When Tim Burton was shopping around his idea for THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, animation was not considered a viable product for the big screen, at least not outside kiddie flicks. Even with the success of his dark and moody Batman franchise, even with the quirky but wildly romantic EDWARD SCISSORHANDS under his belt, and BEETLEJUICE,… Read More »
IGOR
IGOR is a charming bit of gothic whimsy that makes up with a sweet-tart brand of light irony what it lacks in surprises. It may not be the most original plot, but for riffing so expertly on classic horror flicks, and for plumbing the depths of horror to be found in the relentless perkiness of… Read More »
BLINDNESS
BLINDNESS, based on the novel of the same name by Jose Saramgo, takes away one of the five sense in order to examine the larger picture of humanity. It’s not the newest of conceits, nor is it the most original. Removing one item from ordinary life and speculating on the outcome is a time-honored premise.… Read More »
CITY OF EMBER
CITY OF EMBER is a triumph of art direction trumping everything else. Based on the novel by Jeanne Duprau, it is brimming with imagination, a pointedly political subtext, but not a whit of the wonder that should drive a tale such as this. The eponymous city contains the remnants of humanity, sent to the underground… Read More »
TWILIGHT
TWILIGHT, the film version of Stephenie Meyer’s young adult novel, operates on two levels of fantasy, one traditional that speaks to many of the roiling and contradictory impulses that lurk in the collective subconscious of us all: to dominate, to fit in, to cheat death. It also speaks to the other irresistible impulses, roiling and… Read More »
WALL-E DVD
The true test of a great film is whether or not it is able to affect you as deeply the tenth time you see as it did the first time. WALL-E does. When WALL-E, the eponymous robot hero of his own Pixar feature, first takes the hand, or robot facsimile of same, of his robot lady… Read More »
THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX
THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX is as bold, as brave, and as charming as its eponymous mouse hero. Adapted from the book of the same name by Kate DiCamillo, this is an animated film for both kids and adults that is vibrant, complex, and fearless in its depiction of the good, the bad, and the careless… Read More »
THE SPIRIT
There is much that is irksome about THE SPIRIT, so much, alas, that it overwhelms the spiffy art direction that is nothing short of dazzling. Written for the screen and directed by Frank Miller, and based on the graphic novels by Will Eisner, it is a syncopated series of missteps and gaffes served up in… Read More »
OUTLANDER
Beowulf meets Erich Von Danikan in OUTLANDER, a somber tale of Vikings, monsters, and stalwart warriors. Written by some of the same folks responsible for the UNDERWORLD franchise, it boasts the same gray look, spirit, and energy. The sci-fi portion of the script comes early and is then more or less left by the wayside.… Read More »
INKHEART
INKHEART is a dreary film about a clever idea. Director Iain Softely has dulled the edges of this tale of books that come to life a little too literally and the result is a leaden trudge through badly rendered character development and performances that are as dull as the ci-mentioned edges. The one exception is… Read More »
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