AltWeeklies Wire
Scorsese's Gathering Storm: Lehane Novel Sets Table for Scorsese to Soar
For his forty-fifth film Martin Scorsese crafts a gorgeously stylized psychological thriller full of darkly lush horror that torments its obsessed protagonist.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
02-15-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Shutter Island, Martin Scorsese
The Final Days of Tolstoy in 'The Last Station'new
In The Last Station, Tolstoy's ideology and less attractive character traits are downplayed in favor of a more universal, digestible historical period piece.
Documentary Finds and Explores the Defiant Spirit of Female Artistsnew
The documentary film Who Does She Think She Is?, directed by Pamela Tanner Boll and Nancy Kennedy, follows five women as they balance the many facets of their lives and, although not without struggles, manage to do so quite successfully.
The Memphis Flyer |
Hannah Sayle |
02-12-2010 |
Reviews
A Look at the Academy's Expanded Oscar Fieldnew
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has elected to raise the total number of nominees from five to 10, thus greatly increasing the chances of inviting more audience-adored endeavors to the party.
Creative Loafing (Charlotte) |
Matt Brunson |
02-11-2010 |
Movies
Tags: The 2010 Oscars, N/A
Sapfest Makes 'Nights in Rodanthe' Look Like 'Antichrist'new
Best line: "There's a neverending stream of curse words in my mind," Savannah none-too-convincingly tells John in Dear John, to counter her goody two-shoes, don't-drink-don't-smoke image. (In fact, apart from a couple of "frickins," nobody ever swears.)
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
02-09-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Dear John, Lasse Hallstrom
The Love Bloat: Review of the Bland Romantic Anthology 'Valentine's Day'
Just in time for its namesake holiday, Valentine's Day arrives to remind us of cinema’s long history of successful omnibus romantic films that includes... um, includes... er, anyone?
Salt Lake City Weekly |
Scott Renshaw |
02-09-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Garry Marshall, Valentine's Day
Novelist Michael Kimball Pieces Together a New Kind of Narrative in '60 Writers/60 Places'new
On one hand, 60 Writers is little more than a series of vignettes featuring authors reading an excerpt of their works in some setting, shot with a static single-camera set up. On the other hand, it is a single-viewing experience composed of 60 completely different elements.
Baltimore City Paper |
Bret McCabe |
02-09-2010 |
Reviews
Stage Prodigy-Turned-Filmmaker Drake Doremus Brings 'Douchebag' to Sundancenew
Shoestring productions of personal stories such as that of Douchebag are exactly what Sundance co-founder Robert Redford was talking about at the previous day’s opening press conference, where he vowed the festival had returned to its roots of presenting groundbreaking new voices.
Trading Down: Mythology Inflected Romp Has Nothing on Harryhausen
Aside from some non-PG-rated emphasis on an abusive home life and a lot of underwhelming CGI, The Lightening Thief is a well-paced kids' action picture that flirts with Greek mythology to create its otherworldly spectacle.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
02-08-2010 |
Reviews
Half-Eaten Chocolates: A Sampler You Don't Want to Give
Valentine's Day is yet another date movie that's less than the sum of its parts. The sheer number of A-list actors involved spells trouble. Jessica Biel, Julia Roberts, Jamie Foxx, and Anne Hathaway provide cast padding for the likes of B-listers Taylor Swift, George Lopez, and Emma Roberts.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
02-08-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Garry Marshall, Valentine's Day
'North Face': An Alpine Tragedy Becomes a Harrowing Filmnew
Director Philipp Stölzl makes the movie a tad more political (i.e., anti-Nazi) than it needs to be, but Benno Fürmann's stoic performance reduces the story to its harsh, true fundamentals. Of the risks in climbing (as in life), he says, "You can be the best, but it's still a lottery."
Seattle Weekly |
Brian Miller |
02-08-2010 |
Reviews
'District 13: Ultimatum' — More Stunts, Pleasenew
Less a sequel than a remake of the exhilarating 2006 French action flick that introduced parkour to American audiences, D13:U only works when at full sprint. In the rotting, riot-prone, walled-off banlieues of near-future Paris, David Belle returns as the endlessly inventive ghetto acrobat.
Seattle Weekly |
Brian Miller |
02-08-2010 |
Reviews
Chiselled Channing Tatum Shows Soft Side in 'Dear John'new
Based on weepie-novel master Nicholas Sparks’s same-named book, the movie chronicles the romance between John, who had a tough upbringing, and the more privileged Savannah Curtis, played by the equally young and attractive actor Amanda Seyfried.
The Georgia Straight |
Patty Jones |
02-08-2010 |
Reviews
The Safety of Objects: The Art of 'Summer Hours'new
Some undisclosed time after a celebratory birthday party at her posh but weather-beaten French country home, lively and elegant matriarch Hélène (Edith Scob) dies, leaving her eldest son Frédéric (Charles Berling) to divide the loot with his two siblings.
The Memphis Flyer |
Addison Engelking |
02-05-2010 |
Reviews
'Daddy Long Legs': The Pleasures of Being Kidnappednew
Filmmaker brothers Benny and Josh Safdie have invited me to meet them here and afterwards discuss their second feature, Daddy Long Legs, which had its U.S. premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. (It appeared simultaneously on nationwide cable VOD.)
L.A. Weekly |
Karina Longworth |
02-05-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
