archive
Movies
'Why Stop Now': Loose Ends, Tied Up Too Neatly
August 16, 2012 Phil Dorling and Ron Nyswaner's new dramedy, expanded from a Sundance short, introduces troubled characters but refuses to follow through and make them deal believably with their demons.
Movies
'Bourne': New Character, New Star, Same Results
August 9, 2012 The Bourne Legacy, the fourth film in the action franchise, connects back to previous installments but introduces a new hero, Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner). Critic Mark Jenkins says surface changes don't alter the consistency between the films when it comes to style and plotting.
Movies
'The Campaign': Just How Low Can Politicians Go?
August 9, 2012 The Campaign stars Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis as competing candidates in a congressional race. While the film aims to be a biting political satire, critic Scott Tobias says it draws little blood. In its more absurd moments, though, it provides big laughs.
Movies
Faith Clashes With Youth Over A 'Red Hook Summer'
August 9, 2012 Spike Lee's latest sets itself up as a descendant of his classic Do The Right Thing. It pits a young vegan atheist (Jules Brown) against his Baptist preacher grandfather (Clarke Peters) in Brooklyn. Critic Ian Buckwalter says that daring stylistic feats aside, the movie is clumsy and unfocused.
Movies
Culture Clashes Pop Up Over '2 Days In New York'
August 9, 2012 Julie Delpy's follow-up to 2007's 2 Days in Paris finds Marion (Delpy) living with a new boyfriend (Chris Rock) and their respective kids. Tensions mount when Marion's French family visits. The film is unruly and energetic, says critic Stephanie Zacharek, but that's a significant part of its charm.
Movies
Iranian 'Wave' Rises To Euphoria, Crashes In Despair
August 9, 2012 The Green Wave documents the protests that gripped Iran in 2009 and helped inspire the Arab Spring, only to fall victim to violent government crackdown. Critic Ella Taylor says the film overcomes a lack of traditional reporting to show Iran's brutal internal battle for democracy. (Recommended)
Movies
No Mandatory Retirement In The Red-Light District
August 8, 2012 Meet the Fokkens profiles 70-year-old twin prostitutes in Amsterdam, where one is still working and the two are local fixtures. Critic Jeannette Catsoulis says the documentary does not deal much with the trade's darker side, but is a warmhearted portrait of two charming protagonists.
Movies
60 And Sexless, But 'Hope Springs' Eternal
August 8, 2012 In Hope Springs, Kay (Meryl Streep) and Arnold (Tommy Lee Jones) seek out a couples therapist (Steve Carell) to try to rekindle the spark in their marriage. Critic David Edelstein says it's a post-reproductive chick flick for audiences who are no longer spring chickens.
Movies
A Marriage Passes From Routine To Rut To Therapy
August 7, 2012 A couple (Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones) attends a marriage retreat to see a counselor (Steve Carell) in Hope Springs. Critic Ian Buckwalter says this low-key romantic comedy lets scenes linger, allowing the actors to shine and the hard work of a long marriage to come through.
Movies
In The Scottish Dunes, It's David Versus The Donald
August 2, 2012 A local effort to stop construction on Donald Trump's luxury golf resort is the focus of Anthony Baxter's impassioned documentary You've Been Trumped. Critic Jeannette Catsoulis says the film could have dug deeper in its investigation but is saved by the virtue of its fight.
Movies
The 'Global Catch' In Our Insatiable Taste For Sushi
August 2, 2012 Sushi: The Global Catch looks at the environmental consequences of the food's growing popularity. Critic Joel Arnold says the film offers a one-sided argument, but does so compellingly. After watching, you might opt to rethink your order.
Movies
In A Decrepit Future, An Identity Crisis Multiplies
August 2, 2012 Total Recall, a remake of the 1990 sci-fi film, stars Colin Farrell as a man who learns of a past life when he begins to have recurring dreams of an alternate existence. Critic Mark Jenkins says the film empties the scenario of any intelligent thoughts in favor of continuous, mindless action.
Movies
'360': Intertwined Lives In A Connected Europe
August 2, 2012 Fernando Meirelles brings together an international ensemble cast in a film that links the lives of malcontents in modern Europe. Critic Ella Taylor says that it is hard to relate with the movie's unrelentingly dour conceit, which also does not suit Meirelles' frenetic visual style.
Movies
A Couple Made For Each Other, But Not For Marriage
August 2, 2012 Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg play a couple who get divorced but remain close friends in Celeste and Jesse Forever. Critic Stephanie Zacharek says that, imperfections aside, the movie refreshingly shows the sadness of separation while refusing to see a "failed" marriage as only a failure.
Movies
Two Films Shoot Past Realism To Weirder Territory
July 27, 2012 Ruby Sparks and Killer Joe tell of an author who conjures a woman from his typewriter and a corrupt detective hired to kill an aging mother, respectively. But Fresh Air's David Edelstein says the films share a common trait: Both take their stories beyond common reality to more fascinating parts of the psyche.
