AltWeeklies Wire
Watch and Waitnew
In the latest this-kid-is-good movie, Joseph Gordon-Leavitt reminds us that he's the actor you'd get if you could scour all the vanity from Robert Downey Jr., or reverse Keanu Reeves' lobotomy.
Sacramento News & Review |
Jonathan Kiefer |
04-05-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Scott Frank, The Lookout
Markymanshipnew
Shooter is plainly concerned with some of those base human appetites to which the cinema has proven so conducive over the ages -- namely voyeurism and murderous violence -- but mysteriously unconcerned with squandering them.
Sacramento News & Review |
Jonathan Kiefer |
03-22-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Antoine Fuqua, Shooter
A Strange Kind of Lovenew
Peter O'Toole's still got it -- his performance as a "dirty old man" in Venus is a sly reminder of the obvious yet overlooked point that many a distaste may be defeated with a helping of the highly tasteful.
Sacramento News & Review |
Jonathan Kiefer |
02-15-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Roger Michell, venus
Throw it Backnew
Could a truly feminist, non-patronizing romantic dramedy even exist today, or ever?
Sacramento News & Review |
Jonathan Kiefer |
01-26-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Catch and Release, Susannah Grant
Cold, Fashionednew
An experiment without any urgency or resistance, it came too easily; Soderbergh has slackened with privilege.
Sacramento News & Review |
Jonathan Kiefer |
01-18-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Steven Soderbergh, The Good German
Owen's Runnew
Children of Men is basically V for Vendetta for grownups. Logan's Run with post-9/11 sensibilities. Blade Runner for -- yeah, OK, you get it: dystopia du jour.
Sacramento News & Review |
Jonathan Kiefer |
01-04-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Alfonso Cuarón, Children of Men
Stallone Again, Naturallynew
This might be the best Rocky movie since the first Rocky movie -- but if that sounds like a rave, just think of all the others.
Sacramento News & Review |
Jonathan Kiefer |
12-21-2006 |
Reviews
Tags: Sylvester Stallone, Rocky Balboa
See Spot's Karmanew
Watching The Cave of the Yellow Dog does sometimes feel like eating your vegetables -- but given its Buddhist leanings, condemning this film for emptiness really seems like missing the point.
Sacramento News & Review |
Jonathan Kiefer |
12-14-2006 |
Reviews
Pyramid Schemenew
As Apocalypto conclusively proves, subtlety is rare in Gibson's films.
Sacramento News & Review |
Jonathan Kiefer |
12-07-2006 |
Reviews
Tags: Apocalypto, Mel Gibson
Or Consequencesnew
Will Ferrell tones down the gimmickry; too bad the movie can't follow his example.
Sacramento News & Review |
Jonathan Kiefer |
11-13-2006 |
Reviews
Wages of Sinnew
Convicted child molester Father Oliver O'Grady is out of prison and willing to talk -- veteran CNN and 60 Minutes director Amy Berg lets him, and the result is chilling.
Sacramento News & Review |
Jonathan Kiefer |
10-26-2006 |
Reviews
Tags: Amy Berg, Deliver Us From Evil
To Thine Own Self Be Trunew
The cautionary Capote tale deserve multiple stagings -- especially if they're this good.
Sacramento News & Review |
Jonathan Kiefer |
10-12-2006 |
Reviews
Perchance to Dreamnew
While you're waiting for the next Charlie Kaufman movie, here's The Science of Sleep.
Sacramento News & Review |
Jonathan Kiefer |
09-29-2006 |
Reviews
Man and Supermannew
What makes Hollywoodland work is that it's actually driven by its characters, at least one of which is fictional.
Sacramento News & Review |
Jonathan Kiefer |
09-07-2006 |
Reviews
Tags: Allen Coulter, Hollywoodland
Best Left Unspokennew
Your hair smells like cucumbers ... that gets me so hard ... wait, where are you going?
Sacramento News & Review |
Jonathan Kiefer |
08-31-2006 |
Reviews
Tags: Jamie Babbit, The Quiet
