AltWeeklies Wire
'My Kid Could Paint That'
Documentarian Amir Bar-Lev makes himself a moving target when he breaks form to editorialize in private monologue about his doubts over the veracity of 4-year-old Marla Olmstead creating museum-worthy paintings without the help of her father.
'Great World of Sound'
Great writing and solid ensemble performances from unfamiliar actors make this gem of a drama stick in the memory.
Tags: Craig Zobel, Great World of Sound
'Control'
Renowned photographer, graphic designer and music video director Anton Corbijn makes an auspicious film-directing debut with a stunning biopic about Joy Division singer Ian Curtis that is irreproachable.
Tags: Control, Anton Corbijn
Jesse James As Pop Icon
New Zealand director Andrew Dominik tells the story of Jesse James's last days in a patient and unequivocal style that makes us want to turn back history.
The Last Winter
Writer/director Larry Fessenden (“Wendigo”) whips up a whirlwind of suspense and horror in the Arctic region of Northern Alaska where an oil company’s dredging plans meet with supernatural elements at their frigid base.
Tags: Larry Fessenden, The Last Winter
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
New Zealand director Andrew Dominik (“Chopper”) tells the story of Jesse James’s last days with a patient and unequivocal style that makes us want to turn back history. Based on the 1983 novel by Ron Hansen, Dominik presents a sparse western stripped down to its barest elements.
Adaptation of Charles Baxter's Novel Draws Bad Laughs
Charles Baxter's acclaimed Midsummer Night's Dream-inspired romantic novel receives a clumsy screen adaptation from director Robert Benton (Kramer vs. Kramer).
Tags: Feast of Love, Robert Benton
Staring Into the Abyss: Surgical Squads Get Screentime
There's a lot of bang for the buck in director Peter Berg's juiced-up "what-if" illustration of a U.S. Special Forces rogue team responding to a massive attack on oil company employees and their kin inside the imaginary safety of a housing compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Tags: Peter Berg, The Kingdom
Daniel Radcliffe on Acting His Way Out of Harry Potter
Since throwing caution to the wind to perform in a West End revival of Peter Schaffer's nudity-mandatory play "Equus," Radcliffe teamed up with Australian independent director Rod Hardy for an ensemble film based on Michael Noonan's novel December Boys.
Maui Time |
Cole Smithey |
09-17-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: December Boys, Rod Hardy
Sean Penn Roughs It With 'Into the Wild'
Sean Penn directs this thoroughly satisfying account of Christopher McCandless's wilderness journeys that Jon Krakauer eloquently brought to light in his 1996 best-selling book.
Tags: Into the Wild, Sean Penn
Paul Haggis Gets the Iraq War Right
Writer/director Paul Haggis (Crash) uses a biblically grounded metaphor as an all-encompassing touchstone for the desperate plight of physically and psychologically wounded Iraq War soldiers returning home.
Tags: Paul Haggis, In the Valley of Elah
'The Brave One' Wants to Turn the Clock Back
As its blandly heroic title forecasts, the film is a revenge fantasy that floats like a narrative helium balloon waiting to find its ceiling.
Tags: Neil Jordan, The Brave One
Crowe Vs. Bale: Mangold Reinvents Elmore Leonard Western
Director James Mangold’s update of the Elmore Leonard short story that spawned the original 1957 Western, is a gritty action-packed movie that trades on the talents of its headstrong leading men.
Tags: 3:10 to Yuma, James Mangold
Rod Lurie Takes Jackson and Hartnett Nine Rounds
Lurie puts another feather in his directing hat with an absorbing character study about a daily newspaper writer who takes a shortcut to success only to discover that, like the subject of his career-saving article, he is not the man he thought himself to be.
Tags: Resurrecting the Champ, Rod Lurie
Clive Owen Shoots 'Em Up and Talks About It
Clive Owen's recent performances in films like Sin City and Children of Men have put him on the radar of cutting-edge directors like Michael Davis.
Maui Time |
Cole Smithey |
08-21-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Michael Davis, Shoot 'Em Up
