AltWeeklies Wire
John Woo's 'Red Cliff' is a Must-See Chinese War Epic
Compared to typical big spectacle Hollywood blockbusters like 2012, Red Cliff contrasts its visually stunning epic-scale compositions with a far greater sense of historic purpose.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
11-16-2009 |
Reviews
Lee Daniles Turns an Inner-City Literary Legend into an Act of Global Warmingnew
Daniels exudes confidence when talking about his latest film, Precious. It's as if he knows this story about an obese, ugly, dark-skinned teenage girl from the ghetto -- whose father repeatedly rapes her -- is going to impact the lives of millions.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Monica Peters |
11-16-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Precious, Lee Daniels
Sundance Sensation 'Precious' Brings Hope to a Girl Utterly Lacking Anynew
The book and its attendant film are drawing extensive comparisons to the classic novel and movie of The Color Purple; besides sharing the subject matter of African-American women learning to stand up for their dignity and self-worth, they both feature what should be career-making performances from heretofore unknown or disregarded actresses.
Pasadena Weekly |
Carl Kozlowski |
11-16-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Precious, Lee Daniels
Morgan Freeman Talks About 'Prom Night in Mississippi'new
Prom Night is Paul Saltzman's documentary about Freeman's 2008 efforts to integrate the high school prom in his hometown of Charleston. Black and white students had historically held separate events. Freeman proposed a single, integrated prom, which he would pay for himself.
NOW Magazine |
Norman Wilner |
11-16-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
'Pirate Radio': Good Music. Terrible Movie.new
Rock 'n' roll is great. But no matter how powerful, majestic, or even life changing three chords and the truth can be, rock 'n' roll cannot save Pirate Radio.
The Portland Mercury |
Ezra Ace Caraeff |
11-13-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Pirate Radio, Richard Curtis
'2012': BOOM! CRASH! JOHN CUSACK!new
2012 is pure pandemonium, and it's like two and a half hours of it, and if you're not in the mood for an inane summer blockbuster in the middle of November, then move along, killjoy -- no one wants you here.
The Portland Mercury |
Erik Henriksen |
11-13-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Roland Emmerich, 2012
'The Prisoner' Should Make Us Feel Right at Homenew
Let's welcome back one of the granddaddies of the paranoid genre, The Prisoner, which has been revamped for AMC in an effort to keep us tuned in now that another season of Mad Men has passed. Verdict: Yes, we'll stay tuned.
Scott Glenn on Small Towns, Big Cities and Silver Screensnew
Glenn, whose acting resume includes Apocalypse Now, The Hunt for Red October and The Bourne Ultimatum, is keeping his commute in-state for a change. In this Q&A, the Ketchum resident talks about working in Idaho with a director whose an Idaho native.
Boise Weekly |
Jeremiah Wierenga |
11-11-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Disregard the Crappy Marketing Campaign; 'A Christmas Carol' is an Enchanting Movienew
This is a surprisingly faithful adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic, with a little 3-D whiz-bang thrown in for good measure. When the frantic sequences are squished together in a short preview trailer, they are just annoying. Within the film, effectively spread apart, the sequences become exhilarating.
Tucson Weekly |
Bob Grimm |
11-11-2009 |
Reviews
'An Education' is a Coming-of-Age Romance with an Effectively Creepy Feelnew
My biggest problem with horror movies is that I do like scary movies, and I just don't find horror films to be very scary. But An Education is terrifying. It's the most effectively frightening film I've seen since that Larry King/Tom DeLay sex video was accidentally shown on Oprah.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
11-11-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: An Education, Lone Scherfig
Reality Fiction: How 'The Road' and '2012' Might Predict the Future ... For Realnew
From health care to finance, the prefix "broken" has been applied to every industrialized system humankind has had the gumption to design. The world that lapped up Roland Emmerich's last two end-time fables might not be so eager for part three.
North Bay Bohemian |
Hannah Strom-Martin |
11-11-2009 |
Movies
'Pirate Radio' Rocks the Boatnew
This is one of those ensemble comedies in which each member of the ensemble tends toward one-dimensionality, but that's OK because there are so many members, and they're all so talented.
C-Ville Weekly |
Jonathan Kiefer |
11-11-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Pirate Radio, Richard Curtis
Too Baaad 'Goats' Falls Flatnew
Where Three Kings cast Clooney in a wartime caper story to critique the first President Bush's Iraq war, Goats attempts to use hippie-style anti-authority comedy to satirize his son's sequel. But the early sight gags of super-macho G.I.s failing to run through walls or drive blindfolded don't mesh with the film's anger over the corporate exploitation of the Iraqi occupation.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
11-10-2009 |
Reviews
Grim 'Precious' Treasures Passionate Actressesnew
Oprah's film has enough sorrow for several Greek tragedies.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
11-10-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Precious, Lee Daniels
'Antichrist' Canonizes Genital Mutilationnew
An instantly notorious award-winner at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Antichrist proves to be an alternately draggy, repellent and opaque cinematic experience, while clearly representing devoted efforts from several master screen artists.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
11-10-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Antichrist, Lars von Trier
