Marc Calderaro

Reviews

Ikiru

The story is deeply affecting and life-affirming, but the plot is only a small part of what makes Ikiru so masterful. [26 March 2009]

My Name is Bruce

Campbell may have made his career as a blue-collar actor, but he made his name talking about it—this attempts to bring his working-class idea back, full-circle. [17 March 2009]

Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired

Zenovich saw the opportunity to make something extraordinary based on a story and subject that everyone knew of but didn’t know much about. [9 February 2009]

The Best Of Dr. Katz

There aren’t many DVDs that can offer such a variety of established comics doing what they do best. [15 January 2009]

Western

Though not a “political film”, it’s tough to argue against some level of socio-political implication of two multi-ethnic foreigners traipsing around idyllic western France, looking for stability. [16 December 2008]

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

This is easily one of Burton’s best performances in a long career of great roles. He embodies so eloquently the ambivalence of the Cold War and the sad fiction of the “sexy spy”. [4 December 2008]

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Complete Collection

A glimpse at '60s pop culture’s take on the cold war, counter culture and paranoia – topics whose importance would only magnify in the coming years. [14 November 2008]

Bloodsucking Cinema

Surely there has to be more interesting things to say about vampires than that they're "cool" and "scary"? [1 October 2008]

Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis

We're given the legacy of one of the 20th century’s most influential avant-garde filmmakers and artists, but also the sad, thin-skinned ego of a societal outcast. [25 September 2008]

Future by Design

Although he doesn’t offer solutions to looming catastrophes, Fresco's archives will be among the first things we scour when they occur. [10 September 2008]

Uncounted: The New Math of American Elections

Even if such documentaries distort facts and promote “Wikintelligence”, they bring attention to necessary topics, giving everyday schleps a primer on critical issues. [26 August 2008]

Prehistoric Earth: A Natural History

Dramatic, gorgeous, entertaining and informative for any demographic, any age group. [1 August 2008]

Caramel (Sukkar banat)

On the surface about the foibles and trials of salon workers and patrons, but underlined with the modernity of Lebanese women and their culture’s transition into westernism. [2 July 2008]

Jumper

Brashness and arrogance, and absolutely none of the consequences of either. [30 June 2008]

Gang of Souls

This seems as if a “Kerouac School for Disembodied Poetics” alum gathered old professors in a room and asked them about things they’ve been asked a million times before. [28 May 2008]

The Guatemalan Handshake

This sometimes loses itself in a labyrinth of classic hipster kitsch: fake moustaches, Polaroid pictures, out-of-date analog technology, and quasi-condescending interpretations of small-town America [9 May 2008]

Resurrecting the Champ

An interesting tale about the intent of lying and the strengths of good old-fashioned work. [24 April 2008]

2 Days in Paris

Well at least these two characters have one thing in common: they’re both grateful the other’s an elitist, New York hipster. [27 February 2008]

Family Guy: Blue Harvest

This is like watching Gus Van Sant’s Psycho screened on Mystery Science Theater 3000 -- confusing and annoying. [8 February 2008]

Feed

Feed is adventurous and playful, and if nothing else, provides nostalgia for a time in politics scarcely different than our own. [19 November 2007]

American Cannibal - The Documentary

American Cannibal shows that the distinction between 'reality television' and 'documentary' is no more meaningful than that of 'fiddle' and 'violin'. [19 October 2007]

The Film Crew: Wild Women of Wongo

The Film Crew steps in and unleashes 90 minutes of banter that fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000 have been wanting for the last 10 years. [9 October 2007]

Killzone Double Feature

Killzone Double Feature is great fun, and easily worth the price. [2 October 2007]

Perfect Stranger

It’s not so much the endless heavy-handed clues, outmoded dialogue, or totally untrustworthy traits of the main characters that make the movie so unforgivable; it’s the purposeless ending that eschews all previous traits, dialogue, and clues. [24 September 2007]

Vacancy

Nimròd Antal’s Vacancy takes us back to the days of suspense -- when the chase was exhilarating on its own – not just the means to a morbid end. [13 August 2007]

Ghost Rider (2007)

This script takes generic archetypes and applies them to specific situations only by the cheapest of character-development techniques. [25 June 2007]

That Thing You Do! - The Directors Cut (1996)

That Thing You Do!, the movie, is humorous and entertaining. Skip the annoying extras, and you'll actually enjoy it. [18 June 2007]

The Bolero / In Search of Cezanne (1973)

These films provide two cases for the preservation of the art of short filmmaking. [6 June 2007]

Wondrous Oblivion (2006)

Wondrous Oblivion won’t cover any new ground on social matters, but its intent is genuine, and its characters lovable. [26 April 2007]

The History Channel Presents: Engineering an Empire

Engineering an Empireis like a visual History 201 class taught by RoboCop. [4 April 2007]

Men Behaving Badly – Complete Series

Rob Schneider has charisma and surrounds himself with funny people, but when it all boils down, the concentrated, Schneider-reduction sauce just isn’t palatable. [7 March 2007]

Grosse Pointe - The Complete Series

Grosse Pointe was fun, but one can grown a bit tired of the standard teen fair. [13 February 2007]

The Motel (2007)

The Motel is hardly a breakout smash success, but nor will it get lost in the sea of generic independents. [29 January 2007]