Knocked Up

Although it’s extremely funny in bursts, Judd Apatow's new comedy flirts once too often with schmaltz before toppling into melodrama in its third act.

"...Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Martin Starr and Harold Ramis. The attraction that exists between wisecracking, hirsute Jewish males and reserved,..."

June 1, 2007 Movie Review by Josh Rosenblatt

Gracie

Davis Guggenheim (director of An Inconvenient Truth) tells this more-or-less true story of one New Jersey girl's struggle to play soccer in the male-dominated sports world of the late Seventies.

"...story of the Shue family (Elisabeth and Andrew both act in the film, while Elisabeth's husband Guggenheim directs). Doubtless..."

June 1, 2007 Movie Review by Toddy Burton

Fracture

This legal thriller pits two brilliant actors against each other in a sustained battle of wills that has enough sizzle to keep us rapt even when the storyline sags.

"...can convey more with one flared nostril than most actors can express with their entire bodies working in overdrive...."

April 20, 2007 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

The Lookout

The Lookout, an odd caper story, marks Scott Frank’s directorial debut after years of working as a screenwriter on movies like Get Shorty and Out of Sight.

"...a little forgiveness. It’s been four years since an act of youthful recklessness resulted in a car wreck that..."

March 30, 2007 Movie Review by Josh Rosenblatt

The Last Mimzy

Solid performances elevate this mild but hardly magical children's sci-fi story.

"...to include references to homeland security and the PATRIOT Act and various New Age-y beliefs. Nevertheless, the plot raises..."

March 23, 2007 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Epic Movie

The filmmakers are completely tone-deaf when it comes to the art of film parody, and their special form of sadism-as-punch-line leaves the audience in a perpetual cringe.

"...them tortured, beaten, maimed, and mocked time and again act as a substitute for real comedy writing; why bother..."

Feb. 2, 2007 Movie Review by Josh Rosenblatt

Spike & Mike's Sick & Twisted Festival of Animation 2007

The boys are back with their hyper-filthy animation show.

"...Spike & Mike franchise. Unlike the solitary (or near-solitary) act of punching up obscene little animations via YouTube, S&M's..."

Jan. 19, 2007 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Little Children

A modern Emma Bovary and her should-have-been Mr. Right discover that while their suburban American lives may yet have a second act, it could well end up as a tragedy.

"...their archetypically American lives may yet have a second act, it could well end up as a tragedy. Little..."

Jan. 5, 2007 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Wrestling With Angels: Playwright Tony Kushner

Documentarian Freida Mock presents her subject as a play in three acts, but the academic and fragmented structure obscures the warmth of this playwright.

"...Vision) presents her subject as a play in three acts. There is Tony Kushner, the politically outspoken playwright, whose..."

Nov. 24, 2006 Movie Review by Marrit Ingman

Cocaine Cowboys

Documentary shows how Miami was once a sleepy seaside hamlet with a permeable border and largely unprotected coastline before the cocaine economy took over.

"...a bit of a structural hitch in the third act as the film turns to Jorge “Rivi” Ayala, a..."

Nov. 10, 2006 Movie Review by Marrit Ingman

Zen Noir

A hard-boiled detective investigates a murder at a Buddhist monastery.

"...out of old Hollywood – just out for the facts ma’am – but he soon finds his linear line..."

Oct. 13, 2006 Movie Review by Josh Rosenblatt

The Last Kiss

You could say Paul Haggis' The Last Kiss is something of a Garden State redux, but Zach Braff's character here is less fanciful, less melodramatic, and far more prone to doing the thoughtless things men tend to do.

"...architect who appears content with his life and the fact that he and his longtime girlfriend, Jenna (Barrett), are..."

Sept. 15, 2006 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Calvaire

Belgian horror romp Calvaire is so dead-set on being disturbing that it ends up tripping over its own hobbled feet and evoking fewer gasps than curdled little giggles.

"...suspense to keep viewers engaged, that the horrific final act is too little, too late, while at the same..."

Sept. 8, 2006 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

The Ant Bully

Childhood's fascination with all things small and squirmy makes this story of a boy who becomes an ant a pleasant, if undernourished, tale.

"...his ant "mentor," Hova (Roberts), climaxing in an airborne third-act battle with Giamatti's stogie-chomping exterminator. Director Davis has previously..."

July 28, 2006 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Scoop

Woody Allen's second British film with Scarlett Johansson finds the director falling back into the rut he carved for himself with every forgettable comedy since the underrated Deconstructing Harry.

"...and to his discovery of a new muse in actress Johansson. Judging from his follow-up, Scoop, the novelty of..."

