Thursday, November 29, 2007

divine intervention

If a movie has its heart in the right place, does that make up for a miniscule budget, so-so acting, and a weak script. In the case of Divine Intervention, a religious-themed romantic comedy, the answer is no.

Monday, November 26, 2007

bob dylan or amy adams?

I'm Not There or Enchanted? I say try 'em both. The two films lead my latest Consumables column, which also features reviews of Margot at the Wedding, American Gangster, Redacted, and other award-hungry films.

Friday, November 23, 2007

hitman

The Timothy Olyphant action movie (based on the popular Hitman video game) is decent, but not great. Its core audience will eat it up, but no one else will care. My review appears at Screen International.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

bob dylan on film

In L.A. Weekly, I discuss the movies Dylan has made about his own legacy: Eat the Document, Renaldo and Clara, and Masked and Anonymous. None of them are as terrific as I'm Not There, but they're an illuminating bunch nonetheless.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

lcd soundsystem

45:33 was a project LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy put together for Nike: a long instrumental suite of songs that joggers could listen to while running. Now available commercially, the album has its merits but isn't quite primo LCD.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

mr. magorium's wonder emporium

The movie's title is a mouthful, but Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium is a really special family film, anchored by a terrific performance from Natalie Portman. My review is at Screen International.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

me on no country for old men

My review appears here as part of my Consumables column. Also in there: my thoughts on Lars and the Real Girl, The Assassination of Jesse James, Thurston Moore's solo album, and more.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

no country for old men and the coen brothers

After you've seen No Country for Old Men and digested it fully, proceed immediately to David Edelstein's terrific dissection of the Coens' oeuvre in New York.

Thursday, November 08, 2007

afi film festival: the final weekend

AFI wraps up on Sunday, but there are still some worthwhile films left on the slate. Here's a rundown at the L.A. Weekly, including two reviews from yours truly.

Monday, November 05, 2007

radiohead's new album

Has the hype over In Rainbows died down yet? Can we discuss the album on its own terms? Great -- here's my review.

Thursday, November 01, 2007

somebody help martin freeman

Martin Freeman, you may recall, was the lovelorn nice guy in the original version of The Office. He seemed destined to break out after that celebrated sitcom, but it hasn't happened yet. He stars in The Good Night, the feature debut of Gwyneth Paltrow's brother Jake. Freeman is decent in it, but he needs to find better material.