where Jim Crow laws are in full swing and black men can be arrested simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
02-01-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Honeydripper, John Sayles
Your Dreams are Worthlessnew
An undercurrent of pathetically naked hope that makes Great World of Sound weirdly compelling, and a sad-but-honest look at the depressing consequence of our national obsession with fame.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
12-27-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Craig Zobel, Great Wall of Sound
Denzel Fires It Up in 'The Great Debaters'new
There's a lot here about institutionalized racism and the ways in which violence and humiliation are systematically employed to keep people afraid, and it's all packaged up in a nice sentimental package, with a few fat-kid-makes-good and pretty-girl-gets-laid subplots for good measure.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
12-20-2007 |
Reviews
Fun in Nursing Homesnew
The Savages is bleak (though not without a certain dry humor), but it will likely resonate strongly with the boomer crowd, who are starting to deal with these issues themselves.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
12-20-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Tamara Jenkins, The Savages
Hooray for Family!new
If there's tenderness in Margot at the Wedding, it's steeped in ulterior motives and self-deception: This is not a feel-good film.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
11-26-2007 |
Reviews
'We Own the Night' Disappointsnew
The "two brothers on opposite sides of the law" storyline is formulaic and uninspired, but the presence of loveable freaks Mark "Marky Mark" Wahlberg and Joaquin "It's Not a Harelip!" Phoenix offers faint hope. Alas, mediocrity wins the day.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
10-11-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: James Gray, We Own the Night
