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 | I Cannot Tell a Lie... Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
Ricky Gervais rose to fame first playing the awkwardly hilarious David Brent in "The Office" and then the pathetically brilliant Andy Millman in "Extras". His brand of embarrassing, self-deprecating humor immediately won audiences in the UK and created him as a cult figure in America. With [b]The Invention of Lying[/b] Gervais intends to finally take the States by storm and establish himself as a true artist in the process.More |  | Love Can Be Messy Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.
[b]The Burning Plain[/b] is ambitious. Coming from the Guillermo Arriaga, writer of [b]Babel[/b], [b]21 Grams[/b], and [b]Amores Perros[/b], that’s a given, though. However, this is Arriaga’s directorial debut, having broken the tie with collaborator/director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Ironically, it’s not the direction that hinders [b]The Burning Plain[/b] but the writing. It’s merely a great idea that he wasn’t fully able to realize.More |  | …And So Do Bad Movies Rating: 2 out of 5 stars.
If you want a girl crying on your shoulder this weekend, take her to [b]Love Happens[/b]. If you want to be entertained, stay clear. It’s the same romantic story that’s been rehashed since the creation of the medium, and to far better results.More |  | All Body, No Brains Rating: 1 out of 5 stars.
Since [b]Juno[/b] introduced Diablo Cody to the world and garnered her an Oscar for best original screenplay, she wasn't completely welcomed with open arms. While the film started out as the underdog, it soon swept the nation and caused just as hefty a backlash. Whether or not one agrees with the praise bestowed on the film, at worst it was a charming, quirky indie comedy built upon a solid script. Naturally, the new "it" girl has a lot riding on her sophomore script and unfortunately for Cody, [b]Jennifer's Body[/b] won't be the film that silences her detractors.More |  | It Brings out the Laughs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
Mike Judge is one of those guys who everyone knows, but he’s still somewhat of a cult phenomenon. Perhaps best known for "Beavis and Butthead", grunge era’s greatest adolescent comedy duo, he’s also responsible for "King of the Hill" (which recently ended its thirteen-year run). While his TV record has been more consistent, his film career hasn’t quite taken off. [b]Office Space[/b] only took off on DVD and [b]Idiocracy[/b] was barely released. But with [b]Extract[/b] it seems as if he may finally have a hit.More |  | Want to Be Soulless? Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.
Weighed down by your soul? How about taking someone else’s soul? Those are the questions that Sophie Barthes ponders in her feature debut as writer and director. The film, which stars Paul Giamatti as Paul Giamatti, is definitely going to draw comparison to the work of Charlie Kaufman, and that’s fair, but [b]Cold Souls[/b] does stand apart from his work. Barthes isn’t as successful as Kaufman is in meandering through the metaphysical and psychological mysteries of life, but [b]Cold Souls[/b] proves that she is a truly capable filmmaker.More |  | To Be Human Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Hayao Miyazaki may be a superstar in Japan, but he’s not much more than a cult hero in America. Those who have discovered him, namely through his Oscar winner [b]Spirited Away[/b] (for Foreign Language film), know that he possesses an imagination that is as captivating as it is awe-inspiring. [b]Ponyo[/b] is no different. Loosely based off of “The Little Mermaid", Miyazaki takes the audience far and beyond where they’re prepared to go with the well-known Hans Christian Andersen story.More |  | A Romance About Growing Up Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.
[b]Adam[/b], despite its flaws, is a charming romantic film about a man with Asperger’s Syndrome and a woman with family troubles, both at a crossroads. Seemingly normal, Adam (Hugh Dancy) appears to be just a tad off, especially when he rattles on about space to anyone who will listen. But, there aren’t many who will listen and following his father’s death, he’s left alone in a large New York City apartment. The feeling of such a large apartment in such a dense city feeds the feeling of isolation and anxiety as Adam, nearly 30, attempts for the first time to cope with life on his own.More |  | Apatow Becomes a Filmmaker Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
If you don’t know who Judd Apatow is by now, you must be living under a rock. And yet while his name has become synonymous with a rejuvenation of quality comedic movies, he has actually only directed two films prior to [b]Funny People[/b]. Of course those were the wildly successful [b]The 40 Year-Old Virgin[/b] and [b]Knocked Up[/b]. He’s also been attached to many other projects for years as producer or writer (including two cult TV shows), but that’s really beside the point here. All anyone wants to know about is how this new film stands up to his previous successes.More |  | Bombs Over Iraq Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.
Some say it may be too soon to tackle the ongoing Iraq War. However, there’s definitely a place for reflection of a situation that is still underway. Not surprisingly, [b]The Hurt Locker[/b] doesn’t tackle an overview of the war but focuses on a select group of soldiers. No context is given and no overarching themes are visited, making the war more of a backdrop than the concentration of the film. And while that’s a relief, the film moves with an obvious undercurrent of meaning and message. Unfortunately, it never feels as clear as the film obviously wants it to be.More |
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