Movie Reviews

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Disney Apocalypse: Why 2012 Sucks

By Alexander Zaitchik, Killing the Buddha. November 26, 2009.
Movie Mix: Even by the popsicle-stick standards of its genre, the disaster movie 2012 is so dumb you actually want everyone to die.

The Story of 500 Years of Global Greed and Misery

By Lucy Komisar, IPS News. November 23, 2009.
World: "The End of Poverty?", a documentary by Philippe Diaz, paints a lurid picture of globalization's role in the First World/Third World rift.

'Precious': How a Film About an Obese Harlem Teenager Turned the Tables on Hollywood

By Emily Wilson, The Women's Media Center. November 10, 2009.
Reproductive Justice and Gender: The success of this harrowing new movie undermines the conventional wisdom about what audiences want to watch.

Iraq Movie, 'The Hurt Locker' Is Generating Oscar Buzz: But Does It Deserve It?

By Jasmin Ramsey, AlterNet. November 4, 2009.
World: Critics have praised the film as a realistic, Academy Award-worthy piece of filmmaking. But is there really anything realistic about it?

Why I Like Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Body Better Than Jennifer's

By W. Scott Poole, Religion Dispatches. October 13, 2009.
Sex and Relationships: Has a new horror film about a murderous cheerleader subverted the mythos of woman as the source of evil or just the opposite?

'Inglourious Basterds': If You Survive the Boring Parts of Quentin Tarantino's New Film, It's Actually Really Good

By Eileen Jones, eXiled Online. August 29, 2009.
Movie Mix: It's all eye-poppingly impressive, and the relentlessness of it will still make you want it to stop as you head deep into hour three.

'The Cove:' Japan Has a Dark Secret It Hopes the World Will Never See

By Tara Lohan, AlterNet. August 6, 2009.
Water: Suspenseful and shocking film exposes the slaughter of tens of thousands of dolphins and the billion-dollar industry that profits from selling them.

'Moon': New Sci-Fi Movie Indicts Our Culture of Exploitation

By Michael Dudley, AlterNet. July 22, 2009.
Movie Mix: Duncan Jones' new film raises profound questions about the nature of our identities, as well as our relationships to our institutions.

Harry Potter and the Blah-Di-Blah-Blah

By Eileen Jones, eXiled Online. July 20, 2009.
Movie Mix: So Harry Potter, the latest one. How many more to go? Only two? Well, good, that means they'll finish up before the kids turn 30.

Sacha Baron Cohen's "Bruno" Is the Same Old Shtick

By Bill Gibron, PopMatters. July 11, 2009.
Ridiculing American rubes is like shooting fish in a barrel filled with Jell-O. The only "genius" involved is getting the public to buy it as scandal.

Up: This Time, Pixar Has Gone Too Far

By Eileen Jones, eXiled Online. June 3, 2009.
Movie Mix: Pixar, the inheritor of Disney's cheesy style, has been pushed to dangerously high glucose levels with their new animated film.

Motherhood, Sex, and a Woman's Deepest Fears

By Deborah Orr, Independent UK. May 28, 2009.
Sex and Relationships: The new Lars von Trier movie "Antichrist" makes us face our unhealthy assumptions about motherhood and sexuality.

'The Girlfriend Experience:' Is it Possible There's a Decent Movie About Sex Workers?

By Greta Christina, The Blowfish Blog. May 23, 2009.
Sex and Relationships: Thankfully it's not a romantic comedy or sappy morality play in which the prostitute leaves the business to be with the guy.

Terminator Salvation Will Win the Prize for Most Interesting Cast Names, Not Much Else

By Steve Burgess, The Tyee. May 23, 2009.
Movie Mix: Fourth in the killer robot series, the film takes place in a future controlled by machines. Could have used some more human movie-making skills.

"Screwing Their Brains Out": Plato's Retreat and the Rise of Swinging

By Cynthia Fuchs, PopMatters. April 16, 2009.
Sex and Relationships: A new film about Plato's Retreat shows how the swinger's club helped challenge gender stereotypes and regressive ideas about sex.

Why We Love/Hate "Chick Flicks"

By Melissa Silverstein, Women's Media Center. March 23, 2009.
Movie Mix: What's a film-loving feminist to do? Don't let the label deter. There are many films worth seeing that get pegged as chick flicks.

The Age of Stupid: New Film Gives Us a Painfully Realistic Look at Life in 2055

By Sean Pool, Climate Progress. March 19, 2009.
Water: The central premise: We would be the first life form to knowingly wipe itself out. What does that say about us?

"Slumdog Millionaire": A Hollow Message of Social Justice

By Mitu Sengupta, AlterNet. February 23, 2009.
Movie Mix: Despite all the hype, "Slumdog" delivers a patronizing and ultimately sham statement on social justice.

The Best Movies About Gays

By John Farr, Huffington Post. January 5, 2009.
Movie Mix: Here are some outstanding gay-themed films beyond the more evident mainstream titles.

