AltWeeklies Wire
Taking Pedophilia Seriously: The 'Nightmare' Grows Cold
More contemplative and thematically muscular than Wes Craven's 1984 original slasher flick, Samuel Bayer's updated version has a quieter surreal edge rooted more in suspense than in the former film's regular bloodletting.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
05-03-2010 |
Reviews
Relearning Disgust: Dutch Filmmaker Tom Six Dares His Audience
High concept meets sustained graphic horror in Tom Six's satirically challenged thriller that succeeds if only by the realistic treatment of its gross-out premise via the best mad scientist performance in recent memory.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
04-26-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: The Human Centipede, Tom Six
Sea Creatures are People Too: Ocean Documentary Shows the Personalities of its Animals
This year, "Earth Day" (a day to "inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment") is marked by the release of Oceans, a lush documentary about the magnificent waters that cover more than 70 percent of the earth's surface, and the vast number of creatures that live there.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
04-19-2010 |
Reviews
Dumb Mess: Fan Boy Pandering Goes Too Far
There are actually some 45-year-old film critics who write their reviews tilted toward fan boy readers as if they have something in common with the 12-year-old brain that Hollywood considers its primary audience.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
04-12-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Kick-Ass, Matthew Vaughn
Aussie Noir Crackles: Filmmaking Duo Prove Deserving Heirs to Coen Bros.
Kicking off with a wicked little short film called "Spider," sibling filmmakers Nash and Joel Edgerton announce their ability to shock you in a way you've not quite been surprised before.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
04-05-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Nash Edgerton, The Square
Low Motive: Thomas Haden Church Goes Dark
More a black comedy than the intended "neo-noir" that newbie auteur Jake Goldberger aspires to, Don McKay is a droll little independent flick for audiences with dark tastes.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
03-29-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Don McKay, Jake Goldberger
Blackmail Kisses: Atom Egoyan Turns on the Red Light
You couldn't hope for a higher caliber sexploitation movie than "Chloe," even if the sex thriller falls flatter than a day-old quiche.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
03-22-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Atom Egoyan, Chloe
Off His Chest: Noah Baumbach Makes Room for the Loony
American 21st century post traumatic stress and economic desolation gets filtered through the mid-life crisis of Ben Stiller's troubled character Roger Greenberg in Noah Baumbach's edgy romantic comedy that puts a premium on how we treat one another.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
03-22-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Greenberg, Noah Baumbach
Swedish Exploitation Mystery: Stieg Larsson Gets Posthumously More Famous
The first film adaptation of the late Swedish novelist Stieg Larsson's posthumously published "Millennium Trilogy," "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" is an enigmatic mystery thriller fired by the growling intensity of its goth-girl heroine Lisbeth Salander (ferociously played by Noomi Rapace).
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
03-15-2010 |
Reviews
Hello Daddy, Hello Mom: Girl Rock Band Comes Alive, Again
Based on Cherrie Currie's poorly written memoir "Neon Angel: The Cherrie Currie Story," about her crash-and-burn experiences with producer Kim Fowley's manufactured all-girl rock band, "The Runaways" is a textbook guilty pleasure.
City Pulse |
Hello Daddy, Hello Mom: Girl Rock Band Comes Alive, Again |
03-15-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: The Runaways, Floria Sigismondi
Stumbling to the Altar: Interracial Marriage Comedy Leaves Both Lawns Bare
Writer/director Rick Famuyiwa's version of interracial marriage is about as much fun as a trip to the dentist.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
03-08-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Our Family Wedding, Rick Famuyiwa
Too Little Too Late: Paul Greengrass Switches Teams, But to What End?
Director Paul Greengrass attempts to overcompensate for his unthinkably flat 2006 propaganda piece United 93 with a shaky-cam Iraq war picture.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
03-08-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Green Zone, Paul Greengrass
Damaged Goods: Antoine Fuqua Does His Due Diligence
Director Antoine Fuqua returns to the gritty cop drama genre that made him a household name in 2001 with "Training Day."
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
03-01-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Brooklyn's Finest, Antoine Fuqua
Whose Turn is It Now? The 2010 Oscar Race
You can practically already hear Academy Award producers shouting, after the fact, "Whose idea was this?" about changes in the ceremony that are doomed to be criticized for months after the last statue is handed out.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
02-25-2010 |
Movies
Tags: The 2010 Oscar Race, Cole Smithey
'Celine: Through the Eyes of the World' is an Insult on Many Levels
Presented as a "performance" rather than a documentary of her 2008-2009 "Taking Chances" world tour, Celine: Through the Eyes of the World is an insult to your intelligence on many levels.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
02-22-2010 |
Reviews
