AltWeeklies Wire
Monks on the Brink in Stirring 'Of Gods and Men'new
Of Gods and Men is concerned about faith, courage and love. The group of eight men, all in their 50s or older, must confront their fear of death -- and ready themselves to submit to it humbly, as witnesses to their vows.
Tags: Xavier Beauvois, Of Gods and Men
The Daunting Struggles of Africa's Big Catsnew
Regrettably, the crisis that 'The Last Lions' is designed to raise awareness of -- the lion population is down from half a million to about 20,000 -- is underexplored. But the footage is never less than astounding.
No More Working For the Man in Made in Dagenhamnew
Dagenham is a suburb on the east side of London and, in 1968, was home to a Ford automotive plant. Several thousand worked there, including 187 women who were assigned the job of cutting and stitching the upholstery for the cars.
Kevin Spacey as Casino Jack Abramoffnew
George Hickenlooper's film takes a novel, comic approach, but it isn't compelling enough to interest those who got their fill from Alex Gibney's documentary Casino Jack and the United States of Money.
Tags: Casino Jack, Kevin Spacey
A Trip Through a Montreal Man's Messy Life in Barney's Versionnew
Barney Panofsky is a boozy, sweaty, ostensible fuckup who—despite being played by Paul Giamatti—is nonetheless strikingly successful in business and even more so with women.
Tags: Barney's Version
The Illusionist, the Magnificent New Film From Sylvain Chometnew
Deeply felt and painfully melancholy, The Illusionist wallows in the visual and aural furniture of a vanishing popular culture.
Tags: The Illusionist
Monsters Is An Ambitious Indie Sci-Fi Road Trip Filmnew
Monsters is in the apocalyptic vein of so many films of recent years—District 9 and The Road are obvious corollaries.
Tags: Monsters
A Life-Changing Friend In My Dog Tulipnew
By placing himself in the service of his animal, an old man is better able to serve his own needs.
Tags: My Dog Tulip
Tamara Drewe is a Lively, If Flawed, Thomas Hardy Updatenew
This bustling country comedy achieves the goal of both invoking a certain English literary tradition and lightly satirizing our nostalgia for it.
Still Waiting for Leftynew
Last week, after 22 years, I left the Democratic Party.
INDY Week |
David Fellerath |
11-12-2010 |
Commentary
Tags: DNC
Working Things Out in Funny Storynew
It's Kind of a Funny Story reaches for an ironic, self-aware tone but doesn't transcend its young adult fiction origins.
Quiet Desperation in Mademoiselle Chambonnew
The virtue, and limitation, of Mademoiselle Chambon is the ordinariness of the characters and their quotidian affair. It's one we can relate to, but it's not necessarily one that we go to the movies to watch.
Get Low Doesn't Go Low Enoughnew
A film that looks to Horton Foote for inspiration is worth taking seriously, but this director and screenwriter don't have what it takes to give their synthetic concoction any authority.
Tags: Get Low, Aaron Schneider
Is Soccer the Ultimate American Game?new
It's true that soccer is still in its formative stages as a mass spectator entertainment, but when participation is considered, soccer is America's game.
Death and Memory in Oscar-Winning 'The Secret in Their Eyes'new
The Secret in Their Eyes was a surprise winner of this year's best foreign film Oscar. In retrospect, the selection is understandable.
