AltWeeklies Wire
Tarsem Indulges His Imagination in 'The Fall'new
Tarsem clearly chose to make The Fall as an excuse to splash more beautiful images across the screen. And splash he does, from the gorgeous black-and-white of the pre-credit sequence to the desert landscapes of Roy's story.
Los Angeles CityBeat |
Andy Klein |
05-12-2008 |
Reviews
'Standard Operating Procedure' Deconstructs the Abu Ghraib Photosnew
Once again, Errol Morris is dealing with war at its morally foggiest.
Los Angeles CityBeat |
Andy Klein |
05-02-2008 |
Reviews
The Porn War Heats Upnew
The Department of Justice's Obscenity Prosecution Task Force is still looking to take down adult smut peddlers, even to the point of allegedly diverting funds from kiddie porn investigations to do it.
Los Angeles CityBeat |
Mick Farren |
05-02-2008 |
Movies
Jackie Chan and Jet Li Bring the Monkey King to Hollywoodnew
The most obvious selling point of The Forbidden Kingdom is the first-ever onscreen teaming of Jackie Chan and Jet Li, the world's two best-known martial arts stars. But it also represents another first: It's the first big Hollywood production in two decades to really absorb the kinds of Chinese stories that have formed the basis for much of Hong Kong action cinema.
Los Angeles CityBeat |
Andy Klein |
04-21-2008 |
Reviews
'Expelled': Another Expression of the Right Wing's Victim Complexnew
The film claims not to be about atheism vs. religion or Darwinism vs. Intelligent Design, but rather about academic freedom. I'll agree with the first half of that: Among the reasons this film was made, religion is second and science (at best) third. But the No. 1 agenda has much less to do with academic freedom than with political ideology.
Los Angeles CityBeat |
Andy Klein |
04-21-2008 |
Reviews
The Quick and the Deadnew
Shine a Light and Chapter 27 prove again how '60s culture continues to haunt us.
Los Angeles CityBeat |
Andy Klein |
04-04-2008 |
Reviews
'21' is Full of Plot Implausibilitiesnew
For most of its length, 21 seems like a cautionary tale ... at least, until the whole point is negated by a tacked-on happy ending.
Los Angeles CityBeat |
Andy Klein |
03-28-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: 21, Robert Luketic
Good Guy or Bad Guy?new
The big Kahuna of bad guys on Lost, megalomaniacal Others leader Benjamin Linus (Michael Emerson), has made a habit of insisting he's one of the good guys. How can a guy who once killed a bunch of his own people with nerve gas be good?
Los Angeles CityBeat |
Natalie Nichols |
03-28-2008 |
TV
Zak Penn's Poker Jokersnew
Much like his previous outing as a director -- the hilarious 2004 Incident at Loch Ness -- Penn's new film, The Grand, is an improv mockumentary in the Christopher Guest mold.
Los Angeles CityBeat |
Andy Klein |
03-21-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Paranoid Angelsnew
With Paranoid Park and Snow Angels, Gus Van Sant and David Gordon Green take different approaches to high school melodrama.
Los Angeles CityBeat |
Andy Klein |
03-14-2008 |
Movies
Heists and Homelifenew
The Bank Job is solid entertainment, while Married Life and CJ7 run out of laughs.
Los Angeles CityBeat |
Andy Klein |
03-07-2008 |
Reviews
Gone Undergroundnew
A survey of L.A. rock clubs suggests the pros are turning weirder.
Los Angeles CityBeat |
Ron Garmon |
02-29-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Windy City to Washington to Beijingnew
Politics can be found in Chicago 10, real life, and Summer Palace.
Los Angeles CityBeat |
Andy Klein |
02-29-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Brett Morgen, Chicago 10
'The Counterfeiters': A Counterfeit Realitynew
In the Austrian Oscar nominee, a forger is caught in an unreal dilemma.
Los Angeles CityBeat |
Andy Klein |
02-22-2008 |
Reviews
Definitely Notnew
The Ryan Reynolds romantic comedy is too bland to compete with this week's foreign fare.
Los Angeles CityBeat |
Andy Klein |
02-15-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Adam Brooks, Definitely, Maybe
