AltWeeklies Wire
Damien Harris Examines Stolen Innocence in 'Gardens of the Night'
Writer/director Damian Harris spent ten years researching this delicately handled study of two children's life-trajectory through prostitution after being kidnapped by a couple of molesters/pimps.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
11-12-2008 |
Reviews
Gus Van Sant Delivers the Story of Harvey Milk in His Most Political Film to Datenew
Milk, starring Sean Penn, seems to have transformed Van Sant from an aloof, apolitical outsider into a defender of gay rights.
Willamette Week |
Staff |
11-12-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
'Quantum of Solace': Don't Bet On This 'Casino Royale' Follow-Upnew
There's no point in calling Quantum of Solace the worst James Bond film yet. It isn't. The franchise has had some serious flops throughout the years, and Daniel Craig's second outing as 007 is better than those. But it doesn't live up to the promise of its predecessor.
San Diego CityBeat |
Anders Wright |
11-12-2008 |
Reviews
Tween Swedish Vampires Have Tiny Fangs & Big Feelings in 'Let the Right One In'new
Don't be fooled by the film's gruesome premise. While there is a bloodlust, Let the Right One In is a story of love and finding oneself that evokes About a Boy as frequently as it does Anne Rice.
Willamette Week |
Ap Kryza |
11-12-2008 |
Reviews
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
'Slumdog Millionaire' Gracefully Slides Between Fairy Tale Romance and Gritty Dramanew
It's a credit to the filmmakers that every moment, from the harsh street scenes to a Bollywood-style song-and-dance number, is integral to the story. In the end, that juxtaposition is what helps the film capture a sense of the "real" India, however tenuous the concept.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Louis Peitzman |
11-12-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
'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
Bruce Campbell Talks About 'My Name is Bruce'new
Someone unfamiliar with Campbell's self-deprecating humor and mock-abusive relationship with his often obsessive fans may wonder why any actor would choose to depict himself as a washed-up, egotistical B-movie hack.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Shaun Brady |
11-11-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Chris Rock Earns His Comedy Stripesnew
Although there's no profanity from Chris Rock in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, the comic has fun as Marty the zebra, who finds a herd's worth of others like him.
The Georgia Straight |
Ian Caddell |
11-11-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
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
Bush on Film: Will He Have a Screen Life After 'W.'?new
Both W. and American Carol partisans, I think, need catharsis for the same reason: After eight years of the same movie, everyone wants to see a different show.
Seattle Weekly |
Brian Miller |
11-10-2008 |
Movies
'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
