AltWeeklies Wire
Due Date Doesn't Delivernew
Robert Downey Jr. notwithstanding, the most conspicuous part of Due Date ends up being the "Welcome To" state border signs, since each one brings the film that much closer to ending.
Benoit Pioulard's Slipstream of Songnew
"Music ought to be revelatory to the artist. I'm positive I wouldn't be who I am had I never written a song or learned an instrument."
INDY Week |
Jesse Steichen |
11-04-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Benoit Pioulard
The Latest of Woody Allen's Light, Somewhat Entertaining, Late-Period Comedies!new
Yes, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger is yet another Woody Allen movie. And that's precisely the reason to celebrate it.
Damaged Goods in Philip Seymour Hoffman's Jack Goes Boatingnew
Jack Goes Boating attempts to offer a satisfying portrait of two people falling in love. Given its talented two leads, it falls surprisingly short of this modest ambition.
Tags: Jack Goes Boating
Working Things Out in Funny Storynew
It's Kind of a Funny Story reaches for an ironic, self-aware tone but doesn't transcend its young adult fiction origins.
Animal Kingdom is a Tough Aussie Crime Dramanew
Degrees of depravity are the only way to assign relative villainy to these characters, and there are no heroes -- only those who don't deserve to die as much as others.
Tags: Animal Kingdom, David Michod
Catfish is Another Dodgy Docnew
One of the most buzzed-about films at this year's Sundance, Catfish examines the very real world of downtrodden, bored, criminally inclined or just mischievous people reinventing themselves in cyberspace.
Boardwalk Empire is Martin Scorsese's very promising foray into televisionnew
Scorsese isn't the only reason to have confidence in this chronicle of Prohibition-era crime in Atlantic City.
Tags: Boardwalk Empire
The Curious Case of Joaquin Phoenix in I'm Still Herenew
I'm Still Here represents Joaquin Phoenix and Casey Affleck -- both younger brothers of actors devoured by the tabloid press -- taking a giant dump on the entertainment industry.
Tags: I'm Still Here, Casey Affleck
Horny Teens Get a Mockumentary in The Virginity Hitnew
The Virginity Hit depicts a cadre of semiprivileged New Orleans teens whose penchant for illicit drinking, drug use and recording every moment of their lives on camera is more or less not worth remarking upon.
Mao's Last Dancer Blooms in Americanew
It may be hopelessly retro to say it, but this is the kind of film Hollywood used to make regularly: not focus-grouped to a niche market; dealing with the joys and sorrows of life and art.
Tags: Mao's Last Dancer, Bruce Beresford
George Clooney's Hit Man Hides Out in The Americannew
Few actors today both possess and exercise the star power needed to make films like The American. But artistic appreciation does not always produce artistry.
Tags: The American, Anton Corbijn
The Lack of Wit is a Weeds Killernew
When most of the fun is in the subplots, maybe it's time for the writers to come up with some real breakthrough for Nancy Botwin.
Tags: Weeds
Quiet Desperation in Mademoiselle Chambonnew
The virtue, and limitation, of Mademoiselle Chambon is the ordinariness of the characters and their quotidian affair. It's one we can relate to, but it's not necessarily one that we go to the movies to watch.
Get Low Doesn't Go Low Enoughnew
A film that looks to Horton Foote for inspiration is worth taking seriously, but this director and screenwriter don't have what it takes to give their synthetic concoction any authority.
Tags: Get Low, Aaron Schneider
