Critic's Notebook

MOVIE REVIEW
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009)

By ROBERT LEVIN

Rico Torres/Columbia Pictures

“The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3” is similar to the cinematic version of a greatest-hits album, perfectly calibrated for the summer movie season. It features big stars and an established director doing exactly what they normally do, and doing it well.

The film pits John Travolta and Denzel Washington against one another as, stop me if you’ve heard this before, a maniacal villain and a suave hero respectively, while director Tony Scott (“Man on Fire,” “Domino”) amps up the action with assorted stylistic flourishes. That it works so well testifies to the skills of the principal figures and the continued potency of the mano-a-mano premise.

Continue reading “With Fare Hikes and Service Cuts Looming, M.T.A. Riders Take Another Hit” »

MOVIE REVIEW
Tell Tale (2009)

By ROBERT LEVIN

Eric Lee/Tribeca Film Festival

The world premiere screening of Michael Cuesta’s “Tell Tale,” held Friday night as part of the Tribeca Film Festival, was interrupted with calls for EMS as a man slumped over in his seat, possibly fainting or suffering a seizure. Without making light of the occurrence or improbably speculating about it, it’s not inconceivable that Mr. Cuesta’s film could have such an intensely visceral effect on an audience member.

Continue reading “Total Eclipse of the Heart” »