michael clayton and the amazing george clooney

If you want proof that I'm not one of those critics who hates everything that comes his way, check out my latest Consumables column , wh...

saw iv

At this point, you're either someone who watches ever Saw sequel or someone who badmouths the whole franchise. That sorta makes a film c...

roger ebert nails grindhouse

It's been a delight to have Roger Ebert back reviewing movies every Friday; we had lost his distinctive critical voice for several month...

black irish

Writer-director Brad Gann's Black Irish takes on one of the cinema's most overdone dramatic territories: the suffering Irish family....

a film about jimmy carter

Man From Plains , a Jonathan Demme documentary about Jimmy Carter, is one of the best films of the year. But it's about more than just t...

the season of joy division

Ian Curtis has been dead for 27 years now, but his old band's legacy still looms large. Control , a film about Curtis directed by Anton ...

ac/dc: their hidden gems

If you just know "You Shook Me All Night Long" and "Back in Black," then enjoy my analysis of some of AC/DC's lesser...

joni mitchell

Shine , her new record, isn't a galvanizing return to form, but if you give the disc some time, its beauty can sneak up on you .

chamillionaire doesn't drink or smoke

Those were just two things I found out about the "Ridin' Dirty" rapper in my recent interview with him for Blender .

band of horses

Cease to Begin is the South Carolina band's second album -- it's even more lovely than their first. My review appears at Blender .

the kite runner

The award-seeking adaptation of the Khaled Hosseini novel won't be arriving in theaters until December, but my review is up now at Scr...

kid rock talks to me

To promote his new album, Rock N Roll Jesus , Kid Rock sat down for an interview with me. The results can be found at Blender .

the final season

Another inspirational baseball film? I'm afraid so, but The Final Season has its heart in the right place at least. If it's on cabl...

baby elephant

Turn My Teeth Up! is the name of the new album from Baby Elephant, a collaboration between hip-hop producer Prince Paul (of De La Soul fame)...

blender's 40 worst lyricists in rock

Yup, Blender magazine picked Sting as rock music's worst lyricist. But who were the other 39? The link to the piece, which I helped cont...

bergman at the new beverly

If you've never seen Cries and Whispers or Autumn Sonata , now's your chance: Ingmar Bergman's harrowing family dramas screen at...

lake of fire

Filmmaker Tony Kaye's abortion documentary Lake of Fire opens this weekend in New York. It's an affecting but imperfect work. My rev...

bruce springsteen returns

The Boss is back with his new album, Magic . In honor of the occasion, I look back at Springsteen's greatest non-hits for VH1 .

kanye west

Graduation , the new record from Kanye West, heads my latest Consumables column. Also included: reviews of Into the Wild , Justice, Beck...