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Articles tagged "gwyneth paltrow" Decade-Dense: The 60 Most Memorable Films of 1999 FeaturePart 5: Toy Story 2 to Titus (November - December 1999)by PopMatters Staff[27.Mar.09] :. On this final day of PopMatters' 1999 overview, awards season hype gives way to pure acting prowess and definitive directorial flair. Decade-Dense: The 60 Most Memorable Films of 1999  Film ReviewTwo Loversby Cynthia Fuchs[16.Feb.09] :. A wall of family photos, glimpsed briefly in an early scene of Two Lovers, lays out Leonard's too conventional dilemma.  Column: The ScreenerTwo Lovers: All Your Choices Are Bad Onesby Chris Barsanti[12.Feb.09] :. What James Gray bravely does in Two Lovers is return the idea of pain, and the threat of bad decisions, to the American film romance.  Film FeatureSuperheroes Versus Comicsby shathley Q[27.Jan.09] :. There can be no doubt that the summer of 2008 stands as a high-water mark for superheroes. But in the wake of a superhero renaissance and the growing cultural legitimacy of the genre, the question must be posed: Has the superhero genre evolved beyond the comics medium?  PopMatters Picks: The Best TV, Film, and DVD of 2008 FeatureThe New Classics - The 30 Best Films of 2008by PopMatters Staff[16.Jan.09] :. Unlike previous years, where classics came crawling out of the celluloid woodwork with regular reckless abandon, 2008 was more calm… and considered. That's not to say that choosing 30 top titles was hard. The difficulty in placing them in some manner of rank order suggests the actual depth of quality involved. PopMatters Picks: The Best TV, Film, and DVD of 2008  PopMatters Picks: The Best TV, Film, and DVD of 2008 FeatureIconic - The Top 20 Male Performances of 2008by PopMatters Staff[14.Jan.09] :. Like the gladiators of old, 2008 resembles a battle of formidable acting gods, especially when looking over the 20 choices presented below. Indeed, if anything, choosing a winner requires more of a leap of faith than any amount of critical skill - they all were that good. PopMatters Picks: The Best TV, Film, and DVD of 2008 Off the Radar - The Top 30 DVDs of 2008by PopMatters Staff[13.Jan.09] :. Oddly enough, while the major studios continue scratching their heads over how to sell yet another new format (Blu-ray) to disinterested consumers, several outside distributors made sure that this would be a digital year to remember. Hughes Oughta Knowby Jennifer Makowsky[3.Dec.08] :. The British Library bought Ted Hughes' literary archive, further inspiring film and literary speculation into his life with Sylvia Plath. Iron Man (Two-Disc Special Collector’s Edition)by Evan Sawdey[6.Oct.08] :. Every explosion and punch-line lives and dies by Downey's performance, but he proves more than up to the task, making the ride all the more enjoyable. Stan Lee’s ‘Iron Man’ leads way for latest Blu-ray titlesby Doug Nye [McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)][29.Sep.08] :. Ten years ago, Stan Lee was frustrated about the inability to get impressive versions of Marvel Comics super heroes to the movie screen. “It seemed as if so many of them were tied up with... Pop 20: Super hero formula evolvingby Aaron Sagers [(MCT)][30.Jul.08] :. In only 10 days, the Batman defeated the Joker, delivered a one-two punch to Harvey Dent and amassed more than $300 million at the box office. But despite the enormous success of “The Dark... Dear Marvel Comicsby Bill Gibron[16.Jun.08] :. Dear Marvel Comics: Get ready. If rumors are true, and you are indeed lowballing Jon Favreau out of participation in Iron Man 2 (a story now supported by both Ain’t It Cool News and... Jon Favreau’s preparation pays off in ‘Iron Man’by Roger Moore [The Orlando Sentinel (MCT)][2.May.08] :. Jon Favreau heard the whispers, the murmurs of “What the hey?” when he was selected by Marvel Studios to turn the comic-book empire’s Iron Man into a movie. He heard them again when... Iron Manby Cynthia Fuchs[1.May.08] :. For all Tony's new understanding of "peace," the fact that Iron Man is in fact a weapon allows the film to do what summer movies must do: clanking and bashing, zooming, shooting, and exploding. It’s Super Year for once-troubled actor Robert Downey Jr., starting with ‘Iron Man’by Steven Rea [The Philadelphia Inquirer (MCT)][30.Apr.08] :. The Summer of Downey? On Friday, “Iron Man”—easily one of the smartest, most