AltWeeklies Wire
The Jena 6: MLK's Dream, Downscaled
African-Americans still suffer from systemic racism, so why are they rushing to the defense of six high school bullies instead of fighting for what matters?
Maui Time |
Ted Rall |
09-26-2007 |
Commentary
The Last Winter
Writer/director Larry Fessenden (“Wendigo”) whips up a whirlwind of suspense and horror in the Arctic region of Northern Alaska where an oil company’s dredging plans meet with supernatural elements at their frigid base.
Tags: Larry Fessenden, The Last Winter
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
New Zealand director Andrew Dominik (“Chopper”) tells the story of Jesse James’s last days with a patient and unequivocal style that makes us want to turn back history. Based on the 1983 novel by Ron Hansen, Dominik presents a sparse western stripped down to its barest elements.
Adaptation of Charles Baxter's Novel Draws Bad Laughs
Charles Baxter's acclaimed Midsummer Night's Dream-inspired romantic novel receives a clumsy screen adaptation from director Robert Benton (Kramer vs. Kramer).
Tags: Feast of Love, Robert Benton
Staring Into the Abyss: Surgical Squads Get Screentime
There's a lot of bang for the buck in director Peter Berg's juiced-up "what-if" illustration of a U.S. Special Forces rogue team responding to a massive attack on oil company employees and their kin inside the imaginary safety of a housing compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Tags: Peter Berg, The Kingdom
The Antiwar Movement's Dirty Secret
Supporting the troops -- U.S. troops -- requires the antiwar movement to abandon the Iraqi resistance.
Maui Time |
Ted Rall |
09-18-2007 |
Commentary
Daniel Radcliffe on Acting His Way Out of Harry Potter
Since throwing caution to the wind to perform in a West End revival of Peter Schaffer's nudity-mandatory play "Equus," Radcliffe teamed up with Australian independent director Rod Hardy for an ensemble film based on Michael Noonan's novel December Boys.
Maui Time |
Cole Smithey |
09-17-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: December Boys, Rod Hardy
Sean Penn Roughs It With 'Into the Wild'
Sean Penn directs this thoroughly satisfying account of Christopher McCandless's wilderness journeys that Jon Krakauer eloquently brought to light in his 1996 best-selling book.
Tags: Into the Wild, Sean Penn
Democrats Lie to Prolong Iraq; Reporters Go Along
Congressional Democrats don't need a vetoproof majority to end the war in Iraq -- so why is the media perpetuating a lie?
Maui Time |
Ted Rall |
09-12-2007 |
Commentary
Paul Haggis Gets the Iraq War Right
Writer/director Paul Haggis (Crash) uses a biblically grounded metaphor as an all-encompassing touchstone for the desperate plight of physically and psychologically wounded Iraq War soldiers returning home.
Tags: Paul Haggis, In the Valley of Elah
'The Brave One' Wants to Turn the Clock Back
As its blandly heroic title forecasts, the film is a revenge fantasy that floats like a narrative helium balloon waiting to find its ceiling.
Tags: Neil Jordan, The Brave One
Crowe Vs. Bale: Mangold Reinvents Elmore Leonard Western
Director James Mangold’s update of the Elmore Leonard short story that spawned the original 1957 Western, is a gritty action-packed movie that trades on the talents of its headstrong leading men.
Tags: 3:10 to Yuma, James Mangold
Gonzales v. United States
Critics celebrate Alberto Gonzales' resignation, but his legal legacy endures.
Maui Time |
Ted Rall |
08-29-2007 |
Commentary
Rod Lurie Takes Jackson and Hartnett Nine Rounds
Lurie puts another feather in his directing hat with an absorbing character study about a daily newspaper writer who takes a shortcut to success only to discover that, like the subject of his career-saving article, he is not the man he thought himself to be.
Tags: Resurrecting the Champ, Rod Lurie
Blow for Blow with UFC Fighter Kendall Grovenew
We profile rising UFC star Kendall Grove before his August 25th fight against Patrick Cote at the Mandalay Bay.
Tags: sports & fitness
