Want some words on the October Criterion Collection slate? As you wish! …look, I had to do it. I didn’t write about The Princess Bride; I had some Shampoo in my eyes. (I had to do that, too. Full of applesauce today, I am.) But in case you can never get enough of The Princess Bride, we have that. We … Continue reading
And onward we press, writing about the best films to open in years ending in “8.” This time, it’s 1988, the fourth year of my life, and also I guess a year filled with some pretty good movies, assuming that’s more important to you than preschool-aged Andy. Whatever. Priorities, right? I wrote a bit about Beetlejuice, … Continue reading
June has arrived, and also it’s about to end, the month-long worldwide celebrations of my birthday winding down* as I settle into my new age-number and look ahead to the rest of the year**. Thus, this, my Best Things halftime report, expanded once more from merely a ranking of film and TV to include music, … Continue reading
What do you do when you’re the person to make first contact with a highly advanced alien race from some unknown reach of the galaxy? Make room on your couch, pass the popcorn, and dig in for a movie marathon. Obviously. Continue reading
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to sit down with three local area critics for a round table interview with the wonderfully loquacious and energetic Joseph Kahn to talk about his latest film, the genre-blender Detention. Without hesitation, I’ll say that this happens to be one of my favorite releases of the year to date, and if … Continue reading
9‘s release marks the second film in 2009 to be released with Tim Burton‘s name on it. More accurately it’s the second film released in 2009 directed by God knows who because the sight of “Burton” leads easily fooled people into crediting it as his film. February’s Coraline (my review) experienced similar problems, though that … Continue reading
The average Joe, it seems, doesn’t understand the subtleties of time travel. They have no concept of the potential paradoxes that can arise from reckless behavior and brash actions; they are deluded enough to think that they can best causality. The hero of Timecrimes, Hector, is such a man; apparently, he has never watched Lost … Continue reading
If you didn’t know that you were watching the latest installment in the Harry Potter series, if you hadn’t bought the ticket yourself and sat through the opening credits, then the odds are good that you wouldn’t know what, exactly, you were watching in the film’s first scene, in which swirling black apparitions wreak havoc … Continue reading
What would really happen if Earth was to come into contact with life extra-planetary? District 9, Neil Blomkamp’s from-left-field science fiction thriller/faux-doc, asks us this question, and provides some very unsettling answers– along with some of the most intelligent and satisfying entertainment to be found in the summer crop of seasonal blockbusters. District 9 tells … Continue reading
Watching Frost/Nixon, I couldn’t get past a strange and completely unexpected feeling I had deep in my gut. Something about the movie took me by surprise; something below the surface, something that no one would really expect out of a political drama focusing on the series of interviews David Frost (Michael Sheen) did with disgraced … Continue reading
I should note that the following kind of maybe sort of verges on vaguely spoiler-ish territory, so read with caution. Up is a movie loaded with impressive accomplishment from the first frame to the last. Perhaps it’s most noteworthy effect is making an hour and a half long film feel like a two hour movie … Continue reading
Christian Bale’s career is experiencing a strange trend: He’s a leading man who never leads. He’s a star who gets up-staged by his supporting cast. In short: What is the damn point of Christian Bale being in movies? This trend started with The Dark Knight, where aside from the obvious raw impact of Heath Ledger’s … Continue reading
Welcome back, John Demme: After an inconsistent period in the 2000’s (including but not limited to the Manchurian Candidate remake, as well as the listless and uninspired The Truth About Charlie), the director has made what may be his strongest movie since the 90’s. Rachel Getting Married is a new high point in his career, … Continue reading
I had a revelation during Slumdog Millionaire: Danny Boyle, at some point in his life, either voluntarily or unwillingly fell into a toilet. Toilets, and people entering toilets, seem to have shaped much of Danny Boyle’s career as a filmmaker. His apparent obsession with putting actors into commodes, however, doesn’t speak to the quality or … Continue reading
I’m going to start this review with a basic question: Why are you reading this? Slasher films are notoriously polarizing– either you enjoy them or you don’t, and no review by any critic (“critic” in my case) is going to change that. If you like slashers, chances are you’re either thinking about seeing the latest … Continue reading
Sixteen years ago, a twisted little 3D animated film called The Nightmare Before Christmas hit theaters. Directed by Henry Selick, and written by the combined team of Caroline Thompson, Michael McDowell, and Tim Burton, Nightmare is a bizarre romantic children’s tale showcasing the efforts of the Pumpkin King (the King of Halloween) as he tries … Continue reading
A Constant Visual Feast 