AltWeeklies Wire
The Final Days of Tolstoy in 'The Last Station'new
In The Last Station, Tolstoy's ideology and less attractive character traits are downplayed in favor of a more universal, digestible historical period piece.
John Woo's Extravagant Historical Epic, Red Cliffnew
Red Cliff represents not only Woo's first Chinese film (meaning mainland and Mandarin-speaking), but also his first full-blown foray into historical epics. It turns out to be a mode of storytelling that suits him perfectly.
After Rough Patches, Tarantino's 'Inglourious Basterds' Hits its Stridenew
Not since R.W. Fassbinder (and Godard) has a filmmaker shown so much clever, creative interest in how the Third Reich attempted to put mass culture in the service of mass slaughter.
Soccer Journeys in Rudo y Cursinew
Two brothers confront the pitfalls of sudden celebrity as soccer players: wild spending, drugs, gambling, avaricious women, demanding fans.
Tags: Carlos Cuaron, Rudo y Cursi
'Easy Virtue' May Be a Country Manor Movie for People Who Don't Like Themnew
The genre has gone downhill ever since Jean Renoir's The Rules of the Game set the standard in 1939. But it's been a long slope with the gentle upswings and plateaus of such films as Gosford Park and Atonement.
Tags: Easy Virtue, Stephan Elliott
Election Night Along North Carolina's I-85new
In the spirit of the late Studs Terkel, I set off on a rainy night to troll the highways of the Carolina Piedmont in search of people who are going about their ordinary business on this most extraordinary evening.
'I.O.U.S.A.' is an Essential Documentarynew
The film is a grim assessment of America's precarious, unsustainable finance.
A Slice of Past Lives in 'A Girl Cut in Two'new
Veteran French filmmaker Claude Chabrol re-imagines the Stanford White murder.
Tags: Claude Chabrol, A Girl Cut in Two
'I Served the King of England' and 'The Duchess' Look Back to European Historynew
What we have is a mildly amusing comedy in which every female under 30 can be relied upon to disrobe.
Strangers on a Train in 'Transsiberian'new
As a representative of a badly degraded genre, this tale of treachery and drug trafficking aboard a train traveling from Beijing to Moscow has a certain workmanlike integrity.
Growing Old, Bitterly, in 'Elegy'new
Isabel Coixet's Elegy is a movie for old men, made by a relatively young Frenchwoman. It's also a rainy afternoon movie, and it's quite likely to annoy women of all ages, no matter what the weather.
Tags: Elegy, Isabel Coixet
Norwegian Literary Lads Become Men in 'Reprise'new
Something of a Gen X/Y Jules and Jim, this Norwegian production tells the story of Erik and Phillip, close friends and aspiring authors.
Tags: Joachim Trier, Reprise
"Bait and Switch," "The Coming of the Lord," "Profits on a Plane"new
AltWeeklies Award - Arts Criticism
Tags: media
'Married Life' is Familiar but Rewardingnew
The pleasures of the film Married Life could be compared to the midpoint of a happy marriage; while some films elicit the ecstatic rush one might feel with a new lover, Ira Sachs' sleek, smart tale comforts us with its familiarity, routine and trust.
Tags: Ira Sachs, Married Life
Spring Awakeningnew
Burning Coal Theatre's new home in Raleigh's historic Murphey School brings the city landmark to life again.
Tags: theater
