— by BEV QUESTAD — Eight Japanese men in the prime of their lives are sent to a desolate outpost deep in Antarctica for 414 days. Their job is to mine ice cores that document climate change through the last 300,000 years. But 414 days is a long time. Sometimes the sun never sets and [&he[...]
Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
Under Review: ‘Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie’
— by BEV QUESTAD — “It kind of feels like kind of a rap of what I’ve been doing. It really is a nice completion. I can just go home and die now.” That’s what David Suzuki says about his 2009 lecture at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. However, at 73, Suzuki is [&h[...]
Under Review: ‘Ruhr’
— by BEV QUESTAD — From time to time, I see art and I am blown away — Louise Bourgeois, Frida Kahlo, Mindy Weisel, William Thompson — my mesmerized subconscious overflows. Other times I just don’t get it and I contact my artist friends and demand, “How does this constitut[...]
Review: The Muppets
— by ADAM DALE — Jim Henson’s creation of the Muppets in the mid 1950s sparked an epidemic the world over of fans, young and old alike. Even though Jim has passed away and some of the original voice-actors retired, nothing could stop the return of “The Muppets” to a new generation.[...]
Under Review: ‘Crazy Wisdom’
— by BEV QUESTAD — Forty-one years ago, a friend of mine said that a true IQ test would be on how well we can hide our insanity. For Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, whom this film is all about, the potential paradox of crazy wisdom and his embrace of it may cause the viewer[...]
Under Review: ‘Superman Requiem’
— by ANDY BEHBAKHT — The great thing about comic book fans is that they are so dedicated to what they love. Gene Fallaize is one of those fans. He is the writer, producer and director of the Superman fan film “Superman Requiem,” which pays tribute to the Richard Donner version of the[...]
Under Review: ‘Happy Feet Two’
— by ADAM DALE — “Happy Feet” was a happy surprise hit for Warner Bros. Pictures in 2006 when this sleeper hit came out of nowhere and grossed over $380 million at the box office. Its flawless mixing of gorgeous computer-animated graphics, showcasing the beautiful icy world of the An[...]
Under Review: ‘J. Edgar’
— by ADAM POYNTER — “J. Edgar” has the potential to make the most memorable and controversial biopic in many years. With his quick rise in the political world, litigious personal life, controversial tactics — which included blackmailing government officials — and [...]
Under Review: ‘Immortals’
— by ADAM POYNTER — Eons after the epic war between the immortals, when the victors proclaimed themselves gods and the losers were named titans and imprisoned for all eternity, mankind is at a gentle precipice. Zeus (Luke Evans) and the other gods watch over mankind but do not directly i[...]
Under Review: ‘Margin Call’
— by ADAM POYNTER — Trying to put a face on the current economic crisis can be hard; with so many people struggling with money and bank foreclosures it is difficult to even remember where it all started. That is where newcomer writer-director J.C. Chandor has chosen to make his big-scree[...]
Under Review: ‘A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas’
— by ADAM POYNTER — “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas” is the world’s first drug-induced, holiday 3D movie spectacular. Years after they visited White Castle and Guantanamo Bay, Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) are no longer best friends, but rather awkward acq[...]
Under Review: ‘Tower Heist’
— by JESSIKA OWENS — Heist movies are some of the most fun and creative films that make it mainstream; that’s just how it’s been for as long as Hollywood has made them. I find it fascinating to see what writers come up with when it comes to these types of films, so naturally [...]
Under Review: ‘Film Socialisme’
— by BEV QUESTAD — Foaming surf as a cruise ship glides through gray seas – a lithe bikini-clad young woman swimming underwater in the ship’s pool – a white-dressed woman slamming repeatedly into a window, ignored by the patrons chatting in the warm interior, inexplicably c[...]
Under Review: ‘The Rules of the Game’ (aka ‘La Regle du Jeu’)
— by BEV QUESTAD — There is not just an Arab discontent swirling in the winds. There is also a pervasive International Spring going on with the Occupy Wall Street movement. So it is altogether appropriate that on the Park Blocks of a make-shift tent city of protest in Portland, Ore., the[...]