NYC Film Critic

Project Nim, James Marsh’s follow-up to his Oscar-winning documentary Man on Wire, is another well-told account of a lost slice of ’70s social history–this one about the chimpanzee Nim Chimpskee, who was at the center of a research project to determine whether a chimp could be raised to communicate like a human.  As the movie illustrates, neither the case study, nor Nim’s life, had a happy ending.  Read my review over at Film Journal.

Some thoughts on two very different movies currently playing in theaters.

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This week’s Television Without Pity round-up includes reviews of Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Larry Crowne, two DVD columns and a glimpse at the courses offered at Tom Hanks University.  Follow the links below.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Oh, the Humanity!
Larry Crowne: A Pop Quiz of a Review
I Want My DVD
TV on DVD
When The Third Time Really Is the Charm
What to Study at Tom Hanks U
Season 2 Casting Suggestions for Game of Thrones

Time for my weekly round-up of TWoP content, beginning with reviews of four big releases this weekend, including Cars 2 and Bad Teacher. Follow the links below:

Cars 2: World Gone Wrong
Bad Teacher: As Nasty As She Wants to Be
Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop: Team Coco Forever
A Better Life: Down and Out in East L.A.
Cameron Diaz’s Best Bad Moments
Five Ways to Modernize the Footloose Remake
I Want My DVD: July 21
TV on DVD: July 21
The Best Comedy Concert Films

My second week at Television Without Pity brings two reviews (including one of this week’s big blockbuster, Green Lantern), a couple blog posts and a photo gallery.  Follow the links below:

Green Lantern review
The Art of Getting By review
I Want My VOD
I Want My DVD
Famed Movie Underachievers
Memo to Hollywood
Worst Superhero Movie Costumes

As of this week, your trusty NYC Film Critic became the lead movies writer and general editor for the snark-tastic website Television Without Pity.  I’ll be posting daily reviews, interviews and other posts to the site, so drop by early and often.  My first batch of posts include a review of Super 8, the new J.J. Abrams small-town sci-fi picture, a piece about which reveals of alien monsters are the most effective and finally, a round-up listing which digital tweaks we’d make to recent movies in the wake of The Hangover Part II tattoo incident.

So what does this mean for this particular site?  Well, less original content for starters.  I may still post a few reviews now and then, but the bulk of my posting will be over at TWoP going forward.  I’ll make sure to provide regular links to that content here though, so it won’t be going entirely dormant.  But go ahead and update your bookmarks to include TWoP’s The Moviefile blog.  Look forward to seeing you all in my new digs!

X-Men: First Class
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
Screenplay by Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz, Jane Goldman, Matthew Vaughn
Starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, January Jones, Jennifer Lawrence
***

Fifth in production order but technically second in terms of continuity, X-Men: First Class, the latest feature starring Marvel Comics’ not-so-merry band of mutants, acts as a prequel to the first three X-pictures while running vaguely parallel to that Wolverine movie that stunk up theaters two summers ago.

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The Tree of Life
Written and Directed by Terrence Malick
Starring Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken, Sean Penn
****

Terrence Malick’s reclusive nature coupled with his infrequent forays into filmmaking guarantees that when he does make a movie, the anticipation level amongst his modest, but devoted fanbase will run high.  Even by Malick’s standards though, the excitement surrounding the director’s fifth feature The Tree of Life has been particularly intense.

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The Michael Bergmann-directed indie comedy Tied To a Chair offers an interesting set-up, but suffers mightily from a lack of follow through.  Read my review over at Film Journal.

Kung Fu Panda 2
Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson
Written by Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger
Starring Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan
***

When they first opened their doors in the late ‘90s, DreamWorks Animation initially tried to match Disney and the newly ascendant Pixar prestige picture for prestige picture.  Than a little blockbuster called Shrek came along and the studio promptly developed a new M.O.: creating pop-culture savvy comedies packed with big-name vocal talent.  2008’s Kung Fu Panda was one of the more successful of their post-Shrek efforts, a fleet-footed and cheerful send-up of chopsocky martial arts movies starring a menagerie of cute animals led by the titular kung fu fighting panda, Po (voiced by Jack Black).

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