AltWeeklies Wire
Sumptuous Period Picture is the Best Romantic Comedy of the Seasonnew
The Young Victoria delivers something woefully few movies have lately: a believable and engrossing love story. It chronicles the early life of Queen Victoria (Emily Blunt) from her sheltered childhood to the early years of her reign, which began when she was 18.
Baltimore City Paper |
Anna Ditkoff |
12-29-2009 |
Reviews
Doctored Sleuth: There's Potential in 'Sherlock Holmes'new
Apparently tired of being a fringe filmmaker, Guy Ritchie has gone mainstream with Sherlock Holmes. He has relaxed and made something for a mass audience, without sacrificing his energy and irreverence.
Salt Lake City Weekly |
Eric D. Snider |
12-29-2009 |
Reviews
'It's Complicated': Nancy Meyers' New Movie is Really Annoyingnew
Does Nancy Meyers hate women? The thought ran through my head not very long into It’s Complicated, Meyers’ biennial stocking-stuffer about the romantic trials and tribulations of obscenely privileged and narcissistic Southern Californians.
L.A. Weekly |
Scott Foundas |
12-28-2009 |
Reviews
Maas Media: How a Local Filmmaker Rediscovered Seattle’s Soulnew
As co-producer of the breakout indie hit Humpday, Jennifer Maas had the good fortune of attending Sundance and Cannes this year. She also put the finishing touches on a film of her own, Wheedle's Groove, wrapping up five years of documenting Seattle's forgotten soul scene.
Seattle Weekly |
Brian J. Barr |
12-28-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Movie Buzz: The Year in Review
A look back at the best and worst movies of 2009.
Metro Spirit |
Mariah Gardner |
12-23-2009 |
Movies
'Red Cliff': Epic War Story is a Visual Stunnernew
Romance of the Three Kingdoms is the Chinese national epic, an 800,000-word historical saga that has been well-entrenched in the Asian mindset since its creation in the 14th century. Hence, it’s not too surprising to find that expat Chinese director John Woo has been eager for a shot at the story for decades.
Weekly Alibi |
Devin D. O’Leary |
12-21-2009 |
Reviews
An American Journey: Commemorating Robert Frank’s Landmark Booknew
Driving from New York to San Francisco, Robert Frank couldn't have foreseen how his photo essay The Americans would define both him and his adopted country. This short documentary is one of several tributes this year marking the 50th anniversary of that landmark book.
Seattle Weekly |
Brian Miller |
12-21-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
In 'Precious,' Quite Possibly the Most Abusive Upbringing in Motion Picture Historynew
While there are certainly things about Precious one can’t help but admire, I’m not so sure about the picture overall. I don’t quite see, for example, the point of conjuring this vision of a girl in hell; of creating a character just to put her through it.
Seven Days |
Rick Kisonak |
12-18-2009 |
Reviews
Penelope Cruz on Almodovar and 'Broken Embraces'new
“The first time I worked with him, I was a whore giving birth in a bus. Then, a nun that gets pregnant from a transvestite. Every time I have my moment of ‘Really, isn’t this going to be too much? How are we going to make this believable?’ And then, he does it. Every single time.”
Montreal Mirror |
Mark Slutsky |
12-18-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Is it Possible 'The Road' Isn't Grim Enough?new
Wanting the movie version of Cormac McCarthy's The Road to be even more bleak may sound like the ultimate in moviegoer masochism—thank you, sir, may I have another cannibal holocaust?
Nashville Scene |
Jim Ridley |
12-18-2009 |
Reviews
'Nine': Rob Marshall Tries to Connect the Dance Numbersnew
An assault on the senses from every conceivable direction—smash zooms, the earsplitting eruption of something like music, the spectacle of a creature called Kate Hudson—Nine thrashes about in search of “cinema” the way a child thrown into the deep end of a pool flails for a flotation device.
L.A. Weekly |
Scott Foundas |
12-18-2009 |
Reviews
'Avatar': On Top of a Distant Worldnew
As we sit in the darkened cinema (or, increasingly, in our living rooms), so much of what is clearly meant to dazzle us feels like a demonstration more than an application, an elaborate demo reel in search of meaning and purpose. James Cameron returns to bridge the gap.
L.A. Weekly |
Scott Foundas |
12-18-2009 |
Reviews
Disney's First African-American Princess is a Modern Galnew
The Princess and the Frog begins and ends with a good story. A dynamic 19-year old African-American woman dreams of owning her own restaurant. Turned into a frog with a kiss, she’s drawn into a funny adventure, twisting and turning through Louisiana’s bayous in a quest to become human again.
San Antonio Current |
Melissa Tarun |
12-16-2009 |
Reviews
Dragging 'Titanic': James Cameron's Opus is all Wet
The most expensive film ever made leaves much to be desired. Paralyzed from the waist down, former Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington - Terminator Salvation) voices several movies worth of tell-don't-show narration for the benefit of audiences who like being read to when they watch a movie.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
12-15-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Avatar, James Cameron
Consciously Collective: How Four Filmmakers Redefine Our Visual Historynew
Defining the archive as "a repository for any personal memories, shared histories, objects and documents through which we revisit the history of our time," Robert Cargni has assembled four programs by filmmakers who rework the archives of our visual culture.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Shaun Brady |
12-15-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
