AltWeeklies Wire
James Bond is in Mourning ... but He Still Kills Peoplenew
From the catchy theme song by Jack White and Alicia Keys to a suitably vindictive fate for its villain, Quantum is still a very good Bond movie (if not quite a match for Casino, which was a great one).
Willamette Week |
Aaron Mesh |
11-12-2008 |
Reviews
Daniel Craig Tries to Keep the Bond Legacy Afloat in 'Quantum of Solace'new
If nothing else, Quantum of Solace has that mouthful of a title. It's less important that the title derives from Fleming's fiction, as the movie itself generally doesn't. Which is to say, unfortunately, that it feels like a misfire.
C-Ville Weekly |
Jonathan Kiefer |
11-12-2008 |
Reviews
'Slumdog Millionaire' is One of the Best Films of the Yearnew
At first glance just another Third World children-of-the-slums weepie, it transcends the limitations of that slender genre in leaps and bounds.
East Bay Express |
Kelly Vance |
11-12-2008 |
Reviews
'Quantum of Solace' Doesn't Deliver on the Hypenew
Overhyped screenwriter Paul Haggis plods away with execrable emotional grand narratives of revenge, love, and betrayal that have no place in a Bond film.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Ben Richardson |
11-12-2008 |
Reviews
Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman Gets His Chance in the Director's Chairnew
The movies made from Kaufman's scripts often suffer from a certain airlessness, plunging deeper and deeper into a world with no center. Synecdoche, which takes its name from a literary device in which a part is substituted for the whole, takes that centerlessness as its central theme.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Sam Adams |
11-11-2008 |
Reviews
'Role Models' is Smarter and Bawdier Than Your Average Boys-to-Men Movienew
In every way, this is just another formulaic romp about two selfish slackers getting their priorities rearranged by a couple of kids -- instead of breaking new ground, it polishes it with sandpaper.
Dallas Observer |
Robert Wilonsky |
11-10-2008 |
Reviews
Kaufman Conquers: 'Synecdoche, New York' is a Surreal Surprisenew
Kaufman's directorial debut is as conceptually daring and narratively complex as his screenplays for Being John Malkovich, Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. Elements of all three films can be spotted in this one, but with his own hand on the joystick Kaufman burrows further into his idiosyncratic world than ever before.
NOW Magazine |
Norman Wilner |
11-10-2008 |
Reviews
Sam & Mac Do Sam & Dave in 'Soul Men'new
Malcolm D. Lee's latest may be lightweight and flawed, but it cruises on star power and great music.
Los Angeles CityBeat |
Andy Klein |
11-07-2008 |
Reviews
'Soul Men' is an Unintentionally Sad Comedynew
Any fan of Mac's knows the man was capable of making audiences laugh without having to stoop to an endless stream of mindless profanity. Were he and Jackson given sufficient breathing room, I'm certain any ad lib would've been exponentially funnier than what the dreadful script provided.
Montreal Mirror |
Christopher Sykes |
11-07-2008 |
Reviews
'Happy-Go-Lucky' Offers Good Cheernew
Thanks to Mike Leigh's lack of pretense and Sally Hawkins' perfectly modulated performance, Happy-Go-Lucky eventually compels rather than repels, with some sober encounters adding heft to what otherwise could have been dismissed out of hand as an airy confection.
Creative Loafing (Charlotte) |
Matt Brunson |
11-07-2008 |
Reviews
'What Just Happened?': Not Too Muchnew
What Just Happened? is only partly successful in its attempts to wallow in the wickedness of the motion picture industry, as a scattershot screenplay by veteran producer Art Linson (adapting his own memoir) perpetually keeps losing sight of the important targets.
Creative Loafing (Charlotte) |
Matt Brunson |
11-07-2008 |
Reviews
Clint Eastwood Changes Genres with 'Changeling'new
Like Mystic River and Flags of Our Fathers, Changeling is good, not great, although as far as emotional resonance is concerned, the latest from the consummate director certainly reverberates more strongly than either of those other features.
Creative Loafing (Charlotte) |
Matt Brunson |
11-07-2008 |
Reviews
'Ballast': Weight of the Worldnew
Taking measure of Lance Hammer's Sundance-awarded drama.
L.A. Weekly |
Ella Taylor |
11-07-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Ballast, Lance Hammer
'Role Models': Anger Managementnew
Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott are almost upstaged by their younger co-stars in this hilarious movie.
Tucson Weekly |
Bob Grimm |
11-06-2008 |
Reviews
'Rachel Getting Married': A Wedding for the Wearynew
Great performances overcome some stock Writing 101 moments in Jonathan Demme's latest.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
11-06-2008 |
Reviews
