Movie Reviews

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Queer Love Goes Mainstream

By Aldrich Tan, Pop and Politics. January 18, 2006.
WireTap: Thankfully, we've reached a hopeful point where 'Brokeback Mountain' can be one of the country's top ten films and score four Golden Globe awards.

The Morality of 'Munich'

By Jordan Elgrably, AlterNet. December 24, 2005.
Movie Mix: Spielberg's startling new film, 'Munich,' is an incisive argument against the use of violence to resolve the Mideast conflict.

Woody's Women

By Marisa Meltzer, AlterNet. December 23, 2005.
Movie Mix: Allen's new film 'Match Point' makes one yearn for his feisty female characters of yore.

A Holiday Classic For City Dwellers

By Jay Walljasper, Ode. December 23, 2005.
Movie Mix: Has the power of TV and movies played a role in turning Americans away from cities and public spaces?

Cowboys in Love

By Lakshmi Chaudhry, In These Times. December 16, 2005.
Movie Mix: The film 'Brokeback Mountain' is a cinematic example of a fast-dying phenomenon: love stories of tragic proportions.

A Different Kind of Family Reunion

By Cynthia Fuchs, PopMatters. December 6, 2005.
Media and Technology: Instead of breaking new ground, the film 'Transamerica' settles for the tired, old version of the 'alternative family.'

The Joke's On Us

By Noy Thrupkaew, The American Prospect. December 3, 2005.
Movie Mix: Full of uncomfortable truths about American racism, Sarah Silverman's Jesus is Magic would benefit from a bit more structure and a bit less of a 'bigot, doodie, fuck spree.'

The Best Intentions

By Stuart Klawans, The Nation. November 29, 2005.
Movie Mix: The new George Clooney political thriller, Syriana, paints a picture of individuals crushed by the machinery but leaves little room for hope.

A Woman in Command

By Juliette Terzieff, AlterNet. November 8, 2005.
Media and Technology: In ABC's 'Commander in Chief,' Geena Davis proves that a woman in the Oval Office can be just as tough as the big boys -- but is that what the presidency is really about?

The Psyche of Suicide Bombers

By Hala Shah, Beliefnet. November 4, 2005.
Movie Mix: In 'Paradise Now,' Palestinian filmmaker Hany Abu-Assad explores what motivates people to end their lives by killing others.

The Strongman's Story

By Noy Thrupkaew, The American Prospect. October 21, 2005.
Media and Technology: A new documentary about Peru's former leader Alberto Fujimori may ping American viewers with uncomfortable similarities to our own war on terrorism.

Little White Romance

By Anthony Kaufman, AlterNet. September 1, 2005.
Movie Mix: The Constant Gardener's critique of big pharma is weakened by its reliance on the white-romance-in-Africa plot device.

Winter Soldiers' Stories

By Nina Berman, AlterNet. August 25, 2005.
Media and Technology: A rereleased 1971 documentary offers firsthand accounts of Vietnam soldiers who witnessed -- and committed -- barbaric acts of brutality as part of their 'tour of duty.'

Joking Along Color Lines

By Sheerly Avni, Pacific News Service. August 24, 2005.
Media and Technology: As 'The Aristocrats' opens nationwide, co-director Paul Provenza explains why Chris Rock and Whoopi Goldberg are the only blacks in his documentary.

Ten Hollywood Movies That Get Women Right

By Sheerly Avni, AlterNet. August 12, 2005.
Media and Technology: Forget empowering, encouraging, affirming or celebrated -- here are ten movies that feature real women.

'Rizing' Above?

By Laura Barcella, AlterNet. August 8, 2005.
Movie Mix: David LaChapelle's new documentary chronicles the evolution of a dance craze in South Central L.A. -- but skims over harder questions about race.

A Self-Made Death

By Monica Mehta, AlterNet. July 26, 2005.
Movie Mix: Tonight's PBS documentary makes the case that the end of life is something we should be preparing for -- and not just with a 401(k).

Can White Hollywood Get Race Right?

By Jeff Chang, Sylvia Chan, AlterNet. July 19, 2005.
Movie Mix: Film critics proclaimed 'Crash' one of the best recent movies about race. Our cultural critics disagreed; so they sat down, Ebert and Roeper-style, to make their case.

