AltWeeklies Wire
'Prodigal Sons,' a Documentary by Writer-Director Kimberly Reednew
Even if this riveting documentary holds back some key information for as long as it can, no review of Prodigal Sons can avoid the central thrust of writer-director Kimberly Reed’s multiple returns to her hometown of Helena, Montana.
The Georgia Straight |
Ken Eisner |
03-15-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Kimberly Reed, Prodigal Sons
Special-Effects Guru Behind 'Transformers' Sees the Field Morphingnew
The computer-generated side has thoroughly taken over from hands-on engineering, which is what John Frazier studied back at the start of his long career. "The last movie we did that was all mechanical, other than maybe one visual-effects shot, was Speed," he says.
The Georgia Straight |
Ken Eisner |
06-22-2009 |
Movies
'12' Examines Masculine Archetypes in Modern Russianew
Beleaguered ideals regarding compassion and freedom from prejudice were the subjects of the Americanski version of 12 Angry Men. Mikhalkov, best known for his 1994 Oscar-winning Burnt by the Sun, is more interested in the philosophical and political elements.
The Georgia Straight |
Ken Eisner |
03-23-2009 |
Reviews
The African Diaspora and Its Beautiful Discontentsnew
The puzzlingly punctuated title of Nurse.Fighter.Boy is a tip-off that characters here are to be taken with several grains of mythopoeic salt.
The Georgia Straight |
Ken Eisner |
02-09-2009 |
Reviews
'The Grocer's Son' is a Pastoral Respite from the Larger Conflicts of the Worldnew
The real stars of the movie are the crusty rustics in the background. Writer-director Eric Guirado reportedly spent months observing a passing way of life in this region before turning the locals into actors, and the effect is less predictable than is the central story.
The Georgia Straight |
Ken Eisner |
01-13-2009 |
Reviews
'Trip to Asia': The Quest for Harmonynew
This stunningly ambitious -- not to mention just plain stunning -- documentary follows the Berlin Philharmonic on a long journey abroad, to five Asian countries.
The Georgia Straight |
Ken Eisner |
01-05-2009 |
Reviews
VIFF Embarks on Odysseys in Musicnew
"With music, you can keep on dreaming." So says Quique Cruz in Archeology of Memory: Villa Grimaldi, one of numerous movies about music as inspiration and guiding light at this year's Vancouver International Film Festival.
The Georgia Straight |
Ken Eisner |
09-26-2008 |
Movies
Going Mad for the Movies This Fallnew
Just as the United States is about to elect the first black president who isn't Morgan Freeman, we have to ask, "What happened to the summer they promised us?" More than the temperature was off for the last three months. The comedies were violent and gloomy, and the action fantasies even more so.
The Georgia Straight |
Ken Eisner |
09-19-2008 |
Movies
'Goal II''s Kuno Becker Bends It with Beckhamnew
Kuno Becker calls himself a nomad, and this is no actorly overstatement. The star of Goal II: Living the Dream admits he hasn’t had a home in quite some time.
The Georgia Straight |
Ken Eisner |
08-29-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
'Brideshead Revisited' Doesn't Seduce Like the Originalnew
The Granada TV Brideshead Revisited may not have had all that much relevance to viewers in 1981, but during 11 lovingly detailed hours spent with the pastoral gentry of England between the wars, they got sucked in.
The Georgia Straight |
Ken Eisner |
07-25-2008 |
Reviews
Reality TV Grows into Young@Heart's Rock Operanew
When British filmmaker Stephen Walker first agreed to listen to a chorus of retired Americans performing in London, England, he went strictly as a spectator.
The Georgia Straight |
Ken Eisner |
04-21-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Belgian Teen's Death Shaped 'Ben X'new
Belgium's Nic Balthazar was a movie critic before he became a novelist and movie director -- a rather unusual progression, he is the first to admit.
The Georgia Straight |
Ken Eisner |
04-21-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
'Bella' Chokes with Amatuerismnew
There's a difference between pleasing the crowd and hugging all the oxygen out of your audience -- and Bella definitely edges toward asphyxiation.
The Georgia Straight |
Ken Eisner |
04-14-2008 |
Reviews
Kenny has Heart of Liquid Goldnew
Ever wonder who takes care of the crap in everyday life? No, not in any metaphorical sense, but actual fecal matter.
The Georgia Straight |
Ken Eisner |
04-04-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Clayton Jacobson, Kenny
Vancouver Jewish Film Festival Brings Dark Tourism and Tripletsnew
The Vancouver Jewish Film Festival shakes it up with cinema about Holocaust-related trips and motherhood with a twist.
The Georgia Straight |
Ken Eisner |
03-21-2008 |
Movies
