AltWeeklies Wire
'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus': City Paper Grade B+new
The narrative is a showy gloss on the Faust legend with Tom Waits as a carny-huckster Beelzebub and Christopher Plummer as a monk-turned-immortal showman, and its reliance on oft-told tales and fairy tale archetypes is welcome given how the narrative seems to unravel rather than unfold.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Shaun Brady |
01-12-2010 |
Reviews
With a Bible, Denzel Washington Walks Through the Valley of Death
Falling on the heels of The Road, The Book of Eli is a similarly themed vision of a post-apocalyptic dystopia where cannibals and criminals make up what's left of the human species.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
01-11-2010 |
Reviews
'Strongman': Like 'The Wrestler,' Only Realnew
Ten years in the making, Strongman both anticipates and follows The Wrestler: Stanley Pleskun is no longer young, keeps hoping for his luck to change, and ekes out a living as a scrap-metal dealer. (He inks the design on his costume with a Sharpie.)
Seattle Weekly |
Brian Miller |
01-11-2010 |
Reviews
'Leap Year': Amy Adams Deserves Betternew
Leap Year belongs to the Prada-backlash subgenre of women's pictures—epitomized by The Proposal — in which smart, stylish women must be muddied, abased, ridiculed, and degraded to get their man.
Seattle Weekly |
Brian Miller |
01-11-2010 |
Reviews
'Died Young, Stayed Pretty': Grunge Artifacts, Suitable for Framingnew
Several local artists are featured in Eileen Yaghoobian's fan-ish documentary about rock-poster designers. In her film, she lets the artists speak for themselves — which is both a good and a bad thing.
Seattle Weekly |
Brian Miller |
01-11-2010 |
Reviews
'Daybreakers' Blends Action with Toothy Social Commentarynew
It turns out that Daybreakers not only excels as a visceral thrill ride, but it addresses issues of human greed and short-sightedness with rare skill and originality. This is definitely a film worth seeing.
Fast Forward Weekly |
John Tebbutt |
01-07-2010 |
Reviews
Emily Blunt Proves She Can Carry a Film With Her Portrayal of Queen Victorianew
Emily Blunt absolutely sparkles in period-drama The Young Victoria, a film that manages to be a good (though embellished) piece of history and strikingly romantic at the same time.
Tucson Weekly |
Bob Grimm |
01-06-2010 |
Reviews
An Autistic Child Gets Aid From Mongolian Shamans in an Effective Documentarynew
The Horse Boy is a documentary about Rowan, a 5-year-old boy with severe autism-related behavioral problems. His father, Rupert Isaacson, is a journalist and human-rights activist who loves horses.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
01-06-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Michel O. Scott, The Horse Boy
Reduce, Reuse, 'Revolt': Michael Cera's New Flicknew
As Sinatra-loving, foreign-film-renting Oakland high-school student Nick Twisp, Michael Cera’s having his usual troubles getting laid, or for that matter even interacting normally with girls or dudes his own age.
San Antonio Current |
Jeremy Martin |
01-06-2010 |
Reviews
Vampire Majority : Blood is the Commodity
Sibling Australian filmmakers Michael and Peter Spierig (Undead, 2003) flip Hollywood's teen-friendly vampire trend on its head with a gory sci-fi world run by a majority population of bloodsuckers.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
01-04-2010 |
Reviews
Merry Pranksters 2.0: 'The Yes Men Fix the World'new
The exploits of leading Yes Men-bers as they impersonate the world's power brokers and put words in their mouths — sort of like a Sacha Baron Cohen movie, but with a sincere heart.
Weekly Alibi |
Ari LeVaux |
12-31-2009 |
Reviews
It's Over-Complicated: Meryl Streep is Terrible in Nancy Meyers' New Movienew
While there are some good laughs in It's Complicated, the latest from writer-director Nancy Meyers, the film is actually done in by a surprising culprit of bad overacting—none other than the ever-reliable Meryl Streep.
Tucson Weekly |
Bob Grimm |
12-31-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: It's Complicated, Nancy Meyers
'Sherlock Holmes' and 'Nine': Downey Shines, Day-Lewis is Atrociousnew
Daniel Day-Lewis may normally choose parts in which he can do no wrong, but as the tormented film director in Rob Marshall’s musical, he doesn’t come close to drinking anyone’s milkshake. And since Guido is the essence of the story, that makes Nine a bright, shiny snooze.
Washington City Paper |
Tricia Olszewski |
12-31-2009 |
Reviews
Sumptuous Period Picture is the Best Romantic Comedy of the Seasonnew
The Young Victoria delivers something woefully few movies have lately: a believable and engrossing love story. It chronicles the early life of Queen Victoria (Emily Blunt) from her sheltered childhood to the early years of her reign, which began when she was 18.
Baltimore City Paper |
Anna Ditkoff |
12-29-2009 |
Reviews
Doctored Sleuth: There's Potential in 'Sherlock Holmes'new
Apparently tired of being a fringe filmmaker, Guy Ritchie has gone mainstream with Sherlock Holmes. He has relaxed and made something for a mass audience, without sacrificing his energy and irreverence.
Salt Lake City Weekly |
Eric D. Snider |
12-29-2009 |
Reviews
