AltWeeklies Wire
The Ending of 'Orphan' Shocks and Redeems the Entire Movienew
All of the tired cliches wore down my expectations -- resulting in a major moment of surprise in the film's final act. It doesn't make the film a classic by any means, but it does turn the proceedings into a semi-respectable horror film. It's a big, sometimes darkly funny fake-out that works.
Tucson Weekly |
Bob Grimm |
07-29-2009 |
Reviews
'(500) Days of Summer': The Need to Pleasenew
(500) Days of Summer comments on and rejects romantic-comedy conventions -- well, some of them.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
07-29-2009 |
Reviews
'The Girl From Monaco': Trial and Erosnew
To say that writer-director Anne Fontaine's film wanders from genre to genre doesn't exalt her (and Benoit Graffin's) screenplay, but their transparent lift of the trio relationship from Simone de Beauvoir's She Came to Stay is an inspired move.
San Antonio Current |
Ashley Lindstrom |
07-29-2009 |
Reviews
'The Hurt Locker' Shows a Slower, but No Less Scary, Side of Warnew
With fierce performances by a largely unknown cast and restrained and effective direction, The Hurt Locker helps complete a picture the nightly news cannot hope to show.
Boise Weekly |
Jeremiah Wierenga |
07-29-2009 |
Reviews
'Funny People' Proves Judd Apatow is the King of Comedy
Apatow raises the stakes on his already stellar formula for generating laughs with a comedy that is equal parts sincerity and wit.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
07-27-2009 |
Reviews
'Sleep Dealer': Finally, a Science-Fiction Film About Migrant Workers!new
There are moments of goofiness throughout Sleep Dealer, just as there are moments when Alex Rivera's touch -- which serves him well when it's lighter -- gets too heavy-handed. But overall, the visually striking, impressively imagined film has an energy, purpose, and relevance that much film -- and much modern science fiction -- lacks.
The Portland Mercury |
Erik Henriksen |
07-24-2009 |
Reviews
'G-Force' is Less Fun Than a Gerbil Up the Heinienew
It's probably not surprising to learn that G-Force, the new 3D half-animated/half-real-life kids movie from Disney and über-producer Jerry Bruckheimer, isn't very good. It's noisy, crude, and nonsensical -- none of which is bad in and of itself -- but it's also insultingly stupid and not nearly funny enough.
The Portland Mercury |
Ned Lannamann |
07-24-2009 |
Reviews
In 'The Ugly Truth,' Even the Vibrating Underpants Are on Autopilotnew
In this formulaic battle of the sexes, no one will be mistaking Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler for Hepburn and Tracy.
Austin Chronicle |
Marjorie Baumgarten |
07-23-2009 |
Reviews
'(500) Days of Summer': A Modern Romancenew
This romantic comedy is a deeply funny, seductive, and surprisingly honest dramatization of the ways we snooker ourselves into incompatible love.
Austin Chronicle |
Kimberley Jones |
07-23-2009 |
Reviews
Altman Knockoff 'In the Loop' Doesn't Measure Up to the Masternew
Instead of inspiring geniuses, Iraq war backlash has only resulted in snarky self-righteousness that -- from Charlie Wilson's War and now British import In the Loop -- has demonstrated the low ebb of modern comedy.
New York Press |
Armond White |
07-23-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Armando Iannucci, In the Loop
Harry Potter's Sixth Installment is a Dull, Disconcerting Letdownnew
After watching Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, I'm worried that a franchise that was building up some significant steam could be heading for a disaster of Matrix proportions.
Tucson Weekly |
Bob Grimm |
07-23-2009 |
Reviews
'Unmistaken Child' Depicts an Unquestionably Fascinating Love Storynew
Unmistaken Child is one of the strangest romance films I've ever seen. It tells, in documentary form, the story of Tenzin Zopa, a disciple of Geshe Lama Konchog.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
07-23-2009 |
Reviews
After '(500) Days of Summer,' Here's an Open Letter to Zooey Deschanelnew
Zooey, baby, can't you see Marc Webb and his friends don't understand you? Yes, I know that's part of the movie's point, but the puncturing of boys' expectations can be accomplished by three-dimensional women as well. There are no real girls in (500) Days of Summer. I think you should play one again.
Willamette Week |
Aaron Mesh |
07-22-2009 |
Reviews
'Outrage' Explores a Caucus of Closetsnew
Our tabloid culture loves to know who's doing who and where. But is this exposure -- often made at the expense of one's privacy -- a social imperative? In the case of closeted homosexual politicians who vote against gay issues, Kirby Dick would say yes.
Boise Weekly |
Jeremiah Wierenga |
07-22-2009 |
Reviews
'Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg' Honors a Forgotten Sitcom Star from the Early Years of TVnew
Even more than the largely forgotten popular institution The Goldbergs, Yoo-Hoo commemorates the one-woman dynamo who created and sustained it: Gertrude Berg.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Dennis Harvey |
07-22-2009 |
Reviews
