AltWeeklies Wire
Sea of Loathenew
Wes Anderson takes Bill Murray out to sea and strands him there.
Cleveland Scene |
Robert Wilonsky |
12-29-2004 |
Reviews
Focking Wonderfulnew
When your movie gets riotous laughter out of endless utterances of the word "Focker," it doesn't have to try very hard. But Barbra Streisand and Dustin Hoffman light this film on fire.
Cleveland Scene |
Robert Wilonsky |
12-29-2004 |
Reviews
Faker's Dozennew
Unlike its predecessor, a remake that clung to a hoary heist formula, the sequel contains ample pleasures, most of which amuse as the result of surprises both great and small.
Cleveland Scene |
Luke Y. Thompson |
12-13-2004 |
Reviews
His Will Be Donenew
In this era of muckraking left-wing documentaries, The Inheritance offers a fascinating fictionalized look at what cutthroat capitalism can do to conscience.
Cleveland Scene |
Luke Y. Thompson |
12-06-2004 |
Reviews
Tags: Per Fly, inheritance
Closer to Finenew
Mike Nichols' new film might be taken for outright soap opera -- or soft-core porn -- were it not for the sophisticated gleam of its well-heeled London desperadoes and its viciously dazzling dialogue.
Cleveland Scene |
Bill Gallo |
12-06-2004 |
Reviews
Tags: Mike Nichols, Closer
Skip Itnew
Christmas With the Kranks offers an obnoxiously condescending portrait of Regular People who live in the red states and wouldn't think of getting blue at Christmastime.
Cleveland Scene |
Robert Wilonsky |
11-29-2004 |
Reviews
No Dicking Aroundnew
Bill Condon, faithful to several texts about Alfred Kinsey, brings the man to life in this affectionate, warm, and surprisingly funny movie -- at least, till the hordes of righteousness descend upon the famous sex researcher like locusts on a fertile field.
Cleveland Scene |
Robert Wilonsky |
11-29-2004 |
Reviews
Tags: Bill Condon, Kinsey
An Epic Story Turns Human, Falliblenew
This broad, bold, and ambitious film by Oliver Stone presents itself as a fairly straightforward endeavor, but its rhythms quickly go strange, while its participants hobble and flail about, remarkably out of sync yet hell-bent on not falling down, no matter what, for nearly three hours.
Cleveland Scene |
Gregory Weinkauf |
11-29-2004 |
Reviews
Tags: Oliver Stone, Alexander
Green Archersnew
To call Undertow a '70s-style revenge movie is accurate, but those unfamiliar with the director's style may wonder why it takes so long to get to the action.
Cleveland Scene |
Luke Y. Thompson |
11-12-2004 |
Reviews
Candy Cainenew
Writer-director Charles Shyer's Alfie is less a remake of the 1966 film that made Michael Caine a star than it is a retooling that softens the horrific blows struck by the original.
Cleveland Scene |
Robert Wilonsky |
11-08-2004 |
Reviews
Heroes Welcomenew
The main influence on The Incredibles would appear to be Watchmen, which was among the first comics to wonder about the private and often troubled lives of heroes, once they shed their Spandex skins and resume their secret identities.
Cleveland Scene |
Robert Wilonsky |
11-08-2004 |
Reviews
Blessed Are the Cheesemakersnew
In 2004 A.D., as the five remaining members of the legendary Monty Python comedy troupe lie in coffins in a Vanity Fair spread to jeer at their own deaths, it's really nice to have them back together commanding the big screen.
Cleveland Scene |
Gregory Weinkauf |
10-25-2004 |
Reviews
Beating the Bushnew
Hijacking Catastrophe compares Bush to a Nazi. That's a brazen move, fitting for a documentary that promotes fearlessness as the ultimate act of citizenship. It's also melodramatic.
Cleveland Scene |
Melissa Levine |
10-25-2004 |
Reviews
Hell of a Catchnew
This familiar-feeling football movie offers glimpses of the lives of the young men who would run with the ball as far as they could from the small town that adores them to the point of abhorring them.
Cleveland Scene |
Robert Wilonsky |
10-12-2004 |
Reviews
Already Forgottennew
For a few minutes, The Forgotten acts as though it wants to be taken seriously, suggesting that it could have been a moving meditation on grief and longing and the devastating power of remembrance.
Cleveland Scene |
Robert Wilonsky |
09-27-2004 |
Reviews
