“With a better director, The Chateau might have been a better film. As it is, watching old home movies may well be more entertaining. They’d certainly be better produced.” French Resistance Poor production values in culture-clash farce are non amusant A sort of cinematic paradox, The Chateau represents, to a degree, everything that’s good and bad with … Continue reading →

“There are no moments of miraculous self-discovery in Dark Blue, nor do any of the characters suddenly grow a conscience. Instead, as their own situations increasingly mirror the city’s own foreboding state of affairs, they experience brief moments of clarity, then struggle quietly to figure out the right thing to do.” Riot Act Racial unrest serves … Continue reading →

“I guess it’s only fair that black audiences are now bombarded with the same inconsequential fluff that’s been aimed at white moviegoers for years. There’s not a lick of dramatic heft in director Gary Hardwick’s Deliver Us From Eva, but, then again, there wasn’t any in Two Week’s Notice or Just Married, either. And, with competent performances by a … Continue reading →

“With his swoon-inducing good looks and charisma to spare, Brosnan makes, if not the best Bond ever, then a mighty close second.” 00-Crossed James Bond fights for his honor in Die Another Day It’s weird seeing James Bond behind the wheel of a vintage Thunderbird in Die Another Day. For his past three or four … Continue reading →

“Eminem commands the screen in his feature debut with an exhilarating performance that virtually dares viewers to look away.” Rapper Delights Eminem impresses in his big screen debut Gay activists can start gnashing their teeth and sharpening their battle-axes; with his stellar performance in 8 Mile, notorious fag-basher Eminem is about to attain a whole … Continue reading →

“By lulling viewers into a complacent trance before hitting them over the head, Van Sant skillfully heightens dramatic tension.” Elephant, an unsettling and thoroughly spellbinding new film from director Gus Van Sant, takes its name from the ancient parable of the blind men and the elephant. In the story, several blind men examine different parts … Continue reading →

“Despite the recurrent heavy-handedness, there’s no denying Evelyn has true heart. It’s just sometimes hard to find beneath all the sugar coating.” Hard Knock Life Pierce Brosnan takes on politicians and orphanages in Evelyn If you ever doubted the brilliance of our Founding Fathers, consider for a moment the separation of Church and State. With God officially … Continue reading →

“As one of his subjects enthusiastically puts it, ‘Charlie’s work reaches out and grabs you by the fucking balls.’ Pity the documentary about him doesn’t do the same.” Shooting To Thrill Documentary explores the career of fetish photographer Charles Gatewood Chances are, you’ve encountered a portrait by photographer Charles Gatewood at some point, even if … Continue reading →

“With a mesmerizing story even more peculiar than anything she ever committed to canvas, you’ll find yourself thinking again and again, ‘can this really be true?’ Amazingly, it is.” Surreal World  New biopic captures the spirit of  painter Frida Kahlo With Frida Kahlo, puppeteer-director Julie Taymor has found a live-action subject perfectly suited to her … Continue reading →

Titanic meets The Haunting in this tale of a salvage crew that discovers a seemingly deserted luxury liner still drifting at sea forty years after it mysteriously disappeared. Although the film teases with a clever opening (which easily qualifies as one of the most gleefully gruesome in recent memory), the action quickly reverts to standard horror-flick frivolity. … Continue reading →