AltWeeklies Wire
'Pretty Vacant': the Sex Pistols and Esteban Jordan meet in a SA film classicnew

It's hard to hold a DVD of Pretty Vacant, the short film by Jim Mendiola — it burns your hands
San Antonio Current |
Enrique Lopetegui |
01-30-2013 |
Reviews
The original (and best) 'Halloween' returnsnew

Thirty-four years after its release, John Carpenter's original Halloween remains the best in the Michael Myers series.
San Antonio Current |
Enrique Lopetegui |
10-26-2012 |
Reviews
Tags: Halloween, John Carpenter;
'V/H/S', the scariest film only a few have seennew

V/H/S opened on October 5 in only 16 theaters nationwide, earning a pale $36,402 so far. As of this writing, there’s no information on whether the movie will even open in San Antonio theaters.
San Antonio Current |
Enrique Lopetegui |
10-17-2012 |
Reviews
Frank Langella delivers another Oscar-worthy performance in 'Robot & Frank'new

Idea for a movie: a former cat burglar showing early signs of Alzheimer's gets help in the form of a robot as a present from his son, so the man teaches the robot how to steal. A comedy, right? And probably a bad one. Unless, of course, the writing and the actors are first class.
San Antonio Current |
Enrique Lopetegui |
08-30-2012 |
Reviews
An extremely up-close encounter with Neil Youngnew

Neil Young Journeys completes director Jonathan Demme's trilogy of concert films centered on Neil Young. While 2006's Neil Young: Heart of Gold featured Young in Nashville returning from a bout with an aneurysm, and 2009's Neil Young Trunk Show featured concert footage in Pennsylvania during the Chrome Dreams II tour, Journeys, a solo performance by Young, is the most personal yet experimental of the three.
San Antonio Current |
Enrique Lopetegui |
08-10-2012 |
Reviews
'Damsels in Distress' has its heart (and ear) in the right placenew

Fourteen years after his last film, The Last Days of Disco, writer-director Whit Stillman reclaims his status as perennial contender to the Tarantino of the Upper Classes title. Sure, Damsels in Distress has no violence and very little sex...
San Antonio Current |
Enrique Lopetegui |
05-11-2012 |
Reviews
Girl in a Coma's documentary 'Jammin'' shows their early yearsnew

Since 2006's Jammin', a TV documentary of the early years of Girl in a Coma, the band's circumstances have changed a bit.
San Antonio Current |
Enrique Lopetegui |
02-27-2012 |
Reviews
Tags: Jammin', Jim Mendiola
Critic' Pick: 'The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore'new

It is a shame that the short film category at the Oscars is so underrated. Some of the best films frequently come from this group, and this year is no different.
San Antonio Current |
Enrique Lopetegui |
02-16-2012 |
Reviews
Pa Negre (Black Bread)new

This is the movie that nearly swept the Goya Awards (Spain’s Oscar), and the first film to represent Spain in the race for Best Foreign Film Oscar in 2012 that is not spoken in Spanish (the original is in Catalan, but San Antonians will see a version dubbed into Spanish with English subtitles).
San Antonio Current |
Enrique Lopetegui |
10-27-2011 |
Reviews
Prequel to John Carpenter’s 1982 Classic Gets Away with Murdernew

Is there a reason to remake good films beyond the obvious temptation to cash in on a great title? For artistry’s sake, it’s certainly better to remake good ideas marred by bad acting, writing, or directing, than trying to imitate what’s been done before, and better.
San Antonio Current |
Enrique Lopetegui |
10-20-2011 |
Reviews
Tucker & Dale's Comedy of (Very Bloody) Errorsnew

The winner of 2010’s South By Southwest Audience Award, and a hit at Sundance’s Midnight category, Canada’s Tucker & Dale vs. Evil is the type of film that critics love to ignore.
San Antonio Current |
Enrique Lopetegui |
10-20-2011 |
Reviews
Higher Ground: Vera Farmiga Shines in Spirited Directorial Debutnew

Based on the novel This Dark World: A Memoir of Salvation Found and Lost by Carolyn S. Briggs (who also co-wrote the script), Higher Ground is the unusual type of screen gem that will both piss off and captivate religious freaks and non-believers alike.
San Antonio Current |
Enrique Lopetegui |
10-06-2011 |
Reviews
Disturbing Harvest: Child Labor in Americanew

It is easy to dismiss the documentary, The Harvest, as a liberal infomercial with political goals. It is more difficult to deny the fact that these children — these American children — are migrant farm workers who live here and spend their lives working like asses for peanuts and are unable to finish school due to the constant moving.
San Antonio Current |
Enrique Lopetegui |
09-21-2011 |
Reviews
No Man's Landnew

In Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, there is an average of eight drug-related murders every day.
San Antonio Current |
Enrique Lopetegui |
09-21-2011 |
Reviews
Low-Budget Bellflower is an Instant Indie Classic That’ll Set You on Firenew

“I'd seen movies about breakups, but I'd never seen anyone try to make a movie about what it's really like to have your heart broken,” first-time director Evan Glodell told The Village Voice.
San Antonio Current |
Enrique Lopetegui |
09-15-2011 |
Reviews