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
'The September Issue' Mostly Lobs Softballs at Anna Wintournew
When face time is scored, it's not far from Chris Wallace's recent fawning Dick Cheney interview. Softballs are lobbed, and Wintour gets to look, alas, vaguely human. She remains, basically, unchallenged, her devil boss status unchanged but herself all the more lovable.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Matt Prigge |
09-14-2009 |
Reviews
'Confessions of a Shopaholic'-aholicnew
Was Shopaholic a great movie? Nah. But it was everything a chick flick should be, meaning pink and sparkly as a glass of Rose Brut, and completely and offensively cliched.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Caralyn Green |
02-23-2009 |
Reviews
'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
Czech Jiri Menzel Shows His Mastery in 'I Served the King of England'new
Like Closely Watched Trains, England was adapted from author Bohumil Hrabal, and likewise concerns the wacky and horrifying misadventures of a well-meaning innocent living (eventually) under occupation.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Matt Prigge |
09-08-2008 |
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
'Brideshead Revisited' Doesn't Want to Follow Its Sourcenew
Any adaptation ought to be its own thing, but the film's hesitation to follow its source to the end produces a confused, schizophrenic work.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Matt Prigge |
07-28-2008 |
Reviews
'Love Songs' Offers Perverse Entertainmentnew
The film takes a sudden nosedive into a deep, deep funk, vying to becoming the most depressing musical since Cabaret.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Matt Prigge |
06-23-2008 |
Reviews
'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
'Persepolis': A Good But Unnecessary Adaptationnew
While its minimalist black-and-white drawing style makes it a prime candidate for a translation from comics to film, Persepolis runs into a bit of a snag.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Matt Prigge |
01-22-2008 |
Reviews
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
Das Lootnew
A documentary deftly explores the Nazi theft of thousands of works of art.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Matt Prigge |
12-04-2007 |
Reviews
