FullReviews Index - page 2
Snow Angels
David Gordon Green's "Snow Angels," adapted from the novel of the same title by Stewart O'Nan, is two stories of love and loss converging. The film stars Sam Rockwell, Kate Beckinsale, Michael Angarano, Griffin Dunne, Amy Sedaris and Olivia Thirlby. "Snow Angels" opens on March 7, 2008.
Death At A Funeral
A dignified send-off for a loved one erupts into uproarious chaos when romance, jealousy, in-laws, hallucinogens, dark secrets, life-long yearnings and a spot of bold blackmail all collide grave-side in Frank Oz's irreverent comedy "Death at a Funeral." Matthew Macfadye, Peter Dinklage, Alan Tudyk , Ewen Bremner, and Rupert Graves star.
Review: The Darjeeling Limited
Wes Anderson's <I>The Darjeeling Limited</I> is a wonderful film -- both funny and affecting. Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman star as a trio of semi-deranged brothers who take a desperately needed spiritual journey across India on the Darjeeling Limited. The cast also includes Angelica Huston, Bill Murray, Natalie Portman, and in a marvelous debut, British actress Amara Karan.
The Other Boleyn Girl
Justin Chadwick's The Other Boleyn Girl features the heaving bosom of Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman's trembling lips. A lurid costume drama delivered in soft focus, the young actresses put on their best English accents and Victoria gowns and duke it out for the king (Eric Bana.)
Sleepwalking
Nick Stahl, AnnaSophia Robb, and Charlize Theron star in "Sleepwalking," a drama about the bond that develops between a 30-year-old man and his young niece after the girl's mother suddenly leaves town. Directed by William Maher from a screenplay by Zac Stanford, "Sleepwalking" also stars Dennis Hopper and Woody Harrelson.
Romance and Cigarettes
Leave it to John Turturro, star of the Coen Brother's "Barton Fink" to create the fictional character's story. "Romance and Cigarettes" is an inventive, "working class opera" featuring a star-studded cast which includes James Gandolfini. Susan Sarandon, Mandy Moore, Mary Louise Park, Steve Buscemi, Eddie Izzard, Mary Louise Parker, and Kate Winslet like you have never seen her before.
The Great World of Sound
Craig Zobel's independent film "The Great World of Sound" takes aim at the dark side of "American Idol," capturing the trend of people looking for a fast shortcut to fame, as well as those behind the scenes who make impossible promises. Pat Healy and Kene Holliday star as the dream makers and hucksters who take to the road in search of fresh talent.
Rocket Science
Jeffrey Blitz's [i]Rocket Science[/i], the follow-up to the enormously popular documentary [i]Spellbound[/i], takes the improbable storyline of a stuttering teenager who joins his high school debate team and sucks you in. Reece Thompson, Anna Kendrick, and Nicholas D'Agosto co-star in this tender coming of age drama.
Funny Games
Michael Haneke's English remake of his own film "Funny Games" about a middle-class family on vacation endures a terrifying ordeal at the hands of two psychopaths. Naomi Watts, Tim Roth and Michael Pitt star.
Watching The Detectives
In Paul Soter's debut film "Watching The Detectives," a film buff's (Cillian Murphy) world is turned upside down when a real-life femme fatale (Lucy Liu) provides far more adventure than he ever experienced.
There Will Be Blood
A movie of rare power, [i]There Will Be Blood[/i] is destined to take its place among such ageless tragedies of American avarice as The Godfather, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Scarface, and Citizen Kane -- with catchphrases to match. "I drink your milkshake!" is the new "Say hello to my little friend." In Daniel Plainview, Anderson and Day-Lewis have created a sublime and haunting vision of the dark specter at the root of our prosperity.
I'm Not There
With I'm Not There, his hotly anticipated follow-up to Far From Heaven, Todd Haynes attempts to find the key to Bob Dylan's life and art by unfolding the larger-than-life personality over seven distinct characters. Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Marcus Carl Franklin, Ben Whinshaw, Richard Gere, and Cate Blanchett play the legendary musician at different stages of his career -- or rather, his imagined career, with events and characters drawn as much from the songs as from Dylan's actual biography.
Review: Juno
JUNO stars Ellen Page as the title character, a whip-smart teen confronting an unplanned pregnancy by her classmate Bleeker (Michael Cera). Co-starring Jennifer Garner and Jason Batemen, JUNO was directed by Jason Reitman ("Thank You For Smoking").
Flawless
From director Michael Radford (THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, IL POSTINO)
comes FLAWLESS, a clever diamond-heist thriller set in swinging 1960s London. Starring Demi Moore, Michael Caine, Lambert Wilson. Opens March 28, 2008.
Persepolis
Directed by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, the gorgeous adaption of Satrapi’s graphic novels packs an enormous emotional wallop. In black-and-white animation, "Persepolis" depicts Satrapi's own painful coming of age in Iran during the Islamic Revolution and the Iraq-Iran war. The deceptively simple drawings keep pointing to our shared humanity.
Stop Loss
Kimberly Peirce ("Boy's Don't Cry") directs "Stop Loss," the story of a decorated Iraq war hero Sgt. Brandon King (Ryan Philippe) who makes a celebrated return to his small Texas hometown following his tour of duty. Abbie Cornish, Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ciarán Hinds also star.
Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day
Bharat Nalluri directs this sophisticated and heartfelt comedy starring Frances McDormand, Amy Adams, Lee Pace, Ciarán Hinds, and Shirley Henderson.
Youth Without Youth
Francis Ford Coppola’s "Youth Without Youth" stars Tim Roth as Dominic Matei, an aging professor of linguistics who survives a cataclysmic event to find his youth miraculously restored. Youth Without Youth also stars Alexandra Maria Lara, Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Pirici, Marcel Iures and Andre M. Hennicke.
The Bourne Ultimatum
Paul Greengrass’s "The Bourne Ultimatum" is the leanest and most exciting of the series yet, a chase movie of breathtaking purity.
The Savages
Nursing homes, loss of memory, bowel control, the death of a parent: this is patently unfunny stuff. Writer and director Tamara Jenkins has a tough sell with the irreverent comedy "The Savages." Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney star.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter star in Tim Burton's film adaptation about the blood hungry barber.
Redacted
The shocking reconstruction of the rape and murder of a 15-year-old Iraqi girl by American soldiers in Samarra in 2006, told entirely through "found" footage, the film felt like a well-aimed punch to the gut -- or perhaps a stab in the heart. Whether blunt or sharp, the film's impact is impossible to dismiss. Redacted sent me reeling.
Southland Tales
You may already have heard a thing or two about Richard Kelly's long-awaited follow-up to the cult hit Donnie Darko (2001). Southland Tales was savaged by critics after its Cannes premiere, and Kelly has since shortened the film by 19 minutes and added special effects shots to the ambitious apocalyptic romp with the odd ensemble cast that includes Sarah Michelle Gellar, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Mandy Moore, Justin Timberlake and Seann William Scott.
No Country for Old Men
Taciturn cowboy Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) finds a suitcase full of money out near the Rio Grande -- along with several dead Mexicans and a pick up truck full of heroin. Our hero knows that he shouldn't take the money, but he takes it anyway. For the duration of No Country For Old Men, the Coen Brothers' slick adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel, Moss runs doggedly for his life, relentlessly chased by a psycho killer with an unusual hair cut (Javier Bardem).
The Kite Runner - A Marck Forster film - The Kite Runner
Based one on of the most acclaimed novels in recent memory, Marc Foster's "The Kite Runner" is a profoundly emotional tale of friendship, family, devastating mistakes and redeeming love. Opens December 14th, 2007.