AltWeeklies Wire
'Avatar' Really Annoys the Top Pointyheads on the Rightnew

Athens (Ohio) News editor summarizes the criticisms of James Cameron's blockbuster, Avatar, by four leading lights of the conservative movement, and then explains why they're full of baloney.
The Athens NEWS |
Terry Smith |
01-12-2010 |
Movies
Tags: Avatar, James Cameron
Some Choice Literary Adaptations at This Year's Sundance Film Festivalnew

Though the overwhelming majority of Sundance titles are wholly original creations, there are a few literary adaptations scattered through the programming. Here’s a look at five books-turned-Sundance films to give you a taste of what you might be in for.
Salt Lake City Weekly |
Scott Renshaw |
01-05-2010 |
Movies
From Industry Turmoil, Great Films Arosenew
And so another year comes to an end, and with it a decade (Gregorian contrarians notwithstanding) in which the answer to the question “What is cinema?” underwent more radical transmutations than in any comparable period since the dawn of moving images.
L.A. Weekly |
Scott Foundas |
01-04-2010 |
Movies
Movie Buzz: The Year in Review
A look back at the best and worst movies of 2009.
Metro Spirit |
Mariah Gardner |
12-23-2009 |
Movies
It's Been a Banner Year For Brooklyn-Based Movies. But Is There a 'Brooklyn Film'?new

The notably thriving social enclaves of Brooklyn—particularly the areas of Williamsburg and Greenpoint—have grown increasingly gentrified in direct proportion to the down-and-dirty mystique. In that conflict lies a distinct two-headed beast ever-present in the movies of the region.
New York Press |
Eric Kohn |
12-10-2009 |
Movies
Do Government Subsidies for Film Production Create a 'Race to the Bottom'?new
Especially now, when so many traditional jobs have been lost, "everybody wants to be Hollywood east," Cornell University professor Susan Christopherson says. It's "sexy meets desperation." More than 40 states are actively vying for movie production business, upping the ante on subsidies in what she calls a "race to the bottom."
Chicago Reader |
Deanna Isaacs |
11-30-2009 |
Movies
How to Save CNN

When Ted Turner invented cable news in 1980 with the launch of Cable News Network, he said he wanted the news to be the star, not the talking heads. It's been almost 30 years now and the monster he created is killing its creator.
The Inlander |
Ted S. McGregor Jr. |
11-24-2009 |
Movies
Reality Fiction: How 'The Road' and '2012' Might Predict the Future ... For Realnew

From health care to finance, the prefix "broken" has been applied to every industrialized system humankind has had the gumption to design. The world that lapped up Roland Emmerich's last two end-time fables might not be so eager for part three.
North Bay Bohemian |
Hannah Strom-Martin |
11-11-2009 |
Movies
The 2009 Holiday Film Guidenew
The leaves are turning, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year’s are looming. The holiday season is upon us! Hollywood hopes you will take a break during your endless holiday shopping in the coming weeks to stop by the mall theater and buy a ticket for one of the following films.
Weekly Alibi |
Devin D. O'Leary |
11-10-2009 |
Movies
Tags: holiday film guide, movies
The Secret Lives of Queer Leading Mennew

How Howard Bragman, Hollywood's coming-out guru, helps gay actors tell the truth. Bragman's parents were "tolerant and accepting" when he came out in his 20s; Proposition 8 was "extremely painful"; gays and lesbians need to "call people on their shit."
L.A. Weekly |
Patrick Range McDonald |
10-09-2009 |
Movies
Return of the B Movie: Full Moon Entertainment is Backnew

To a certain percentage of the population -- those who grew up in the dawning Home Video Age of the '80s -- Full Moon still holds a certain nostalgic resonance. Now, after years of weathering bankruptcy, various lawsuits and the death of the VHS tape, Full Moon is back.
Weekly Alibi |
Devin D. O'Leary |
10-06-2009 |
Movies
Smelled Any Good Movies Lately? A History of Fragant Cinemanew

A German company called Cinescent has recently begun bombarding European movie screens with scented advertisements. But this isn't the first time people have tried adding smells to the theater-going experience
Fast Forward Weekly |
John Tebbutt |
10-01-2009 |
Movies
Going for the Gold at the Toronto International Film Festivalnew
The Toronto International Film Festival is often a venue for anointing the preordained, the first stop on the studios' long march toward Oscar season. But it's the surprises that shine through.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Sam Adams |
09-29-2009 |
Movies
'World's Greatest Dad' and 'Big Fan' Offer Winning Portraits of Losersnew
Robin Williams and Patton Oswalt engage with darkly comic portraits of quiet desperation.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
09-22-2009 |
Movies
Video Vulture: The Scariest Prisoner (and the Scariest Scary Prisoner Movies)new

A good way to introduce a villain is to show the elaborate safety precautions needed to keep him safely behind bars. A regular old jail cell just isn't secure enough for these maniacs.
Fast Forward Weekly |
John Tebbutt |
09-17-2009 |
Movies