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Recent Film ReviewsFriday, November 20 2009
The Twilight Saga: New MoonAs she ponders her future, Bella is less aware than you are that she has very similar effects on the monster boy rivals for her affection -- glowing eyes, rising tempers, pronounced teeth, ungodly strength, usually demonstrated on others of their ilk or furniture. The Blind SideThe pile-on of big emotional moments, accompanied by big music, is overwhelming. This is a movie demanding to be loved. Monday, November 16 2009
Margaret Mead Film & Video FestivalThe documentaries of this year's Margaret Mead Film & Video Festival show more than they tell, underlining how each story is shaped not only by subject's self-presentations, but also by the films' frames. Friday, November 13 2009
Fantastic Mr. FoxIntergenerational dilemmas -- how to be foxes, to be individuals and also parts of communities -- form the complicated heart of Fantastic Mr. Fox. 
2012As the action becomes less fabulous and more repetitive over 2012's 150 minutes, the philosophical debate ratchets up. The End of Poverty?Phillipe Diaz's powerful documentary The End of Poverty? is uncharacteristically revolutionary among today's issue documentaries, and all the more refreshing for its bluntness. Pirate RadioPirate Radio leaves out any mention of the usual historical and cultural background, say, sex as a potential means of mixing races and classes. Wednesday, November 11 2009
The Good SoldierThe familiar format of The Good Soldier helps to underscore what's extraordinary about the veterans' stories. Tuesday, November 10 2009
Copyright CriminalsComprised of split screens, overlapping and overlaid sounds, an assemblage of images and noise, Copyright Criminals effectively stages its argument even as it makes it. Monday, November 9 2009
Death Bell (Gosa)Death Bell's tight focus on students' fears embodied is elegant even as it's unsettling. The BoxThe Box feigns straightforwardness for half an hour or so, but Richard Kelly only uses the set-up as the firm handle from which he can fly off. Friday, November 6 2009
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by SapphirePrecious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire is concerned with lasting effects -- on individuals and especially, on communities. 
The Men Who Stare at GoatsSetting up easy targets, The Men Who Stare at Goats seems less clever than behind the times. EndgameEndgame crafts a crackling thriller out of the tangle of crafty maneuvering and happenstance that put a stop to South Africa's apartheid. The Fourth KindWhere is Fox Mulder when you need him? Disney’s A Christmas CarolThe combination of animation (where the laws of physics are conveniently suspended) and 3D technology is a powerful temptation, and here we see many of the ways in which those toys can be misued. Gentlemen BroncosEven as Gentlemen Broncos makes sport of artistic hacks, it also delights in their creative process. Thursday, November 5 2009
New York, I Love YouThe many makers of New York, I Love Youare collectively too self-conscious about the New Yorkiness of their task. 
Act of GodIt's all but impossible to represent randomness. And yet this is the task taken up by Act of God, Jennifer Baichwal's documentary on lightning. Wednesday, November 4 2009
La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet (La danse: Le ballet de l’Opéra de Paris)Work is at the center of Frederick Wiseman's absorbing documentary, La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet. Monday, November 2 2009
The Maid (La Nana)Full of tension, the first scene in The Maid (La Nana) sets up Raquel's grim and limited world. 
LootA treasure hunter who has travelled far and wide looking for long-lost fortunes, Lance Larson's questing serves as point of departure for the beguiling documentary, Loot. Friday, October 30 2009
The House of the DevilWhile Sam's retaliation offers its own pleasures, her fundamental good-girlness, like Laurie Strode's or Rosemary Woodhouse's, also makes her abuse seem broadly meaningful. Labor DayLabor Day celebrates the work of SEIU toward getting Barack Obama elected. Wednesday, October 28 2009
This Is ItAs much as This Is It recalls Jackson's genius, it perpetuates the exploitation that shaped his life. Monday, October 26 2009
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon PapersThe Most Dangerous Man in America traces Daniel Ellsberg's decision to release the Pentagon Papers, as it also raises questions concerning government and citizens' responsibilities and rights. Friday, October 23 2009
AntichristAntichrist in many ways seems Lars Von Trier's rejoinder to the criticism that he "hates women," as if daring us to watch what we expect to see. AmeliaAmelia provides only a cursory look at Earhart's commercialization, more a way to delineate her marriage troubles than investigate her self-image or her treatment as a pop star. Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s AssistantNot a thing in this movie is subtle, from its cheesy special effects to its by-the-numbers storyline to its cardboard cutout characters. |
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