AltWeeklies Wire
'Boogie Man' Looks at the Man Who Brought You Willie Hortonnew
Bending over backwards to be fair, Boogie Man both gives Atwater too much credit and doesn't give him enough blame. Surely this wasn't the first guy who ever played a dirty trick, but even if he was, is that anything to be impressed by?
'Father' is a Bittersweet Look Backnew
Dear old dad takes another left hook to the chin in When Did You Last See Your Father? -- well, not a hook so much as a series of jabs.
'The Dark Knight' is the Best Batman Evernew
In a summer jam-packed with superheroes, Batman has made a couple of smart moves. He's waited until everybody else -- Ironman, The Hulk, Hancock, Hellboy -- exhausted themselves, letting anticipation build. And he's kept things serious, refusing to stoop to comic-book hijinks.
Tags: Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
Steve Carell is an Unlikely Spy in 'Get Smart'new
The movie is being billed as an action comedy, but this is one of those cases where the action works against the comedy, crushes it in its big clumsy fingers.
The New Indy Offers More Thrills and Chills, but Why?new
As everyone knows, Indiana Jones is back at it again, some 19 years after what some of us thought was The Last Crusade. Everyone's older now -- Spielberg, Lucas, Ford, us. But what really seems old, and rather tired, is the idea itself, that a movie can be devoted almost entirely to thrills and chills.
'The Violin': Guns and Musicnew
For a movie that clearly sides with the rebel forces, The Violin does an admirable job of extending an olive branch to the occupying army. Not all of them are vicious murderers.
Tags: Francisco Vargas, The Violin
'The Business of Being Born': Special Deliverynew
In 1900, 95 percent of the births in this country took place at home. Today, it's less than 1 percent. What happened? Epstein rounds up the experts to explain how what was once considered a blessed event came to be seen as a medical event.
'In Bruges' Creates a New Kind of Hit-Man Humornew
Ostensibly a comedy, the film cracks its jokes with a heavy heart. It tries to laugh off what hit men do for a living and fails miserably.
Tags: In Bruges, Martin McDonagh
Why Rambo Fightsnew
Rambo has speed and power, even grace, which is to say it serves up its heapin' helpin' of red meat on a silver platter. But it's not just a splatter-fest. Stallone's picking up on the nihilism that's out there — the idealism, too.
Tags: Rambo, Sylvester Stallone
'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly': Mind Over Matternew
Adapted memoir finds a man trapped in his body.
'Lions for Lambs' is Skeptical About the War on Terrornew
It's certainly didactic at times, like a college theme paper turned into an episode of West Wing. But the dialogue's sharp and incisive, and the acting's first-rate. And there's star charisma to burn, what with Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep and, of course, Redford himself along for the ride.
Tags: Lions for Lambs, Robert Redford
'Body of War' is Agitprop and Proud of Itnew
But it's so up-close-and-personal that it winds up transcending its political mission.
'American Gangster' Wastes Two Brilliant Actorsnew
Director Ridley Scott keeps everything dark and moody, the better to court Oscar's favor. But this is no Godfather or The Departed; it's too inert.
Tags: American Gangster, Ridley Scott
'The Simpsons Movie': American Idiotnew
The movie ranks right up there with the average good episode, albeit four times as long and largely (but not entirely) free of commercial interruptions.
