— by MARIUSZ ZUBROWSKI — Making a film like “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans” requires a fearless determination, and luckily, director Werner Herzog has just that. His unorthodox portrayal of brilliance is presented in the lead character, Terrence McDonagh[...]
Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
Under Review: ‘New Moon’
— by ALEXA MILAN — I have never seen a pop culture phenomenon as polarizing as “Twilight,” and based on the reviews for the second installment in the series, “New Moon” is no exception. Personally, I enjoy the “Twilight” books. Yes, they’re[...]
Under Review: ‘Planet 51’
— by JOEL CRARY — Compared to “Wall-E,” the Pixar animated film about a robot who journeys into outer space and finds out more about humanity’s place in the grand scheme of things, “Planet 51” is pretty inert. It’s a film about first contact[...]
Under Review: ‘Official Rejection’
— by SEAN GERSKI — I have a feeling that most of the people who come to this site have at one time in their life dreamed of actually making their own movie. You hear Kevin Smith’s incredibly unlikely tale and tell yourself, “I could do that.” You could max out the[...]
Under Review: ‘Fix’
— by RACHEL COYNE — I still find it amazing what some filmmakers can accomplish with a few dollars and a camera, while others have millions and a full crew and can barely scrape together a cohesive story. In “Fix,” director/co-star/cameraman/co-writer Tao Ruspoli truly pours his[...]
Under Review: ‘The Messenger’
— by MARIUSZ ZUBROWSKI — What do the films “2012,” “Zombieland” and “The Messenger” have in common? Yes, they all star Woody Harrelson, but they are also all apocalyptic films in one way or another. No, “The Messenger” does not portray[...]
Review: Fantastic Mr. Fox
— by MARIUSZ ZUBROWSKI — Wes Anderson has made a name for himself by directing films such as “The Darjeeling Unlimited” and “Bottle Rocket.” His brand of humor for the older demographic is his “whistle with the clicking noise,” but he plans to expand[...]
Under Review: ‘Pirate Radio’
— by ALEXA MILAN — The U.S. release of “Pirate Radio” has been delayed for months, and when it was finally released Nov. 13, it was dumped quietly at the beginning of awards season. So given its release date issues, I was worried the second film from director Richard[...]
Under Review: 2012
— by JOEL CRARY — Movies like “2012” make me miss Charlton Heston. That’s what this movie needs: a square-jawed, histrionic, tough son of a bitch with crazy mannerisms to lead everyone to safety. Instead, we get John Cusack playing a kind of wimpy divorcee and[...]
Under Review: ‘Humble Pie’
— by RACHEL COYNE — “Humble Pie” is the story of Tracy Orbison, a severely overweight guy who can’t seem to catch a break. He has a lame job as a clerk at the local supermarket, he still lives at home with his overcritical mother, he admittedly has no real friends, trying to pass[...]
Under Review: The Box
— by ALEXA MILAN — What happens when you open the box? In the case of Richard Kelly’s new film, you get a talented cast wasted in an uneven movie. The latest sci-fi thriller from the writer-director of “Donnie Darko” and “Southland Tales” centers on[...]
Under Review: ‘The Men Who Stare at Goats’
— by MARIUSZ ZUBROWSKI — There have been many films about the Iraq War era, most of them about the hardships of war, but earlier this year, the limited-release film “In The Loop” decided to do something different. Combining drama and comedy elements, director Armando Iannucci[...]
Under Review: ‘Disney’s A Christmas Carol’
— by MARIUSZ ZUBROWSKI — The holidays are a time of family, merriment and long lines at department stores, but they also mark a good time to sit next to the burning yule-log and read the Charles Dickens tale “A Christmas Carol.” Since it was published on Dec. 19, 1843, the[...]
Under Review: ‘The Fourth Kind’
— by JOEL CRARY — “The Fourth Kind” is a curious bit of filmmaking from Olatunde Osunsanmi, who takes the recent found footage approach to horror and combines it into a rigamarole of a plot about alien abduction. The film stars Milla Jovovich, who plays herself as well as a woman[...]