AltWeeklies Wire
Say You Want a Revolution?new
Che director Steven Soderbergh tells why that there’s no reason to shrink from controversy and debate.
San Diego CityBeat |
Anders Wright |
03-04-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Neil Gaiman on Whether You Should Take Your Kids to See 'Coraline'new
Coraline is like much of Gaiman’s work—inventive, funny and kinda scary, putting ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.
San Diego CityBeat |
Anders Wright |
02-04-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
'Defiance': Tough Jewsnew
Edward Zwick's Holocaust film lacks subtlety -- and that's exactly why it's likely to be a crowd-pleaser.
San Diego CityBeat |
Anders Wright |
01-14-2009 |
Reviews
Darren Aronofsky Talks About Mickey Rourke's Comeback in 'The Wrestler'new
In the 1980s, Rourke was one of his generation's best actors, but he ditched the movies to try to make it as a pro boxer. When he discovered he needed Hollywood, it no longer needed him. Even director Darren Aronofsky was initially skeptical.
San Diego CityBeat |
Anders Wright |
01-07-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
'Frost/Nixon' Doesn't Pull its Punchesnew
I'm not a huge fan of Ron Howard's films. They're usually well made, but I often leave them with a feeling of insincerity. In Frost/Nixon, however, Howard is wisely restrained—in the film's climactic moment.
San Diego CityBeat |
Anders Wright |
12-10-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
'Slumdog Millionaire' is a Wealth of Richesnew
Along with its depictions of horrendous poverty, underage prostitution, child abuse and savage dehumanization of the developing world, it's also a terrific, feel-good film, an audience pleaser that offers a smidgen of hope in a world that's rapidly spiraling down the bowl.
San Diego CityBeat |
Anders Wright |
11-19-2008 |
Reviews
'Quantum of Solace': Don't Bet On This 'Casino Royale' Follow-Upnew
There's no point in calling Quantum of Solace the worst James Bond film yet. It isn't. The franchise has had some serious flops throughout the years, and Daniel Craig's second outing as 007 is better than those. But it doesn't live up to the promise of its predecessor.
San Diego CityBeat |
Anders Wright |
11-12-2008 |
Reviews
We're All Just Players in 'Synecdoche, New York'new
Synecdoche is conceptually enormous, and at times it threatens to collapse under the heavy weight of its ambition, but it’s also new, fresh and, if you're willing to take the stage with Kaufman, as tragic and exciting as real life itself.
San Diego CityBeat |
Anders Wright |
11-05-2008 |
Reviews
Kevin Smith Talks About his Most Adult Film Yetnew
Zack and Miri earned the dreaded NC-17, but Smith went through the appeals process and won his R rating. "I was a happy camper," he says. "Everything I wanted in the movie is in the movie." One of those things is a scene about what happens when an anal-sex scene ends very suddenly and very badly.
San Diego CityBeat |
Anders Wright |
10-29-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Mike Leigh Does a 180 with 'Happy-Go-Lucky'new
Leigh's films are usually brutal and uncompromising, challenging and, ultimately, painfully easy to relate to -- but he goes in the opposite direction with Happy-Go-Lucky.
San Diego CityBeat |
Anders Wright |
10-22-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky
Weathermen Doc 'The Weather Underground' Lets You Make the Callnew
With Barack Obama's William Ayers connection becoming recent fodder for GOP attacks, this Oscar-nominated 2002 documentary is making a timely appearance in theaters.
San Diego CityBeat |
Anders Wright |
10-15-2008 |
Reviews
'Rachel Getting Married' Brings Out the Best in Anne Hathawaynew
Hathaway's performance as an acerbic and bitter sister is so good that it’ll surely be considered come Oscar time.
San Diego CityBeat |
Anders Wright |
10-08-2008 |
Reviews
'Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist': John Hughes 2.0new
Of course, Hughes was the mastermind of '80s teen drama, taking a sweet, funny look at the utterly heavy-duty emotions that come with being in high school or just beyond. And that's precisely what director Peter Sollett does with Nick and Norah.
San Diego CityBeat |
Anders Wright |
10-01-2008 |
Reviews
'Choke': How to Turn a Cult Novel into a Movienew
Making your first film is challenging enough. But writing and directing a movie about a sex addict who intentionally chokes on food in restaurants to engender sympathy and make money? Well, that's something else entirely.
San Diego CityBeat |
Anders Wright |
09-24-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Choke, Clark Gregg
A Poolside Chat with Matthew McConaugheynew
In real life, McConaughey wears a shirt. Or at least he was wearing one the other day, sitting opposite the poolside bar atop the Hard Rock Hotel, a pinch of Skoal planted between his cheek and gums.
San Diego CityBeat |
Anders Wright |
09-10-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
