miss pettigrew lives for a day

Frances McDormand is terrific, Amy Adams is decent: That's the short review of Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. The longer, more interesting version is here.

the los angeles brazilian film festival

The first annual Los Angeles Brazilian Film Festival kicks off Friday at the Landmark. For L.A. Weekly, I sampled some of the festival's offerings. I didn't love a lot of what I saw, but I did find one movie worth checking out: Not by Chance.

david poland on barack obama

I've been reading wall-to-wall election coverage in the last 24 hours, but I'm not sure if anyone more accurately nailed the challenge ahead for Barack Obama -- and the potential for him to truly come into his own -- as David Poland, editor of Movie City News, has done in a recent blog post:

What we will now learn, really for the first time, is how Obama would represent the United States. Because, truth be told, it is not just about speeches. It is about action. And the hard reality of the world is that leaders are often called upon to push back when a threat comes to bear.

Will Obama push back? How will Obama push back if he does? And will be cross the lines of discourse that he has set out to uphold? Can he effectively respond without becoming what he has beheld?

These hard moments are when we see the true beauty of greatness… or the sad, sad death of the dream that greatness can still exist in our cynical times.

The whole thing can be read here.

married life: the movie

Chris Cooper and Patricia Clarkson are both terrific in Married Life, a dark comedy-drama about one middle-aged couple's seemingly happy marriage which is slowly falling apart. You can read my review here.

r.e.m.: well, this is encouraging

I don't condone Monster bashing, but Josh Modell's review at Spin about R.E.M.'s forthcoming Accelerate has me very excited. 

cj7

Writer-director-actor Stephen Chow, the man behind Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle, returns with CJ7, a hyperactive kids' movie that's a bit like E.T., except, y'know, not nearly as good.

romulus, my father

Actor Eric Bana (Munich, The Hulk) has two films coming out this weekend. The higher-profile one is The Other Boleyn Girl, but he's also in Romulus, My Father, a coming-of-age drama that deals with poverty and mental illness. It's understandably somber, but it's also almost too glum for its own good. My L.A. Weekly review appears here.

jon stewart and the oscars

Last night's Academy Awards made for an entertaining evening, says I. Also in Consumables, I discuss U2 3D, Be Kind Rewind, and Diary of the Dead.

vantage point

Most reviews thus far have been unkind to Vantage Point, but I actually think there's some merit in the film. You can read my musings at Screen International.

odelay

It's been 12 years since Beck's landmark record Odelay brought phrases like "two turntables and a microphone" and "got a devil's haircut in my mind" into the pop-culture lexicon. For Detroit's Metro Times I review the new Deluxe Edition of the album and try to figure out what all the fuss was about back then.

electric apricot

Les Claypool is a revered cult musician -- he was the driving force behind Primus -- and he's hung around the business most of his life. Now he's putting that experience into ... a mockumentary. Electric Apricot, his spoof of the jam-band universe, has some funny moments, but, well, it's another mockumentary. My review is at L.A. Weekly.

sia

There's a good chance you've heard Sia's music and didn't even realize it: She appears on the soundtracks of shows like Six Feet Under and commercials such as KCRW's movie-theater spots. As I note in this week's Phoenix New Times, she's a great example of the future for up-and-coming artists.

eels

The Eels have two collections out now: a best-of (Meet the Eels) and a compilation of outtakes (Useless Trinkets). No matter the Eels fan in your life, one (or both) of these will be up their alley.

how good is the new r.e.m. single?

My answer is here in the latest Consumables. Also, my reviews of The Counterfeiters, The Band's Visit, the Ting Tings and the revamped B-52's.

paris hilton invades your movie theater

The Hottie and the Nottie, starring Paris Hilton, opens today in a very limited run. How bad is it? Find out here.

the best new artist grammy: a career killer?

