AltWeeklies Wire
Audrey Tautou Flexes Her Acting Muscles as Fashion Icon Coco Chanelnew
Her new movie, Coco Before Chanel, is an elegant little black dress of a movie, simple but complex. At the center is Tautou as young Gabrielle Chanel, before the revolutionary menswear-inspired haute couture, before the fully articulated philosophy of pared down, practical luxury.
L.A. Weekly |
Gendy Alimurung |
09-25-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Ken Burns Worships America's Spiritual Resource in His Latest Docnew
His PBS 12-hour epic The National Parks: America's Best Idea is a selective chronicle of the evolution of the National Parks system and the changing roles protected lands have played in American culture since Congress validated Yosemite in 1864.
Boston Phoenix |
Clif Garboden |
09-24-2009 |
TV
Tucker Max Wants You to Like Him for Being an Unapologetic Dickheadnew
The film adaptation of Max's notoriously infantile and incredibly popular tell-all memoir about his fratboy sexcapades is not immediately repugnant. I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell only becomes truly insipid when it makes a cloying, half-hearted attempt to show that Max and his buddies have learned the error of their ways and now have greater respect for women and themselves.
New York Press |
Simon Abrams |
09-24-2009 |
Reviews
Michael Moore Sells the Same Old Shtick in 'Capitalism'new
I wish that more of the contradictions of late capitalism had made it into this scattershot, lazy slice of agitprop, which recycles Moore's usual slice-and-dice job on corporations, while bobbing a curtsey to the current crisis.
L.A. Weekly |
Ella Taylor |
09-24-2009 |
Reviews
Jane Campion Creates Period Poetry With 'Bright Star'new
Sure, this one could be considered a chick flick. It's set in the early 1800s in England, after all. But it's made by Campion, who's best known for The Piano, so it's real label should actually be "art-house." Regardless, you don't need to be a chick or an art-house geek to enjoy Abbie Cornish's performance.
San Diego CityBeat |
Anders Wright |
09-23-2009 |
Reviews
'The Burning Plain' is an Interminably Spiritless Ordealnew
Beneath the film's tragic poses and ludicrous melancholy, one can almost hear Arriaga muttering to himself: "Do I have anything here? Let's maybe move this scene here, that one there, yeah, that'll do it, that looks like something. Right? Right?" Wrong.
Willamette Week |
Chris Stamm |
09-23-2009 |
Reviews
'Amreeka' is Too Predictable to be Great, Too Broad to be Profoundnew
By keeping the tone impish, the characters humane and the issues personal, Amreeka explores post-9/11 Arab anxieties and injustices without condemnation or proselytizing. In fact, Dabis smartly puts the focus on sisterhood and family while tackling the obstacles to assimilation and acceptance.
Metro Times |
Jeff Meyers |
09-22-2009 |
Reviews
Remaking Theo van Gogh: Stanley Tucci Goes Dutch With 'Blind Date'
As a theatrical filmic exercise, Blind Date is a fair experiment. Just don't go expecting to see a traditional movie.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
09-21-2009 |
Reviews
'Throw Down Your Heart' Would Make a Better Soundtrack than a Movienew
The premise here is simple: Despite its toothless-white-guy connotations, the banjo comes from Africa -- and Grammy-winning banjo genius Bela Fleck is bringing it home. But really, that mission is mostly just an excuse for Fleck to jam with musicians across the continent.
Pittsburgh City Paper |
Chris Potter |
09-21-2009 |
Reviews
'Bored to Death' is Full of Listless Ironynew
Since HBO's genuinely funny Flight of the Conchords is likely gone for good, the network could really use some original programming with a goofy sense of humor. Unfortunately Bored is far too smug and weak-willed to actually be funny, but at least it's sometimes light on its feet and has few pretensions to profundity.
Las Vegas Weekly |
Josh Bell |
09-18-2009 |
TV
Renowned For Its Roguish History, One Boston Neighborhood Is Finally Getting Hollywood's Attentionnew
After years of playing second-fiddle to Southie, Charlestown is quickly becoming the go-to neighborhood for Hollywood filmmakers looking to capture the real Boston. This month alone, two feature-length movies are being filmed in Charlestown.
Boston Phoenix |
Chris Faraone |
09-16-2009 |
Movies
'Jennifer's Body' is 'Heathers' as a 'Maxim' Photo Spreadnew
Jennifer's Body begs for outraged reviews condemning it as repellent and vindictive, when in fact it is derivative and incompetent. If it were not written by Diablo Cody, it would be completely ignored. In fact, it can still be ignored.
Willamette Week |
Aaron Mesh |
09-16-2009 |
Reviews
Inconvenient Truths Abound in Eco-Docs 'The Age of Stupid' and 'No Impact Man'new
So then, do the canvas bags, travel mugs, energy-saving appliances, clotheslines, CSA memberships, cycling, recycling, composting, and other ecologically minded efforts of a smattering of well-intentioned individuals matter at all? Or matter enough?
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Lynn Rapoport |
09-16-2009 |
Movies
Steven Soderbergh's Satire 'The Informant!' Pales
Soderbergh has loads of fun with a perky musical score and jaunty '70s-era visual hat-tips toward a certain Get Smart aura of goofy charm. But the filmmaker is unable to tease out substance from what is essentially an off-key one-note samba.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
09-14-2009 |
Reviews
A Week Without Movie Stars at the 33rd Montreal World Film Festivalnew
For years Montreal's festival ran neck and neck with the Toronto Film Festival, competing to premiere films from the same pool of foreign and independent releases. But as Toronto secured its position by bringing in more big Hollywood pictures, Montreal continued to rely on foreign films. And with fewer of those picked up for North American distribution every year, the pool of high-profile picks shrank steadily.
