AltWeeklies Wire
'Shorts' Offers Postmodern Fun for the Kidsnew
A magic wishing rock becomes the undoing of an entire community in this appealing new kids romp from Robert Rodriguez.
Austin Chronicle |
Marjorie Baumgarten |
08-20-2009 |
Reviews
'Post Grad' Doesn't Make the Gradenew
Bland to the point of pointlessness, Post Grad follows the inane highs and lows of a perky young optimist.
Austin Chronicle |
Marc Savlov |
08-20-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Post Grad, Vicky Jenson
'Ponyo' Is a Fabulous Fish Storynew
In this animated adventure by the Japanese master Hayao Miyazaki, a 5-year-old boy forms a friendship with a goldfish princess who longs to be human.
Austin Chronicle |
Marc Savlov |
08-20-2009 |
Reviews
'Paper Heart' Is No Candy Valentinenew
Ultra-introverted mumblenerd comedian Charlene Yi shines in this faux documentary that problematically blurs the line between staged, improvised, and "real" events.
Austin Chronicle |
Marc Savlov |
08-20-2009 |
Reviews
Rewriting the War in 'Inglourious Basterds'new
In this World War II movie, Quentin Tarantino weaves together multiple storylines that coalesce into a literally explosive finale that daringly rewrites history.
Austin Chronicle |
Marc Savlov |
08-20-2009 |
Reviews
Listless Comedy 'Post Grad' Squanders Any Potential It May Have Hadnew
A kind of disjointed lurching from one thing to another pervades the movie, and it doesn't help that the characters speak almost entirely in platitudes. The uncertainty of post-college life is a potential gold mine of interesting material, and this movie avoids nearly all of it.
Las Vegas Weekly |
Josh Bell |
08-20-2009 |
Reviews
If Nothing Else, 'Inglourious Basterds' Proves That Trailers Lienew
Judging by the trailer, one sees a version of this film that's Tarantino at the top of his game, with Brad Pitt slyly drawling out razor-sharp dialogue and WWII looking and sounding like it never has before. Inglourious Basterds is totally like that sometimes, but not all the time.
The Portland Mercury |
Erik Henriksen |
08-20-2009 |
Reviews
'Inglourious Basterds' Uses the Holocaust as a Pretext for Gore, Sadism and Fanboy Lorenew
"Back to Barbarism" is the theme of Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. Its misspelled title and cheesy homage to a 1970s grindhouse flick (by Enzo Castellari) all mock the notion of sophistication. Yet it is truly unsophisticated.
New York Press |
Armond White |
08-20-2009 |
Reviews
New Documentary 'Art & Copy' Celebrates the Men Behind Ads by Skimming the Surfacenew
Advertising has long been perceived as a mirror reflecting reality back to consumers as a wish-fulfillment exercise. In that sense, Art & Copy is a worthy addition to a time-honored tradition.
New York Press |
Mark Peikert |
08-20-2009 |
Reviews
Kids Film 'Shorts' is Uneven but Enjoyablenew
Shorts isn't nearly as good as the first Spy Kids. Still, on a scale of Robert Rodriguez's kids' movies, it's much better than The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl.
Fort Worth Weekly |
Kristian Lin |
08-20-2009 |
Reviews
Todd Graff's 'Bandslam' is the Best American Movie This Summernew
If the late John Hughes had taught the generation who grew up on Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Home Alone anything beyond narcissism, then Bandslam would be getting sky-high praise.
New York Press |
Armond White |
08-20-2009 |
Reviews
'Inglourious Basterds' is Stylish, Daring and Snappily Writtennew
There were moments of trepidation for me during the early goings of Tarantino's latest. I wasn't sure I wanted to see a sensationalized, Grindhouse take on the events of World War II. And yet, Basterds is quite a bit more than that. It is inventive, surehanded, aggressively original -- and destined to be a classic.
San Antonio Current |
Brian Villalobos |
08-19-2009 |
Reviews
Why is Tarantino's Opus Being Greeted With Indifference, Even Disdain?new
Some of the blase reception may be ingrained distaste for the Weinstein Company, or Grindhouse fatigue. But I suspect it has just as much to do with the way we have all been bought off by Hollywood marketing -- our loyalty purchased not with payola, but with proximity to the hot new thing.
Willamette Week |
Aaron Mesh |
08-19-2009 |
Reviews
'The Time Traveler's Wife' Isn't Timeless, but it Works For Nownew
It might not be high art, but The Time Traveler's Wife is just what any sappy romantic could ask for.
Boise Weekly |
Jeremiah Robert Wierenga |
08-19-2009 |
Reviews
Buried Deep Under the Muck and Sludge of 'Taxidermia' is a Surreal Gemnew
Palfi has crafted a strikingly original film that veers completely out of control in ways that would make David Cronenberg sick. Is it recommended? Only to those who can see past the graphic deviant sex, seas of fluid and some pretty nasty gore.
Willamette Week |
Ap Kryza |
08-19-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Gyorgy Palfi, Taxidermia
