The beautiful nightmare decade came to an uneventful end. Three numbers and bastards flying planes into the World Trade Center haunt the aught years. Not to make too big a deal of it but the images of folk meandering, dazed down the gray streets of downtown New York City stuck. And, say what you... »
The first decade of the 21st century enters its waning days. The proverbial curtain prepares to close. But, before we move onto much more provocative lists such as the requisite ‘Best of the Decade,” we have 2009 to contend with first. This year saw the stark nihilism of Zach Snyder’s “Watchmen” adaptation, J.J. Abrams’ spectacular... »
“Nine” has precisely one truly great moment in it and that moment comes late in the film when a vivacious Kate Hudson bursts into a performance of “Cinema Italiano.” “I love the cinema Italiano,” sings Stephanie (Ms. Hudson), an American fashion journalist in director Rob Marshall’s new musical “Nine, a film that wants desperately to... »
Oklahoma City — The Oklahoma Film Critics Circle has announced its fourth annual list of awards for achievement in film, giving top honors to “The Hurt Locker” as the best motion picture of 2009. OFCC members are Oklahoma-based movie critics who write for print and online outlets that publish or post reviews of current film... »
If director Kathryn Bigelow made the definitive film on the Iraq war this year with “The Hurt Locker,” then James Cameron has just attempted the penultimate film on the war in Afghanistan with “Avatar,” his first film since 1997’s “Titanic.” Where Bigelow’s “The Hurt Locker” takes to the battlefields of Iraq to explore what makes... »
10. Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008) Cold, tense and beautifully shot, the Sweedish vampire tale “Let the Right One In” is perhaps the most haunting and most beautiful vampire tale to come along since “Nosferatu.” The film takes the anxieties of growing up and lets loose on where the wild things really... »
“And now,” cried Max (Max Records), “let the wild rumpus start!” »
It ruins nothing to reveal that the final showdown in “Zombieland” takes place in an amusement park. To note that some characters in a zombie movie do incredibly silly and stupid things even in the face of impending zombie mayhem breaks little new ground in film criticism. To point out, however, that “Zombieland” may be... »
Earlier this summer, director JJ Abrams’ nifty “Star Trek” reboot made science fiction cool again, giving us a smart action film where optimism was the name of the space game. Here, in the waning days of summer, however, we have director Neill Blomkamp’s “District 9” to contend with, a film that proves just as... »
“Public Enemies” begins in the midst of an elaborate prison break. John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) orchestrates the clever ruse, busting his partners in crime out of the big house so they can plot their next bank heist. Within minutes, the escape goes slightly awry and the guns come out. The next few moments unfold with... »
You be Pixar. So far, your movies, full of vibrant colors and fascinating animation, have captured the imaginations of millions of children worldwide. Those kids’ parents have all but come along for the Disney ride with glee and abandon. Critics comb through thesauruses, searching for words to describe your storytelling, your style, your elegance, and... »
I suppose, in its way, director Todd Phillips’ “The Hangover” is the grown-up version of Judd Apatow’s “Superbad,” another film about that pesky transition from adolescence into adulthood. And, of course, by adulthood, I mean manhood. Apatow has always had something of a soft spot for his man-boy protagonists. Occasionally, however, that something dissolves into... »
In the summer of 1908, director D.W. Griffith filmed “The Adventures of Dollie.” In the film, a gypsy seeks revenge on an unsuspecting bourgeois family after the father refuses to buy from the gypsy’s basket of goods. The gypsy kidnaps the father’s young daughter and hides her in a barrel–like you do–that eventually tumbles... »
