AltWeeklies Wire
Nobody Knows Is a Heartbreaking Look at Child Abandonmentnew
Nobody Knows ends far from happily or neatly, and even when moments at the conclusion brush with sentiment, the film never strays from the emotional truth of its story about the plight of homeless children.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
02-25-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: Hirokazu Kore-eda, Nobody Knows
Pity Party of Onenew
A Tadpole romance is one thing. But P.S.' increasingly dopey script, adapted from Helen Schulman's novel, can't leave it at intergenerational hanky-panky.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Felicia Feaster |
02-17-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: Dylan Kidd, p.s.
Conditions are Overcast in Sky Bluenew
The film's striking look, unfortunately, proves far more rich and eloquent than its rickety story, which duct-tapes together befuddling plot points and dismal dialogue.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
02-17-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: Sky Blue, Moon-Saeng Kim
A Girl and Her Dog Mend a Town in Because of Winn-Dixienew
Because of Winn-Dixie offers both some expectedly saccharine kid-film elements, but also some real surprises for the way it injects adult realities into its bittersweet confection.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Felicia Feaster |
02-17-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: Wayne Wang, Because of Winn-Dixie
Keanu Reeves Battles Demons and Angels alikenew
The loose adaptation of DC Comics' Hellblazer fumbles with some intriguing spiritual notions, but never seizes our imagination. Despite showing a hero who clashes with demons and angels, Constantine lacks soul.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
02-17-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: Francis Lawrence, Constantine
Something Borrowednew
It's a nuptial spoof with Dermot Mulroney, like My Best Friend's Wedding, a romantic comedy set in England like Notting Hill, and a glorification of prostitution, like Pretty Woman.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
02-10-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: Clare Kilner, The Wedding Date
Get Hitchnew
Sure, Will Smith is lovable in the inoffensive, easy manner of no-iron shirts and margarine. But when Hitch lapses into romance mode, the energy goes down the drain quicker than a bottle of Drano.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Felicia Feaster |
02-10-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: Andy Tennant, Hitch
Film Looks Back at Homegrown Terrorismnew
How, ultimately, did Patty Hearst become a self-described "urban guerrilla"? You'll have to look elsewhere for the answer.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
02-10-2005 |
Reviews
Flick is a Kick in the Headnew
You may not think you want to see a subtitled movie about Thai kickboxing, but believe me, you do.
Watching Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior gives you a heady thrill of discovery, like being first in line to see Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon, or one of Jackie Chan's early, astonishing slapstick action flicks.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
02-10-2005 |
Reviews
Viewers May Be Moved Despite Themselvesnew
The documentary is about how one rural Whitwell, Tenn., middle school in 1998 built a remarkable monument commemorating the Holocaust. Honoring documentary convention to the letter, the film rests on a backhanded compliment.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Felicia Feaster |
02-03-2005 |
Reviews
It Could Be Science FIction, But It's Based in Realitynew
Moolaadé is an impassioned treatise, not only against the mutilation of women, but also against the power structures of village life, where men are revered as gods and women are little more than livestock.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Felicia Feaster |
02-03-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: Moolaadé, Ousmane Sembene
Film Feels More Like Tragic Love Story Between Man, His Ridenew
Are We There Yet? amusingly plays off Ice Cube's crabby demeanor, but for every laugh, there's a lame joke or a shameless bid for sentiment. Rather than ask are we there yet, just stay home.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
01-21-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: Are We There Yet?, Brian Levant
Director's Debut Strikes False Chordnew
A Love Song's first half hints that New Orleans drains the life of its dead-end populace like an Anne Rice vampire, but the film becomes a trite and simplistic postcard from the city, fatally weighed down by John Travolta's calculated slumming.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
01-21-2005 |
Reviews
Assassination Revives Obscure Piece of Presidential Historynew
Sean Penn in the lead role gives Assassination some intriguing wrinkles. The outspoken actor might identify with some of his character's liberal politics, if not his psychosis or violent methods.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
01-21-2005 |
Reviews
Pedro Almodovar Goes Deep in Newest Flicknew
Almodovar's latest film manages to balance queeny bravado and a malaise so deeply buried it approaches the hysteria of classic Hollywood melodramas. Married to gay misbehavior, this makes for a heady brew.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Felicia Feaster |
01-21-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: Pedro Almodóvar, Bad Education