Feist, Amy Winehouse and others will be competing for the Best New Artist prize at the Grammys on Sunday. It sounds like a prestigious prize -- a validation of your up-and-coming status -- but this particular award has a reputation for cursing its winners to mediocre, disappointing careers. Is it better not to win? For VH1.com, I looked back at past winners and discovered it's a pretty mixed bag of artists. You can read my findings here.

the eye

Is The Eye scary? Can Jessica Alba act? And what's Parker Posey doing in a horror movie? All the answers are contained in my Screen International review.

obama for president

The L.A. Times is endorsing Barack Obama for the Democratic primary. The well-argued editorial ends with this...

In the language of metaphor, [Hillary] Clinton is an essay, solid and reasoned; Obama is a poem, lyric and filled with possibility. Clinton would be a valuable and competent executive, but Obama matches her in substance and adds something that the nation has been missing far too long -- a sense of aspiration.

That just about nails it. The entire piece can be found here.

drive-by truckers

Brighter Than Creation's Dark is the first Drive-By Truckers record since the departure of one of its three songwriters, Jason Isbell. They survive the lineup shift mostly intact. My review is at Blender.

tre

Director Eric Byler's Tre may seem like your typical drama about attractive 20-somethings stumbling through life, but the strength of the performances and writing make for an affecting, insightful experience. My review appears in L.A. Weekly.

cloverfield = scary

In this week's Consumables, I have glowing things to say about Cloverfield, Woody Allen's Cassandra's Dream, and Steve Martin's memoir, Born Standing Up. Plus, I catch up with two of the most acclaimed indie-rock albums of last year.

the best movies of 2007

Near the end of last year, I contributed a ballot to the Village Voice/L.A. Weekly film poll. Here are my picks, but before you click, can you guess what movie I picked for Worst Film? (It was a close race, believe me.)

MLK

There's a news story out today, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, about how little people remember about the man's legacy.

"Everyone knows, even the smallest kid knows about Martin Luther King, can say his most famous moment was that 'I have a dream' speech," said Henry Louis Taylor Jr., professor of urban and regional planning at the University of Buffalo.

"No one can go further than one sentence," he said. "All we know is that this guy had a dream, we don't know what that dream was."

In case anyone out there is wondering, here's that dream in its entirety.

i don't get juno

Juno leads my latest Consumables, but it's one of the weakest movies on a list of mostly great films, which includes There Will Be Blood, Persepolis, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. You can read about those and others at The Simon.

anybody but the patriots

In today's column, the L.A. Times' Christine Daniels addresses all of us who are praying that somehow the undefeated, seemingly invincible New England Patriots don't win the Super Bowl in three weeks. And her advice? Don't get your hopes up.

chris cooper speaks

Chris Cooper, the star of last February's Breach, is a thoughtful, somber interview subject, but what else would you expect of such a calm, authoritative actor? I interviewed Cooper for L.A. Weekly, where we discussed his preparation for playing Robert Hanssen, his earliest filmic heroes, and the lost art of the everyman.

one missed call

Two things happened on January 4: my birthday and the release of One Missed Call. One event was more memorable than the other.

tila tequila and me

MTV and internet sensation Tila Tequila may not have found love on her self-titled reality show, but she gives a great interview. My conversation with Ms. Tequila can be found at Blender.

top ten albums of 2007

Happy New Year, everyone. 2007 was a great movie year but only a so-so music year. First up, let's count down the music year. Here are my Top Ten records of '07, complete with a pithy sentence or two about each entry.

honeydripper

John Sayles is one of America's real filmmaking treasures. His newest film, Honeydripper, isn't one of his finest, but it's worth seeking out.

national treasure: book of secrets

More of the same from Nicolas Cage and the gang as they run around the world lookin' for clues. My review appears at Screen International.

daft punk

Bummed you missed Daft Punk on their latest highly-praised tour? Want to know what it was felt and sounded like? You might try Alive 2007, their new concert disc. Just don't expect it to totally replicate the live experience.

