AltWeeklies Wire
'Adoration' Is a Forward-Thinking Exploratory Work of Cinema
Talented Canadian auteur Atom Egoyan errs on the side of shattered melodrama in a thought-provoking dissection of post-9/11 sensibilities.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
05-11-2009 |
Reviews
Sci-Fi Classic Spins Off Better Than Ever
Fusing a carefully chosen cast with stunning sci-fi spectacle, and a storyline that retains the workmanlike elements of Gene Roddenberry's original television series, director J.J. Abrams successfully forms a new beginning for the Star Trek franchise.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
05-04-2009 |
Reviews
'Terra' is a Thematically Tone-Deaf Sci-Fi Travesty
Too thematically dim to hold the interest of adults, and too alienating and violent for young children, Battle for Terra is an off-putting animated sci-fi flick for no one.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
04-27-2009 |
Reviews
Bare-Knuckles: Dito Montiel Hits His Sophomore Slump
Writer/director Dito Montiel drops down a few rungs after his promising debut film A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, with an undernourished drama about small-town fighter Shawn MacArthur (played by Channing Tatum) who comes to Manhattan where he meets two-bit hustler Harvey Boarden (Terrence Howard).
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
04-20-2009 |
Reviews
'The Soloist': Mispronounced Orchestration
Heartfelt performances from Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx can't counteract a lack of narrative focus that prevents the film from taking hold, although they are entrancing in and of themselves.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
04-20-2009 |
Reviews
'State of Play' is a Pedantic Thriller Caught in its Own Obvious Clockwork
Nothing is organic and no situation believable in a movie that plays like a collection of isolated sub plots.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
04-13-2009 |
Reviews
Seth Rogen Takes Charge, and We Get to Laugh
Writer/director Jody Hill makes a quantum leap from his low-budget 2006 debut feature The Foot Fist Way with a hilarious subversive black comedy about America's post-9/11 culture of authority-abusing misfits, commonly referred to as security guards.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
04-06-2009 |
Reviews
Slow and Hesitant: Car Porn Franchise Stalls Out
For such a simple action/adventure template, the filmmakers behind Fast & Furious fall down on the job at every turn.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
03-30-2009 |
Reviews
Tail-Chasing MacGuffins Hobble Owen and Roberts in 'Duplicity'
Writer/director Tony Gilroy -- the director of Michael Clayton and The Bourne Ultimatum -- runs his ship aground with a smarty-pants crime romance set amid the world of corporate espionage.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
03-16-2009 |
Reviews
Kiyoshi Kurosawa Shines a Light
Winner of the 2008 Jury Prize at Cannes, Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Tokyo Sonata is a lyrical family drama about a father emerging from a fog of denial after losing his administrative job when his department is outsourced to China.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
03-09-2009 |
Reviews
Tyler Perry's 'Madea Goes to Jail'
Tyler Perry continues to preach to the choir with his entertaining albeit stereotype-laced blend of melodrama and comedy.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
02-20-2009 |
Reviews
Girls! Girls! Girls!: 'Fired Up' Offers Snacks on Snacks
A shameless celebration of female nubility, Fired Up! is a peppy teen sex comedy that draws on a perfectly pitched pop music score, a bevy of scantily clad cheerleaders, and the quick-fire camaraderie of its skirt-chasing buddies.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
02-16-2009 |
Reviews
Mafia Rules: Neapolitan Crime Syndicate Comes Up for Inspection
Roberto Saviano’s tell-all mafia expose provides rich narrative soil for director Matteo Garrone (The Embalmer - 2002) to weave together five stories of mob-related corruption sucking dry the Italian industrial province of Naples and its squalid suburbs and infecting the entire financial landscape of the European economy.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
02-09-2009 |
Reviews
Insulting Sellers: Steve Martin and Company Cash In Again
The second installment in the "Pink Panther" do-over franchise is enough to make you wish that the ghost of Peter Sellers would come back to haunt every human and animal that contributed to what amounts to cinematic sacrilege.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
02-02-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Harald Zwart, The Pink Panther 2
'Inkheart' Makes a False Cinematic Start
Based on Cornelia Funke's 2003 fantasy kid's novel, director Ian Softley makes a half-hearted adaptation that's further diminished by Brendon Fraser's signature boy scout performance as Mo Flochart.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
01-19-2009 |
Reviews