"Milk": We Need Him Now More Than Ever

By Matt Budd, Huffington Post. November 26, 2008.
Movie Mix: Harvey Milk inspired hundreds of thousands of people in his lifetime. The new film "Milk" will let him reach millions more.

Quantum of Solace: New Bond Film an Enviro Thriller?

By Michael Fox, AlterNet. November 22, 2008.
Water: The scary fact is that the plot of the new Bond film is eerily true and an environmental nightmare.

Jesus Politics: Religion in the 2008 Election

By Cynthia Fuchs, PopMatters. November 13, 2008.
Movie Mix: A new documentary looks at the troubling -- and mystifying -- mix of religion and politics in America.

Oliver Stone's "W." -- A Catastrophe Worthy of the Worst President

By Eileen Jones, eXiled Online. October 22, 2008.
Media and Technology: You can practically feel Oilver Stone sitting behind you, breathing on the back of your neck and willing you to see the brilliance of his vision.

The Lee Atwater Story: Meet the Man Responsible for Karl Rove and the GOP's Hate-Driven Politics

By Isaac Fitzgerald, AlterNet. October 16, 2008.
Movie Mix: A new documentary by Stefan Forbes shows the origins of the GOP's playbook -- the manual of scare tactics on which McCain's campaign is based.

The Secret Lives of Contractors

By Allen McDuffee, AlterNet. October 3, 2008.
World: A new documentary depicts the struggles of the abused, exploited, and invisible migrant workers employed by military contractors in Iraq.

Calavera Highway: The Story of an All-American Mexican Family

By Kyle Hussein de Beausset, AlterNet. September 16, 2008.
Immigration: A new documentary reveals the realities faced by millions of people in trans-national communities.

Does "Working Girls" Still Work?

By Ariel Dougherty, On The Issues Magazine. September 5, 2008.
Sex and Relationships: Is a film about prostitution made in 1986 relevant to the realities of sex work today?

Hollywood Gets Muslims Wrong, Again

By Wajahat Ali, Huffington Post. August 29, 2008.
Movie Mix: "Traitor" tries to combine blockbuster plot mechanics with important, philosophical musings about our complex post 9-11 world: it fails.

I.O.U.S.A.: A Surprisingly Entertaining Look at America's Debt Crisis

By Jessica Mosby, The Wip. August 11, 2008.
Movie Mix: If you're willing to shell out the cash to see I.O.U.S.A., you'll be surprised at how enjoyable a film about America's economy can be.

Batman's Take on 9/11 Era Politics? Drop the Fearmongering

By Michael Dudley, City States. July 25, 2008.
Movie Mix: "The Dark Knight" warns against what happens when a society abandons its principles out of fear.

Sci-Fi Heroes Take on the System

By Roya Rastegar, ColorLines. July 9, 2008.
Movie Mix: Two new indie features blend science-fiction and political critique.

Will Smith's 'Hancock' Fiasco

By Eileen Jones, AlterNet. July 5, 2008.
Movie Mix: "Hancock" is supposed to be a wry commentary on the pressure of being Will Smith, but the message gets lost in a big-budget Hollywood train wreck.

WALL-E: A World Without Us

By Michael Dudley, City States. July 1, 2008.
Movie Mix: Stores are overfilling with WALL-E merchandise that will soon clog our landfills. Yet this new Disney movie bills itself as pro-environment.

Brick Lane: A Nuanced Look at an Arranged Marriage

By Melissa Silverstein, Women & Hollywood. June 24, 2008.
Movie Mix: Brick Lane tells a story rarely heard or seen in popular culture: an immigrant woman's experience in an arranged marriage.

"Uncounted" Shines Spotlight on Our Corrupt Voting System

By Marta Steele, OpEdNews.com. June 18, 2008.
Movie Mix: A must-see documentary for the large percentage of our population unaware that a large percentage of votes aren't counted.

Young and Restless in China

By Cynthia Fuchs, PopMatters. June 17, 2008.
Movie Mix: "Young & Restless" showcases the tension between capitalism's promises and realities in contemporary China.

If You Like Apocalypse Flicks, You Might Like Shyamalan's 'The Happening'

By Eileen Jones, AlterNet. June 16, 2008.
Movie Mix: M. Night Shyamalan's latest film is about an airborne mystery toxin that causes people to kill themselves -- and it's not bad.

Freedom and Feminism in Jennifer Fox's "Flying"

By Britt Wahlin, AlterNet. June 11, 2008.
Reproductive Justice and Gender: Filmmaker Jennifer Fox turned her camera on women around the world and came back with a radicalized view of feminism and freedom.

A Northern Family's Role in the Slave Trade

By Jessica Mosby, The Wip. June 10, 2008.
Rights and Liberties: Northerners are usually portrayed as benevolent abolitionists. But one woman tells a different story of slavery in the "deep north."

Indiana Jones: Is Spielberg Too Rich and Famous to Be Good Anymore?

By Eileen Jones, AlterNet. May 26, 2008.
Movie Mix: Spielberg's inventiveness fails a half-hour into the latest Indiana Jones, but the rest of the movie coasts on its zillion-dollar budget.

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