Once Upon a Time in Mexico (review)

Man oh man. Once again, it all comes down to Johnny Depp. I know, this is supposed to be all about Rodriguez wrapping up the El Mariachi trilogy, putting some finishing touches on the whole revenge story, crossing Ts and dotting Is and being done with it. And then outta left field comes Depp, stealing the film from Antonio Banderas’s piercing gaze and deliciously impenetrable accent and Salma Hayek’s petulant pout and bodacious bod and Rodriguez’s explosions and slo-mo gunfights, taking what’s basically a supporting role and making the film all about him.

The Guys (review)

If you want an idea of what New York was like in the immediate days after 9/11, here you go. For me, it’s a shattering reminder — not that I need one — of that lost daze all us New Yorkers wandered around in for weeks in the fall of 2001. I pretty much start sobbing as *The Guys* opens, with footage from a firehouse security camera, one lone fireman in shorts standing on the sidewalk, just watching the world go by; the timestamp reads 09.11.01 8:48am, the last innocent moment before a shower of office paper starts to fall in the street.

DC 9/11: Time of Crisis (review)

If you get Showtime, just consider September’s subscription fee a donation to the Bush 2004 election campaign.

September 11 (review)

Eleven directors from around the world react to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, each film exactly 11 minutes, 9 seconds long (11-9 was the date in the inverted European system). The results are personal and political, abstract and straightforward, bittersweet and mournful, angry and searching: for an understanding of the attacks themselves and … more…

Tribeca ’03: The Wannabes (review)

A terrifying attempt at a children’s movie… or a horrible attempt at satire. It’s hard to tell which — either way, you should run in the other direction as fast as you can and never look back. Nick Giannopoulos is apparently the creator of “groundbreaking” live comedy in Australia, and here he makes his debut … more…

Tribeca ’03: The Look (review)

Oh dear. Director David Sigal and screenwriter Jean Mandel made a film about a bunch of vapid kids at a modeling competition, and the result is a vapid film. Unattractively naive and obsessed with themselves for so little reason, these teens see being sized up like livestock by the competition judges and abused by makeup … more…

Tribeca ’03: Justice (review)

All praise Evan Oppenheimer for daring to acknowledge what too many people tiptoe around: that black humor is often the best way to deal with grief. Another New Yorker coping with 9/11, Oppenheimer gives us a Manhattan comic book artist, Drew (Erik Palladino), who works through his own grief by creating a reactionary vigilante character … more…

Tribeca ’03: The Event (review)

Gay men are dying under suspicious circumstances in Manhattan, and district attorney Parker Posey is determined to prosecute someone. When one AIDS sufferer (Don McKellar) meets his death by apparent suicide, Posey is on the case, and what she finds is indescribably heartbreaking and unexpectedly comforting. Set in Chelsea and shot on DV in downtown … more…

Tribeca ’03: Catch That Girl! (review)

It’s a nonstop action movie for kids, featuring an appealing gang of misfits led by the spunkiest 13-year-old girl since Pippi Longstocking, so of course it’s slated for a Hollywood remake. I’m glad I had the chance to see the Danish original before it gets watered down and prettied up and made boring and bland. … more…