AltWeeklies Wire
Woody Allen's European Sex Romp is a Shocking Triumphnew
Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a breezy triumph for Allen, not so much a return to form as a discovery of new perspective. It's the delight of an old jester discovering that his best material -- youth, and its illusions -- is inexhaustible.
Willamette Week |
Aaron Mesh |
08-13-2008 |
Reviews
'Tropic Thunder': When Satire Goes Badnew
Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Tom Cruise all play parodies of recognizable Hollywood types—the lunkhead, the coke fiend and the unscrupulous executive—but who exactly is Tom Cruise in the position to lampoon? This is a satire of movie-industry excess constructed by the very people made fat and happy by that industry.
Willamette Week |
Aaron Mesh |
08-13-2008 |
Reviews
'Sputnik Mania' Takes a Hot Look at the Cold Warnew
Two decades ago, when communism in most territories ended with a whimper, the Cold War era officially died with it. But David Hoffman's documentary Sputnik Mania turns the Way Back Machine to that long moment when it was overwhelmingly, virulently alive.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Dennis Harvey |
08-13-2008 |
Reviews
Ben Stiller Abandons Subtle Satire for Broad Gags in 'Tropic Thunder'
Stiller isn't ego-less enough to really let Hollywood have it, and he's too much of a clown to get sophisticated about it. Tropic Thunder provides random goofiness without an identity, or much of a point.
Salt Lake City Weekly |
Scott Renshaw |
08-11-2008 |
Reviews
Brilliant 'Baghead' Mashes Genres with Unexpected Resultsnew
At first the film looks like the latest entry in the indie sub-genre that's come to be known as "mumblecore" -- but no sooner has the movie established its quartet of characters than it switches gears and goes somewhere creepier and far more intense than mumblecore pictures have previously ventured.
NOW Magazine |
Norman Wilner |
08-11-2008 |
Reviews
Reality Bites the Hand That Feeds It in 'American Teen'new
A princess, jock, rebel, heartthrob, and geek: It could be The Breakfast Club, but American Teen is instead a documentary that ducks the consequences of its own making.
Austin Chronicle |
Marjorie Baumgarten |
08-08-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: American Teen, Nanette Burstein
'Hell Ride' Covers Old Terrainnew
This grindhousey biker film, executive-produced by Quentin Tarantino, is a convoluted, overly snazzy-looking tale of bad blood between even worse people.
Austin Chronicle |
Marc Savlov |
08-08-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Hell Ride, Larry Bishop
'A Jihad for Love': Gay Muslims Speak Outnew
What it's like to identify as both gay and Muslim is the topic of this brave documentary, which looks at the seemingly irreconcilable conflict.
Austin Chronicle |
Marjorie Baumgarten |
08-08-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: A Jihad For Love, Parvez Sharma
'Midnight Meat Train' Makes Few Local Stopsnew
This horror film, based on a Clive Barker short story, details the nightly exploits of a butcher who plies his trade nightly on human subway riders.
Austin Chronicle |
Marjorie Baumgarten |
08-08-2008 |
Reviews
'Pineapple Express' Is a Comic Rushnew
A winning "bromance" between stoners is at the heart of this shaggy pot story.
Austin Chronicle |
Kimberley Jones |
08-08-2008 |
Reviews
The Pants Begin to Fray in This Sisterhood Sequelnew
Female camaraderie, nostalgic sentimentality, and emotional catharsis are back in this sequel: The film hits its marks but lacks real depth.
Austin Chronicle |
Josh Rosenblatt |
08-08-2008 |
Reviews
Eccentric Crispin Glover Wants to Show You His Taboo-filled Filmnew
Glover chooses to screen his films personally, instead of going through the normal distribution model of using movie theatres, because he wants to emphasize the interactive element of entertainment. Consider it a throwback to the days of vaudeville.
The Coast, Halifax's Weekly |
Michelle Kay |
08-08-2008 |
Movies
'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2': This One's for the Girlsnew
Just as Sex & the City scored big by providing an alternative to a summer of boycentric popcorn cinema, this reunion of four attractive, relatable TV-identified actresses tries to do the same for a younger and (hopefully) more innocent demographic.
The Memphis Flyer |
Chris Herrington |
08-08-2008 |
Reviews
'Man on Wire' Re-creates a Jaw-dropping High-wire Exploitnew
Philippe Petit, together with a band of accomplices, snuck into the World Trade Center, still under construction, and strung a wire between the towers, upon which Petit – an extraordinary wire-walker – not only walked, but also danced, hopped, lay down, and even playfully taunted arriving police.
Los Angeles CityBeat |
Andy Klein |
08-08-2008 |
Reviews
'American Teen' and 'Water Lilies': Inconvenient Youthnew
The Real World teens of America vs. the quiet yearning of French teens.
Washington City Paper |
Tricia Olszewski |
08-07-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Celine Sciamma, Water Lilies
