AltWeeklies Wire
Spy vs. Spy vs. Romance: Tom Hardy and Chris Pine Cross Swords for Luv
Daft competitive seduction is at the heart of this scattershot romantic comedy that veers woefully into uncultivated screwball territory.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
02-14-2012 |
Reviews
Culture-Blended Animation: Arrietty Borrows From Ghibli
Meshing Japanese animation styles with Mary Morton’s beloved 1952 children’s novel “The Borrowers,” animator-cum-director Hiromasa Yonebayashi and co-director Gary Rydstrom create a delightful adaptation.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
02-13-2012 |
Reviews
Sliding By Adventure Franchise Barely Passes Muster
Though hampered by some uninspired efforts in the joke department from newbie cousin screenwriters Brian and Mark Gunn, "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" is a passable PG-rated family adventure movie.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
02-06-2012 |
Reviews
In Front of the Blue Curtain: Bad Cop Story Too Smarmy for Its Own Good
A melodramatic riff on the "Bad Lieutenant" corrupt cop theme that Abel Ferrara so eloquently nailed down for all eternity in 1992, "Rampart" is the blemished work of writer/director Oren Moverman and famed crime author James Ellroy.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
01-30-2012 |
Reviews
Passing Strange: Glenn Close Outdoes Streep
Glenn Close's muted, carefully nuanced portrayal of Albert Nobbs is a career-defining performance that commands the deepest regard...
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
01-30-2012 |
Reviews
Hammer Horror Time Daniel Radcliffe Goes Gothic
"The Woman in Black" is a minor key gothic spooky that feels like visiting with a long-lost friend thanks to its renowned Hammer films pedigree.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
01-30-2012 |
Reviews
Chaotic Nature Joe Carnahan Explores the Minds of the Walking Wounded
There’s a strand of “Moby Dick” that runs through director/co-writer Joe Carnahan’s wild and wooly tale of brutal survival in the Alaskan wilderness.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
01-23-2012 |
Reviews
Confusion: Steve McQueen is a Deceased Actor, Not an Accomplished Director
Director/co-screenwriter Steve McQueen makes half movies. The sophomore follow up to his over-praised 2008 debut film "Hunger," about Irish Republican Army leader Bobby Sands's prison hunger strike, attempts to disguise its lack of narrative rigor with an unsatisfying minimalist approach.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
01-18-2012 |
Reviews
Slap Happy: Soderbergh Knocks Off Tarantino
Proof positive that Steven Soderbergh can make a shamelessly fluffy action thriller, "Haywire’s” trump card is the estimable abilities of mixed-martial-arts-fighter-turned-actress Gina Carano.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
01-17-2012 |
Reviews
All Talk: Lynne Ramsay Can’t Commit to Horror
Forced, stultifying, and artificial beyond belief, "We Need to Talk About Kevin" is Scottish director Lynne Ramsay's off-key treatment of Lionel Shriver's novel.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
01-09-2012 |
Reviews
Nuri Bilge Ceylon Investigates The Impurity of Human Motivation
Turkish filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylon continues his minimalist yet universal exploration of society (in the meta sense of the word) with a fascinating police procedural that values story over plot and character over prejudice.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
01-09-2012 |
Reviews
A Remake by Any Other Name: David Fincher Takes One for the Team
David Fincher can do a great re-make. Now, let’s hope he never does one again.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
12-12-2011 |
Reviews
Crowd-Pleaser Cameron Crowe Does the Thing He Does
Cameron Crowe casts a heart-warming cinematic spell that will milk many a tear from its widespread target audience.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
12-12-2011 |
Reviews
Cold War Spies: John le Carré's Novel Goes Full Tilt
International espionage during the Cold War period of the early ‘70s, as practiced by British MI6 double agents, is one very icy dish.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
12-05-2011 |
Reviews
Not that Steve McQueen: Sex-Addict Movie is a Half Effort
Director Steve McQueen makes half movies. The sophomore follow up to his over-praised 2008 debut film "Hunger," about Irish republican leader Bobby Sands's prison bound hunger strike, reveals a coincidental lack of narrative rigor disguised in an unsatisfying minimalist approach.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
11-28-2011 |
Reviews
