AltWeeklies Wire
Unpolished Actors Shine in 'The Year My Parents Went on Vacation'new
Director Cao Hamburger's key achievement in this finely crafted, rich, visually appealing, and absorbing story of an extreme latchkey childhood is in the unvarnished behavior of the youngest cast members.
Baltimore City Paper |
Joe MacLeod |
04-15-2008 |
Reviews
Contemporary French Horror Comes of Age with 'Inside''s Female Villainnew
With 2007's Inside, undistributed in the U.S. and out this week on DVD, France has finally made a horror movie of which it can be proud.
Baltimore City Paper |
Steve Erickson |
04-15-2008 |
Reviews
'Street Kings' is Far from Kinglynew
David Ayer's first stab behind the camera was 2005's Harsh Times, and there are more than a few thematic similarities between that film and Street Kings -- namely, protagonists who can't be held responsible for their own flaws.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Drew Lazor |
04-15-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: David Ayer, Street Kings
American Cinema Isn't All About Bush Anymore
Full-frontal male nudity achieves de rigueur R-rated status in American cinema thanks to the shameless efforts of Judd Apatow's gang of cutting-edge writers and directors that have delivered movies like The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Superbad.
'Nim's Island' Satisfies with Both Parents and Tweensnew
The nice thing about this likable fantasy adventure is that it satisfies Swiss Family Robinson fantasies and intuitively caters to our deep-seated need for our favorite communication devices.
The Georgia Straight |
Patty Jones |
04-14-2008 |
Reviews
'Bella' Chokes with Amatuerismnew
There's a difference between pleasing the crowd and hugging all the oxygen out of your audience -- and Bella definitely edges toward asphyxiation.
The Georgia Straight |
Ken Eisner |
04-14-2008 |
Reviews
Skip the 'Super High Me', Score Your Own Laughsnew
Stoner comic Doug Benson is nothing if not scrupulous about crediting the inspiration for this cold-turkey/baked-turkey documentary -- Morgan Spurlock's Super Size Me.
Seattle Weekly |
Brian Miller |
04-14-2008 |
Reviews
'Smart People' is All Brains, No Heartnew
Smart People is about what can happen when the mind is divorced from the heart and spirit.
Shepherd Express |
David Luhrssen |
04-11-2008 |
Reviews
Keanu Sinks 'Street Kings'new
In the end, the cliches overshadow the craftsmanship, failing to elevate this above the police-drama-saturated landscape.
Montreal Mirror |
Malcolm Fraser |
04-11-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: David Ayer, Street Kings
Thomas McCarthy Revisits 'The Station'new
Like The Station Agent, The Visitor opens in a state of mourning, with 62-year-old economics professor Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins) staring longingly out the window of his Connecticut home, wine glass in hand, while a solemn piano sonata plays on the soundtrack.
L.A. Weekly |
Scott Foundas |
04-11-2008 |
Reviews
'Leatherheads' is Clooney's First Failure as a Directornew
The earnest but dull Leatherheads is a good-looking but boring fictional film about the rise of professional football in the 1920s, and everybody looks lost in it.
Tucson Weekly |
Bob Grimm |
04-10-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: George Clooney, Leatherheads
Ellen Page's Wisecracks Almost Salvage 'Smart People'new
I've always wanted to make a movie called Exposition! in which the characters just come on and tell their backstory for 90 minutes, and then everyone hugs. But Noam Murro beat me to the grand aesthetic punch.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
04-10-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Noam Murro, Smart People
'Young@Heart' Offers More Than a Feel-good Music Documentarynew
A sentimental sing-along? More like in-your-face shock waves, the force of the film actually comes from the contrast between these 70- to 90-year-olds and their musical fare: rock and punk tunes.
New York Press |
Marsha McCreadie |
04-10-2008 |
Reviews
Meryl Streep's Brillance May Go Unnoticednew
Long after her highly praised, highly artificial performances in the 1980s (and her by-default Oscar-nominated parts in the 1990s), she has recently entered her most interesting phase as an actress.
New York Press |
Armond White |
04-10-2008 |
Reviews
Solid Acting Helps 'Smart People'new
The cast is understated in painting a portrait of an unhappy, too-clever family in suburban Pittsburgh, writer/director Noam Murro hits several choice moments of sweet, sharp, and melancholy humor.
The Portland Mercury |
Erik Henriksen |
04-10-2008 |
Reviews
