|
|
 | Rebel Without a Beat Box Insightful and hilarious in equal measure, [b]The Wackness[/b] is a sure sign that a new, uniquely talented filmmaker, Jonathan Levine, has arrived. [b]The Wackness[/b] is a sweet-natured, coming-of-age-tale involving a teenage drug dealer trying to get by and get with the high-school girl of his dreams, all set against hip hop music (e.g., Method Man, Wu-Tang Clan, Notorious B.I.G.) and New York City, circa 1994.More |  | An Exceptional Coming-of-Age Tale Written and directed by Garth Jennings (one-half of Hammer & Tongs, a music video and commercials directing/producing duo), [b]Son of Rambow[/b] is an imaginative, occasionally daft, ultimately engrossing coming-of-age tale set in England during the 80s. With Gondry-inspired visuals, the best synth-pop tracks of the decade, note-perfect turns by its young cast, and an unfailingly honest, sometimes raw, depiction of teenagers and social cliques, [b]Son of Rambow[/b] is easily one of most refreshingly original films to come along this year (or any year for that matter).More |  | Informative, if Self-Indulgent, Documentary On February 20, 2005, Hunter S. Thompson, the father of “gonzo” journalism, took his own life at his “fortified compound” in Woody Creek, Colorado. He was 67. His death brought into sharp relief his despair with American politics (e.g., the invasion and occupation of Iraq by the Bush administration). As a charismatic, contradictory larger-than-life figure, Thompson has been the subject of numerous documentaries over the years.More |  | Flawed, But Promising Debut Directed by Sarah Gavron, making her feature-length debut, and adapted by Laura Jones and Abi Morgan from the controversial novel by Monica Ali, [b]Brick Lane[/b] explores the experiences of a Bangladeshi woman living in London’s Brick Lane community before and after the 9-11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Gavron crafts an often poignant, if borderline predictable and occasionally unfocused, character study that benefits from a warm, sympathetic turn by the lead actress, Tannishtha Chatterjee, and a willingness to ask questions about ethnic, religious, cultural, and gender identity in a post-9-11 world.More |  | Pixar Perfect (Again) In a summer movie season dominated by superheroes redefining the blockbuster, Pixar Animation Studios’ joins the blockbuster fray with [b]WALL•E[/b], the long-in-development, eagerly anticipated computer animated family film. Co-written and directed by Andrew Stanton ([b]Finding Nemo[/b]), [b]WALL•E[/b] is a Pixar film through and through: engaging characters, a meticulously crafted world, a universally appealing storyline, a strong underlying message (in this case, an environmental one), and enough humor, heart, wonder, and awe to fill an entire summer’s worth of blockbusters.More |  | Pandariffic Fun for the Whole Family First, there was kung fu, then there was wire-fu (e.g. [b]Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon[/b], the [b]Matrix[/b] trilogy), and now there's “panda fu”. While DreamWorks Animation’s [b]Kung Fu Panda[/b] doesn’t quite reach the mountaintop, it comes surprisingly close, thanks to a joke-and-gag filled script, inspired direction by Mark Osborne and John Stevenson, and impressively detailed computer animation.More |  | Genghis Khan: The Family Man Directed and co-written by prolific Russian filmmaker Sergei Bodrov ([b]Nomad[/b], [b]Bear’s Kiss[/b], [b]Prisoner in the Mountains[/b]), [b]Mongol[/b] is the first film in a planned trilogy that focuses on Genghis Khan, the Mongolian conqueror who, at one point, controlled more than a fifth of the Eurasian landmass. Nominated for Best Foreign Film at this year’s Academy Awards, [b]Mongol[/b] explores Genghis Khan’s early life, from his early childhood through his triumph over his Mongolian rivals, focusing primarily on Genghis Khan’s personal relationships over military tactics.More |  | It’s Austin Powers… In a Beard Directed by Marco Schnabel and written by Mike Myers (the [b]Austin Powers[/b] franchise, [b]Shrek[/b], [b]Wayne’s World I and II[/b]) and Graham Gordy, [b]The Love Guru[/b], Myers’ latest comedy/parody, this time centered on an American-born, Indian-raised self-help guru hoping to become the next Deepak Chopra is, contrary to expectations, sporadically amusing, often gross, and an occasionally entertaining effort by Meyers and his collaborators. [b]The Love Guru[/b] also skirts uncomfortably close to using one too many stereotypes about Indian culture.More |  | A Documentary for Surfers and Non-Surfers Alike [b]Surfwise[/b], a documentary directed by Doug Pray, explores the life and times of the Paskowitz clan, the “first family of surfing". Combining talking head interviews with 85-year old Dorian “Doc” Paskowitz, his wife, Janelle, and his nine children, archival footage, and photographs of Paskowitz and his family shot over the last fifty years, [b]Surfwise[/b] is nothing less than compelling filmmaking. It also doesn’t matter whether you’re a surfer or even if have a passing interest in surfing.More |  | Overbroad Satire Misses More than it Hits A personal project for writer-producer-actor John Cusack ([b]High Fidelity[/b], [b]Gross Pointe Blank[/b], [b]Say Anything[/b]), [b]War, Inc.[/b] is a political satire that’s acerbic, caustic, mordant, but hampered by a seen-that, know-that-already feeling and hit-or-miss gags that undercut its anti-war, anti-corporate, anti-corruption themes. [b]War, Inc.[/b] isn’t going to convince anyone who isn’t already on the center-left of the political divide to switch political allegiances and vote differently in the upcoming presidential election, but what the film does have is John Cusack's engaging, sympathetic performance.More |
|