A Community Divided

By Monica Mehta, AlterNet. July 7, 2005.
Media and Technology: In PBS' 'The Fire Next Time,' a small Montana town is torn apart by land-use issues and right-wing talk radio -- until a documentary filmmaker highlights the messages of hatred.

Ripples of Change in Indian Film

By Sandip Roy, Pacific News Service. June 30, 2005.
Movie Mix: In India, films depicting homosexuality have been censored or ignored. But 'My Brother Nikhil' is moving audiences to tears by focusing on family, love, and the impact of HIV.

U.S. Politics in "A Galaxy Far, Far Away"

By Brian Fanelli, WireTap. June 22, 2005.
WireTap: The original 'Star Wars' trilogy was revolutionary, but decidedly apolitical. Lucas' latest take is awash in political meaning, some of it quite relevant to the present day.

Coming of Age

By Jon Frosch, AlterNet. May 6, 2005.
Movie Mix: In Mysterious Skin, Gregg Araki -- best known for films reveling in noisy sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll, finds his rhythm, presenting a disturbing, exceptionally tender, and mature exploration of adolescent male sexuality.

Rediscovering Douglas Adams' DNA

By Patrick Schabe, PopMatters. May 2, 2005.
Media and Technology: While the big-screen release of 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' is merely another step in the nearly 30-year evolution of this story, its release is both bittersweet and instructive.

Seeing Is Believing

By Noy Thrupkaew, AlterNet. April 22, 2005.
Movie Mix: As a new documentary shows, at Enron, perception was reality. And through the lens of free-market capitalism and deregulation, with the help of multiple shady plots, all that could be seen was piles and piles of money.

Trailer of Tears

By Nikki Finke, LA Weekly. April 7, 2005.
Movie Mix: Judging from the latest movie trailers, it's gonna be a long, not-so-hot summer movie season.

Pulp Diction

By Ella Taylor, LA Weekly. April 4, 2005.
Movie Mix: Exquisitely stylish noir, 'Sin City' is just the thing for the aging misogynist or alienated teen boy in your life.

Tune In

By Don Hazen, AlterNet. March 31, 2005.
Movie Mix: Marking Air America's one-year anniversary, 'Left of the Dial' chronicles the fits and starts of the feisty talk radio channel, serving as a progressive success story, warts and all.

Defending Woody

By Jon Frosch, AlterNet. March 18, 2005.
Media and Technology: An impassioned plea: Don't discount one of the most talented filmmakers of our time.

Running Red Lights

By Matthew Scott Kelemen, AlterNet. March 11, 2005.
Movie Mix: The children featured in Born into Brothels are growing up fast. Filmmakers Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman hope to give them some tools to navigate with.

Nice Isn’t Enough

By Pat Dowell, In These Times. March 7, 2005.
Movie Mix: Sunset Story re-emphasizes the old cliche that the older you are, the more your life becomes about dying but it does avoid the "aren't they cute?" trap.

Brokedown Palace

By Matthew Scott Kelemen, AlterNet. March 4, 2005.
World: Stationed in Uday Hussein's bombed-out palace, soldiers spend time swimming in the pool, playing golf on the putting green, and enduring mortar attacks, RPGs and snipers. Gunner Palace tells their story. Plus: Watch an exclusive clip from the film.

Their Eyes Were Watching Oprah

By Ronda Racha Penrice, Black Voices. March 3, 2005.
Rights and Liberties: Oprah brings Zora Neale Hurston to the screen, but does she do her justice?

Innocence and Inner Experience

By Matthew Scott Kelemen, AlterNet. March 1, 2005.
Movie Mix: Jessica Yu's documentary explores and empathizes with the vast creative world of outsider artist Henry Darger.

Race and 'Ray'

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor, AlterNet. February 25, 2005.
Movie Mix: Watching 'Ray,' white America sees a biopic of a legendary performer. Black America sees a film that speaks intimately to a cultural zeitgeist. What does it mean for 'Ray' to succeed – or fail – in the Oscar race?

Deep Throat Doc

By Ella Taylor, LA Weekly. February 11, 2005.
Movie Mix: A new documentary on the 'most successful indie film ever made' is at its best when it follows the lives of those who made it.

WMD: The Movie

By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!. February 2, 2005.
Movie Mix: Amy Goodman talks to Danny Schechter about his new documentary exploring the U.S. media's inadequate coverage of the war in Iraq from the lead-up to the fishy deaths of unembedded reporters.

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