AltWeeklies Wire
'Precious' is an Urban Drama Pressure-Cooker Steeped in Verite Realism
The intrinsic truth in this unforgettable drama outweighs any exploitation or politics that might attend such material. If you're looking for a gritty socially-conscious movie, this is it.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
11-02-2009 |
Reviews
'Antichrist' is the Best Horror Film of the Last 30 Years
Von Trier is a master filmmaker, and his exploration into the genre of horror has given us a film far more frightening than anything Hollywood would ever allow.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
10-26-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Antichrist, Lars von Trier
Kids' Horror Movie 'Cirque du Freak' is all Trick and No Treat
Cirque du Freak is an obvious grab at the current vampire-crazed teen audience spawned by the Twilight franchise. That it fails so miserably is a predictable symptom of overreaching greed.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
10-19-2009 |
Reviews
Blaxploitation Homage 'Black Dynamite' Had Me Rolling on the Floor
Not only could Scott Sanders' film serve as a textbook DIY how-to primer for what it takes to make Blaxploitation cinema, it may also be the all-time best party film next to Animal House. If this movie doesn't make you laugh, call a doctor.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
10-14-2009 |
Reviews
Spike Jonze Sincerely Adapts 'Where the Wild Things Are'
Jonze's no-nonsense movie expands gently on Maurice Sendak's elegant 20-page kids' book to address children, acknowledging their primal impulses -- which they must eventually control.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
10-12-2009 |
Reviews
'The Damned United' is One Damned Entertaining Movie
In his portrayal of famed British soccer team manager Brian Clough, Michael Sheen solidifies his status as this generation's Laurence Olivier.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
10-05-2009 |
Reviews
'An Education' is an Absorbing and Evocative Exploration of Womanhood
Danish director Lone Scherfig impeccably captures her film's early '60s cold war British setting with glorious attention to detail.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
10-05-2009 |
Reviews
Coen Brothers Miss Rather than Hit With 'A Serious Man'
A Serious Man is not an awful movie, and it may well be a fantastic film for the audience that the Coens are speaking to.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
09-28-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: A Serious Man, The Coen Brothers
Remaking Theo van Gogh: Stanley Tucci Goes Dutch With 'Blind Date'
As a theatrical filmic exercise, Blind Date is a fair experiment. Just don't go expecting to see a traditional movie.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
09-21-2009 |
Reviews
Steven Soderbergh's Satire 'The Informant!' Pales
Soderbergh has loads of fun with a perky musical score and jaunty '70s-era visual hat-tips toward a certain Get Smart aura of goofy charm. But the filmmaker is unable to tease out substance from what is essentially an off-key one-note samba.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
09-14-2009 |
Reviews
Post-Apocalyptic 'Stitchpunk' Goes Limp in '9'
At barely 80 minutes, 9 still feels too long for what it is; an expanded visual experimentation that might allow Shane Acker to finally put an old UCLA student project behind him.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
09-07-2009 |
Reviews
'Extract' Makes it Clear That Mike Judge Needs to Make More Features
Extract can't help but pale to Judd Apatow's work that has set the bar high for this kind of comedy. Nonetheless, you get the sense that if Mike Judge made more pictures, he'd hit his stride alongside the likes of Apatow pretty quick.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
08-31-2009 |
Reviews
Jim Sturges and Ben Kingsley Share Ireland's 'Troubles' in 'Fifty Dead Men Walking'
There's a lot to understand -- politically and emotionally -- about Martin McGartland. Kari Skogland's film makes it happen with muscle, brains, and loins.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
08-24-2009 |
Reviews
'Inglourious Basterds' is Tarantino's Best Work Yet
Quentin Tarantino has matured as an auteur even if he's as prone as ever to creating funny-ha-ha sequences of joyous cinematic revelry just for the sport of it.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
08-17-2009 |
Reviews
'The Time Traveler's Wife' Burns Up in Space
Amy McAdams and Eric Bana are easy enough on the eyes to distract from the script's Grand Canyon-sized plot holes, but not enough to keep your mind off the insipid storytelling. Even from its gooey sentimental standpoint, The Time Traveler's Wife is two pints short of a gallon.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
08-10-2009 |
Reviews
