AltWeeklies Wire
'In the Valley of Elah' Tries to Be a Mystery & an Iraq Filmnew
Unfortunately, Haggis doesn't have the stylistic chops to do "restrained" in the way that, say, Sidney Lumet can. His would-be restraint ends up committing the cardinal sin of being dull, dull, dull.
'Hurricane on the Bayou' Captures How Man Contributed to Katrinanew
Narrated by Meryl Streep, the 2006 film was originally intended to provide viewers with a scenic trip through the wetlands of New Orleans. Three months after the initial footage was shot in 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the city, bringing the film's warnings to life.
'Fully Awake' Celebrates the Black Mountain Collegenew
Josef Albers, Anni Albers, Arthur Penn, David Tudor, John Cage, Merce Cuningham, Willem de Kooning, Robert Motherwell, M.C. Richards, Charles Olsen, Robert Creeley, Franz Kline ... It is amazing to think that all of these art-world luminaries once immersed themselves in creative experimentation in a remote, isolated college in the mountains of North Carolina.
'Superbad': Seth and Evan Go to the Mini-martnew
The R rating comes from the language, an almost non-stop flurry of F-bombs and sexual references that sounds like Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob having an argument with characters from a David Mamet play.
'The Bourne Ultimatum': Dirty Secretsnew
It is gratifying that the zenith of a summer movie season otherwise headlined by shape-shifting robots and an aging '80s action icon comes in the form of throwback to the espionage thrillers of the 1970s updated as compelling, exhilarating zeitgeist.
King of Salsanew
There's a lot riding on El Cantante, the first mainstream Hollywood movie to be made about Hector Lavoe, a natural talent and beloved performer known as "The Voice" whose notorious heroin addiction led to his death of AIDS in 1993.
Tags: El Cantante, Leon Ichaso
Killing Me Softlynew
Few directors accentuate the real-life subtleties of hard-edged suspense like John Dahl.
Mild About Harrynew
My reaction to the Potter mythos is not a feeling of love or hate but utter ambivalence over the fantastical universe of pubescent sorcerers, wizened minders and nefarious spirits, all with Tolkienian names and wands full of spells and whistles.
The Extravagantly Staged 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom'new
So far, it's the best of 2007's mainstream Hindi films.
Tags: Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, Shaad Ali
'A Mighty Heart': Where's the Viewpoint?new
Is Winterbottom suggesting a xeno-divide that dare not be crossed except at your own peril?
Regretting Nothing: 'La Vie en Rose' and 'Crazy Love'new
Suffering and amour fou in two new films.
Alone With the Alonenew
Into Great Silence heralds the possibility of cinema as a sacramental art.
Tags: Into Great Silence, Philip Groning
'Away from Her': Twilight of the Goddessnew
If many arthouse films nowadays seem destined to divide audiences into generational camps, this absorbing Canadian drama has the welcome effect of bridging the age divide in several senses at once.
Tags: Away from Her, Sarah Polley
'28 Weeks Later' & 'The Page Turner'new
Zombies return to Britain; plus, a civilized French thriller.
Car Racing: An Unusual Subject for Bollywoodnew
NASCAR's bid for global product placement is puzzling here, as racing is not a popular sport in India -- and the American love of a cool car, incomprehensible.
Tags: Siddarth Anand, Ta Ra Rum Pum
