Movies+TV | Reviews | AAN.org

Portrait of a Revolutionary as a Young Mannew

The journey as metaphor is a familiar one, charted in legends from the Odyssey to Easy Rider. Along the way, we know the youths will have their eyes opened, their hearts broken or, in the more cynical road movies, wind up dead.

Creative Loafing (Atlanta) | Felicia Feaster | 09-30-2004 | Reviews

Tags: Walter Salles, The Motorcycle Diaries

Peppy Pieces of Propaganda Viable at Box Officenew

As Election Day draws near, going to the movies feels increasingly like switching on infomercials, and they're all selling the same thing: regime change in the White House.

Creative Loafing (Atlanta) | Curt Holman | 09-30-2004 | Reviews

Tags: Various Directors, Political documentaries

Che-Che-Che-Changesnew

This exercise in feel-good historical romanticism cannily exploits Che Guevara as icon by finding a quite legitimate context in which to ignore all the problematic aspects of his later life.

San Francisco Bay Guardian | Dennis Harvey | 09-29-2004 | Reviews

Tags: Gael Garcia Bernal, The Motorcycle Diaries, Che Guevera, easy rider, motorcycle diaries, road movie, Walter Salle

Kerry's Best Campaignnew

Will his new biopic make John Kerry president? Not likely, but it's one of the very best of the Democrat-friendly docs stampeding in the wake of "Fahrenheit 9/11."

Seattle Weekly | Tim Appelo | 09-29-2004 | Reviews

Tags: George Butler, Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry

Brothers in Armsnew

This is the kind of big-screen opus that Michael Bay only wishes Pearl Harbor could have been. Foreign films often feature intellectual alternatives to homegrown cinema, but rare is the foreign blockbuster that can go toe-to-toe with the big American studio action franchise flicks and clobber them on their own terms.

Houston Press | Luke Y. Thompson | 09-28-2004 | Reviews

Tags: Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War, Kang Je-gyu

Siamese Villagers Blast Burmese Oppressorsnew

Veteran Thai director Thanit Jitnukul arranges his version of this classic national tale in two stacks: humanity and warfare. Then he gradually topples them into one another. Those sensitive to graphic violence should note that he doesn't skimp on putting it all on the screen.

East Bay Express | Gregory Weinkauf | 09-28-2004 | Reviews

Tags: Bang Rajan, Tanit Jitnukul

Activist Meets Hedonist in Romantic Wartime Dramanew

Despite some carnage, this isn't really a war film. It's a John Duigan film -- a brilliantly conceived and delivered extension of the obsessions that have driven one of our finest directors to create excellent cinema for years.

East Bay Express | Gregory Weinkauf | 09-28-2004 | Reviews

Tags: Head in the Clouds, John Duigan

Indecent Disposalnew

It's unfortunate that, even with its long-awaited nude scene by actress Neve Campbell, this film is one of director James Toback's absolute worst efforts.

Dallas Observer | Luke Y. Thompson | 09-27-2004 | Reviews

Tags: Dominic Chianese, Fred Weller, James Toback, Neve Campbell, Playboy, When Will I Be Loved

Already Forgottennew

For a few minutes, The Forgotten acts as though it wants to be taken seriously, suggesting that it could have been a moving meditation on grief and longing and the devastating power of remembrance.

Cleveland Scene | Robert Wilonsky | 09-27-2004 | Reviews

Tags: pregnancy, Julianne Moore, Joseph Ruben, The Forgotten, and Alfre Woodard, beginning of life, conception, Dominic West, Gary Sinise, Gerald Di Pego

Korean Anti-War Film Is Epic in Scopenew

The most costly and the most popular film in South Korean history is also one of the most gripping and epic war films ever made.

Austin Chronicle | Marc Savlov | 09-24-2004 | Reviews

Tags: Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War, Kang Je-gyu

Zombieliciousnew

This "romantic comedy ... with zombies" has a note-perfect mix of humor, horror, love, and death — ingredients that have already made it a runaway success in the UK.

Austin Chronicle | Marc Savlov | 09-24-2004 | Reviews

Tags: Edgar Wright, Shaun of the Dead