Attack the Block

Smart, quick, funny, and economical, Attack the Block is an alien-invasion movie that's a breed apart.

"...interiors, and coaxes compelling performances from his numerous inexperienced actors. The film moves at a breakneck pace, and much..."

July 29, 2011 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Scream 4

This reboot of the franchise is too self-referential for its own good.

"...way through a new crop of attractively pithy young actors just like before. (Or is he a her? Or..."

April 22, 2011 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Rubber

Rubber is a movie about a sentient, telekinetic, and homicidal tire on a rampage.

"...proxy. Kudos, then, to Dupieux, to his very game actors, and most of all to Magnolia Pictures’ subdivision, Magnet..."

April 1, 2011 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Rabbit Hole

In the wake of their child's death, a couple tries to claw their way back to "normal" life.

"...As Mitchell rises to the occasion, so do the actors: Rabbit Hole is a finely detailed ensemble showcase. The..."

Jan. 14, 2011 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Gulliver's Travels

In this update of the satiric Jonathan Swift novel, Jack Black plays s travel writer who becomes lost on the island of Lilliput.

"...other state-of-the-art special effects, and careless direction of the actors, who often sound as though they’re talking (albeit in..."

Dec. 31, 2010 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

N-Secure

In this indie drama about affluent urban professionals in Memphis, an abusive and obsessive man makes life complicated for the women in his life.

"...the mark, even though it cribs many of its actors from various Perry movies. David Washington (Moore) is a..."

Oct. 22, 2010 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Case 39

Renée Zellweger stars as a social worker who protects a child whose family has created dark forces around her.

"...you can say, "Rosemary's ba…!" various and sundry character actors begin dying in horrible ways. Nothing so horrible, mind..."

Oct. 8, 2010 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole

The director of Watchman and 300 makes his first 3-D animated movie about a young owl caught between warring factions.

"...as Watchmen and 300, assembles top British and Australian actors for the vocal talent, but Legend of the Guardians..."

Oct. 1, 2010 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Lebanon

This brutally real-feeling Israeli film about the war in Lebanon in 1982 received the top prize at the Venice Film Festival in 2009.

"...at barrels. They are a combustible mix, and the actors, aided by the nimble cinematographer Giora Bejach, ably convey..."

Sept. 24, 2010 Movie Review by Kimberley Jones

Life During Wartime

Todd Solondz revisits the family from his film Happiness, but the characters are all played by different actors, and the result is no less disconcerting.

"...one catch: All the characters are played by different actors. If you haven't watched Happiness in 12 years, it's..."

Aug. 20, 2010 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

The Switch

Jennifer Aniston does the turkey-baster thing with a donor's sperm, but seven years later the joke is on her.

"...film. It's not, but it has two supporting character actors – Goldblum and Lewis – who are just casually..."

Aug. 20, 2010 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

The Killer Inside Me

Director Michael Winterbottom makes some fatal storytelling miscalculations in this screen adaptation of Jim Thompson's novel that stars Casey Affleck, Jessica Alba, and Kate Hudson.

"...here. In addition to Affleck, none of the supporting actors are well-served by Winterbottom’s direction. Alba is pure pulchritude;..."

July 30, 2010 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Mother and Child

Naomi Watts, Annette Bening, and Kerry Washington lead a wonderful ensemble cast in this muzzy look into the rigors of adoption.

"...pregnant teen involved in an open adoption, though such actors as Brenneman, Morse, Merkerson, and Peña elevate the film..."

June 18, 2010 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Killers

Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl play a married couple, but the wife doesn't know her husband is a government assassin. Comedy ensues.

"...strength of its eye-candy casting of two handsome former models-turned-actors, Heigl and Kutcher. Both have in common a limited..."

June 11, 2010 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Iron Man 2

Despite a high tech sheen and an excellent but overstuffed cast, this sequel feels more like a setup for the upcoming Avengers movie than its own picture.

"...cast of characters, played by some of the best actors in the land, this mega-mecha melee manages to give..."

May 7, 2010 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Ajami

This Oscar-nominated Israeli film reveals not only the divides between Jews and Arabs, but also those between Muslims and Christians, young and old, men and women, and rich and poor.

