AltWeeklies Wire
Zack Snyder Delivers Exactly the 'Watchmen' We've Already Seen
You probably don't want a visionary director when it comes to pleasing devotees of a work that they already consider visionary. What you want, really, is a competent hack.
Salt Lake City Weekly |
Scott Renshaw |
03-03-2009 |
Reviews
A Filmmaker and Her Subject Chronicle an Epic Immigrant Experiencenew
The Betrayal fascinates like other rare, intimate documentaries shot over long periods -- Michael Apted's Seven Up series being the most famous example.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Dennis Harvey |
02-25-2009 |
Reviews
Why Can't Oscar Winners Give Better Speeches?new
Let's put it this way: If they're winging it, they're utter fools, and if they're not winging it, they really need to find some better material.
Looking for 'Slow Cinema' at the Berlin International Film Festivalnew
If this year's Berlinale was dominated and ultimately defined by polyglot international coproductions that, as one British colleague joked, might have been rated "G" for globalization, the festival's most memorable offerings came from filmmakers who looked no farther than their own backyards for inspiration.
L.A. Weekly |
Scott Foundas |
02-20-2009 |
Movies
Animal Planet’s Blend of Documentary and Action Struggles for Balancenew
Whatever happened to good old-fashioned nature shows? You know, National Geographic specials with dry British narration and lots of scenes of lions chasing gazelles?
Las Vegas Weekly |
Josh Bell |
02-19-2009 |
TV
Can 'Trouble the Water' Wrangle an Oscar from 'Man on Wire'?new
Regardless of who takes the gold on Sunday, Carl Deal feels his film's influence on the discussion about Katrina -- specifically, its first-person commentary on how governments prioritize and interact with the people they are supposed to serve -- is victory enough.
The 'Third Wave' of Theatrical 3-D is in Full Swing ... But it May Be The Last
Super Bowl Sunday was a glimpse of the future of 3-D: the studio made it as easy as possible for the theatrical 3-D experience to be duplicated on your TV screen.
Salt Lake City Weekly |
Scott Renshaw |
02-17-2009 |
Movies
Fungi Doc Too Goofy to Alter Mindsnew
Ron Mann's Know Your Mushrooms struggles with its own identity. Too goofy and light-hearted to be genuinely interesting but too shallow and ham-handedly "stoner-friendly" to appeal to the incense and Animal Collective set, the end result is stuck in limbo.
Fast Forward Weekly |
Patrick Doyle |
02-12-2009 |
Reviews
One Oscar-Nominated Animated Short Stands Outnew
Yes, the Japanese entry has a French title. You know why? Because fuck you and your antique sense of national boundaries, that's why. It's also, by far, the best of the lot, and if it doesn't win the Oscar, it'll just be the conclusion to an argument whose premises include Paul Blart: Mall Cop and the candidacy of Sarah Palin.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
02-12-2009 |
Reviews
Boy Meets Girl, European Stylenew
Moscow, Belgium, a rare Flemish crossover and award-winning romantic-comedy hit is a mix of world cinema, a typical character-driven European film with shades of American indie fare and its own authentic and unique flair.
Santa Fe Reporter |
Stephen Rubin |
02-12-2009 |
Reviews
'Friday the 13th' Revisits Vintage '80s Horror
Marcus Nispel proves that he knows why the franchise endures: At its core, it's less about terror than it is about comedy.
Salt Lake City Weekly |
Scott Renshaw |
02-10-2009 |
Reviews
Mafia Rules: Neapolitan Crime Syndicate Comes Up for Inspection
Roberto Saviano’s tell-all mafia expose provides rich narrative soil for director Matteo Garrone (The Embalmer - 2002) to weave together five stories of mob-related corruption sucking dry the Italian industrial province of Naples and its squalid suburbs and infecting the entire financial landscape of the European economy.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
02-09-2009 |
Reviews
News From Waaay Outside the Mainstream: 'How's Your News?'new
How's Your News? is certainly groundbreaking: there's never been a program on TV hosted by people with disabilities.
Boston Phoenix |
Mike Miliard |
02-09-2009 |
TV
The Remake of a Fantastic South Korean Fright Flick Does Not Live Up to the Originalnew
The Uninvited is relatively useless to those who watched and loved the original, but audiences new to the story might get a few good chills out of it.
Tucson Weekly |
Bob Grimm |
02-05-2009 |
Reviews
Is This the Year the Portland International Film Fest Will Matter?new
Despite cramming a ridiculous number of hard-to-find films into a relatively short timeframe, the Portland International Film Festival simply isn't on the radar for most Portlanders. But this year, people are talking about PIFF. Call it the Coraline Effect.
The Portland Mercury |
Erik Henriksen |
02-05-2009 |
Movies
