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Wednesday, Jul 9, 2008
The Movie Page
For independent films covered in Beyond the Multiplex, visit the Beyond the Multiplex directory page.
Maddin and Herzog: Brothers of the ice!- It's frozen allegory week -- in summer! Guy Maddin reveals the sleepwalking sex secrets of Winnipeg; Werner Herzog chases psycho penguins in Antarctica.
Made- Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn as low-rent criminals don't have the "Swingers" snazz, but this modest picture is a better movie.
Made of Honor- This formulaic romantic comedy starring Patrick "McDreamy" Dempsey leaves us McCold.
Mad Money- Katie Holmes livens up this lackluster caper film -- especially in the scenes where she sticks money in her undies.
Maestro of buffoonery- Stephanie Zacharek and Matt Singer on Will Ferrell's killer blend of macho swagger and befuddlement.
Mafioso- Watching this buoyantly melancholy dark comedy, originally released in 1962, is like discovering a lost world.
Maid in Manhattan- Jennifer Lopez has star power, genuine talent and considerable assets, but she's wasted yet again in a grossly predictable romantic comedy.
Major Dundee: The Extended Version- Sam Peckinpah's 1965 western starring Charlton Heston and Richard Harris gets the full lost-masterpiece treatment.
Malibu's Most Wanted- Don't be hatin' -- unless you're hatin' Jamie Kennedy's lame wigga act in this witless comedy.
- Man bites dog
- Animal-rights critics howl at Cuba Gooding Jr.'s "abusive" behavior in Disney's "Snow Dogs."
- Manhunter
- The first Hannibal Lecter movie is sweetly simple, but the stars say it was creepy as hell.
Man of clay- "Wallace and Gromit" creator Nick Park talks about his Oscar nomination, nutty inventions and jokes that Yanks don't get.
Man of the Year- Robin Williams plays a Jon Stewart-like comedian running for president in this not-so-lovable loser.
Man on Fire- Denzel Washington hacks off a guy's fingers one by one and treats another guy to an explosive suppository -- and he's the hero!
Man on the Train- In this elegant French mystery, two strangers -- the long, lean Jean Rochefort and Johnny Hallyday, the "French Elvis" -- change each other's lives.
March of the Penguins- Think you've got it bad? This emotionally wrenching documentary about the difficult life of the emperor penguin will put things in perspective. It may even renew your faith in love.
Margot at the Wedding- It's painful to watch a movie with characters that leave you cold -- but not as painful as seeing what's happened to Nicole Kidman's face.
Marie Antoinette- Sofia Coppola's lavish reimagining of a queen getting her teenage kicks -- there's more to it than shopping! -- shines at the New York Film Festival.
- Marilyn, Michael and the flying nuns
- Harmony Korine, the skate-punk Fitzgerald of the '90s, is back for his second act -- with a sweet and surprisingly lovely film, believe it or not.
Marquis names- The boys on the (rock 'n' roll tour) bus and an imprisoned but defiant Marquis de Sade lit up screens in 2000.
Martian Child- This movie about a sci-fi writer who adopts an odd kid works hard to fight sentimentality. But does it work hard enough?
Marvel's forgotten heroes- Spidey's the celeb of the year. Blade and the X-Men are huge, with Daredevil, Iron Man and the Hulk waiting in the wings. When will Hollywood show some love for Marvel's venerable Fantastic Four?
Maryam- In a delightful debut film, a New Jersey teen confronts boys, roller disco and the Iranian Revolution.
Masculine Feminine- This rereleased 1966 Godard film about young people consumed with love, sex, politics and pop culture speaks to the teenager in all of us.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World- Russell Crowe and director Peter Weir bring Patrick O'Brian's seafaring adventures to the screen in this glorious and heartfelt action movie for grown-ups.
Match Point- This drizzly dramatic thriller may be a return to form for Woody Allen, but is it a form worth returning to?
Matchstick Men- In Ridley Scott's latest, starring Nicolas Cage and Sam Rockwell as a pair of con men, the director proves that he doesn't count on his audience to be intelligent.
- Maybe Baby
- A "Blackadder" writer steps out to direct a comedy about conception -- but can't deliver.
Mayor of the Sunset Strip- Meet L.A. DJ Rodney Bingenheimer, who helped launch the careers of Blondie, the Ramones, Van Halen, the Go-Go's and countless others.
- Ménage à trois: The musical!
- An odd, invigorating musical from hot young director Christophe Honoré channels the French New Wave spirit.
Mean Girls- What do you get when "SNL's" Tina Fey writes a screenplay about social hierarchies in high school? A teen comedy ... for grown-ups.
Mean Machine- A snarky, soccer-hooligan remake of "The Longest Yard" offers action, attitude and grim English atmosphere.