"...Holy Land. Working with a battalion of mostly nonprofessional actors and a bare-bones script (allowing for improvisation), these two..."

April 23, 2010 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Our Family Wedding

This is a formulaic wedding comedy about mismatched families, but thanks to several appealing performances, this rote exercise turns out better than most.

"...exercise turns out better than most. Foremost among the actors is Academy Award-winner Whitaker in a surprising comic turn..."

March 12, 2010 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Saint John of Las Vegas

Although the film sounds like a sure bet on paper, this comedy starring Steve Buscemi sadly comes up solid snake eyes.

"...little narrative logic or coherence, zero chemistry among the actors, and most sinfully, a scarcity of genuine humor. Beloved..."

Feb. 12, 2010 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

When in Rome

Kristen Bell stars as a woman who pulls three coins from a fountain … and three new beaus in the process.

"...with Beth. The suitors are played by well-known comic actors – Arnett is a tortured artist, Shepard a preening..."

Feb. 5, 2010 Movie Review by Kimberley Jones

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

The real Parnassus of this story is director Terry Gilliam, who salvaged his movie despite the sudden death of his star, Heath Ledger, midway through shooting.

"...filming. Concocting a scenario that almost works seamlessly, three actors – Depp, Farrell, and Law – were enlisted to..."

Jan. 8, 2010 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Nine

Quick. Put down that Victoria's Secret catalog. More women in corsets are on display in this musical than on any lingerie catwalk in your dreams.

Dec. 25, 2009 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Me and Orson Welles

Richard Linklater has crafted a joyful period charmer about that moment before a boy becomes a man and another man becomes a mythological figure.

"...to ice-in-his-veins slayer of baby dragons such as disposable actors and mewling rival suitors (the bigger dragons, Welles' fraught..."

Dec. 11, 2009 Movie Review by Kimberley Jones

New York, I Love You

The central thesis in this ominibus of short films is that New York is not its landmarks or its landscape; New York is its people.

"...really necessary for the filmmakers to assemble such irritating actors to personify said city? Short to short, it’s a..."

Nov. 6, 2009 Movie Review by Kimberley Jones

Paris

Paris, from the French director of When the Cat's Away, follows a half-dozen-plus Parisians and their interconnectedness.

"...the man has a stylish eye – or the actors' performances. To a one, they're terrific. But in this..."

Oct. 9, 2009 Movie Review by Kimberley Jones

District 9

Aliens-on-earth tale is wrenching, riveting, violent and best of all, a love story

"...CGI effects alongside flat-out perfect performances from its flesh-and-blood actors, and, best of all, it's a love story. In..."

Aug. 14, 2009 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Little Ashes

Robert Pattinson costars as Salvador Dalí in this sexually speculative history of the artist's student years spent with friends, Federico García Lorca and Luis Buñuel.

"...(Beltrán), Salvador Dalí (Pattinson), and Luis Buñuel (McNulty). The actors give the effort their all, and Pattinson particularly stands..."

Aug. 7, 2009 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

We're still wild about Harry, even though this new adventure prefers to flush pink with its lovesick teens than forward-thrust toward the mammoth battle of good vs. evil.

"...Friday, Hermione Granger – has grown from stuttering child actors – mere babes! – into confident, even subtle performers..."

July 17, 2009 Movie Review by Kimberley Jones

The Girlfriend Experience

Steven Soderbergh directs this DV-cam look at the life of a high-end Manhattan call girl (played by porn star Sasha Grey).

"...platforms. As with Bubble, The Girlfriend Experience uses nonprofessional actors, aside from lead Grey, who is the acclaimed star..."

May 22, 2009 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Rudo y Cursi

Y Tu Mamá También actors Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna reteam for this cautionary tale about soccer-playing brothers.

"...and Jessica Mas. Anyone noticing the reteaming of Mexican actors Bernal and Luna who comes expecting this film to..."

May 15, 2009 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Moscow, Belgium

Barbara Sarafian’s jaundiced but stoic portrait of exasperated middled-age womanhood is the big revelation of this Belgian import.

"...exasperated middle-aged womanhood is a small revelation. Where most actors look to the grand moments in a script to..."

April 10, 2009 Movie Review by Josh Rosenblatt

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