AltWeeklies Wire
'Damned United' and 'An Education' Upend Clichesnew
The establishment seems more firmly established in England than anywhere else. Two terrific new British films depict prodigiously intelligent characters who challenge entrenched English institutions and nearly outsmart themselves along the way.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
11-10-2009 |
Reviews
Hollywood Product: '9'new
With so many computer-animated cartoon features devoted to pop-savvy kiddie comedies about talking animals, it's refreshing to see a CGI adventure with a unique vision. Acker's makeshift, Rube Goldberg-style inventions and landscapes can be fascinating. That said, 9 is PG-13 for a reason, and may be too intense for little kids and too dark for many adults.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
09-22-2009 |
Reviews
'Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg' Gushes Over First Lady of Televisionnew
Documentary pays tribute to Gertrude Berg, a pioneering Jewish writer and actress at the dawn of television.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
09-22-2009 |
Reviews
'World's Greatest Dad' and 'Big Fan' Offer Winning Portraits of Losersnew
Robin Williams and Patton Oswalt engage with darkly comic portraits of quiet desperation.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
09-22-2009 |
Movies
'It Might Get Loud' Climbs Stairway to Guitar Heavennew
An Inconvenient Truth director Davis Guggenheim presents a summit of three generations of rock guitarists.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
09-22-2009 |
Reviews
Hollywood Product: 'Jennifer's Body'new
While most mainstream horror films barely have a single idea, Cody's script for Jennifer's Body goes off in too many thematic directions, including high school spoof, female-phobic shlock and feminist empowerment fantasy.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
09-22-2009 |
Reviews
Hollywood Product: 'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs'new
Neither the character development nor the "human" animation prove appetizing. Otherwise, the film serves a fresh concept and eye-popping visuals, topped with some tasty one-liners and sight gags. Consider it an amuse bouche compared to one of Pixar's CGI main courses.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
09-22-2009 |
Reviews
Matt Damon's 'Informant!' Turns the Whistleblower Genre Inside Outnew
Steven Soderbergh offers a satiric docudrama about a corporate stool pigeon.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
09-22-2009 |
Reviews
Three Comedians Scrawl Self-Portraits With Poison Pensnew
Lisa Lampanelli, David Cross and Russell Brand reveal different facets of their confrontational stage personae in new books.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
09-22-2009 |
Books
The R&B of 'Soul Power' Rumbles in the Junglenew
The "Zaire '74" concert now serves as a kind of a footnote to the "Rumble in the Jungle," but the 35-year-old concert footage and behind-the-scenes moments make Soul Power feel like a backstage pass to a now overlooked musical event.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
08-25-2009 |
Reviews
'Inglourious Basterds' Uses Words to Win World War IInew
Quentin Tarantino's weird war epic emphasizes tense conversations over explosive missions.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
08-25-2009 |
Reviews
Hollywood Product: 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'new
The script's use of potions and oaths speak to themes about choices, loyalty and trust, but the inconclusive ending defers resolution until the two films of the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. So don't make plans for Thanksgiving 2010 or the summer of 2011.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
07-21-2009 |
Reviews
'Il Divo' Takes a 'Goodfellas'-Style Approach to Italian Corruptionnew
If you're a longtime follower of European politics, you might have an easier time with Il Divo's dizzying summation of Italy's power structure and the knotty criminal conspiracies linking Giulio Andreotti to murders, suicides and a scandal nicknamed Bribesville.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
07-21-2009 |
Reviews
'Public Enemies' Starts With a Bang & Ends With a Whimpernew
The first hour or so comes on like, well, gangbusters as Michael Mann sets up compelling scenes of bank theft and manhunt procedures. The script feints at overarching themes, such as the idea that neither Dillinger nor Purvis have a place among "modern" mobsters or feds, but the script leaves both men underdeveloped as characters.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
07-07-2009 |
Reviews
'Whatever Works' Hardly Worksnew
In addition to the film's skeevy May-December romance, Woody Allen displays breathtaking condescension to Southerners that makes him seem utterly parochial, despite his recent productions in Europe.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
07-07-2009 |
Reviews
