AltWeeklies Wire
Mafia Rules: Neapolitan Crime Syndicate Comes Up for Inspection
Roberto Saviano’s tell-all mafia expose provides rich narrative soil for director Matteo Garrone (The Embalmer - 2002) to weave together five stories of mob-related corruption sucking dry the Italian industrial province of Naples and its squalid suburbs and infecting the entire financial landscape of the European economy.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
02-09-2009 |
Reviews
The Remake of a Fantastic South Korean Fright Flick Does Not Live Up to the Originalnew
The Uninvited is relatively useless to those who watched and loved the original, but audiences new to the story might get a few good chills out of it.
Tucson Weekly |
Bob Grimm |
02-05-2009 |
Reviews
'Fanboys': Honoring Geek Eruditionnew
Dull social commentators compare Star Wars to religion, but Fanboys commemorates how crazily fans anticipated the opening of Star Wars Episode I:The Phantom Menace. Fanboys is actually about the sweetness of innocuous/inane adolescent passion.
New York Press |
Armond White |
02-05-2009 |
Reviews
'Coraline' Turns a Dark Fairy Tale into a Dazzling Stop-Motion Horror Film
What potential viewers will need to wrap their heads around is that while Coraline may be about childhood, it isn't really for children.
Salt Lake City Weekly |
Scott Renshaw |
02-02-2009 |
Reviews
Winter Walk: Lance Hammer's 'Ballast'new
A confident, if downbeat debut, Ballast eschews "indie" style for lean storytelling.
Pittsburgh City Paper |
Al Hoff |
02-02-2009 |
Reviews
Daydream Believer: 'Waltz With Bashir'new
Israeli filmmaker Ari Folman reconstructs a tragedy using animations and his own experiences as a grunt soldier.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Sam Adams |
01-27-2009 |
Reviews
'Of Time and the City' Bestows Emotional Grandeur to the Everydaynew
In a new documentary, Terence Davies connects intimate yearnings to his political and existential quandary to demonstrate the importance of movies and music as means of spiritual sustenance.
New York Press |
Armond White |
01-22-2009 |
Reviews
'Inkheart' Makes a False Cinematic Start
Based on Cornelia Funke's 2003 fantasy kid's novel, director Ian Softley makes a half-hearted adaptation that's further diminished by Brendon Fraser's signature boy scout performance as Mo Flochart.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
01-19-2009 |
Reviews
Biopic 'Notorious' Has Biggie-Sized Moral Lessonsnew
It's not acting that makes Notorious a miss. It's that the plot lines are convoluted, the genre's cliches are in full effect (from audio flashbacks to magazine-cover montages), and the whole thing screams both "Too soon!" and "Too innocent!"
Willamette Week |
Casey Jarman |
01-14-2009 |
Reviews
'Revolutionary Road' is an Uneasy Reunion for Winslet and DiCaprionew
Onscreen, the familiarity of their coupling only highlights Revolutionary Road's bleakness: Even if the boat hadn't gone down in Titanic, the film tells us, these lovebirds were still doomed.
Washington City Paper |
Tricia Olszewski |
01-08-2009 |
Reviews
Rod Lurie Makes a Political Thriller for Our Times
Clearly inspired by Judith Miller's role in the Valerie Plame case, writer/director Rod Lurie takes dramatic liberties to allow for a provocative treatment of an ongoing battle for civil liberties exacted in the name of national security.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
01-05-2009 |
Reviews
Clint Eastwood Bids a Limp Farewell to Acting in the Laughable 'Gran Torino'
As Eastwood delivers his self-professed farewell performance in Gran Torino, people are lining up to hand him gold statuettes -- this despite the fact this may be one of the worst performances ever by a guy who's turned in a lot of fairly lame ones.
Salt Lake City Weekly |
Scott Renshaw |
01-02-2009 |
Reviews
'Marley and Me' is a Surprisingly Entertaining and Realistic Dog Movienew
Marley and Me is one of 2008's best family films. It's going to spike the sales of white Labradors around the planet, and will earn a lot of dogs clemency after they chew couch pillows. It will also cause tears to be shed -- so be prepared.
Tucson Weekly |
Bob Grimm |
01-02-2009 |
Reviews
'Benjamin Button' Looks Cool, but Is That Reason Enough to Care?new
Unfortunately, Benjamin's aging process isn't the only thing the movie gets backward. Despite all the care lavished on its execution, it never manages to be about anything more than its own gimmickry.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Sam Adams |
12-30-2008 |
Reviews
Brad Pitt Nails 'Button'new
How crazy ... or bold ... or foolhardy ... do you have to be to make a big, expensive movie out of F. Scott Fitzgerald's least adaptable short story?
Los Angeles CityBeat |
Andy Klein |
12-29-2008 |
Reviews
