AltWeeklies Wire
'Sugar' Is Better Than Typical Sports Filmsnew
What sets Sugar apart is that the story is told so well. As the film progresses, and a lot of the standard tropes are rehearsed, things take an unusual turn, and the movie departs a little from familiar territory, serving up an ending that is satisfying, unexpected and not at all simple.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
05-14-2009 |
Reviews
Ignore the Critics: 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' Is Fine Superhero-Movie Fun!new
I think that the reason X-Men Origins: Wolverine has gotten such bad reviews is that reviewers do not understand something that film lovers like to call "awesomeness."
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
05-07-2009 |
Reviews
'Fanboys': A Geek Journeynew
Fanboys is a brain-dead teen comedy that substitutes Star Wars references for humor.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
04-29-2009 |
Reviews
'Crank: High Voltage' Is Rather Joltingnew
Crank is not a good film, in the moral sense of "good," but it might be an entertaining film, and is in many ways an innovative film.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
04-23-2009 |
Reviews
Compelling Case: '12'new
12 is like 12 Angry Men, except that it's Russian, and it takes place in a high school gym.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
04-16-2009 |
Reviews
If You Like Sappy, Cute, Formulaic Films Go See 'The Black Balloon'new
There are some nice things to say about The Black Balloon. I mean, it's sappy and cute and formulaic, and people enjoy that. Who am I to stop them?
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
04-08-2009 |
Reviews
Jesse Eisenberg Shines in Realistic, Funny Coming-of-Age Flicknew
Eisenberg is like a dramatic version of Michael Cera, and with Adventureland he really gets to show off his dramatic range, which goes from A all the way to those made-up letters from Dr. Seuss' On Beyond Zebra!.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
04-02-2009 |
Reviews
'Two Lovers' Is a Great New York Movie that Feels Both Classic and Contemporarynew
Director James Gray must have watched every old movie that took place in New York, because he swipes scenes from about half of them in his strange new drama, Two Lovers. Which is not a bad thing; Gray knows his movies and knows what to take from them.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
03-26-2009 |
Reviews
Grotesque Syndicate: 'Gomorrah'new
You'll learn a thing or two from this bleak, difficult movie about the other Italian mafia.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
03-19-2009 |
Reviews
'The Class' Is a Well-Done and Extremely Uncomfortable Piece of Artnew
You're trapped in teen hell, much more real than what you get on Gossip Girl or 90210. No one is shiny and perfect, and they don't have trust funds or romantic theme music that plays when they look longingly into each other's eyes. Instead, everything feels like a fight about to happen.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
03-12-2009 |
Reviews
Girl Loses Dognew
Wendy and Lucy is a small, intimate movie that deserves far more attention than it's received.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
03-05-2009 |
Reviews
Steven Soderbergh's Two-Part 'Che' Biopic Is a True Work of Artnew
But Che is a work of art much more than it's an attempt at political statement-making, and on that front, what Soderbergh has done is truly impressive.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
02-26-2009 |
Reviews
'Moscow, Belgium' Succeeds by Revealing the Diversity of the Everydaynew
Moscow, Belgium won't be the best movie you'll see this year, and it doesn't aim to change the world or make a lot of money or destroy communism. What it does aim to do is demonstrate how watching ordinary people can be completely compelling, and also, how ordinary people don't have a standard form.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
02-20-2009 |
Reviews
One Oscar-Nominated Animated Short Stands Outnew
Yes, the Japanese entry has a French title. You know why? Because fuck you and your antique sense of national boundaries, that's why. It's also, by far, the best of the lot, and if it doesn't win the Oscar, it'll just be the conclusion to an argument whose premises include Paul Blart: Mall Cop and the candidacy of Sarah Palin.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
02-12-2009 |
Reviews
Animated Documentary 'Waltz With Bashir' Works Well on Every Levelnew
Waltz With Bashir is about the process of coming to remember, and how we should present those memories. In the way it acknowledges its own myopia and self-concern, it's one of the most honest and innovative films of the millennium.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
02-05-2009 |
Reviews
