AltWeeklies Wire
Rod Lurie Makes a Political Thriller for Our Times
Clearly inspired by Judith Miller's role in the Valerie Plame case, writer/director Rod Lurie takes dramatic liberties to allow for a provocative treatment of an ongoing battle for civil liberties exacted in the name of national security.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
01-05-2009 |
Reviews
'Doubt' Stumbles In Transition to Film
Playwright John Patrick Shanley adapts his award-winning '60s era drama for the silver screen with mixed success.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
12-01-2008 |
Reviews
Baz Luhrmann's 'Australia' Disappoints
Its grandiose title might encourage visions of a sweeping epic romance but Baz Luhrmann's bloated and boisterous movie is little more than a computer-graphic assisted western that takes place over the period of a few months.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
11-24-2008 |
Reviews
Damien Harris Examines Stolen Innocence in 'Gardens of the Night'
Writer/director Damian Harris spent ten years researching this delicately handled study of two children's life-trajectory through prostitution after being kidnapped by a couple of molesters/pimps.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
11-12-2008 |
Reviews
Bernie Mac Seals His Career With a Laugh in 'Soul Men'
Bernie Mac's last film before his untimely death is a let-it-rip irreverent comedy invested with Bernie's trademark brand of earthy humor.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
11-03-2008 |
Reviews
Kevin Smith Borrows From Judd Apatow in 'Zack and Miri'
Kevin Smith hasn't matured enough to actually make a good comedy, but he has accrued enough casting wisdom to elevate his latest homegrown material with the effervescent Elizabeth Banks and Seth Rogan.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
10-27-2008 |
Reviews
'I've Loved You So Long' Registers with a Range of Dramatic Magnitude
Kristin Scott Thomas gives a beautifully transcendent performance as Juliette, a woman who goes to live with her slightly younger sister Lea and her family after serving 15 years in prison for murder.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
10-25-2008 |
Reviews
Seth Rogan and Elizabeth Banks Keep 'Zack and Miri' Watchable
Kevin Smith hasn't matured enough to actually make a good comedy, but he has accrued enough casting wisdom to elevate his latest homegrown material with the effervescent Seth Rogan and Elizabeth Banks.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
10-25-2008 |
Reviews
Eastwood Examines a Chapter of LA's Sordid Past in 'Changeling'
Apart from a flashing neon light coda that extends the film 10 minutes too far, Eastwood's drama is an engrossing drama with a keen line of social commentary.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
10-20-2008 |
Reviews
Oliver Stone Tells Bush Junior's Infamous Story
Stone's unpolished but finely tuned biopic of Western Civilization's most controversial leader is a straight-ahead dramatized biographical film that pedals between George W. Bush's misspent youth and his days in public office.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
10-13-2008 |
Reviews
'Body of Lies' is a Cynical Cinematic Kamikaze
Based on David Ignatius's novel, Body of Lies trudges through on the strength of Leonardo DiCaprio's habitually hardy performance, but you can't help being let down by the rest of the ridiculously bombastic movie.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
10-06-2008 |
Reviews
