AltWeeklies Wire
Nerds Triumph: Adult Humor Gets Knocked Down a Pegnew
American movies appear to be regressing at an alarming rate. The cinema has long fixated on the cliques, bullies, social embarrassment and occasional good times of high school, but stories about middle schoolers generally have been limited to Nickelodeon and Disney Channel programs.
Santa Fe Reporter |
Felicia Feaster |
03-25-2010 |
Reviews
Polanski Takes on a Spy Mystery in 'The Ghost Writer'new
There've been quite a few movies made in the last few years about the war on terror and the excesses of the Bush administration, but Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer is the first to turn that backdrop into a spook story whodunit.
Arkansas Times |
Matthew Reed |
03-25-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: The Ghost Writer, Roman Polanski
Jameel Saleem's Debut Feature Follows a Guy's Romantic Misadventuresnew
What makes Cream Soda work is how vulnerable his male characters are willing to be. When talking about his love life, he admits that some things were funny then, and some were only funny in hindsight.
Baltimore City Paper |
Bret McCabe |
03-23-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Cream Soda, Jameel Saleem
Blackmail Kisses: Atom Egoyan Turns on the Red Light
You couldn't hope for a higher caliber sexploitation movie than "Chloe," even if the sex thriller falls flatter than a day-old quiche.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
03-22-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Atom Egoyan, Chloe
Lacking Intelligence: Even the Ever-Cool Matt Damon Can't Salvage Thisnew
It's admirable when a director tries to go beyond just blowing things up in a war movie (as Kathryn Bigelow did successfully with The Hurt Locker) — but good intentions are never enough. Witness the thrown-together optical assault that is Green Zone.
Tucson Weekly |
Bob Grimm |
03-17-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Green Zone, Paul Greengrass
'Sweetgrass' is a Raw, Open-Eyed Elegy for the American Cowboynew
Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Ilisa Barbash, the husband-and-wife filmmaking team behind Sweetgrass, apparently prefer the term “recordist” over the term “director.” Once you see the documentary, you might be inclined to agree.
Weekly Alibi |
Devin D. O'Leary |
03-16-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Sweetgrass
Hello Daddy, Hello Mom: Girl Rock Band Comes Alive, Again
Based on Cherrie Currie's poorly written memoir "Neon Angel: The Cherrie Currie Story," about her crash-and-burn experiences with producer Kim Fowley's manufactured all-girl rock band, "The Runaways" is a textbook guilty pleasure.
City Pulse |
Hello Daddy, Hello Mom: Girl Rock Band Comes Alive, Again |
03-15-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: The Runaways, Floria Sigismondi
When in Romania, Do as the Romanians Do: Nothingnew
A Romanian cop named Cristi gathers evidence on some poor kid for smoking a little hash. See Cristi follow the kid to school. See Cristi pick up a joint. See Cristi eat lunch. See Cristi pick up another joint.
Willamette Week |
Alistair Rockoff |
03-10-2010 |
Reviews
Fantasy Island This Isn’tnew
With great swipes of heavy cello music, the brooding, frightening Shutter Island opens aboard a ferry sluicing through the fog. Aboard the vessel are Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio), a federal marshal, and his new partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo). Their destination is Shutter Island in the Boston harbor.
Eugene Weekly |
Jason Blair |
03-04-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Shutter Island, Martin Scorsese
Lost Down the Rabbit Hole: Tim Burton's Hesitant 'Alice in Wonderland'new
Messing with classics is dangerous business. The fact that Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland isn't a straight retelling of the Lewis Carroll books might be motivated, as stated, by a desire to give the tale more narrative heft, but it also feels like a pulled punch.
The Portland Mercury |
Marjorie Skinner |
03-04-2010 |
Reviews
Damaged Goods: Antoine Fuqua Does His Due Diligence
Director Antoine Fuqua returns to the gritty cop drama genre that made him a household name in 2001 with "Training Day."
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
03-01-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Brooklyn's Finest, Antoine Fuqua
'Fish Tank' Deserves Awards it's Winningnew
In the very first few minutes Mia is on the screen in Fish Tank, a frank and powerful glimpse of a dead-end British teenage life, she's screaming on the phone to a friend, head-butts another girl because she doesn't like the way she's dancing, and gets into a tussle with her mom.
Boulder Weekly |
Cary Darling |
03-01-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Fish Tank, Andrea Arnold
Landmark Film is an Answer to the Age of Snarknew
Dealing with Davy Mitchell’s rush to maturity makes Easier With Practice more than a story about a young man obsessed with a phone-sex relationship. Davy’s dilemma captures a classic emotional uncertainty many people know but that most movies avoid. It features a true shock of recognition.
New York Press |
Armond White |
02-25-2010 |
Reviews
'The Last Station' an Amusing, Breast-Filled Romantic Comedynew
It's as though modern breasts are sleazy and exploitive, but period breasts enlighten our moral conscience. Strangely, audiences that get picky about the historical accuracy of sets and costumes never complain about an anachronistic bosom.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
02-17-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: The Last Station, Michael Hoffman
Invisible Ink: Polanski's Political Thriller Evaporates
It's a big deal when Martin Scorsese and Roman Polanski both release mystery thrillers in the same week. Coincidentally, Shutter Island and The Ghost Writer are mutually set on islands and both begin with the arrival of a boat coming directly into the frame.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
02-15-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: The Ghost Writer, Roman Polanski
