Sep 14, 2011 Cinema #37 – St. Vincent

Flannery O'Connor once said that the essence of her  characters was revealed when they faced their own death. Director Gus Van Sant of late has mined that notion repeatedly in his films, be it the assassination at the crux of the Harvey Milk biopic Milk, the doomed hikers in the impressionistic Gerry, or the massacred high school kids in the Columbine inspired Elephant. More

Aug 19, 2011 Cinema #37 – St. Vincent

English writer David Nicholls' screen adaptation of his bestselling romantic novel, One Day, is the source for director Lone Scherfig's follow-up to her 2009 breakout success, An Education. More

Aug 06, 2011 Cinema #37 – St. Vincent

The Future, director Miranda July’s second film, begins not unlike her first, Me and You and Everyone We Know. It features July starring as the quirky, emotionally stunted Sophie, who works as a dance instructor for kids, and her boyfriend Jason, who also is seemingly caught in a developmental moratorium, played by Hamish Linklater.  More

Aug 05, 2011 Cinema #37 – St. Vincent

Seventeen-year-old New Haven high school student Rhoda Williams (Brit Marling), fascinated with the stars since she was a kid, has been accepted into MIT, but, on the night that a “blue star” is discovered, she makes a life-altering mistake that lands her in prison. More

Jul 29, 2011 Cinema Web Exclusive

The film rights to the 2006 graphic novel, Cowboys & Aliens, were bought before its creator, Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, and his Platinum Studios had even finished it. Flash forward to 2011, and the much-anticipated, big-budget sci-fi/adventure film arrives saddled with five producers, six executive producers, five screenplay writers, and three "screen story" writers. Eight writers and eleven producers is never a good sign for a film, even when Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard are among them, as is the case with Cowboys & Aliens.  More

Jul 15, 2011 Cinema Web Exclusive

Consistency has been one of the greatest virtues of the Harry Potter film series, and for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ­— Part 2 to be a disappointment this late in the game would be a surprise, which it's not. Deathly Hallows ­— Part 2 lives up to the standard set by its predecessors, remaining true to their spirit while also delivering an epic battle royal between Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). More

Jul 15, 2011 Cinema

Coming of age teen dramas have monopolized the quirky indie realm since Rushmore claimed the genre more than a decade ago. The best ones realize that the minutia of adolescent life is catastrophic enough to successfully engage an audience without needing to contrive outlandish stories and characters. Unfortunately for director Azazel Jacobs, Terri comes after a litany of adolescent indie dramedies. More

Jun 24, 2011 Cinema Web Exclusive

Documentary director David Fine has pulled off a cool trick in making an emotionally absorbing film about a sports team in which the final score of the games depicted is only of secondary consequence. More

Jun 13, 2011 Cinema Web Exclusive

Director Don McGlynn's documentary chronicle of the history of Gospel music is so rich with electrifying archival performance clips that, a few years ago, it would have sparked a follow-up run to Tower Records or Virgin Megastore to peruse these artists' recordings. More