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Something New (review)

Surely there will come a time when smart, talented, accomplished American women will tire of being told the reason they are unable to snag a man and wrangle a ring out of him is because of that enormous stick up their butts? Cuz, as one of those poor, benighted, unbeknighted gals, I can assure you … more…

The World’s Fastest Indian (review)

Burt Munro’s Big Adventure So, this is like Chariots of Fire, right, but set on the subcontinent, and one guy’s a Hindu and his rival is a Muslim? No? Oh, then this is surely about that one Apache warrior who went over to the other side to become a legendary Western Union telegram delivery guy … more…

The White Countess (review)

Help, Help, I’m Being Repressed! If you’re following the Academy Award buzz and all the attendant Hollywood-awards news, you may have heard that Rachel Weisz, who has been nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance in The Constant Gardener, is flummoxed by the lack of love for her costar in that film, … more…

Shortcuts

These reviews have moved — sorry for the inconvenience. Annapolis Big Momma’s House 2 Breakfast on Pluto Cheaper by the Dozen 2 Emmanuel’s Gift Fateless Fun with Dick & Jane King of the Corner Kings & Queen Lila Says (Lila Dit Ca) Something New

Annapolis (review)

There’s something comfortably familiar in this tale of a tough blue-collar young man trying to make his way on the right side of the tracks, and that’s just fine: this is solid B-movie stuff right outta the time when “B movie” wasn’t an insult but more a mark of quality craftsmanship. That said, the underrated … more…

Big Momma’s House 2 (review)

This is the kind of movie that reduces film critics to tears of frustration. Its idiocy is boundless, its senselessness without end, its unendurability beyond description, but trying to find a place to begin explaining why this is a sure and certain sign of the decline of American civilization is impossible — that doom is … more…

Roving Mars (review)

Eat Our Dust The first human being to walk on Mars doesn’t know it yet, but she is gonna see this movie on a school trip to a science museum and have her little eight-year-old mind blown. And the idea of Mars is gonna lodge itself in her head so that the only way she … more…

Nanny McPhee (review)

Hellza Poppins With full and uncomfortable knowledge the kind of crap that passes for children’s entertainment these days, I figured I was in for an excruciating time of it when Nanny McPhee opened with Colin Firth — Mr. Darcy himself! — taking a pratfall down a flight of stairs. I became further afeared when the … more…