AltWeeklies Wire
Redressing the Avengers Joss Whedon Throws a Fit
Sloppy in its construction, “Marvel’s The Avengers” has one thing going for it — humor.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
04-30-2012 |
Reviews
Action as Usual: The Cinema of Statham Rolls On
As far as Jason Statham action movies go, writer-director Boaz Yakin’s Manhattan-set effort rolls with the best of them.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
04-24-2012 |
Reviews
East Texas Folklore: Linklater Goes Regional
Richard Linklater’s impeccable black comedy — based on the real-life exploits of Carthage, Texas mortician Bernie Tiede — is so infectiously eccentric you don’t want the movie to end.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
04-24-2012 |
Reviews
Milquetoast Passion: Nicholas Sparks’s Tear-Stained Cheese
From a casting perspective, Zac Ephron is the ideal embodiment of vanilla American mediocrity to stand in as Logan, a politically ambiguous Iraq war vet who stalks a woman whose photo he finds on the battlefield.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
04-17-2012 |
Reviews
Forever Young: Snow White Makes a Comeback
Director Tarsem Singh takes ample advantage of the chance to reinvigorate the Grimm Brothers’ popular fairy tale “Snow White” with a visually lush live-action adaptation that brilliantly captures the imagination.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
03-26-2012 |
Reviews
Famished: The Hunger Games is Only an Amuse Bouche
However true to Suzanne Collins's popular young adult source material novel, Gary Ross's filmic adaptation of "The Hunger Games" is a dystopian thriller that falls flat — really flat.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
03-20-2012 |
Reviews
Battle Royale: It’s Gettin’ Real in the Jakarta Housing Block
Writer/director Gareth Evans's brazenly over-the-top martial arts extravaganza sets a new waterline for what audiences can expect from a genre that never gets old.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
03-19-2012 |
Reviews
Nicolas Cage Pays Another Bill: His Audience Begrudgingly Helps
In spite of director Roger Donaldson's respectable pedigree—he directed such winners as "Thirteen Days" and "The World's Fastest Indian”—everything about "Seeking Justice" screams B movie.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
03-06-2012 |
Reviews
Little Girl Blue: Elizabeth Olsen Goes Spook Hunting
"Silent House" is a truly disturbing psychological thriller that taunts and challenges its audience.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
03-05-2012 |
Reviews
Burning Down the House: Old School Goes New School in Pasadena
“Animal House” for the apocalypse generation, “Project X” is a hip celebration of drugs, sex, alcohol, and music for their cumulative power to incite violence, disgust, and ultimately, respect.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
02-28-2012 |
Reviews
Save the Trees: Ecology Politics For Kids
Beautifully animated and performed, “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax” fulfills yet another pitch-perfect filmic rendering of the children’s classic by the late Theodor Geisel—one of the most prolific and gifted authors of children’s stories.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
02-27-2012 |
Reviews
Aussie Teen Franchise: Vampires and Werewolves Turn Passé When There’s a War On
A resistance-combatant-primer disguised as a teen-exploitation flick, “Tomorrow When the War Began” delights in guilty pleasures.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
02-20-2012 |
Reviews
Spy vs. Spy vs. Romance: Tom Hardy and Chris Pine Cross Swords for Luv
Daft competitive seduction is at the heart of this scattershot romantic comedy that veers woefully into uncultivated screwball territory.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
02-14-2012 |
Reviews
Culture-Blended Animation: Arrietty Borrows From Ghibli
Meshing Japanese animation styles with Mary Morton’s beloved 1952 children’s novel “The Borrowers,” animator-cum-director Hiromasa Yonebayashi and co-director Gary Rydstrom create a delightful adaptation.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
02-13-2012 |
Reviews
Sliding By Adventure Franchise Barely Passes Muster
Though hampered by some uninspired efforts in the joke department from newbie cousin screenwriters Brian and Mark Gunn, "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" is a passable PG-rated family adventure movie.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
02-06-2012 |
Reviews
