AltWeeklies Wire
'Changeling' is a Perfect Example of 'Oscar Bait'new
Changeling is not an excellent film and, if it wins Best Picture, it would be a travesty, the likes of which haven't been seen since the 2007 victory of The Departed or the 2006 win for Crash. Alas, as of yet, the field this year is weak, with Space Chimps and Beverly Hills Chihuahua both in discussion as possible dark horse contenders.
Santa Fe Reporter |
Emiliano Garcia-Sarnoff |
11-06-2008 |
Reviews
'Repo! The Genetic Opera' is a Brain Drainnew
This sci-fi comic book musical (starring Paris Hilton) needs improvement.
New York Press |
Simon Abrams |
11-06-2008 |
Reviews
Bernie Mac's Face-Off with Samuel L. Jackson is the Only Reason to See 'Soul Men'new
Soul Men is the most disappointing tribute to black pop music since the OutKast movie Idlewild, as director Malcolm D. Lee repeats the same faux-nostalgia as his Roll Bounce.
New York Press |
Armond White |
11-06-2008 |
Reviews
'Role Models' Counters the Apatow Curse with More than Self-Indulgencenew
David Wain's film looks like another of those comedies about boorish males that threaten to turn American cineplexes into frat houses or romper rooms, but it flips the script instead.
New York Press |
Armond White |
11-06-2008 |
Reviews
'The Guitar' Hits Some Right Notes Before Falling Flatnew
An indie version of Queen Latifah's Last Holiday, Amy Redford's directorial debut tells the story of the emotionally dead Melody, a woman told she has two months to live just a few hours before being fired from her job.
New York Press |
Mark Peikert |
11-06-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Amy Redford, The Guitar
Clint Eastwood's Changeling is All Tell, No Shownew
Eastwood may be aiming for a more restrained and dignified sort of period drama with Changeling, but here he's all surface, preferring the familiar scheme of evil and good, crime and punishment, over delving deeply into character or meaning.
Charleston City Paper |
Felicia Feaster |
11-05-2008 |
Reviews
We're All Just Players in 'Synecdoche, New York'new
Synecdoche is conceptually enormous, and at times it threatens to collapse under the heavy weight of its ambition, but it’s also new, fresh and, if you're willing to take the stage with Kaufman, as tragic and exciting as real life itself.
San Diego CityBeat |
Anders Wright |
11-05-2008 |
Reviews
'Boogie Man' Looks at the Man Who Brought You Willie Hortonnew
Bending over backwards to be fair, Boogie Man both gives Atwater too much credit and doesn't give him enough blame. Surely this wasn't the first guy who ever played a dirty trick, but even if he was, is that anything to be impressed by?
Bernie Mac Seals His Career With a Laugh in 'Soul Men'
Bernie Mac's last film before his untimely death is a let-it-rip irreverent comedy invested with Bernie's trademark brand of earthy humor.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
11-03-2008 |
Reviews
'Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa' Wastes Time on the Stuff Between Gags
Haven't we, as a nation, progressed to the point where it would be okay for our animated films simply to abandon the pretense of a plot?
Salt Lake City Weekly |
Scott Renshaw |
11-03-2008 |
Reviews
'Filth and Wisdom' is Surprisingly Chastenew
If Alex Rodriguez is Exhibit A in Guy Ritchie's pending divorce from Madonna, then Exhibit B must surely be Madge's immaterial and unambitious directorial debut.
NOW Magazine |
Barrett Hooper |
11-03-2008 |
Reviews
Kevin Smith Blows his Wad with 'Zack and Miri'new
Hard-up meets hard-on in a movie that's all heart once you get past the shit shot that'll shock only those for whom Clerks II's donkey show wasn't oh-God-no enough.
Dallas Observer |
Robert Wilonsky |
11-03-2008 |
Reviews
'A Girl Cut in Two' is Hardly Incisive or Tension-Inducingnew
Chabrol has often been compared to Hitchcock, but this has always been a dubious association. Girl has been worked out with some care, but Chabrol's visual compositions and chromatic palette are more involving than his narrative.
Tags: Claude Chabrol, A Girl Cut in Two
Chris Smith Takes up Fiction... In Indianew
For a film with so many elements seemingly at odds, The Pool is distinctly relatable. It is the work of Chris Smith, who we know best as the documentarian behind American Movie and The Yes Men. The Pool, on the other hand, is straight-up fiction.
The Portland Mercury |
Marjorie Skinner |
10-31-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Chris Smith, The Pool
Patti Smith Gets the Documentary She Deservesnew
With Dream of Life, director (and Smith superfan) Steven Sebring has assembled a strange and beautiful tribute to Smith, equal parts biography, music video, and love letter.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
10-31-2008 |
Reviews
