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Saturday, Jul 26, 2008
The Movie Page
For independent films covered in Beyond the Multiplex, visit the Beyond the Multiplex directory page.
Calendar Girls- Helen Mirren and a cast of middle-aged Yorkshire roses doff their Laura Ashley duds for charity. It's a sweet, sexy fable, even if it runs out of oomph too early.
Calle 54- A loving, "Buena Vista Social Club"-style hymn to the rhythm and life of salsa
Cannes opens with a dud -- but delights follow- "Blindness" is an apocalyptic horror flick, rendered dull and pretentious. But an astonishing animated war film and a gripping prison drama provide the fireworks.
- Cannes rumors: No Coens, but "Indy 4" and "Sex" likely
- Now "Burn After Reading" probably won't premiere in France. Will Spielberg or Sarah Jessica claim opening night?
Capote- Philip Seymour Hoffman's Truman Capote keeps the blood coursing through this otherwise somber biopic.
Captain Corelli's Mandolin- It's your classic fascist meets girl, fascist loses girl, fascist gets girl back again story.
- Caramel," a Lebanese chick flick!
- It's an ode to sensuality! It tackles "risky" material! It's lovable! So why didn't Oscar embrace it?
Carnage- This daring, sprawling debut feature from 30-year-old French director Delphine Gleize, about life, death and a slain bull that touches the lives of a dozen people, is unlike anything you'll see this year.
Cars- This animated tale from Disney/Pixar is sleek and shiny, but is it anything to get revved up about?
Casanova- This frivolous, fluffy farce about the famed sensualist is one of the few wholly enjoyable releases of the Christmas season.
Casino Royale- In this blissfully entertaining new Bond movie, Daniel Craig gives us 007 as we've never seen him -- more naked, alive and mysterious than ever.
Cassandra's Dream- Woody Allen hangs Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor out to dry in this unintentionally funny film.
Cast Away- Melancholy! Eternal solitude! Tom Hanks and Robert "Forrest Gump" Zemeckis reunite for the year's most unlikely blockbuster.
Catch a Fire- Tim Robbins and Derek Luke work hard to generate heat, but somehow this movie never quite sparks.
Catch and Release- In this flawed but winning romantic comedy, Jennifer Garner captivates us -- and doesn't let us go.
Catch Me If You Can- Leonardo DiCaprio looks great in those '60s threads, but Steven Spielberg's story of a legendary hustler is sadly short on period zip, zowie and va-va-voom.
Cats & Dogs- Puppets and computer graphics allow haughty felines and lovable canines to battle for control of the universe in this giddy romp.
Catwoman- Should we be outraged that Oscar winner Halle Berry is now prowling around in a skimpy catsuit? No, we should be irked that this movie doesn't objectify her more!
Cecil B. DeMented- John Waters exploits the Patty Hearst story for a billet-doux to movies good and bad, schlock and art.
Cellular- It may not push all the right buttons, but somehow this thriller starring Kim Basinger and William H. Macy manages to get through.
Celsius 41.11- With this surreally bad, conservative response to "Fahrenheit 9/11," the year of the political film finally hits rock bottom.
Changing Lanes- Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson collide in a preachy revenge thriller.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory- Tim Burton's psychedelic take on Roald Dahl's classic book is satisfying and delicious -- or at least completely nutty and fascinating.
- Charlie's Angels
- First-time director McG spins out a hilarious list of tongue-in-cheek filmic homages in his commentary to this "pop-a-wheelie" candy-colored thrill ride of an action movie.
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle- McG's sequel -- starring those crime-fighting hotties in all their stripteasing glory -- will probably be huge. Nobody said it actually had to be good.
- Charlie Wilson's unfinished war
- The legendary Texas congressman talks about his secret 1980s Afghan war (and its blowback), the Obama campaign and being better-looking than Tom Hanks.
Charlie Wilson's War- Philip Seymour Hoffman utters one of the year's most refreshing lines in this terrific tale of political wheeling and dealing.
Charlotte Gray- Gillian Armstong's latest triumph is a juicy melodrama starring a stunning Cate Blanchett.
Charlotte's Web- Some pig? Some spider! Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey et al. give voice to this childhood favorite.
