AltWeeklies Wire
'The Damned United' Tells a 1970s British Soccer Tale in an Engrossing Waynew
Michael Sheen is endlessly fun to watch; his David Frost in Frost/Nixon and his Tony Blair in The Queen are both impeccable, but his turn in The Damned United makes a serious case for not only being his best work, but also some of the best acting of the year.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
11-04-2009 |
Reviews
Other Than the Fact That It's Boring, 'Bright Star' is a Fine Filmnew
Watching Bright Star was like having dinner while sitting across from a couple who are completely in love. "Wow, you guys sure like to touch noses. Umm ... waiter? Can I get some more bread? Waiter? Hello?"
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
10-29-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Bright Star, Jane Campion
Another Year, Another Terrible 'Saw' Sequelnew
It seems like the Saw movies will never end, that they will return every year like an evil plague -- a scaly, slimy demon determined to steal your money. I know this very notion gives me serious nightmares.
Tucson Weekly |
Bob Grimm |
10-29-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Kevin Greutert, Saw VI
The Coen Brothers Follow One Man's Effort to Know More than He Cannew
Stories that go nowhere are generally not good entertainment. But stories about stories that go nowhere, as Joel and Ethan Coen have shown with A Serious Man, can be incredible.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
10-29-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: A Serious Man, The Coen Brothers
'Wild Things' is a Delightful Movie for Adults About Being a Kidnew
After four years of filming and all kinds of delays, Spike Jonze has managed to put something on screen that resembles nothing like I've ever seen before. What he's made here is something wonderful ... just wonderful.
Tucson Weekly |
Bob Grimm |
10-29-2009 |
Reviews
An Impressive Amount of Top Talent is Wasted in 'Couples Retreat'new
One would think that casting Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Kristen Bell and Kristin Davis would've gotten Peter Billingsley comic gold. However, the film proves that it's ill-advised to send a bunch of swell actors to an island paradise -- especially when you have a shitty script.
Tucson Weekly |
Bob Grimm |
10-15-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Couples Retreat, Peter Billingsley
'Big Fan' Succeeds Because the Loser at its Center Isn't Ridiculed or Reformednew
Right now, Big Fan is easily one of the best, and most creative, films of the year. Its originality comes not from wild ideas or fantastic plot devices, but from exploring from the inside, and with sympathy, a form of life that has in the past only been subjected to ridicule and reform.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
10-15-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Big Fan, Robert Siegel
'Zombieland' May Not Match 'Shaun of the Dead,' but it's Sure Entertainingnew
While the film loses some steam before its lackluster amusement-park ending, there are enough laughs and old-fashioned zombie kills to keep even the most casual fans of the horror-comedy genre happy.
Tucson Weekly |
Bob Grimm |
10-07-2009 |
Reviews
In His Biofuels-Promoting Doc 'Fuel,' Joshua Tickell Tries to Do Too Muchnew
Joshua Tickell is very serious about biodiesel. Also, he just married a folk singer; he hates pollution; and he has a video camera. In short: Watch out, America, because there's a documentary full of sincerity coming your way.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
10-07-2009 |
Reviews
'The Informant!' Cleverly Treats Whistleblower Story Like a Comedynew
Leave it to Steven Soderbergh and Matt Damon to find the wicked humor in something that resulted in the largest antitrust fine in U.S. history at the time, and a lot of bilked international consumers.
Tucson Weekly |
Bob Grimm |
09-23-2009 |
Reviews
Jimmy Page Charms in 'It Might Get Loud'new
While The Edge hates and Jack White poses, Page just revels in music. His face continually lights up as he spins old discs; his 64-year-old body slides into recurring boogie mode; and he shakes and grooves with his guitar like he was still the lean young man in Led Zeppelin.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
09-23-2009 |
Reviews
Other Than a Tacked-On Skin Scene, There's Nothing Worth Seeing in 'Whiteout'new
Kate Beckinsale's career has officially hit a pothole. Before the boring Antarctica mystery Whiteout, she was in two straight-to-DVD ventures: Nothing but the Truth and the deplorable Fragments. Whiteout should've probably suffered the same fate.
Tucson Weekly |
Bob Grimm |
09-16-2009 |
Reviews
'9': Puppets With Weaponsnew
The message of the mediocre 9: Evil is bad, but cuteness is awesome!
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
09-16-2009 |
Reviews
An Impossible Ending Takes 'All About Steve' from Daring to Disasternew
As I watched the movie, which stars Sandra Bullock as an insane stalker, I couldn't understand why it was so hated. It wasn't very good, but it was far from awful, and I was getting some decent -- if uncomfortable -- laughs out of the thing. But by the time the movie ended, I understood.
Tucson Weekly |
Bob Grimm |
09-16-2009 |
Reviews
'Extract' Has Moments of Excellence, but it's No 'Office Space'new
The movie suffers from its inherent sitcom silliness, as well as from a painfully neat ending that ties everything up in a bow and covers it with sugar sprinkles. But Extract isn't a terrible film; it's just a flawed one.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
09-16-2009 |
Reviews
