500 days of summer review

My happiest revelation at Sundance has been finding not one but two smart, funny, touching romantic comedies. The first was Paper Heart -- the second is 500 Days of Summer, which will be coming out through Fox Searchlight this summer. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel are both really delightful in it -- I can see this movie doing very well.

paper heart review

One of the really nice surprises so far at Sundance has been Paper Heart, the documentary/fiction hybrid that stars Charlyne Yi and Michael Cera. Yi didn't believe in love and decided to make a documentary about it -- and then things go all postmodern when she starts dating Cera (who, in real life, is her boyfriend). I think indie-arthouse audiences are gonna luv this movie.

the greatest review

That headline might be a little misleading. I'm not saying this is the greatest review ever -- simply my review of The Greatest, the debut of writer-director Shana Feste that stars Susan Sarandon and Pierce Brosnan as a married couple coping with the death of their teenage son. Watching this film, I realized I'm partial to dramas about grief -- don't ask me why, because I'm not even sure I want to dwell on it too long. But despite some good performances, The Greatest is too uneven tonally to really connect.

brooklyn's finest review

From director Antoine Fuqua, the man behind Training Day, comes Brooklyn's Finest, an ensemble drama about three separate New York City cops and the many moral gray areas they encounter in their lives. Starring Richard Gere, Don Cheadle and a very fine Ethan Hawke, Brooklyn's Finest has the ambition and scope to be a big-city crime epic, but the film is ultimately undone by too many narrative cliches.

the killing room review

The first film I saw this year at Sundance was The Killing Room. Others have been very dismissive of this Saw-like psychological thriller about four strangers trapped in a scientific experiment more dangerous than they could have possibly imagined. Me, I found it to be nasty fun.

dead snow review

Greetings from the Sundance Film Festival, which I'm covering for Screen International. First up is my review of Dead Snow, the Norwegian zombie horror movie that's playing as part of the Park City at Midnight section. For fans of the Evil Dead, the movie is a lot of bloody fun.

mc hammer: turn this mutha out

What, you were expecting "U Can't Touch This"? I always preferred this song -- he is in effect, and you are not.

paul blart: mall cop

I like Kevin James. I liked him on The King of Queens (most of the time), and I liked him in Hitch. Paul Blart: Mall Cop, his first starring vehicle, is something else entirely. My review is up at Screen International.

owl and the sparrow

Owl and the Sparrow is a slight, lovely drama about three very different people living in Saigon and how their worlds come into contact with one another. It's not Crash or Babel -- it's simply told, without a need to pile on the narrative coincidences. With indie-film distribution being what it is, you'll only be able to see it at the Sunset 5 for a week before it eventually makes its way to DVD.

elvis costello: pump it up

"This is back when he used to actually be good," I'm sure some of you will say. I like This Year's Model a lot, too -- but what self-respecting Elvis Costello fan doesn't own King of America and Blood and Chocolate as well? Regardless, this song is now more than 30 years old. Let's take a moment to consider that ... but stop thinking about it when it starts to get depressing.

bride wars

It's January, which means it's Terrible Movie Month. I had some hopes for Bride Wars, but, alas, it's the sort of chick-flick that views women (its target audience) with an odd mix of contempt and condescension. My review is here.

the curious case of benjamin button

I've been sitting on my review of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button for about a month. Here it finally is as part of my latest Consumables column, plus reviews of Waltz With Bashir, The Wrestler, Boogie Man, The Order of Myths and The Class.

village voice/l.a. weekly film poll

I voted in this year's Village Voice/L.A. Weekly film poll. Results are here. Individual critics' ballots aren't available online as of yet.