satisfying comic-book superhero movies since Tim Burton’s first “Batman”—opens... The Return of the Popcorn Circus: May 2008by Bill Gibron[28.Apr.08] :. In the first act of this four-part production, Tinsel Town decides to do some unbelievable front loading. Will there be room for independent offerings, or former HBO carnal comedy divas? Who knows? Without a doubt, it's an interesting way to start the season. Running With Scissors (2006)by Emma Simmonds[4.Mar.07] :. Director Ryan Murphy lacks the requisite wicked flair for black-comedy, the levity is mishandled, and completely at odds with the intensity of performance and direction. Running With Scissors (2006)by Cynthia Fuchs[27.Oct.06] :. Augusten's narration of Running with Scissors starts with a question: "How do I begin to tell the story of how my mother left me and how I left her?" Infamous (2006)by Cynthia Fuchs[13.Oct.06] :. When Truman quite gleefully describes his plan to use 'fictional techniques' to tell his nonfiction story, to shape the Clutter murders as an emblem of cultural malaise, Nelle insists on a knowable distinction between fact and fiction. Proof (2005)by Cynthia Fuchs[17.Feb.06] :. As John Madden says, the film's central issue is 'validation', in emotional and familial, as well as mathematical and metaphorical, frameworks. Proof (2005)by Cynthia Fuchs[16.Sep.05] :. And yet, for all the potential nuance in this knotting, the film leaves the sisters caught up in a familiar conflict. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)by Cynthia Fuchs[26.Jan.05] :. Kevin Conran seems pleased to admit that he has never stepped foot inside Radio City Music Hall. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)by Cynthia Fuchs[17.Sep.04] :. If the glorious surprise offered up by The Wizard of Oz was its depiction of a world beyond any material reality, the agreeable gimmick of Sky Captain is its imitation of what's come before. View From the Top (2003)by Jesse Hassenger[20.Mar.03] :. View From the Top's Donna (Gwyneth Paltrow) and her boyfriend (Mark Ruffalo) are certainly nice, but not interesting enough to rescue a plot this stale. Possession (2002)by Cynthia Fuchs[15.Aug.02] :. While the plot of Possession concerns yearning and fervor, its tone is provocatively detached. Shallow Hal (2001)by Cynthia Fuchs[8.Nov.01] :. Jack Black is always a pleasure. Irony, weirdness, perversion -- he has it all. It was only a matter of time before Hollywood came a-knocking. Shallow Hal (2001)by Todd R. Ramlow[8.Nov.01] :. What is unfortunate about 'Hal' is that while the Farrellys' previous offerings were, for all their sophomoric dick and fart humor, somewhat good-spirited, their new film is just plain old mean. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)by jserpicomidst all the hoopla shouting of the probable Oscar proliferation showering upon The Talented Mr. Ripley; the ongoing comparisons (of the original series of novels by Patricia, the French film Purple Noon, and Anthony Minghella's creation); and glowing appreciation for Minghella's assembly of the most fashionable young and beautiful, there lie hidden a few very nasty notions regarding homosexuality. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)by Cynthia FuchsOn first hearing this voice-over at the beginning of Anthony Minghella's The Talented Mr. Ripley, you might think you're going to see a film about regret or guilt, or perhaps a refined kind of melancholy. But it's not long before you realize that for the speaker, Tom Ripley, such emotion - any emotion - is a performance. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)by Lucas HilderbrandIt is The Royal Tenenbaums's hyperbole that both makes the fantasy so lively and reveals the self-delusions at its foundation. Duets (2000)by Amy SidwarDuets exposes the frustration of the 'American Dream', when working hard only makes you tired. Bounce (2000)by Cynthia FuchsBounce is straight in the sense that it stars Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow, and does not include Opposite of Sex-style bitchiness, much less wily jokes about masturbation, Hollywood morality, and the Planet Maturia. The Anniversary Party (2001)by Kirsten Markson...plays like a Hollywood version of 'The Real World', neatly edited and set in a striking but sterile home, but with few surprises. |
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