AltWeeklies Wire
Michael Moore's Latest Doc Sticks it to 'the Rich' ... Sort Ofnew
Capitalism filled me with a sensation that's previously been foreign to the Michael Moore viewing experience: boredom. It's longer, sloppier and less interesting than his usual demagoguery.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Sean Burns |
10-05-2009 |
Reviews
'The Informant!' Feels like Michael Mann's 'The Insider' Remade as a Blake Edwards Farcenew
One could conceivably see this story being played straight in other hands -- or even in Soderbergh's hands, for that matter. But the insanely prolific filmmaker is on his fourth movie in the past 10 months, and he obviously just felt like goofing around this week.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Sean Burns |
09-21-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: The Informant!, Steven Soderbergh
'Towelhead': As Classy as Its Titlenew
Based on the acclaimed novel by Alicia Erian, the movie desperately wants to be pushy and transgressive. But it's so airless and devoid of empathy for its subjects the whole film seems to take place inside a hermetically sealed bubble of smugness.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Sean Burns |
09-22-2008 |
Reviews
The Interconnected Humanity of 'The Edge of Heaven' Edges on Clichenew
Is it just me, or is "the inevitable, tragic interconnectedness of all humankind" currently in danger of replacing "wise-cracking hitmen" as the most overworked arthouse cliche of our time?
Philadelphia Weekly |
Sean Burns |
08-04-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Fatih Akin, The Edge of Heaven
'Zombie Strippers' Lives Down to Its Namenew
Writer/director Jay Lee's Zombie Strippers is a fascinating whatzit, and presumably the first cheeseball boobie-filled gore-fest ever to be based on a Eugene Ionesco play.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Sean Burns |
04-28-2008 |
Reviews
Shooting the President's Never Been So Boringnew
Temporal gimmicks aren't exactly an innovation in the world of motion pictures, but nobody told the makers of the crummy, incredibly annoying Vantage Point.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Sean Burns |
02-25-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Pete Travis, Vantage Point
'In Bruges': Limbo Shticknew
The film is a delightful mixture of the sacred and profane.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Sean Burns |
02-19-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: In Bruges, Martin McDonagh
Against Blood Typenew
There Will Be Blood marks a sharp change of pace for writer/director P.T. Anderson, the most prodigiously gifted and brashly confident of Hollywood's young hotshots.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Sean Burns |
01-02-2008 |
Reviews
Big Studios to Oscar: 'Love Me'new
It's getting to be that time of year again, when vast amounts of magazine space and precious internet bandwidth are consumed by laughably early Oscar picks and predictions.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Sean Burns |
11-19-2007 |
Movies
Great Scottnew
Ridley's latest is rote and derivative -- and one of his best films in years.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Sean Burns |
11-05-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: American Gangster, Ridley Scott
'Dan in Real Life' is a Bit Too Rosy for the Real Worldnew
It isn't crap, but it's about as pleasant as a movie can get without actually being any good.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Sean Burns |
10-29-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Dan in Real Life, Peter Hedges
Jake Gyllenhaal: Luckiest Kid in Showbiznew
This mousy medium-talent keeps inexplicably landing plum roles in one high-profile picture after another, always adequate but never exceptional. About halfway through Rendition, I decided that maybe I've been wrong about Jake all along -- maybe he really is terrible.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Sean Burns |
10-22-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Gavin Hood, rendition
'Friday Night Lights' Remains Grounded in the Everydaynew
The best show you didn't watch last year, this ratings-challenged small-screen adaptation of Buzz Bissinger's book zeroes in on dashed hopes and broken dreams in the town of Dillon, Texas -- where high school football is the be-all and end-all and about the only way most folks can muddle through.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Sean Burns |
10-09-2007 |
Movies
Crazed Man vs. Machinenew
The hilarious The King of Kong features a passionate niche of classic arcade gaming buffs who fanatically guard their records and protect their heroes with a zealotry that would probably be terrifying, were it not so damn funny.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Sean Burns |
09-10-2007 |
Reviews
'The Devil Came On Horseback': Blood, Vet and Tearsnew
A documentary that serves as a call to arms as it follows former Marine Brian Steidle's work in Darfur.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Sean Burns |
08-27-2007 |
Reviews
