AltWeeklies Wire
'The Golden Compass' is All Over the Mapnew
The film exemplifies what Joe Bob Briggs called "the plot getting in the way of the story."
Metro Silicon Valley |
Richard von Busack |
12-06-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Chris Weitz, The Golden Compass
Jonathan Demme Follows Our Busiest Ex-Presidentnew
Aside from the fact that it makes you feel like human scum, Jimmy Carter Man From Plains is an inspiring documentary.
Metro Silicon Valley |
Richard von Busack |
11-01-2007 |
Reviews
'Bee Movie': Jerry Seinfeld Gets Cutenew
In the animated film, some salt and some sting go down easy.
Metro Silicon Valley |
Richard von Busack |
11-01-2007 |
Reviews
'Reservation Road' Cries a River of Tearsnew
Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Connolly teach that weeping willow how to cry, cry, cry.
Metro Silicon Valley |
Richard von Busack |
10-25-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Reservation Road, Terry George
'Sleuth' Remakes 'Sleuth'new
Kenneth Branagh updates, and downgrades, the film, even with Michael Caine for a second go-round.
Metro Silicon Valley |
Richard von Busack |
10-18-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Kenneth Branagh, Sleuth
'Things We Lost in the Fire' Survives Thanks to Benicionew
Things We Lost in the Fire (too bad the title wasn't one of those things) evinces an open naivete that survives the calculation of the plot -- and in the lead, Benicio Del Toro transforms himself from reliable character actor to serious leading man.
Metro Silicon Valley |
Richard von Busack |
10-18-2007 |
Reviews
'Rendition': Swept Awaynew
The real novelty in Gavin Hood's off-again, on-again Rendition isn't the plot -- rather, it is scriptwriter Kelley Sane's unique curveball at the end.
Metro Silicon Valley |
Richard von Busack |
10-18-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Gavin Hood, rendition
Don't Shoot Jesse James, Shoot the Narratornew
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford unfolds: impossibly wordy, each spavined sentence intoned by a narrator. It's a Western epic for our times, a depressing Jesse James opera for the end of his career. Even the horses need Prozac.
Metro Silicon Valley |
Richard von Busack |
10-11-2007 |
Reviews
Ang Lee Rethinks Hitchcock's 'Notorious'new
Lust, Caution is a great romantic movie, with a full Kowloon moon, a cruel antihero and silks, lipstick and knives. At the end, though, it is maddening.
Metro Silicon Valley |
Richard von Busack |
10-11-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Ang Lee, Lust, Caution
Nothing's As Important as American Angst in 'The Darjeeling Limited'new
The film is a Three Stooges story without humor.
Metro Silicon Valley |
Richard von Busack |
10-11-2007 |
Reviews
Kicks Off San Jose Jewish Film Festivalnew
Todd S. Yellin's Brother's Son, a prodigal-son story, opens the 16th annual festival. Other films include Sweet Mud, Sentenced to Marriage, Be Fruitful and Multiply, and more.
Metro Silicon Valley |
Richard von Busack |
10-11-2007 |
Movies
Tags: Brother's Shadow, Todd S. Yellin
'Valley of the Heart's Delight' Breaks Noosenew
Director Tim Boxell and writer-producer John D. Murphy ask new questions about San Jose's crime of the century -- and whether a lynch mob murdered two innocent men in St. James Park.
Metro Silicon Valley |
Richard von Busack |
10-04-2007 |
Movies
'Feast of Love' Swaps Partners Like it's Going Out of Stylenew
Director Robert Benton emphasizes the physical side of love to pose a question: Is love just the disguise that biology wears?
Metro Silicon Valley |
Richard von Busack |
09-27-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Feast of Love, Robert Benton
'Into the Wid,' Out with the Feelingnew
Sean Penn's overwrought direction elbows the feeling right out of adventure story Into the Wild.
Metro Silicon Valley |
Richard von Busack |
09-27-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Into the Wild, Sean Penn
'Trade' Has Vague Basis at Bestnew
There are more than 300 million sex slaves in the United States, and this number is all the more alarming because I just made it up. Kinda like the "1,000,000" being trafficked across borders (ours? all international borders?) cited at the end of the film Trade.
Metro Silicon Valley |
Richard von Busack |
09-27-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: trade, Marco Kreuzpaintner
