paprika

The newest animated film from director Satoshi Kon is beloved by everyone. Except me.

gracie

Based on Elizabeth Shue's childhood experience of playing soccer in boys-only leagues, Gracie is a bit of a family affair. After watchin...

the police

Well, the long wait is over. The Police's reunion tour kicks off this weekend. To get you in the mood, here's a list of 10 hidden ge...

zz top takes the rock honors

VH1's annual Rock Honors program airs tonight, which includes a tribute to ZZ Top, who will be performing. For VH1's website, I look...

pirates of the caribbean: at world's end

This third Pirates is more ho-hum than yo ho ho .

maroon 5 return

Make snide jokes all you want, but Maroon 5's new album, It Won't Be Soon Before Long , is actually pretty good .

the corporation

Having recently seen No End in Sight , the terrific Iraq War documentary by Charles Ferguson, I was reminded of The Corporation , an equally...

wilco v. son volt

I never thought I'd live to see the day when a music critic would actually dare to say he preferred Son Volt to Wilco. Bless you, Mark M...

even money

A drama starring Forest Whitaker, Danny DeVito, Ray Liotta, Tim Roth, Carla Gugino, Kelsey Grammer, and Kim Basinger comes out today. Why ha...

luke wilson is wendell baker

The Wendell Baker Story , written and co-directed by Luke Wilson (who also stars), starts off so promisingly that it's even more disappo...

michael keaton returns

Michael Keaton is the star of The Last Time , a mediocre film that doesn't have enough confidence in its central theme and instead reso...

roger ebert teaches a lesson in class

As film critic Roger Ebert continues to recover from surgery, he tells of a bouquet of get-well flowers that came from a most unlikely pers...

28 weeks later

Loved the first one. But the new one is just so-so. Also in Consumables, I discuss Away From Her and new singles by the White Stripes, Avr...

chalk

It's done like a mockumentary, but there's a lot of heart to Chalk , a great look inside the demanding world of high school teachers.

the salon

Hoping to grab the crowds who liked Barbershop , The Salon offers a similar milieu. If you can't get enough jokes about how white peopl...

the hip hop project

The documentary The Hip Hop Project operates in the inspirational, make-a-difference genre. Savvy rap fans may quibble with some of the ass...

steely dan: hidden gems

Steely Dan , the crown princes of '70s snark, just kicked off another summer tour. In honor of that wonderful news, here is a salute to ...

another sad end to a lakers season

The Los Angeles Lakers lost in the first round, for the second straight year, to the Phoenix Suns. Two years into the new Phil Jackson era, ...

hot fuzz

I loved Shaun of the Dead , but Edgar Wright's new film, Hot Fuzz , isn't up to the same level. Also in Consumables , I review Jinda...

waitress: adrienne shelly's unexpected swan song

Waitress , starring a terrific Keri Russell, turned out to be writer-director-actor Adrienne Shelly's last film. (She was murdered in Ne...