AltWeeklies Wire
Norwegian Death Metal Doc 'Until the Light Takes Us' Aims High(brow)new
Norwegian death metal is a fascinatingly dark corner of the musician-as-fanatic landscape. Until the Light Takes Us is an attempt to create the definitive film on the subject, but directors Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell instead offer a passive, jumpy synopsis that's more artsy than insightful.
'The Hurt Locker' is the First Good Film About the Iraq Warnew
So, yes, someone finally made a decent feature about the Iraq War. Bigelow accomplishes that because she doesn't make it about the war at all, but rather about men whose incredibly stressful jobs put them smack in the war zone.
San Diego CityBeat |
Anders Wright |
07-08-2009 |
Reviews
'Public Enemies' Starts With a Bang & Ends With a Whimpernew
The first hour or so comes on like, well, gangbusters as Michael Mann sets up compelling scenes of bank theft and manhunt procedures. The script feints at overarching themes, such as the idea that neither Dillinger nor Purvis have a place among "modern" mobsters or feds, but the script leaves both men underdeveloped as characters.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
07-07-2009 |
Reviews
'Whatever Works' Hardly Worksnew
In addition to the film's skeevy May-December romance, Woody Allen displays breathtaking condescension to Southerners that makes him seem utterly parochial, despite his recent productions in Europe.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
07-07-2009 |
Reviews
'Moon' Hits Your Eye Like Old-School Sci-Finew
In a season of silly sci-fi films like Transformers, Moon's thoughtful approach proves inspiring. If we're not going back to the real moon anytime soon, how about launching a space program for serious films?
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
07-07-2009 |
Reviews
Robert Kenner Talks Cloned Meats, Big Agribusiness and 'Food, Inc.'new
Kenner is no stranger to controversial subjects. He won an Emmy for his 2005 "Two Days in October," which examined the domestic response to the Vietnam War during the turbulent fall of 1967. Kenner runs into a even more volatile subject with his new documentary, Food, Inc., an investigate peek into America's big agribusinesses and meat and poultry industries.
Baltimore City Paper |
Bret McCabe |
07-07-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
'Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone': C'mon, Dad, Give Me the Giant Battle-Bot!new
Evangelion 1.0 lacks the sophistication, darkness, and violence of Ghost in the Shell or Akira. It's a tamer work that may improve -- through releases 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 -- as Shinji starts to shave and possibly acts upon his hormonal urges.
Seattle Weekly |
Brian Miller |
07-06-2009 |
Reviews
The Good Girl Returns in Jennifer Aniston's New Filmnew
This romantic comedy about an emotionally stunted saleswoman and her loopy stalker strains credibility.
Austin Chronicle |
Marjorie Baumgarten |
07-03-2009 |
Reviews
'Whatever Works': Confessions of a Cranky Misanthropenew
Though Larry David makes for a good Woody Allen avatar, consider our enthusiasm for Whatever Works curbed.
Austin Chronicle |
Marjorie Baumgarten |
07-03-2009 |
Reviews
'Public Enemies': Gangster Prosodynew
The title's pluralization aside, this is Dillinger's show, and Depp's, and the actor does some cheeky, exhilarating work when he is all cockiness and resolve.
Austin Chronicle |
Kimberley Jones |
07-03-2009 |
Reviews
Sacha Baron Cohen Makes Funny, But Can't Get His Story Straight in 'Bruno'
Sacha Baron Cohen's follow-up to the hilarious Borat provokes half as many laughs in a seemingly less improvised comedy that goes twice again as far as Borat in goosing sexual sight gags designed to make even the most numb audience members blanch.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
07-02-2009 |
Reviews
'Away We Go': Turbulence and Travelnew
The dialogue is prone to the same sort of meandering "look at me" monologues that pepper Dave Eggers' books. The monologues work here, mostly because of the excellent cast and because they are voiced by different characters, but they occasionally threaten to beat you over the head with "no-duh" messages about love and family.
Boise Weekly |
Jeremiah Wierenga |
07-02-2009 |
Reviews
The 'Transformers' Sequel Makes Me Want to Tear Off My Facenew
Michael Bay has officially re-entered the Land of the Suck. Revenge of the Fallen is an effort that cements his place in cinematic-dickwad hell. This guy is the biggest dipshit to ever be handed a $200 million movie.
Tucson Weekly |
Bob Grimm |
07-02-2009 |
Reviews
'O'Horten': Sentiment Sans Schmaltznew
Who knew a film about a 67-year-old railroad engineer could be so entertaining?
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
07-02-2009 |
Reviews
'Public Enemies': Johnny Depp's Got a Tommy Gun!new
For all of Public Enemies' muddled attempts to delve into the history of America's first "war on crime," it works better as a thriller, an action flick, and a character sketch of Dillinger -- and all of those are things which, in its fast-paced, sharply edited second half, Public Enemies becomes.
The Portland Mercury |
Erik Henriksen |
07-02-2009 |
Reviews
