MOVIE REVIEW
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Ishika Mohan/Fox Searchlight Pictures
If nothing else, “Slumdog Millionaire” should prove that Danny Boyle is no fluke. He injects so much adrenaline into a classic Dickensian storyline that it will sweep moviegoers away long before they have a chance to catch a breath or even realize just how familiar it all is – this story of an orphan who grew up in the slums becoming a contestant on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” in hopes of reconnecting with his childhood sweetheart. Indeed, even with a title that nearly spoils everything, one would still have to be made of stone to not walk out of this film with chills up the spine and tears down the face.
Continue reading “A Love Less Ordinary” »
MOVIE REVIEW
Rachel Getting Married (2008)
Bob Vergara/Sony Pictures Classics
Dear Jonathan Demme,
You made one heck of a thriller, “The Silence of the Lambs,” back in 1991 and inspired a slew of hyper-stylized detective thrillers such as “Seven.” But whatever cache or goodwill you earned with critics and moviegoers you’ve surely squandered away in the ensuing 17 years. It’s understandable that the mechanisms of the genre probably bore you to death. But if “The Manchurian Candidate” remake is any indication, thrillers are seemingly the only kind of films you excel at. Unfortunately, you’ve allowed your bleeding liberal heart to get the best of you.
Continue reading “Stop Making Nonsense” »
MOVIE REVIEW
The Wrestler (2008)
Wild Bunch
Ever since its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, Darren Aronofsky’s “The Wrestler” has been generating Oscar buzz – even prior to it having an American distributor or release date in sight. Before naysayers had a chance to jog their memory for other premature award-season contenders to compare it to (think “Inland Empire”), Mr. Aronofsky’s new film built on its momentum at the Toronto International Film Festival. Fox Searchlight emerged as the winner of the ensuing bidding war, and appropriately set Dec. 19 as the opening date.
Continue reading “Let’s Get Ready to Stumble” »
MOVIE REVIEW
Hunger (2008)
IFC Films
Winner of "Camera d’or" at Cannes Film Festival, British film artist Steve McQueen’s feature debut, “Hunger,” is perhaps the best cinematic treatment yet of the Irish Troubles. Indeed, just as Terry George and Jim Sheridan’s “Some Mother’s Son,” Mr. McQueen’s film revolves around the 1981 hunger strike led by the late Irish Republican Army volunteer and British parliament member Bobby Sands. But it ultimately achieves radically different results. While Mr. George’s beat-you-over-the-head approach was instantly forgettable, Mr. McQueen’s abstract yet visceral take on the same events truly gets under the skin.
Continue reading “Pound of Flesh as Bargaining Chip” »
MOVIE REVIEW
The Class (2008)
Pierre Milon/Sony Pictures Classics
“Palme d’or” winner at the Cannes Film Festival and opener of the New York Film Festival, Laurent Cantet’s “The Class” is indeed powerful stuff. The film chronicles one year in a junior high school in an ethnically diverse arrondissement of Paris. François Bégaudeau, whose autobiographical book “Entre les murs” serves as the basis of the film, leads a cast of non-professional actors who play students and teachers. Here’s a real inspirational story without the kind of predictable “Dead Poets Society”-esque life-changing conclusion, about one French teacher attempting to instill something meaningful into a classroom full of overgrown infants who are rowdy, rebellious and combative. What most critics probably aren’t telling you about in their expectedly lavish praises of the film is its stereotypical and downright patronizing portrayal of race and ethnicity.
Continue reading “Mad Hot Classroom” »
MOVIE REVIEW
The Lucky Ones (2008)
James Bridges/Roadside Attractions
Writer-director Neil Burger has transformed himself from a promising new talent to a major filmmaker on the strength of two showy, well-constructed films: the buzzed-about 2002 mockumentary “Interview with the Assassin” and the 2006 surprise hit “The Illusionist.” By contrast, his newest effort “The Lucky Ones” seems at first glance like an anticlimactic third act. It concerns three American servicemen stationed overseas who are back in the country on a one-month leave and embarking on an impromptu road trip because returning to their respective homes isn’t an option. The film actually has its share of smoke and mirrors just like Mr. Burger’s previous features, and these will surely catch moviegoers off guard given that the selling point here isn’t that anticipated giant plot twist. But perhaps the biggest surprise in store is how genuinely affecting “The Lucky Ones” turns out to be.
Continue reading “Why We Fight” »
Hollywood Records
Once upon a time, Amelie Gillette of The Onion A.V. Club dismissed her intern’s gentle suggestion to include Miley Cyrus in The Tolerability Index. Everything associated with the Disney Channel seemed way below the radar of The Onion’s target demographics, despite the fact that stargazers have spotted The Sopranos cast members James Gandolfini and Steve Schirripa escorting their children to a New York Times talk featuring Ms. Cyrus and her achy breaky one-hit wonder father, Billy Ray. But things probably have changed at The Onion after the 15-year-old superstar stirred up controversy by baring her backside for Vanity Fair’s noted fashion photographer Annie Leibowitz, and the fact that Ms. Cyrus’s standalone debut album “Breakout” just debuted at No. 1 on Billboard.
Continue reading “Maturity No Substitute for Clearasil” »
Once the premier movie blog for the New York City audience, The Reeler lately seems like it’s hanging by a thread. In fact, more than a month has elapsed since the site’s last update. Most notably missing are contributions from its reviews editor Michelle Orange, whose work has been steadily appearing in The Village Voice. But The Reeler’s esteemed blogger, S.T. VanAirsdale, is apparently alive and well. A Google search yields results for the latest article from Mr. VanAirsdale appearing in The Huffington Post and The Village Voice this week.
Yoshimoto R and C
“Preserve Japan!” “Soldier on, Japanese businessmen!” Slogans from post-war era Japan are hip again thanks to pop group Aladdin’s debut single “Hi wa, Mata Noboru,” released on July 30.
Aladdin is the latest musical act spawned from Fuji Television’s popular celebrity game show, “Quiz! Hexagon II.” In fact, it’s a super group that consists of two pop acts put together by “Hexagon”: female trio Pabo (Mai Satoda, Suzanne and Yukina Kinoshita) and boy band Shuchishin (Takeshi Tsuruno, Naoki Nokubo and Yusuke Kamiji). “Hexagon” host Shinsuke Shimada writes lyrics while regular guest Kei Takahara composes for the groups. The game show prominently features both acts as well as viewer-submitted home videos of children haphazardly mimicking their choreography routines.
Continue reading “Pop Genie Explodes from Aladdin’s Lamp” »