hal holbrook speaks

The veteran character actor gives one of his best performances in writer-director Sean Penn's Into the Wild. In the midst of the Oscar buzz swirling around him, I sat down with the man, 82 years young, for an interview, which can be found at L.A. Weekly. We discussed his process, his past, and the acting advice his wife always gives him before tackling a new project.

rosa parks

The song, not the woman. Anyway, if you're curious how Outkast came up with their signature tune, wonder no more: I profile its origins in the latest Blender.

christopher plummer's oscar grab

Man in the Chair is one of those mediocre films which only seems to exist so as to give some venerable actor an outside shot at an Academy Award. Christopher Plummer supporters should give up hope now.

the walker

One of Woody Harrelson's best performances goes to waste in writer-director Paul Schrader's new mystery-drama.

simon lebon is the man

That was my impression, anyway, after interviewing him for Blender.

chris brown

R&B singer Chris Brown, a tape recorder, and I all got together down at the Venice boardwalk to take a little Blender personality test. The results can be read here.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

michael clayton and the amazing george clooney

If you want proof that I'm not one of those critics who hates everything that comes his way, check out my latest Consumables column, where I liked all nine things I wrote about, which includes Michael Clayton, The Darjeeling Limited, Eastern Promises, Bruce Springsteen's Magic, and M.I.A.'s Kala.

saw iv

At this point, you're either someone who watches ever Saw sequel or someone who badmouths the whole franchise. That sorta makes a film critic-proof, huh? Nonetheless, here's my take on Saw IV (as well as the whole series, really).

roger ebert nails grindhouse

It's been a delight to have Roger Ebert back reviewing movies every Friday; we had lost his distinctive critical voice for several months while he fought cancer. As if his full slate of new movies isn't enough, though, he's also been writing a new piece each week on a movie he missed while recovering. These reviews have allowed him an opportunity I think many critics would like to have: a chance to evaluate a movie long after its hype has died down and the pressures to file a review on deadline have expired.

A perfect example is today's piece on Grindhouse, a film that many critics I respect and admire loved back in the spring but which didn't do much for me. Ebert, blessed with perspective and his usual writing talent, sizes up the movie so clearly that his conclusions help explain not only why this B-movie double bill is terribly flawed but also why it didn't end up as any kind of box-office hit. Read his review here.

black irish

Writer-director Brad Gann's Black Irish takes on one of the cinema's most overdone dramatic territories: the suffering Irish family. My review is at the L.A. Weekly.

a film about jimmy carter

Man From Plains, a Jonathan Demme documentary about Jimmy Carter, is one of the best films of the year. But it's about more than just the former president -- a lot more. My review appears here.

the season of joy division

Ian Curtis has been dead for 27 years now, but his old band's legacy still looms large. Control, a film about Curtis directed by Anton Corbijn, drew raves at Cannes and is now making its way across the country. My review appears at L.A. Weekly.

ac/dc: their hidden gems

If you just know "You Shook Me All Night Long" and "Back in Black," then enjoy my analysis of some of AC/DC's lesser-known tracks at VH1. (Hint: Most of 'em have something to do with sex.)

joni mitchell

Shine, her new record, isn't a galvanizing return to form, but if you give the disc some time, its beauty can sneak up on you.

chamillionaire doesn't drink or smoke

Those were just two things I found out about the "Ridin' Dirty" rapper in my recent interview with him for Blender.

band of horses

Cease to Begin is the South Carolina band's second album -- it's even more lovely than their first. My review appears at Blender.

the kite runner

The award-seeking adaptation of the Khaled Hosseini novel won't be arriving in theaters until December, but my review is up now at Screen International.

kid rock talks to me

To promote his new album, Rock N Roll Jesus, Kid Rock sat down for an interview with me. The results can be found at Blender.

the final season

Another inspirational baseball film? I'm afraid so, but The Final Season has its heart in the right place at least. If it's on cable, give it 15 minutes or so. My L.A. Weekly review appears here.

