Archive for July, 2010
Saturday, July 31st, 2010
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The August Recess
NYC Film Critic is taking an early August break, but before I go I’m leaving you with a batch of reviews for movies opening over the next two weeks, including my take on Edgar Wright’s much-anticipated (by me at least) Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, along with capsules of smaller releases like Get Low and [...]
Comments Off - Posted in Film Review, NYC Film Critic by Ethan
Friday, July 30th, 2010
Schmucks on Parade
40-Year-Old Virgin co-stars Paul Rudd and Steve Carell reunite for Dinner for Schmucks a somewhat funny, somewhat obnoxious remake of a French farce. Read my review at Film Journal.
Comments Off - Posted in Film Journal International, Film Review by Ethan
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010
From Russia With Love
Salt
Directed by Phillip Noyce
Written by Kurt Wimmer
Starring Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chewitel Ejiofor
**1/2
Between The A-Team, The Karate Kid and Predators the summer of 2010 has been looking a whole lot like the summer of 1988. And here’s one more ‘80s throwback for you, Salt, a new thriller about a squad of Soviet spies [...]
Comments Off - Posted in Film Review, NYC Film Critic by Ethan
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010
A Pilgrim’s Tale
One of the best things about this gig is the opportunity to speak with filmmakers whose work I admire and enjoy. Folks like Guillermo Del Toro, Terry Gilliam, Nick Park and now Edgar Wright, who directed the brilliant comedies Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz and is currently awaiting the release of his latest [...]
Comments Off - Posted in Features, Film Journal International by Ethan
Thursday, July 15th, 2010
Mind Games
Inception
Written and Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Leonard DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe.
***
Heist movies are only as good as their climactic heist and in Inception, writer/director Chris Nolan comes up with an ingenious one. Seizing on the gimmick of dreams Nolan stages a heist that takes place across four different dreamscapes, [...]
Comments Off - Posted in Film Review, NYC Film Critic by Ethan
Wednesday, July 14th, 2010
Family Ties
The Kids Are All Right
Directed by Lisa Cholodenko
Written by Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg
Starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson
***
I wonder how many of the critics that are rushing to praise Lisa Cholodenko’s admittedly enjoyable comedy The Kids Are All Right as something fresh and different are also regular viewers of [...]
Comments Off - Posted in Film Review, NYC Film Critic by Ethan
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
Harry Potter He Ain’t
Nicolas Cage and Jay Baruchel headline Jerry Bruckheimer’s latest attempt to find the next Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Read my review over at Film Journal.
Comments Off - Posted in Film Journal International, Film Review by Ethan
Friday, July 9th, 2010
Fire Walk With Her
The Girl Who Played with Fire
Directed by Daniel Alfredson
Written by Jonas Frykberg
Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist, Annika Hallin, Per Oscarsson
**
At this point, I’ve more or less decided that I’ll be following along with Stieg Larsson’s blockbuster Millennium trilogy via the film adaptations rather than the bestselling books.
Comments Off - Posted in Film Review, NYC Film Critic by Ethan
Thursday, July 8th, 2010
You’re Despicable!
Despicable Me
Directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud
Written by Ken Daurio and Sergio Pablos
Starring Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Will Arnett, Kristen Wiig
**1/2
This might sound strange, but the movie that came to mind while watching the new animated romp Despicable Me was Woody Allen’s “first” feature What’s Up Tiger Lily?
Comments Off - Posted in Film Review, NYC Film Critic by Ethan
Thursday, July 8th, 2010
Predator Drones
Back after a lengthy hiatus caused by the recent holiday as well as a general lack of interest in last week’s big releases…I think they had something to do with an eclipse and an airbender. Kicking the weekend off is a review of Predators, the summer surprise I’ve been waiting for. This updating of the [...]