Chasing Liberty- Mandy Moore plays a presidential daughter itching for freedom. Why won't Hollywood give the talented Moore a little bit of her own?
Che anything- The filmmakers behind "Chevolution" explain how Che Guevara's face ended up on all those T-shirts, posters, beer bottles and bikini bottoms.
Chelsea Walls- Once you give up hoping that anything will really happen in Ethan Hawke's drifty, pretentious directorial debut, it's easier to settle into the mid-'70s nothingness atmosphere.
Chicago- Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones kick the movie musical revival with a brash and nasty tale about just what celebrity will get you.
- Chicago '68, remixed
- In this conversation and podcast, director Brett Morgen explains why his exhilarating, controversial "Chicago 10" is about 2008 and not 1968.
Chicago," schmicago!- The overly hyped Miramax musical isn't worth the sequins that gave their lives for it. Here are five song-and-dance films that are the real deal.
Children of Men- This smoldering picture, based on P.D. James' dystopian novel, may be the bleakest movie you'll ever want to see twice.
- Chinatown
- The extras on Roman Polanski's noir classic feature "as little as possible," in J.J. Gittes' famous phrase.
Chocolat- The director of "The Cider House Rules" returns with Juliette Binoche, Johnny Depp and a cozy little ode to sensual and culinary pleasure.
Christmas With the Kranks- "Heartwarming" fare in which a family that tries to bail out of the holidays learns that Christmas happiness must be purchased.
- Chuck & Buck
- How the "insiders" made a creepy, compassionate minor landmark of indie cinema on no budget.
Cinderella Man- Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger get the talent knocked out of them by Ron Howard's heavy-handed approach to this boxing tear-jerker.
Cinema to savor- Salon's critic picks the movies that mattered, from the extraordinary OutKast musical "Idlewild" to the imaginative Bond adventure "Casino Royale."
City by the Sea- Robert De Niro and Frances McDormand almost rescue this lifeless, clichéd cop drama! Close isn't good enough!
Clean- Maggie Cheung gives an astonishingly complex performance as a junkie rock star trying to clean up her act.
Clerks II- The "Clerks" sequel explores the enduring qualities of friendship -- and it may be the sweetest movie ever to feature an act of bestiality.
Click- Adam Sandler's latest movie packages metaphysical lessons with fart jokes and crude sex humor. How funny is that?
- Clint, Angelina and the movie with no name
- Eastwood and his pregnant star bring their moody 1920s L.A. thriller to Cannes. But what's it called?
- Clint vs. Spike: WWII racial grudge match!
- A British paper lures Eastwood and Lee into an unfortunate feud. Here's the real question: Which of their films should the other one have made?
Clockstoppers- Impressive sci-fi effects and cute actors can't save a trite, safe teen flick that should please Joe Lieberman.
Closer- Julia Roberts and Jude Law star in Mike Nichols' coldblooded examination of modern mating.
Closer to Joy- Rock photographer Anton Corbijn discusses his intimate, eloquent movie about Joy Division, "Control," and the band that inspired it.
Cloverfield- Do we really need the horror of 9/11 to be repackaged and presented to us as an amusement-park ride?
Coach Carter- A high school basketball movie that's not a bunch of dribble!
Cockney rebel- Michael Caine talks about playing an aging Nazi in "The Statement," why he hates nude scenes, what he learned from Laurence Olivier, and whether he'll ever win that best-actor Oscar he wants.
Code" breakers- At the "Da Vinci Code" premiere in Cannes, the press offers the film up to gods of the Côte d'Azur.
Cold Creek Manor- In this predictable Mike Figgis thriller, Sharon Stone and Dennis Quaid buy a cute old country house. Then the creepy guy with the bed-head 'do shows up!
Cold Mountain- Anthony Minghella's pretty, star-studded adaptation of the bestselling Civil War romance never makes it above freezing. And, gee, didn't those Southern whites have it rough?
Collateral- Tom Cruise is simply no match for Jamie Foxx and Jada Pinkett Smith in this thriller from "The Insider" director Michael Mann.
Collateral Damage- There are many reasons to protest this Arnold Schwarzenegger flick about firemen and terrorists. The best one is that it's a bad movie.
Comedically challenged- The Farrelly brothers' new comedy, "The Ringer," encourages us to yuk it up at people with mental disabilities. Is that OK?
