AltWeeklies Wire
'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly': Mind Over Matternew
Adapted memoir finds a man trapped in his body.
'Lions for Lambs' is Skeptical About the War on Terrornew
It's certainly didactic at times, like a college theme paper turned into an episode of West Wing. But the dialogue's sharp and incisive, and the acting's first-rate. And there's star charisma to burn, what with Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep and, of course, Redford himself along for the ride.
Tags: Lions for Lambs, Robert Redford
'Body of War' is Agitprop and Proud of Itnew
But it's so up-close-and-personal that it winds up transcending its political mission.
'American Gangster' Wastes Two Brilliant Actorsnew
Director Ridley Scott keeps everything dark and moody, the better to court Oscar's favor. But this is no Godfather or The Departed; it's too inert.
Tags: American Gangster, Ridley Scott
Lord of the Rings Inc.new
Kristin Thompson sheds light on a fantasy phenomenon in her book The Frodo Franchise: The Lord of the Rings and Modern Hollywood.
Bergman Movies on DVDnew
Ingmar Bergman accomplished something no other cinematic genius could quite match: directing masterpieces in his 20s and into his 80s -- he made personal, intimate films for 60 years, avoiding most of the usual compromises
'The Simpsons Movie': American Idiotnew
The movie ranks right up there with the average good episode, albeit four times as long and largely (but not entirely) free of commercial interruptions.
'Eagle vs. Shark': Oddballs in Lovenew
A dork-chic romance a la Napoleon Dynamite about two Kiwi oddballs.
Tags: Eagle vs. Shark, Taika Waititi
The Hitman's Dilemmanew
In You Kill Me, he must get sober to murder again.
Tags: John Dahl, You Kill Me
The Popular Vote: 'American Idol' Puts a New Spin on Democracy
American Idol has done what political campaigns have been unable to do in a while: made people feel like they have both an important role in the process and an effect on the outcome.
Tags: TV
Bombs Away!new
Our critic's list of great movies that other critics hated includes Cleopatra, Heaven's Gate, Ishtar and Gigli.
TV Highlights, January 20-27: Numbers Doesn't Add Up
The new drama Numbers reduces crime-solving to arithmetic. Also reviewed: Monk, Dirty War, Queer Eye for the Straight Girl and more.
Tags: TV
The Devil Made Her Do It: TV Highlights, January 12-20
The Child of Darkness dons a bikini in Point Pleasant. Also reviewed are Unforgivable Blackness, Jonny Zero and more.
Tags: TV
Shock Around the Clock: TV Highlights, January 6-13
In Bush's America, any movie that makes Texas look worse than France has got to be considered revolutionary. ABC Family TV Movie She Gets What She Wants delivers. Also reviewed are 24, Masterpiece Theatre's He Knew He Was Right, Unscripted, Crank Yankers and more.
Tags: TV