baby elephant

Turn My Teeth Up! is the name of the new album from Baby Elephant, a collaboration between hip-hop producer Prince Paul (of De La Soul fame) and keyboardist Bernie Worrell (of Parliament-Funkadelic fame). It's an uneasy mixture of oddball humor and sincere testimonials to Worrell's legacy. My review appears in the Metro Times.

blender's 40 worst lyricists in rock

Yup, Blender magazine picked Sting as rock music's worst lyricist. But who were the other 39? The link to the piece, which I helped contribute to, is here.

bergman at the new beverly

If you've never seen Cries and Whispers or Autumn Sonata, now's your chance: Ingmar Bergman's harrowing family dramas screen at the New Beverly this weekend. My musings on both films appear in L.A. Weekly.

lake of fire

Filmmaker Tony Kaye's abortion documentary Lake of Fire opens this weekend in New York. It's an affecting but imperfect work. My review appears here.

bruce springsteen returns

The Boss is back with his new album, Magic. In honor of the occasion, I look back at Springsteen's greatest non-hits for VH1.

kanye west

Graduation, the new record from Kanye West, heads my latest Consumables column. Also included: reviews of Into the Wild, Justice, Beck's "Timebomb" single, The King of Kong and more.

will.i.am and blackstreet in blender

The new Blender with Kanye West on the cover has hit newsstands. I've got three pieces in there, but two are online currently: my interview with the Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am and my look back at the making of the great Blackstreet jam "No Diggity."

feast of love

Director Robert Benton (Kramer vs. Kramer) returns with Feast of Love, a serio-comic look at relationships across age, race, and gender. Morgan Freeman and others do decent work, but it's all for naught.

trade

Just a reminder that a truly terrible movie can be made about a very important subject, Trade, a horrendous drama about underground sex trafficking, opens this weekend.

good luck chuck

Dane Cook looks uncomfortable, Jessica Alba is no comedienne. At least the penguins are cute.

in the shadow of the moon

The documentary about NASA's '60s adventure is worth seeing. So are a bunch of other goodies included in this week's Consumables, including Sunshine, 2 Days in Paris, and Deep Water.

moving mcallister

Some might say I was overly harsh in my review of Moving McAllister, a feeble road movie that represents all that's wrong with so-called "independent cinema." I think I was just being honest.

great world of sound

Great World of Sound, a smart sad little indie about con men trying to trick aspiring musicians into forking over their hard-earned money in hopes of a record deal, opens this weekend in New York. My review appears in The Village Voice.

the brothers solomon

Will Arnett, Will Forte and Kristen Wiig have all been funny in the past, and they'll be funny in the future. But in The Brothers Solomon, they're mostly just marking time.

earlimart

The duo Earlimart specialize in a studio-enhanced indie pop. Their latest album, Mentor Tormentor, evokes the dreary side of L.A.'s suburban sprawl in lovely ways.

ben affleck: director

Gone Baby Gone is the directorial debut of Ben Affleck. If you're someone who automatically dismisses him as a lightweight, you probably didn't see his underrated performance in Hollywoodland and you'll probably want to skip this crime drama as well. But while Gone Baby Gone has a strong feel for Boston's working poor, the film overall is a bit of a mixed bag.

ladrón que roba a ladrón

This Spanish-language heist film is targeted toward mainstream Latino audiences, but I can't help but think, "Hey, couldn't you come up with something better than a Ocean's Eleven knockoff with a smidgen of (rather timid) social commentary?"

shoot 'em up

This ultraviolent, cheekily irreverent action thriller starring Clive Owen is strictly a love-it-or-hate-it affair. I'm with the lovers.

war

Congratulations: You've come to the blog of the only film critic in the world who actually liked War, the not-screened-for-reviews action thriller starring Jet Li and Jason Statham. My well-worded defense of the film is at Screen International.

balls of fury

Perhaps you're on the fence about whether to invest your hard-earned dollars on Balls of Fury. Let me help make up your mind for you.

kinski

Kinski are a band from Seattle that specializes in instrumental avant-rock. Don't be scared by that description: They're actually pretty great. Down Below It's Chaos is their latest.

closing escrow

When on vacation, my wife and I have a guilty pleasure: watching HGTV in our hotel room for hours. (Scandalous, I know.) It's easy to understand what's so compulsively watchable about the network's shows: These days, who isn't obsessed with real estate, its value, and its upkeep?

