Screen
The dreaded ’20’
It´s a close call, given the lousiness and the scolding tone of much of her material, but Anna Faris survives What’s Your Number? with eccentric comic charm intact. Dumb film; smart comedienne...
When the system wins
It doesn’t take long for Alex Cox, University of Colorado Boulder assistant professor and director of such cult classics as Repo Man, Sid & Nancy, Walker and The Highway Patrolman (which screens at the International Film Series on Wednesday, Oct. 5), to show his ...
Thanks, Morgan Freeman
I’ll be honest, in the spirit of the honestly shameless heartwarmer Dolphin Tale. I saw it in a somewhat distracted, agitated state...
Acting skills gone missing
Twilight alumnus Taylor Lautner makes his debut as a leading man in a film tailor-made for him. Abduction puts Lautner in motion and never goes wrong as long as he remains in motion...
reel to reel | Week of Sept. 29, 2011
50/50 When a young man is diagnosed with cancer, he and his best friend try to cope with the shock. Rated R. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT Abduction See full review Page 37. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks...
Cinematography and ski porn
From the opening shots of Solitaire, the new ski film from Sweetgrass Productions, you know you’re in for something different...
Driven by fashion to mediocrity
Drive begins extremely well and ends in a muddle of ultra-violence, hypocrisy and stylistic preening, which won’t be any sort of deterrent for those who like its looks...
Women, poorly portrayed
Thwarted by the same awkward timing that zonked Confessions of a Shopaholic two years ago, just when shopaholics began to seem extra-heinous, the film version of I Don’t Know How She Does It doesn’t know how to do what I think it’s trying to do...
Powerful pandemic picture
One of the most powerful — and frightening — film themes is global pandemics. Diseases already seem to spread without us fully understanding or being able to control them, and rapidly evolve to become resistant to our defenses. It's not much of a leap to see a very ...
Karate chop to the throat
The feverish mixed martial arts infomercial Warrior opens up so many cans of emotional whup-ass that after a while you think: Enough! It’s whupped! It’s whupped! And yet the tears will flow by the gallon...
