AltWeeklies Wire
'Prodigal Sons,' a Documentary by Writer-Director Kimberly Reednew
Even if this riveting documentary holds back some key information for as long as it can, no review of Prodigal Sons can avoid the central thrust of writer-director Kimberly Reed’s multiple returns to her hometown of Helena, Montana.
The Georgia Straight |
Ken Eisner |
03-15-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Kimberly Reed, Prodigal Sons
Chiselled Channing Tatum Shows Soft Side in 'Dear John'new
Based on weepie-novel master Nicholas Sparks’s same-named book, the movie chronicles the romance between John, who had a tough upbringing, and the more privileged Savannah Curtis, played by the equally young and attractive actor Amanda Seyfried.
The Georgia Straight |
Patty Jones |
02-08-2010 |
Reviews
'Paranormal Activity' Offers a Surprisingly Taut Storynew
Thanks to steady word of mouth, writer-director Oren Peli's debut feature has received a major-studio release after years of bouncing around the festival circuit.
The Georgia Straight |
John Lekich |
10-20-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Oren Peli, Paranormal Activity
Blaxploitation-Inspired French Action Flick 'Black' is Rife With Weirdnessnew
Turning thumbs up or down on this movie would be a complete waste of time. Why? Because your opinion will change every five minutes (which is, perhaps, more than enough reason to justify its existence).
The Georgia Straight |
Mark Harris |
09-22-2009 |
Reviews
'Whiteout' is an Uncomfortably Numb Thriller-Wannabenew
Maybe snow blindness struck director Dominic Sena and his four screenwriters, as they transformed Greg Rucka's graphic novel into an uncomfortably numb movie.
The Georgia Straight |
Patty Jones |
09-11-2009 |
Reviews
Elijah Wood Finds His Voice in '9'new
Wood has been doing voice-over work for films, television series, and video games for more than a dozen years.
The Georgia Straight |
Ian Caddell |
09-04-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Dustin Milligan of 'Extract' is on the Risenew
The acting community has a Yellowknife mafia. Not surprisingly, it is, like the Northwest Territories town itself, rather small. In fact, there are just two members.
The Georgia Straight |
Ian Caddell |
09-04-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Extract, Dustin Milligan
'Extract' Star Jason Bateman Plays it Straightnew
After working in the film and television industry for almost three decades, Jason Bateman has finally become a leading man. He says that Extract director Mike Judge saw similarities between Arrested Development's Michael Bluth and Joel and felt that he would be believable in the role.
The Georgia Straight |
Ian Caddell |
08-31-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
'One Day You'll Understand' Employs a Steely Form of Thoughtfulnessnew
In adapting Jerome Clement's book for the screen, Israeli director Amos Gitai is fully aware of the amount of restraint, denial, and dissociation that must be employed to survive a trauma the size of the Holocaust.
The Georgia Straight |
Mark Harris |
08-18-2009 |
Reviews
Special-Effects Guru Behind 'Transformers' Sees the Field Morphingnew
The computer-generated side has thoroughly taken over from hands-on engineering, which is what John Frazier studied back at the start of his long career. "The last movie we did that was all mechanical, other than maybe one visual-effects shot, was Speed," he says.
The Georgia Straight |
Ken Eisner |
06-22-2009 |
Movies
Nicolas Cage Finds a Way of 'Knowing'new
Nicolas Cage saw parallels between Knowing's relationships and his own family bonds.
The Georgia Straight |
Ian Caddell |
03-23-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
'12' Examines Masculine Archetypes in Modern Russianew
Beleaguered ideals regarding compassion and freedom from prejudice were the subjects of the Americanski version of 12 Angry Men. Mikhalkov, best known for his 1994 Oscar-winning Burnt by the Sun, is more interested in the philosophical and political elements.
The Georgia Straight |
Ken Eisner |
03-23-2009 |
Reviews
'Push' Has Solid Premise But Not Much Elsenew
What Push's heroes need is super-Prozac. Instead they get one chase scene after another, as McGuigan plasters over the many plot holes with quick cuts, flashbacks, changes of film stock, and disturbing glimpses of Fanning’s milky upper thighs. It’s entertaining, in a nervous, just-ate-ten-boxes-of-Nerds kind of way.
The Georgia Straight |
Ron Yamauchi |
02-09-2009 |
Reviews
Clive Owen Creates a Secret Agent All His Own in 'The International'new
Clive Owen was not chosen to play James Bond, even after years of speculation that the 007 role was a natural fit. Yet in The International he does get to play a character who somewhat resembles Bond, and with a plot in which the secret agent would feel at home.
The Georgia Straight |
Ian Caddell |
02-09-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
The African Diaspora and Its Beautiful Discontentsnew
The puzzlingly punctuated title of Nurse.Fighter.Boy is a tip-off that characters here are to be taken with several grains of mythopoeic salt.
The Georgia Straight |
Ken Eisner |
02-09-2009 |
Reviews