July 28, 2006 Movie Review by Brian Clark

America: Freedom to Fascism

Although grounded in Libertarian theory, this documentary by producer-turned-director Aaron Russo presents provocative material about the perceived illegality of income taxes – and various freedom-restricting consequences of the new world order.

"...film segues into the evils of the USA PATRIOT Act, electronic voting machines, national ID cards, and the new..."

July 28, 2006 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

You, Me and Dupree

The story of the houseguest who won't leave gets another reworking in this diverting yet disposable Owen Wilson vehicle.

"...make sure to show that wedding.” To point, the actual quality of You, Me and Dupree probably won’t impact..."

July 14, 2006 Movie Review by Brian Clark

I Am a Sex Addict

If you leave the theatre with that awkward too-much-information feeling after peering into the director's self-exposed psyche, you will also remember his high-wire act that combines fact and fiction, drama and self-deprecating humor, honesty and self-delusion.

"...definite turnoffs, you will also remember Zahedi’s breathtaking high-wire act that combines fact and fiction, drama and self-deprecating humor,..."

June 23, 2006 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

The Lake House

This tale of magical realism has potential for delightful originality, but the Sandra Bullock-Keanu Reeves love story lacks heat and the science fiction premise spirals into senselessness.

"...the science fiction premise spirals into senselessness, and the third-act twist is alarmingly apparent within the first 10 minutes..."

June 16, 2006 Movie Review by Toddy Burton

The Da Vinci Code

Faithful adaptation of Dan Brown's bestseller treats the novel as if it were a sacred text even though it's basically a Hardy Boys mystery dressed up in provocative attire.

"...of keeping up the film's pace (by the third act, however, the movie falters badly), and an outstanding job..."

May 26, 2006 Movie Review by Steve Davis

Lonesome Jim

Steve Buscemi directs this story about a lovable loser who moves back in with his off-kilter family in Indiana.

"...Jack Rovello, Rachel Strouse and Sarah Strouse. The unforgettable character actor Steve Buscemi has been developing a solid sideline..."

April 28, 2006 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Hard Candy

Metaphorically speaking, Little Red Riding Hood eats Humbert Humbert in this story of an online predator and his jailbait, gamine prey.

"...devolves into shrill, jittery horror-show theatrics by the third act, complete with torture, nasty home-surgery disasters, and a morally..."

April 28, 2006 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Battle in Heaven

Hot new Mexican director Carlos Reygadas is back with his second feature which pushes his unflinching imagery into provocative realms.

"...me. There are also sequences of graphically hardcore sexual acts – in fact the film opens with a long,..."

April 7, 2006 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Game 6

Novelist Don DeLillo's first foray as a screenwriter uses the legendary sixth game of the 1986 World Series as the central metaphor in this film starring Michael Keaton and Robert Downey Jr.

"...kudos for Downey Jr. and Dunne, who create intriguing characters from a bundle of quirks. Yet there is no..."

April 7, 2006 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Ice Age: The Meltdown

An exercise in the superfluous, this sequel lacks the original film’s geniality – and all of its pro-environment stumping.

"...but now climatology takes a beating, too? The same characters that ushered in the Ice Age in this series’..."

March 31, 2006 Movie Review by Kimberley Jones

ATL

Wicked smart examination of black kids in modern Atlanta features talented young actors navigating the circuitous path to adulthood while spending their downtime at the local roller rink.

"...and Keith David. An urban drama featuring talented young actors navigating the circuitous path to adulthood while spending their..."

March 31, 2006 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Bee Season

Myla Goldberg’s novel about spelling-bee fever, a family in chaos, and religious/mystic exploration arrives on the screen with all its faults intact but few of its charms.

"...exploration arrives on the screen with all its faults intact, but few of its charms. This is second-rate Hallström,..."

Nov. 18, 2005 Movie Review by Kimberley Jones

Dorian Blues

Dorian Blues has wit, humor, good performances, and clever technique, which catapult the film into the front ranks of coming-out movies.

"...attend NYU as a freshman. Here the movie’s third act goes astray as the storyline shifts to Dorian’s dating..."

Nov. 18, 2005 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Capote

While Capote is a good film, it hasn’t closed the book on the subject, even though the performances are undeniably great.

"...allow, and thus In Cold Blood is born. With characteristic self-promotional bombast, Capote predicts the as yet unwritten book..."

Oct. 28, 2005 Movie Review by Kimberley Jones

North Country

Charlize Theron stars in this fictionalized, rousing, but nevertheless predictable account of the first class-action sexual discrimination suit.

"...well, which North Country does until it hits some third-act stumbles. The film is a fictionalized rendering of the..."

Oct. 21, 2005 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

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