Wed 7 Apr 2010

Different Strokes

Posted by Ethan under Film Review, NYC Film Critic
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Women Without Men
Directed by Shirin Neshat
Starring Pegah Ferydoni, Arita Shahrzad, Shabnam Tolouei, Orsi Toth
**1/2

Women Without Men is the kind of movie I always feel slightly guilty about not liking more.  A beautifully filmed, richly allegorical picture set against the backdrop of the 1953 coup that replaced Iran’s Prime Minister with the Shah, the film has clearly been crafted with care as well as an intensely critical eye, which is more than you can say for most slapdash big-budget vehicles like, say, The Bounty Hunter, or even an enjoyable indie diversion like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

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Mon 5 Apr 2010

Hollywood and Whine

Posted by Ethan under Film Review, NYC Film Critic
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Greenberg
Directed by Noah Baumbach
Starring Ben Stiller, Greta Gerwig, Rhys Ifans
***1/2

After the disappointing critical and commercial response to Margot at the Wedding (a movie that I actually liked quite a bit), it would have been completely understandable had Noah Baumbach chosen to bounce back by accepting a work-for-hire gig on an upbeat tweenybopper romance or a madcap buddy picture…you know, something lighthearted and fun starring characters that viewers actually like.

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Thu 1 Apr 2010

Titans Assemble!

Posted by Ethan under Film Journal International, Film Review
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Those wacky Greek gods are butting heads again in the new Clash of the Titans and its up to Perseus to save the day once more.  (Too bad he leaves the robot owl at home.)  Read my review over at Film Journal.

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Thu 1 Apr 2010

Animation Nation

Posted by Ethan under Film Review, NYC Film Critic
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Waking Sleeping Beauty
Directed by Don Hahn
***

Since it was produced and distributed by Walt Disney Studios, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the new documentary Waking Sleeping Beauty essentially plays like a traditional Disney animated picture.

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Thu 25 Mar 2010

Tubthumping

Posted by Ethan under Film Journal International, Film Review
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Four guys, the ’80s and a hot tub time machine.  My review of the agreeably dumb comedy over at Film Journal.

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Wed 24 Mar 2010

New Directors/New Films Round-Up

Posted by Ethan under Film Festivals
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Along with the venerable New York Film Festival, one of the highlights of Lincoln Center’s renowned Film Society’s annual schedule is New Directors/New Films, a packed line-up of new films from debuting directors or filmmakers with only one or two other credits to their names.

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Wed 24 Mar 2010

A Tale of Two Nations

Posted by Ethan under Film Review, NYC Film Critic
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Reviews of the new documentaries Kimjongilia and Ghost Town

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Thu 18 Mar 2010

Brokeback Sand Dune

Posted by Ethan under Features, Film Journal International
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Jerry Bruckheimer made pirates cool again, but can he do the same thing for ancient Persian princes?  Especially when that ancient Persian prince is played by…um, Jake Gyllenhaal?  We’ll have to wait until May 28 to find out whether Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is the next Pirates of the Carribbean, but in the meantime you can read more about the movie courtesy of my interviews with Bruckheimer and director Mike Newell over at Film Journal.

“Princes & Sorcerers”: A Q&A with Jerry Bruckheimer
“Arabian Nights”: A Q&A with Mike Newell

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Thu 18 Mar 2010

Mutiny Over The Bounty Hunter

Posted by Ethan under Film Review, NYC Film Critic
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The Bounty Hunter
Directed by Andy Tennant
Starring Jennifer Aniston, Gerard Butler, Jason Sudeikis and Christine Baranski
*

If you’ve seen the trailers for The Bounty Hunter then you’ve already seen the movie because those two-minute spots encapsulate everything that happens during the film’s 110-minute runtime.

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Thu 18 Mar 2010

Tattoo You

Posted by Ethan under Film Review, NYC Film Critic
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The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Directed by Niels Arden Oplev
Starring Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre and Sven-Bertil Taube
**1/2

If 2009 was the year of the animated film–with such stellar romps as Up, Coraline and Fantastic Mr. Fox delighting critics and audiences–2010 is shaping up to be the year of the thriller.

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