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Movies
The Search for a Killer in the Muslim World
Where in the World is Osama bin Laden? finds documentarian Morgan Spurlock training his cameras not on the artery-clogging cuisine served at McDonald’s, as he did somewhat memorably in 2004’s Super-Size Me, but on the Middle Easterners he encountered during a seven-month quest to find the world’s most elusive terrorist. More
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Legendary Coupling Produces Goofy Adventure
Fans who have long awaited the pairing of legendary martial artists Jackie Chan and Jet Li may be slightly disappointed to learn that The Forbidden Kingdom focuses on the story of a Boston teenager (Michael Angarano) magically transported to ancient China and charged with saving the mythical Monkey King from the clutches of an evil warlord. More
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Nearly Unforgettable
Comedy "auteur" Judd Apatow and his posse of actors (Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Jonah Hill, etc.) have struck comedic gold time and again these past few years with classics such as The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up and Superbad. Once again Apatow comes up with a brilliantly comedic and awkward premise in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. In short, Peter (Jason Segel) is dumped unceremoniously by his girlfriend Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell). In an attempt to "forget" Sarah Marshall, Peter heads to Hawaii for a vacation and ends up at a resort where Sarah is staying…with her new boyfriend. More
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A Career-Making Performance
Sometimes when you least expect it -- when you think you have a film pegged by the synopsis, by the trailer, by a TV ad, or even by the lead actor prominently featured in the marketing campaign -- you end up completely surprised. Chaos Theory surpasses expectations, due to both its script, which expertly handles a wide range of tonal shifts, and its lead actor, Ryan Reynolds. More
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"The Shield" for the People with ADD
For his second effort as director, David Ayer (Harsh Times) decided to return to modern-day Los Angeles, police corruption and vigilante justice with Street Kings, a formulaic, convoluted, if no less action-packed, crime drama featuring a surprisingly convincing turn by Keanu Reeves (Constantine, The Matrix trilogy, Speed). Even though Ayer didn’t write Street Kings, it fits easily into his rapidly expanding oeuvre of violence-obsessed male characters confronted with conflicting loyalties and life-or-death moral dilemmas. More
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...Doing Very Stupid Things
Directed by Noam Murro and written by novelist-turned-screenwriter Mark Poirier, Smart People is a sometimes too clever, sometimes too contrived comedy/drama centered on a dysfunctional family and their many missteps as they learn, once again, that it’s love that offers the answers to all of life’s seemingly unanswerable questions.
Predictable as that sounds, Smart People benefits hugely from a talented cast adding nuance and shading to their screwed-up characters and Poirier’s often witty, insightful dialogue. More
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Vines Run Amok
In the past couple years we’ve been well informed that it is simply a bad idea to be young, horny, inebriated, and abroad on vacation. Films such as Hostel and Touristas have underscored the inherent risks associated with the aforementioned. You could have your organs harvested, your eye pulled out, or simply end up with a REALLY bad hangover (and an STD). More
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The Fine Art of Losing
The world of high stakes poker is a subculture rife with eccentric personalities and the vaguely misanthropic. Not too surprisingly, it is a world that is ripe for ridicule and parodying. Writer/director Zak Penn delves deep into this world with his mockumentary comedy, The Grand. More
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Alas, the Third Time isn’t the Charm
For his third directorial effort (Good Night, and Good Luck, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind), actor/writer/producer/director George Clooney choose sportswriters-turned-first-time-screenwriters Duncan Brantley and Rick Reilly’s period screwball comedy, Leatherheads, an homage-laden, occasionally engaging, sporadically entertaining, affectionately nostalgic celebration of the early days of professional football. More
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More Like A Rough Cut, Unpolished Gem
Directed by Michael Radford (The Merchant of Venice, Il Postino, 1984) and written by Edward Anderson, Flawless is a 60s-set heist film starring one old pro, Michael Caine, and co-starring another, less-old pro, Demi Moore, wending their way through a maze of mostly predictable obstacles on their way to a big money day, a serious beatdown, and pleasant smiles all around. Although Flawless is smoothly paced, skillfully directed, it is far from the perfection suggested by the title. However, it’s as entertaining as a character-first, heist-second film can be. More
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