- Meditation for murderers
- Buddhism without parole, in Alabama's darkest prison. Plus: Hot housewife seeks Asian stud, physics geek goes nutzoid and more.
Meet Steven Spielberg, hardboiled cynic- Tom Cruise battles an Ashcroftian security state in the director's dazzling sci-fi noir.
Meet the Browns- Is it a sin to wish Tyler Perry's movies were better?
- Meet the film world's new Steve McQueen
- In this podcast interview from Cannes, the British artist turned filmmaker talks about Bobby Sands, Abu Ghraib and his sensational feature debut, "Hunger."
Meet the Fockers- Barbra Streisand and Dustin Hoffman steal the show in this silly sequel to "Meet the Parents."
Meet the Japanese Brando- Little known outside his homeland, haunted hero-villain Tatsuya Nakadai spans the best years, and greatest films, of Japan's postwar cinema boom.
- Meet the Parents
- On the commentary tracks of this too-polished hit comedy, actors and director give Robert De Niro a wide berth.
Melinda and Melinda- Woody Allen has cast Will Ferrell, Chloe Sevigny and Wallace Shawn in his latest flick, and none of them are any the better for it.
Memento- Backwards told is thriller noir-art empty ultimately but compelling and intriguing this.
Memoirs of a Geisha- Pile into the rickshaw for a slooooooow ride: This very serious, very long, very pretty picture never really gets moving.
- Men in Black
- Director Barry Sonnenfeld and star Tommy Lee Jones talk about aliens, in-jokes and making a perfect summer movie.
Men in Black II- Here's an idea: Let's just take that same gizmo-packed alien-attack buddy-flick blockbuster from the summer of '97 ... and make it dumber!
Men in tights (and why we love them)- Since the days of Douglas Fairbanks and Errol Flynn, swashbuckling heroes have brought much-needed joie de vivre to a cynical Hollywood. Can "Pirates of the Caribbean" revive that glorious tradition?
- Metallica: Some Kind of Monster
- A cross between "Spinal Tap" and wrenching psychodrama, this movie has you rooting for the band's success whether you're a metalhead or not.
Me Without You- Finally, a smart and tough chick flick takes on friendships between women in a most unladylike fashion.
- M:I-2
- Director John Woo's pyrotechnics and the spark between Tom Cruise and Thandie Newton can't redeem a strangely impersonal actioner.
- M:I-2
- John Woo explains the extraordinary process behind his bone-crushing action shots -- but where the hell is Tom Cruise's wire?
Miami Vice- Nostalgic for the pastel-hued '80s TV show? Too bad! This somber action picture bravely defies expectations and gives us something wholly new.
Michael and me- Michael Moore's new film "Bowling for Columbine" is a heavy-handed, semicoherent diatribe about gun violence. But when I showed up to confront him about it, he charmed me senseless and beat me at my own game.
Michael Clayton- George Clooney's subtle, affecting performance is the chief reason to see this super-sincere social drama.
- Michael Clayton" on Nazi-grade acid
- "Diving Bell" star Mathieu Amalric dazzles in the dark corporate thriller "Heartbeat Detector." Plus: What the heck do you make of "Funny Games"?
Middle-aged woman wallops Tom Cruise!- The menopausal romance "Something's Gotta Give" beats "The Last Samurai" at the box office. Do chick-flick fans dare hope that the tide of guns, honor and big-ass boats is ebbing?
Millennium Mambo- Legendary director Hou Hsiao Hsien's 2001 film finally makes it stateside, and glows with old-movie glamour.
Million Dollar Baby- Clint Eastwood's boxing movie floats like a lead balloon and stings like a dead bee.
Millions- Saints smoke and big bags of cash fall from the sky in Danny Boyle's sweet-tempered, fun family film.
Miracle- The real-life triumphal tale of the 1980 U.S. hockey team may be rousing, but this movie based on it is slushy and sadly personality-free
Mission: Impossible III- Is getting Tom Cruise to do more than grunt and squint through a scene the most impossible mission of all?
Mission to ... Denmark?- Rock 'n' roll, Hamlet, Mars and the Depression starred in 2000's best films.
- Mission to Mars
- In space, no one can hear you jeer.
DVD Releases
- Vantage Point (7/1)
- Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns (7/1)
- Drillbit Taylor (7/1)
- My Blueberry Nights (7/1)
- City of Men (7/1)
- Rent DVDs with Netflix
-
Ricky goes to Hollywood
By Mark Follman -
Good men, bad war
By Heather Havrilesky -
Inside the Army's fake Iraq
By Andrew O'Hehir -
A-Rod vs. the dueling Sherlock clones!
By Andrew O'Hehir -
I Like to Watch
By Heather Havrilesky
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