reviews

Fast forward Almost Famous‘s groupie “band aids” 30 years, and you end up with Suzette, still a brash, tattooed party gal living from moment to moment, and Lavinia, now a respectable suburban mom and wife to an aspiring politician. Their former lives of sex — lots of sex — drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll catch … more…

Oh, dear. Somebody’s seen Nurse Betty too many times and thought he could do better. Ruedi Gerber’s “satire” on soap operas, the rabidness of their fans, and the insecurities of actors tries to make a desperately strained point about the line between healthy fantasy and unhealthy obsession, but it’s only desperately unfunny when it tries … more…

While it’s unlikely to change any minds on the subject of capital punishment, documentarian Liz Garbus’s disturbing examination of the execution of Wanda Jean Allen is worth a look by those on both sides of the issues, if only for the perspective it offers, one the public rarely sees. In jailhouse interviews and in her … more…

So ya gotta approach *City by the Sea* with a certain amount of trepidation. Sure, it’s got DeNiro and Frances McDormand, Goddess, and the Tormented Boy Wonder of the Moment, James Franco. But it’s also a ‘Franchise Pictures Presents.’

What has happened to our action heroes? I mean, my God. In less than 20 years, we’ve gone from charming, crazy bastards who wreak havoc in the name truth, justice, and the American way to remorseless, antisocial psychotics who wreak havoc because it’s fun and they’re getting paid buckets of money to do so. Are these the role models we want to be able to blame when our children “act up” and ‘jack the neighbors’ Benz? Has Hollywood lost all track of an easily defensible lack of moral focus?

Steven Soderbergh forced his cast to abide by a set of rules that sound a lot like what you and I have to trudge through every day: Drive yourself to work. Leave your friends at home. Dress yourself. Don’t be a big whiny baby.

So I’m really delighted and surprised to say that not only did I not roll my eyes once during *Possession,* I found it utterly compelling and devastatingly romantic and I didn’t ever want it to end.

But like the cute, charming guy you met in the supermarket who turned out to be such a common snore on your first (and only) date, *Blue Crush* ends up disappointing — all that potential squandered! It doesn’t take long for the story of smart and tough women to devolve into a slick, simplistic washout, all beautiful cinematography and standard sports platitudes. “When you fall off a wave, you gotta get right back on it again,” or something.

It’s bigger, it’s dumber, it’s more obvious, it’s less fun. It’s a sequel. Writer/director/just-about-everything-else-er Robert Rodriguez (The Faculty) makes big-budget movies on little budgets — he even does his own special effects on his iMac in his garage, or something — and so studios leave him alone to do his own thing. Which is good: … more…