AltWeeklies Wire
It Warms Hearts
This was Christopher Reeve's final film project, and the simple story of a little boy who risks everything to restore order to his family's depression-era existence is a well tempered and heartwarming animated children's movie.
Weak Story, Strong Martial Arts
Muay-Thai martial arts phenomenon Tony Jaa follows up his impressive debut with an action-packed, if less than sophisticated, story line.
Tags: Prachya Pinkaew, The Protector
Navel-Gazing Tedium
Navel-gazing director Michel Gondry wears his developmentally arrested heart on his sleeve in the most self-indulgent movie of 2006.
Dick Skewers the MPAA
Even if you've never given a second thought to who bestows ratings on movies or how those ranks are given, Dick's enlightening documentary will catch you up in its infectious spin of curiosity.
French Policier is Alive and Well
The rarely done genre of the French policier is alive and well in director Beauvois' dynamic movie about a young police academy graduate who gives up his life in a small province to work in Paris.
Grand Cayman Island Corruption
Flowers loses track of his own narrative puzzle that includes a story about a shady but rich Floridian with an 18-year-old daughter escaping to Grand Cayman from the feds who want to arrest him.
Tags: Frank E. Flowers, Haven
1940 Novel Gets a 1938 Setting
Charles Sturridge adapts this heart-warming story with strict attention to its modest emotional underpinnings of family, devotion, and a beautiful collie.
Tags: Charles Sturridge, Lassie
Insightful and Penetrating Drama
This independent jewel from writer/director Laurie Collyer showcases the ever-dependable Maggie Gyllenhaal in her first leading role since Secretary.
Tags: Laurie Collyer, Sherrybaby
Opposing Elements Cancel Out De Palma’s Cinematic Flower
In spite of several momentarily propulsive eye-popping set pieces, suspense master Brian De Palma is unable to pry a cohesive movie from Friedman’s abstruse script.
Tags: Brian De Palma, The Black Dahlia
A Worthy Whodunit
Ben Affleck takes a significant stride toward correcting his frat-boy-actor image in an engrossing portrayal of George Reeves.
Tags: Allen Coulter, Hollywoodland
Action For Action’s Sake
With an abbreviated and sped up story, Crank is a hard R-rated chase-and-smash movie fixed around Euro action movie magnet Jason Statham.
Creating Bukowski
Set amongst Minneapolis' gray streets of factories and warehouses, Factotum is an adaptation of Charles Bukowski's novel of the same name.
Maui Time |
Cole Smithey |
08-22-2006 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Bent Hamer, Factotum
Alternative Education
Steve Pink’s directorial debut is a slight but punchy comedy of college-aged misfits that starts out strong before slipping down a greasy narrative slope into a dull third act that denies most of the laughs that preceded.
Tags: Accepted, Steve Pink
Hip-Hop And Ballet Don’t Mix
The questionable concept of mixing ballet with hip-hop dance moves is explored only as far as Line Dance choreography will allow.
Tags: Anne Fletcher, Step Up
