Currently Browsing Reviews

Upon screening Speed Racer, the latest attempt by the brothers Wachowski to push the envelope of technical effects in filmmaking, I can come away with one two clear conclusions. On one hand, I have a headache. On the other hand, I have decided that the Wachowskis are sick, in more ways than I can count.

Speed Racer is a movie to experience, not just a movie to watch. It’s a complete package with campy humor, thrilling action sequences, and emotional dramatics - all delivered through the unparalleled visual style of The Wachowski Brothers.

Robert Fure was lucky enough to find himself in a packed theater catching an elusive early glimpse of one of the summer’s most anticipated films: Iron Man. Take an in-depth look into one of summer’s most promising films.

The Band’s Visit is a small independent film from Israel with a lot of heart. It’s smart, honest, and humorous. The premise is simple but the characters are complex.

I was lucky to catch two animated films at Tribeca, one from Bill Plympton whose been working at his art for many years and the second by a new animator Leetal Platt.

I can’t see how anyone can’t see this film as a cheap rip-off of My Best Friend’s Wedding… only with a dude. And the only thing that McDreamy proves with this film is that while he probably knows Julia Roberts and has met Julia Roberts, he’s no Julia Roberts.

The buzz behind Iron Man has created the perfect storm of media hype leading into the summer season. For some, the film simply cannot live up to the hype, but that’s only reserved for sci-fi nerds who have downloaded every scrap of leaked footage and hi-res photo onto their computer. For the casual viewer, the film delivers exactly what the trailer promises.

For those who are still mourning over the last couple of failed Marvel comic book adaptations (the disappointing Spider-man 3, the mediocre Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and the atrocious Ghost Rider), fear not.

Everyone who meets Jack Burridge sees a shy, amiable young man with a sweet smile and a quiet unassuming demeanor. But nothing about Jack is as it first appears because he’s hiding a terrible secret from his co-workers and his girlfriend.

One of the more star studded films at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival is War, Inc. Unfortunately though, the film doesn’t live up to the expectations of its impressive cast.

This ESPN produced documentary follows Bobby Valentine during his 2007 season as manager of the Japanese ball club the Marines. For anyone who roots for a team, nothing will prepare you for the devotion that the Japanese fans have for their favorite team and players.

There are films that entertain and take us places we are unlikely to ever see in person. Then there are films that make us uneasy, are hard to watch because they explore the darker side of our fellow human beings.

Director Mohammad Al-Dardji is a man who believes in the power of art to transcend tragedy. In 2003 he put this to the test when he left London where he’d studied film to return to war torn Iraq to make a film.

Tomas Alfredson has adapted John Ajivde Lindquivst’s novel “Let the Right One In” and made a vampire film that transcends the genre.

There’s a lot of love out there for Tina Fey, and for good reason. She’s a funny, funny lady. And her presence and influence in the new film Baby Mama is easily what helped this film not become lost in the wash of pregnancy movies we’ve had over the past year.

I suppose you can say that the core Harold and Kumar audience of stoners and slackers will enjoy the rude humor and drug references, but the rest of us clean and sober folks are going to be left cold.

If you want a film to have this many twists, it’d be best to not name the movie Deception. That would be like naming Citizen Kane something like It’s a Sled or renaming Psycho with Norman Bates is the Killer Who Dresses Like His Dead Mother.

Someone or something, be it the Founding Fathers or merely our lucky stars, deserves thanks for dissent and the freedom we have to express it. In particular Ben Stein should be thanked for making Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.

My greatest fear for Baby Mama was that it would end up being another incarnation of The Brothers Solomon, but with women. Thankfully, Tina Fey and company are smarter than that, and Baby Mama turns in a surprisingly good showing.

David Ayer is back and still busy telling us how corrupt the cops of the Los Angeles Police Department are in this Keanu Reeves cop drama.

Our own super-sleuth Loukas Tsouknidas checks in from overseas with an awesome early review of Iron Man. As you can see, the hype may all be worth it, after all.

“Miss Pettigrew, you look like you’ve never attended a cocktail party in your life,” says fashion show commentator Edith Dubarry (Shirley Henderson), betrothed to famous fashion designer Joe Blumfield. She hasn’t. She’s just a waif posing as someone who has.

Every film that gets a release has an audience somewhere. From Star Wars to Zyzzyx Rd., every movie has a shot. And while Pathology is no Star Wars, it is certainly no Zyzzyx Rd. either.

The DVD will probably have some great unrated special features, and I’m sure that Jason Segel’s penis is going to pop up again in them… more than once.

It tries to say too many things at times, but ultimately has a good message. Unfortunately, it spends too much time trying to live up to the cool, marketable title when Osama Bin Laden isn’t even the focus of the message.

If you like zombies, and you like strippers, you will love Zombie Strippers.

Pacino’s presence in 88 Minutes reminds me of Diane Keaton’s presence in Mad Money and Because I Said So. Great actor. Bad movie.

Unlike Clarence Worley in True Romance, I’m not obsessed with martial arts movies. One of my criticisms of these films is that they take themselves way too seriously.Fortunately, this is not a problem with The Forbidden Kingdom

Great script, heartwarming story, great ensemble cast, Ellen Page… Hmm, this sounds familiar.

Prom Night is infinitely better than the original (partly because it doesn’t feature a ten minute disco segment in the middle). Sure, it loads up with cliches and has more fake jump moments than actual scares, but considering the target market is horny teenage boys trying to get a rise out of their dates, this is understandable.