AltWeeklies Wire
Staring Into the Abyss: Surgical Squads Get Screentime
There's a lot of bang for the buck in director Peter Berg's juiced-up "what-if" illustration of a U.S. Special Forces rogue team responding to a massive attack on oil company employees and their kin inside the imaginary safety of a housing compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Tags: Peter Berg, The Kingdom
Water Girlnew
She's married to the sea, and he belongs to the earth: This Mexican film relies on prehistoric folk myths and a delightful color palette for its impact.
Austin Chronicle |
Marjorie Baumgarten |
09-21-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: José Bojorquez, Sea of Dreams
The Early Life of a Saintnew
This is an old-school heroic drama from Bhutan about an 11th century Tibetan saint whose tale begins with greed and vengeance.
Austin Chronicle |
Marrit Ingman |
09-21-2007 |
Reviews
The Lady and Her Trampnew
This new French version of the D.H. Lawrence story is tastefully presented but not nearly as scandalous and coarse as the published novel.
Austin Chronicle |
Marjorie Baumgarten |
09-21-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Lady Chatterley, Pascale Ferran
BIble Stories for Modern Timesnew
Paul Haggis and Tommy Lee Jones deliver a scorching film that's part police procedural, part family melodrama, and all about our national failures in Iraq.
Austin Chronicle |
Josh Rosenblatt |
09-21-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Paul Haggis, In the Valley of Elah
America's Finest Hournew
This documentary is a cheery restorative that recalls hazy memories of America's finest, boldest hour, when we went to the moon, again and again.
Austin Chronicle |
Marc Savlov |
09-21-2007 |
Reviews
Not Even Lukewarmnew
Ethan Hawke writes and directs this story based on his own novel about a lovesick narcissist in New York City.
Austin Chronicle |
Marjorie Baumgarten |
09-21-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Ethan Hawke, The Hottest State
Empty Laughsnew
Pitched somewhere between Farrelly Brothers-lite and some oddball National Lampoon outing, this comedy is as familiar as it is charming, which isn't to say it's a good film.
Austin Chronicle |
Marc Savlov |
09-21-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Good Luck Chuck, Mark Helfrich
Cronenberg's Body Languagenew
In Cronenberg's film about the Russian mob in London, the director and star Viggo Mortensen relate a corker of a story.
Austin Chronicle |
Marc Savlov |
09-21-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: David Cronenberg, Eastern Promises
Backstabbernew
The Assassination of Jesse James may be the world’s first epic of misguided hero worship.
Austin Chronicle |
Josh Rosenblatt |
09-21-2007 |
Reviews
How Am I to Feel about Paul Haggis?new
The creative force behind two of the last three Best Picture Oscar winners (writer of Million Dollar Baby and writer/director of Crash), Haggis is hotter than anybody not named Apatow in Hollywood.
The Memphis Flyer |
Greg Akers |
09-21-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Paul Haggis, In the Valley of Elah
'Sunflower' is Both Universal and Specifically Chinesenew
The settings in a traditional Chinese home, institutional work, party meetings and modern apartments give us fascinating background and incidents that enhance the drama and highlight the interplay of traditional values in an increasingly Westernized world.
NOW Magazine |
Andrew Dowler |
09-21-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: sunflower, Zhang Yang
Paul Haggis Over-reaches with 'In the Valley of Elah'new
While he hasn’t resorted to the thumping didacticism and patronizing ironies he employed in his Oscar-winning Crash, but In the Valley of Elah isn’t free of too easy point-making.
Tags: Paul Haggis, In the Valley of Elah
Jessica Alba Can't Save 'Good Luck Chuck'new
Dane Cook and director Mark Helfrich have created a strong contender for worst movie of 2007.
Montreal Mirror |
Malcolm Fraser |
09-21-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Good Luck Chuck, Mark Helfrich
'Silk' is Pretty, Vacantnew
I don't want to give the impression that the film's a complete waste of time, because it's not; the fantastic scenery and well-crafted details had me glued to the screen most of the time -- when I wasn't rolling my eyes in exasperation.
Montreal Mirror |
Jason Bogdaneris |
09-21-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Francois Girard, Silk
