The voyeuristic nature of a powerful government is a theme rarely tackled in film. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, director of the elegant and powerfully subdued “The Lives of Others,” should be commended on making a film that has timely themes without resorting to the hysterics and self-importance other directors think are the benchmarks of good [...]
“You did a bad thing,” an elderly mother tells her son who has been released from prison after exposing himself to a minor. “That doesn’t mean you’re a bad person.” Director Todd Field’s satiric yet brooding “Little Children” has the audacity to make three-dimensional human beings out of pedophiles and adulterers. The film, based on [...]
“Bridge to Terabithia,” if the previews are to be believed, is a fantastical Narnia-esque tale of two young adventurers discovering uncharted lands inhabited by fierce and benevolent CGI creatures who take them away from their ordinary lives. Fortunately, previews lie. In reality, the film tells the story of a girl, Leslie Burke (AnnaSophia Robb), who [...]
“I Think I Love My Wife,” the new film starring, co-written and directed by Chris Rock, seems to adhere to the American idea that European art equals legitimate art. If a film is in a Romance language and is devoid of all the fancy trappings of Hollywood, in many people’s minds, it is above derision. [...]
Sandra Bullock’s new headlining project “Premonition” isn’t half as bad as some elitist critics might suggest. There are even moments in this nonlinear thriller — which survives almost solely on Bullock’s raw charisma — that are actually downright, well, thrilling. Linda Hanson (Bullock), the film’s protagonist, is a confused woman. She answers the door one [...]
Director Zack Snyder’s “300” is a video gamer’s wet dream. Blood-drenched and viscerally eye-popping, the film is almost all action, all the time, with some sex scenes thrown in for good measure. Put plainly, this movie has enough testosterone pumping through its veins to be banned from the MLB for life. Why Hollywood didn’t cash [...]
Despite director Joel Schumacher’s best efforts, “The Number 23” is an ambitious but muddled failure. The screenplay is structured after the “23 Enigma,” which states that all significant events, names, dates and times are somehow connected to the number 23. The movie is a clever enough psychological thriller about a book with the ability to [...]
