AltWeeklies Wire
'Lars and the Real Girl' is Surprisingly Touching
Screenwriter Nancy Oliver has crafted a romantic story about a lonely introvert who discovers an ad hoc method of self-therapy in the guise of an anatomically correct silicone love doll.
'Martian Child' is a New Magical Realist Film
It focuses on the primal fear of abandonment of a young orphaned boy named Dennis (Bobby Coleman) who professes to be from Mars.
Tags: Martian Child, Menno Meyjes
'Paranoid Park': Nothing Happens
Paranoid Park may be the best of the Van Sant's last four films, but that isn't saying much.
Tags: Gus Van Sant, Paranoid Park
'American Gangster' Doesn't Rise to the Level of 'Scarface'
Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe deliver inspired performances as rivals from opposite sides of the law in director Ridley Scott's true-crime epic.
Tags: American Gangster, Ridley Scott
Support Yourselves, Soldiers
Soldiers serving in Iraq want the antiwar movement to support them and bring them home -- but first they have to stand up to Bush.
SUVs and Other Junk: Benicio Del Toro Works Alone
Same old story: foreign director (in this case Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier) makes an American debut movie that goes flop with a resounding clamor.
Onward, Christian Panderers: Pols Push Theocracy
Christian conservatives are in play this presidential election cycle. The candidates are bending over backwards -- and literally taking a bath--to woo them. Can democracy survive the pandering season?
'Terror's Advocate'
Only director Barbet Schroeder (General Idi Amin Dada: A Self Portrait) could capture this complex and engaging look at French lawyer Jacques Verges, the man who represented such villains as Nazi Klaus Barbie and cafe bomber Djamila Bouhired, who Verges married and had two children before vanishing for eight years.
Taken Away: U.S. Export Torture Policy Takes a Beating
After overblown stories of walkouts by critics during its Toronto film festival debut, Rendition proves to have enough substance, momentum and drama to validate its entertainment value as a politically charged thriller.
Tags: Gavin Hood, rendition
Shekhar Kapur's 'Elizabeth' Sequel Tarnishes
Disappointment seeps through every element of director Shekhar Kapur's ineffectual sequel to his superior 1998 precursor Elizabeth, which introduced the world to the exceptional acting abilities of Cate Blanchett.
'We Don't Speak to Evil'
Iran is a powerful regional rival to US interests in the Middle East. But an "enemy"?
Maui Time |
Ted Rall |
10-02-2007 |
Commentary
'My Kid Could Paint That'
Documentarian Amir Bar-Lev makes himself a moving target when he breaks form to editorialize in private monologue about his doubts over the veracity of 4-year-old Marla Olmstead creating museum-worthy paintings without the help of her father.
'Great World of Sound'
Great writing and solid ensemble performances from unfamiliar actors make this gem of a drama stick in the memory.
Tags: Craig Zobel, Great World of Sound
'Control'
Renowned photographer, graphic designer and music video director Anton Corbijn makes an auspicious film-directing debut with a stunning biopic about Joy Division singer Ian Curtis that is irreproachable.
Tags: Control, Anton Corbijn
Jesse James As Pop Icon
New Zealand director Andrew Dominik tells the story of Jesse James's last days in a patient and unequivocal style that makes us want to turn back history.
