AltWeeklies Wire
Chris Fuller on His Microbudget 'Loren Cass'new
An autodidact whose words tumble out in a slurry stream, Fuller carries himself with such intense conviction that, when he tells you Loren Cass is a project he's been working toward his entire life, you believe him.
L.A. Weekly |
Scott Foundas |
09-11-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Chris Fuller, Loren Cass
Conspiracy is in the Air ... No Wonder Hollywood is Embracing Paranoianew
With 9/11 Truthers, Birthers, Tea Partyers, and even Obama school-speech muckrakers dominating news cycles, conspiracy is clearly in the air. Hollywood has noticed -- that's why theaters are suddenly awash in paranoia.
Boston Phoenix |
Peter Keough |
09-10-2009 |
Movies
Saving Shaolin: Portland Film Geek Unearths Grindhouse Goldminenew
Dan Halsted started Portland's Grindhouse Film Festival in 2004. Since then, he has developed the festival into a monthly showcase of genre cinema that pits the sordid pulp of films like The Toolbox Murders against the antiseptic blandness of contemporary multiplexes.
The Portland Mercury |
Matt Davis |
09-10-2009 |
Movies
Indie Idol Andrew Bujalski's 'Beeswax' is a Lo-Fi Standoutnew
Beeswax will surely lure Bujalski fans, but even those who think they hate mumblecore won't be disappointed by this tale. It's his best and most mature work to date, focusing on Austin, Texas twins Jeannie and Lauren.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Cheryl Eddy |
09-10-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Beeswax, Andrew Bujalski
'Big Fan' Piles Shame Upon Failure for Patton Oswalt's Football Lovernew
The director of Big Fan, Robert Siegel, is the screenwriter of last year's The Wrestler. I was not an admirer of that movie, but I'll concede that its patronizing melodrama was elevated by the grace notes of Mickey Rourke. Big Fan, however, is pure, concentrated condescension.
Willamette Week |
Aaron Mesh |
09-09-2009 |
Reviews
'All About Steve' Should've Been About Sandranew
It is reasonable to assume that the delay of All About Steve's release, from late February to Labor Day weekend, is not a sign of studio confidence. But with Sandra Bullock resuscitated by The Proposal and Bradley Cooper proven bankable by The Hangover, it's now or never for the tale of Bullock's nutty crossword puzzle designer following Cooper's TV news cameraman all across the country.
C-Ville Weekly |
Jonathan Kiefer |
09-09-2009 |
Reviews
Bobcat Goldthwait Talks About the Rebirth of His Careernew
Make no mistake -- Goldthwait is fully aware of his place in the culture. "If somebody told me Michael Winslow was making movies," he says of his Police Academy co-star, "I'd be kinda skeptical. I'd have a very arched eyebrow."
Philadelphia City Paper |
Shaun Brady |
09-08-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Post-Apocalyptic 'Stitchpunk' Goes Limp in '9'
At barely 80 minutes, 9 still feels too long for what it is; an expanded visual experimentation that might allow Shane Acker to finally put an old UCLA student project behind him.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
09-07-2009 |
Reviews
Elijah Wood Finds His Voice in '9'new
Wood has been doing voice-over work for films, television series, and video games for more than a dozen years.
The Georgia Straight |
Ian Caddell |
09-04-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Gerald Peary's Ode To The Film Criticnew
Rock critics rarely cut gold records. Likewise, few football reporters go on to quarterback Super Bowl winners. But with his eight-years-in-the-making documentary on film criticism, long-time critic and professor Gerald Peary incinerates the barrier between subject and reporter, demonstrating more than mere comprehension of the art he's scrutinized for decades.
Boston Phoenix |
Chris Faraone |
09-03-2009 |
Reviews
'Cold Souls': Paul Giamatti! Paul Giamatti!new
I'm not exactly sure how to characterize Cold Souls -- maybe as an existential dark comedy that deals with the black market of soul trafficking? -- but I do know it does writer/director Sophie Barthes' film a disservice to compare it to just about anything else.
The Portland Mercury |
Erik Henriksen |
09-03-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Sophie Barthes, Cold Souls
'Amreeka' Skillfully Evokes American Post-9/11 Uneasenew
Amreeka hops over every one of its predictable, carefully laid-out hurdles.
New York Press |
Armond White |
09-03-2009 |
Reviews
'In the Loop': War Machinenew
A fictional exploration hilariously takes aim at chicken-hawk politicians.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
09-02-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Armando Iannucci, In the Loop
Robin Williams Does His Best Work in Years in 'World's Greatest Dad'new
It'd be somewhat inaccurate to call Bobcat Goldthwait's new movie a more mature effort than his earlier films, because it contains as much nastiness. But in some ways, it's more mature because it tackles some serious subject matter and actually provides Robin Williams with his best role in years.
San Diego CityBeat |
Anders Wright |
09-02-2009 |
Reviews
'Still Walking' Observes a Family in Quiet Crisisnew
This is Kore-eda's most truly naturalistic, let alone Ozu-like film since his first -- the comparatively bleak 1995 Maborosi -- as well as a dysfunctional-family seriocomedy uncommonly beautiful inside and out. It's a quietly funny and insightful two hours capable of inducing one pretty ecstatic afterglow.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Dennis Harvey |
09-02-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Still Walking, Hirokazu Kore-eda