Company Man- There's nothing worse than a bad farce -- except for this Cuban missile crisis comedy that wastes talent like Sigourney Weaver, John Turturro and Alan Cumming.
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind- Who knew George Clooney was this good? Sexy, rakish, sure, but nothing prepared us for his directing debut, this astonishing pic about zany Chuck Barris.
Confidence- In this con game, Dustin Hoffman chews gum (and the scenery) and Ed Burns does his regular-guy shtick. Again. And we're the marks.
Connie and Carla- Nia Vardalos and Toni Collette sing. They dance. They dress up as drag queens. The movie all but shouts: "You go, girl!"
Constantine- Movie from hell? Nope, this Keanu Reeves action flick actually rocks -- and so does its star.
Control- This picture about Joy Division's Ian Curtis is one of the most beautiful movies ever made about rock 'n' roll.
Conversations: Alex Gibney- In this interview and podcast, the director of the terrifying documentary "Taxi to the Dark Side" talks about torture and the tragic fate of an Afghan cabdriver.
Conversations: Amir Bar-Lev- An interview with the filmmaker about the mystery at the heart of his intriguing, intelligent documentary "My Kid Could Paint That."
Conversations: Brian De Palma- In this interview and podcast, the legendary director discusses his upsetting new film, "Redacted," and rape as a metaphor for the Iraq war.
Conversations: Cristian Mungiu- The Romanian director talks about the Palme d'Or-winning abortion thriller "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days," the year's most acclaimed foreign film
Conversations: James Gray- In this podcast interview, the director of the cop thriller "We Own the Night" explains that there's more to his movie than meets the eye.
Conversations: John Dahl- In this interview and podcast, the director of the black comedy "You Kill Me" talks about embracing the weird and playing the tough stuff for laughs.
Conversations: John Turturro- The actor turned auteur reveals the inspiration behind his amazing new movie musical, "Romance & Cigarettes," in a Salon podcast.
Conversations: "The Devil Came on Horseback- The makers of a devastating documentary on Darfur discuss the crisis and how to resolve it in this interview and podcast.
Conversations: Todd Haynes- In this interview and podcast, the director discusses his astonishing new film, "I'm Not There," and that elusive shape-shifter, Bob Dylan.
Conversations: Valerie Harper- In this interview and podcast, the woman best known as Rhoda Morgenstern talks about channeling Golda Meir in the movie "Golda's Balcony."
- Cop thriller takes top Berlin prize
- Brazil's controversial "Elite Squad" nails Golden Bear; Errol Morris, Paul Thomas Anderson also honored.
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie- This switched-on futuristic anime noir is visually stunning -- and it makes a lot more sense than "Spirited Away"!
- Coyote Ugly
- Hot girls dance and dump water on themselves -- now with director's commentary, behind-the-bar footage and a chat with the starving actresses.
CQ- This debut film by Roman Coppola (son of Francis) is a frothy, sexy, '60s delight with a movie lover's heart.
Crash- Matt Dillon, Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock and Ludacris star in this throwback message movie about racism in L.A.
Crazy/Beautiful- Even after losing its sexiest, tawdriest moments, this teen romance is still hotter, smarter and more fearless than its Hollywood contemporaries.
- Crips and Bloods on life at Sundance
- Former rival gang members bond over the rough life on the streets and finding utopia in Park City, Utah.
Crossroads- Not a girl, not a woman and definitely not an actress -- but Britney Spears does have something besides that jailbait pout.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon- Ang Lee's fussy art-house habits battle the dreamy beauty of the most kick-ass martial arts movie in years.
Crush- Happy! Sad! And more hoary clichis about what women want to see. I've never been this insulted by a chick flick.
DVD Releases
- Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo (7/29)
- Shine a Light (7/29)
- The Band's Visit (7/29)
- The Counterfeiters (8/5)
- My Brother Is an Only Child (8/5)
- Rent DVDs with Netflix
-
"The X-Files: I Want to Believe"
By Stephanie Zacharek -
"Step Brothers"
By Stephanie Zacharek -
"Brideshead Revisited"
By Louis Bayard -
Scully have I loved
By Rebecca Traister -
Four clueless actors, a dream and a paper bag
By Andrew O'Hehir
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