Closing Escrow, a film that opens this Friday, would seem to be perfectly situated to satirize that world, as the mockumentary follows three young couples on their misadventures through Los Angeles trying to find their dream home. But the unfunny movie barely has a brain in its head.

the new pornographers' new album

Challengers is the fourth album from the Canadian power-pop collective. My review appears in the new issue of Under the Radar, the indie-minded music magazine. If you're looking for just a one-sentence synopsis of my feelings on it, check here.

the simpsons movie

At long last, after much worrying and cynical naysaying, The Simpsons Movie comes to us. So what did I think? Check here -- and also see my reviews of The Bourne Ultimatum, Spoon's latest album, and a great new theater piece called Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings.

foo fighters: a fond look back

The Colour and the Shape just celebrated its 10th anniversary with a new reissue, including bonus tracks. Idolator may not see the point, but I nevertheless reviewed it quite favorably over at Blender.

death at a funeral

Discriminating comedy audiences may be hoping that Death at a Funeral, director Frank Oz's British farce, will be a respite from dumb Hollywood product. Which, I suppose, it is. But that doesn't make it worth seeking out.

howards end

The Academy, as part of its "Great To Be Nominated" series, will be showing a 70mm print of Howards End on Monday, August 20. My appreciation runs in this week's LA Weekly.

daddy day camp

It's not a question of whether or not Daddy Day Camp is good -- it's a matter of just how bad it is. The answers are here.

looking ahead to football season

With the St. Louis Cardinals' chances for making the playoffs looking dimmer and dimmer, let's focus on the St. Louis Rams for a moment instead. I've written a preview of their upcoming season at Deadspin.

rush hour 3 and rocket science

Both films open this Friday, catering to much different audiences. But these two movies suffer from the same problem of diminishing returns: Rush Hour 3 is but a pale shadow of its funnier first installment, while Rocket Science rides the coattails of an indie sensibility perfected in earlier films like Rushmore.

harry potter versus el-p

It wouldn't even be a fair fight: El-P would pound that sniveling little wizard. Both reside in this week's Consumables, as do reviews of La Vie en Rose and the abysmal Transformers.

no end in sight

At long last, No End in Sight, the exceptional documentary about the failures of the Bush administration in Iraq, comes to Los Angeles. My review from earlier this summer appears here.

underdog is here

If you have small children in your life, the chances are good they're dying to see Underdog, the new Walt Disney movie based on the old '60s cartoon. If you're forced to go with them, you'll have an OK time -- a ringing endorsement, I know.

woody allen, ace film critic

Ingmar Bergman died this week, and of all the terrific appreciations of the filmmaker that have popped up since, the best probably comes from 20 years ago. Reviewing Bergman's autobiography, The Magic Lantern, in The New York Times, Woody Allen (a Bergman acolyte) discusses the man's body of work with an enthusiasm and insight that's unparalleled. Woody wasn't trying to be pretentious when he talked about how great Bergman was; he understood him to his bones.

The 1988 piece appears here. (Warning: Formatting issues cause the ending of the article to get a little wonky.)

moliere

The Shakespeare in Love of romantic comedy-dramas about the young life of the French playwright Moliere. But not as good.

no end in sight: the interview

Charles Ferguson, the writer and director of the great new documentary No End in Sight, talks to me about the film in this week's LA Weekly.

manhattan

The greatest movie Woody Allen ever made returns with a new print for one week in New York starting today. The Village Voice's J. Hoberman may not be an Allen enthusiast, but his recent reevaluation of the movie is the best assessment of it I can think of.

snow patrol

The Glasgow band is taking one more trip across America this summer. I preview their latest tour.