FilmStew.com: REVIEWSANDVIEWS

Enthralled by "The Fall"

05/12/2008

David Fincher and Spike Jonze are to be congratulated for trying to help bring attention of a film our critic thinks is the best of the year so far.

Not Quite Up to "Speed"

05/09/2008

Even though Speed Racer has the crazed look and feel of a Hunter S. Thompson hallucination, it’s ultimately nothing more than a gonzo copout.

A Pair of Very Personal Debuts

05/07/2008

For documentary filmmakers Irene Taylor Brodsky and Ben Byer, an intimate personal knowledge of disability and disease has translated into success on the film festival circuit.

Better Romcom Than "Red"

05/02/2008

After several successful attempts at subverting genre with the theme of masculine amorality, playwright-filmmaker David Mamet falls flat on the mat with Redbelt.

Defiling the "Auteur" Theory

04/25/2008

Though not quite a video store clerk turned filmmaker on the level of Quentin Tarantino, Portland, Oregon moviemaker James Westby continues to do his best to stock the New Releases section.

"Forgetting" the Macho Man

04/18/2008

At $400 million and counting, the partnership between Universal Pictures and Judd Apatow looks set to easily pass the half-billion mark this spring with yet another comical look at the imperfections of man.

Film Appreciation "101"

04/10/2008

The trick to enjoying Daniel Waters and Winona Ryder’s reunion flick is to expect a comedy-drama nowhere near as great as their 1989 counterculture classic Heathers.

Kar Wai's Bland Piece of Pie

04/04/2008

Despite strong performances from Norah Jones and Jude Law, Wong Kar Wai’s eighth film just kind of sits there, like a piece of pie that’s been left too long inside a café’s glass case.

Unable to "Stop" the Stereotyping

03/31/2008

Though filmmaker Kimberly Peirce delves into admirably complex issues, her tendency to caricature has so far prevented her films from attaining greatness.

"Fatboy" Fricassee

03/28/2008

A fry-up of American, British and Irish comedy sensibilities that will have no trouble satisfying mainstream movie appetites.

From J.D. Salinger to J.W. Lennon

03/28/2008

John Lennon was only ten-years-old when the novel Catcher in the Rye was first published in 1951. But sadly for him, a fan’s twisted interpretation of that seminal work led to an abrupt end on December 8th, 1980.

Nothing "Funny" About It

03/14/2008

Michael Haneke’s encore presentation of Funny Games bears the same message as his 1997 original: audiences are willing to put up with a lot when violence is branded as entertainment.

Far from "Heaven"

03/07/2008

Even the prodigious talents of Chris Cooper cannot overcome the central problem of writer-director Ira Sachs’ drama Married Life.

No Country for Old Women

02/29/2008

On the heels of his Best Picture triumph with the Coen’s, producer Scott Rudin brings forth a decidedly less groundbreaking adaptation.

A "Witless" Condemnation

02/28/2008

To all those merrily dumping on Larry the Cable Guy’s new movie Witless Protection, our writer has a message: you could be next.

Not Much "Point" to It

02/22/2008

The set-up may be of the high concept kind that fetches seven figures in Hollywood, but the payoff fails to pass the smell test.

A "Bartlett" Pair

02/22/2008

By stepping into the role in Rock ‘n’ Roll High School written for Eddie Deezen, actor Clint Howard proved that one generation’s supporting character is another generation’s teenage hero.

Some "Kind" of Wonderful

02/22/2008

The only thing wrong with Michel Gondry’s latest film is the idea that the antics of its two main characters fail to wind up on YouTube.

Love in the Time of Clinton

02/18/2008

Lurking in the background of the romantic comedy Definitely, Maybe is the notion of how quickly a political savior from a place called Hope can lead a nation to a place called despair.

Carrying a Silent Tune

02/08/2008

Some may compare the Israeli film The Band’s Visit to something like Bill Forsyth’s 1983 comedy Local Hero. But for our reviewer, the cinematic connections go much further back.