AltWeeklies Wire
The Plight of Childrennew
Roman Polanski offers a flawed but harrowing, empathetic view of the world seen through the eyes of its most powerless and invisible citizens. Oliver Twist's salvation comes at a great cost.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Felicia Feaster |
09-29-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: Oliver Twist, Roman Polanski
Viggo Mortensen is Compromised Hero in Cronenberg Thrillernew
A History of Violence, as its title implies, is a profound examination of a world divided into "good" and "bad," where we reflexively cheer on the "right" kind of violence and recoil at the "wrong" kind.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Felicia Feaster |
09-29-2005 |
Reviews
Film Loses Something in Translation from Stage to Screennew
Ideas treated so passionately in David Auburn's play -- like the thin line separating madness and genius, for instance -- are hardly given the focus they deserve in John Madden's truncated Proof.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Felicia Feaster |
09-22-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: John Madden, Proof
Thin Movie Has Some Lovely Bonesnew
Tim Burton's loose reenactment of a Russian folk tale seems a bit blase about mortality, treating it as no more menacing than an uninvited party guest.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
09-22-2005 |
Reviews
Three Segments Imagine Different Outcomes for Filmnew
November was shot on digital video, and with its eerie technological sputters and fishbowl moodiness of glum blue-green light, it manages to achieve Seven-like atmosphere on a surprisingly low budget.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Felicia Feaster |
09-15-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: Greg Harrison, November
Undead Romantic Comedynew
The huggable stars and unusual plot twist deserve more than the thin script and flat jokes: The angels mostly frown on Just Like Heaven.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
09-15-2005 |
Reviews
Losing Their Waynew
The filmmakers' lack of self-consciousness in depicting Kumbh Mela, a spiritual journey that attracts millions, through a tourists' filter speaks volumes to their naiveté and distance from the event they so clearly long to honor.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Felicia Feaster |
09-15-2005 |
Reviews
Film Has Been in Time Warp Itselfnew
It's hard to hate a film with red-faced dinosaur baboons, but to rescue A Sound of Thunder, we'd need to go back in time and give the director some special effects that don't suck.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
09-08-2005 |
Reviews
Arab-Western Relations Play Out in the Bedroomnew
For all her film's self-awareness and moments of soft-core romantic ecstasy, Director Sally Potter is also profoundly insightful about the various tensions that define our lives, which her two mismatched lovers so beautifully illustrate.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Felicia Feaster |
09-08-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: Sally Potter, Yes
Inability to Frighten Is Least of Film's Problemsnew
A superficially slick production and overqualified cast will certainly earn The Exorcism of Emily Rose more attention than the finished product deserves.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
09-08-2005 |
Reviews
Film Offers Image of Pleasantly Different Youth Rebellionnew
Despite its tendency to lapse into preachiness, The Edukators is a bracing, much-needed vision of a world where ideas, equality and justice are paramount. And that alone makes it an entertainment worth paying for.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Felicia Feaster |
09-08-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: Hans Weingartner, The Edukators
Thrill-Seeking Teen Learns Hard Lessonnew
During A Tout de Suite's lulls, you may speculate just how many aspiring actresses were seduced during the audition process: "Why don't we read the rest of the script in my hotel suite, mon cherie?"
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
09-01-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: A Tout de Suite, Benoit Jacquot
FIlm Mines the Rich Vein Between Regional Differencesnew
By the end of Junebug, characters keep their folksy woodcarvings and their mutual dependency to themselves, refusing to go under the big-city microscope of an "outsider" art gallery owner.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Felicia Feaster |
09-01-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: Junebug, Phil Morrison
Film Plays a Two-Faced Gamenew
In the 11th hour, Pretty Persuasion tries to cop a relevant, downbeat, socially concerned attitude, but after the previous piggish rutting in kink, who exactly does Marcos Siega think he's fooling?
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Felicia Feaster |
09-01-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: Marcos Siega, Pretty Persuasion
You May Never Check Out of 2046new
Compared to his breakthrough works such as Chungking Express, Wong Kar-Wai's latest film, 2046, proves even more elusive and enigmatic, yet the film seduces audiences rather than repels them.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
09-01-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: 2046, Wong Kar Wai