AltWeeklies Wire
'Paranoid Park': Nothing Happens
Paranoid Park may be the best of the Van Sant's last four films, but that isn't saying much.
Tags: Gus Van Sant, Paranoid Park
'American Gangster' Doesn't Rise to the Level of 'Scarface'
Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe deliver inspired performances as rivals from opposite sides of the law in director Ridley Scott's true-crime epic.
Tags: American Gangster, Ridley Scott
SUVs and Other Junk: Benicio Del Toro Works Alone
Same old story: foreign director (in this case Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier) makes an American debut movie that goes flop with a resounding clamor.
'Terror's Advocate'
Only director Barbet Schroeder (General Idi Amin Dada: A Self Portrait) could capture this complex and engaging look at French lawyer Jacques Verges, the man who represented such villains as Nazi Klaus Barbie and cafe bomber Djamila Bouhired, who Verges married and had two children before vanishing for eight years.
Taken Away: U.S. Export Torture Policy Takes a Beating
After overblown stories of walkouts by critics during its Toronto film festival debut, Rendition proves to have enough substance, momentum and drama to validate its entertainment value as a politically charged thriller.
Tags: Gavin Hood, rendition
Shekhar Kapur's 'Elizabeth' Sequel Tarnishes
Disappointment seeps through every element of director Shekhar Kapur's ineffectual sequel to his superior 1998 precursor Elizabeth, which introduced the world to the exceptional acting abilities of Cate Blanchett.
'My Kid Could Paint That'
Documentarian Amir Bar-Lev makes himself a moving target when he breaks form to editorialize in private monologue about his doubts over the veracity of 4-year-old Marla Olmstead creating museum-worthy paintings without the help of her father.
'Great World of Sound'
Great writing and solid ensemble performances from unfamiliar actors make this gem of a drama stick in the memory.
Tags: Craig Zobel, Great World of Sound
'Control'
Renowned photographer, graphic designer and music video director Anton Corbijn makes an auspicious film-directing debut with a stunning biopic about Joy Division singer Ian Curtis that is irreproachable.
Tags: Control, Anton Corbijn
Jesse James As Pop Icon
New Zealand director Andrew Dominik tells the story of Jesse James's last days in a patient and unequivocal style that makes us want to turn back history.
The Last Winter
Writer/director Larry Fessenden (“Wendigo”) whips up a whirlwind of suspense and horror in the Arctic region of Northern Alaska where an oil company’s dredging plans meet with supernatural elements at their frigid base.
Tags: Larry Fessenden, The Last Winter
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
New Zealand director Andrew Dominik (“Chopper”) tells the story of Jesse James’s last days with a patient and unequivocal style that makes us want to turn back history. Based on the 1983 novel by Ron Hansen, Dominik presents a sparse western stripped down to its barest elements.
Adaptation of Charles Baxter's Novel Draws Bad Laughs
Charles Baxter's acclaimed Midsummer Night's Dream-inspired romantic novel receives a clumsy screen adaptation from director Robert Benton (Kramer vs. Kramer).
Tags: Feast of Love, Robert Benton
Staring Into the Abyss: Surgical Squads Get Screentime
There's a lot of bang for the buck in director Peter Berg's juiced-up "what-if" illustration of a U.S. Special Forces rogue team responding to a massive attack on oil company employees and their kin inside the imaginary safety of a housing compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Tags: Peter Berg, The Kingdom
Sean Penn Roughs It With 'Into the Wild'
Sean Penn directs this thoroughly satisfying account of Christopher McCandless's wilderness journeys that Jon Krakauer eloquently brought to light in his 1996 best-selling book.
Tags: Into the Wild, Sean Penn
