As Nazi artillery fire draws nearer, two opposites share an unlikely love
By Bill Gallo,
December 02, 2004
The Czech drama Zelary brings to mind Bertolt Brecht's pointed observation that "war is like love; it always finds a way." In this instance, war... More>>
If you've ever gone line-dancing with a gaggle of amputees on crank and hallucinogens, you know something of the feeling engendered by viewing... More>>
The most shocking thing about Kinsey, the first film from writer-director Bill Condon since 1998's Gods and Monsters, is how shocking it actually... More>>
As the year stumbles toward its conclusion and critics begin penning their best-and-worst compendiums, here's a holiday contender fit for the... More>>
Oh, that Johnny Depp. Played in some dime-a-dozen rock bands, did some average television, made a few cutesy little movies. Whatever. Yeah, he... More>>
Jerry Bruckheimer has always insisted he cares less about critical acclaim than about commercial appeal. "We make movies for the common man," he... More>>
There's nothing absurd about the appeal of SpongeBob's first movie
By Luke Y. Thompson,
November 18, 2004
At the bottom of the ocean, inside a giant pineapple, lives a yellow, oblong sponge who likes to blow bubbles, eat more ice cream than is good... More>>
The Polar Express breathes life into holiday characters
By Luke Y. Thompson,
November 11, 2004
Most articles written about The Polar Express have focused on its groundbreaking technology, which takes the process used to create Gollum in The... More>>
Salma's shorts get top billing in an otherwise unwatchable caper
By Bill Gallo,
November 11, 2004
The witless inanity of After the Sunset is so numbing that the sole reason for any living creature to sit through it -- man, woman or household... More>>
A taut psychological drama morphs into a thriller. Unfortunately.
By Melissa Levine,
November 11, 2004
There is something very important to know about Enduring Love that is not apparent from the title: It's a thriller. More specifically, it's a... More>>
The Incredibles gives a human face to animated superheroes
By Robert Wilonsky,
November 04, 2004
Myriad filmmakers have attempted in vain to film Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' comic book Watchmen since its initial publication in 1986, in which... More>>
Remake of Alfie gives misogynist character a makeover
By Robert Wilonsky,
November 04, 2004
Writer-director Charles Shyer's Alfie is less a remake of the 1966 film that made Michael Caine a star than it is a retooling that softens the... More>>
In Mike LeighÕs new film, motherhood is a very tricky business
By Melissa Levine,
November 04, 2004
How does Mike Leigh do it? The years pass; film fashions come and go; Hollywood churns its commercial pap. Careers sparkle; others fizz; whom the... More>>
A bitter wine freak makes an adorable hero in Alexander Payne’s Sideways
By Melissa Levine,
November 04, 2004
When was the last time you saw Paul Giamatti? And when the film ended, did you realize how much you would miss him? It was just last year that... More>>
Ray, director Taylor Hackford's 15-years-in-the-making biography of Ray Charles, begins as you might hope: with 1959's "What'd I Say (Part 1)"... More>>
It takes mighty big stones to name your horror movie Saw, knowing full well that that's popular fan-slang for Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw... More>>
A bishop's book becomes a powerful movie about hypocrisy and salvation
By JULIE LYONS,
October 28, 2004
If you aren't familiar with Bishop T.D. Jakes, it could only mean you're white or, like much of the entertainment industry and American media,... More>>
The Grudge bears the imprimatur of Sam Raimi, but alas, neither his sense of fun nor his smarts. The wunderkind director behind the Spider-Man... More>>
Warriors of Heaven and Earth makes you wait for the payoff
By Luke Y. Thompson,
October 21, 2004
Maybe you're one of the many who went to see Hero and were blown away. The historical Chinese setting, the attention to detail, the fights -- who... More>>
