IN MY COUNTRY


It is a noble thing, this idea of making movies. It can be a supplicant process, and nothing should get in the way of historical accuracy. Boorman tries to envelop us in guilty romantic pleasure, while casting images of evil. It doesn't work, and I'm thankful. Don't fill up on bread; stick to the main course. I understand, there has to be a set of shoulders to carry the heavy emotional load of the stories... Which is where the main characters (Jackson and Binoche) come in. Maybe I'm just overloaded with historical dramas (it seems like two out of every three films these days are just that), I don't know, but I'd rather see a documantarian-treatment of post-Aparthied South Africa. All that being said, this... READ MORE >>>

HOUSE OF D


An affectionate reconciliation between an expatriate artist and his New York past provides narrative for the alternately tender and disturbing House of D, written and directed by actor David Duchovny. Co-starring his real-life wife Tea Leoni, the ever-malleable Robin Williams, and Russian-born actor Anton Yelchin as the young Thomas Warshaw (Duchovny), House of D has an aerial, almost Chagall-esque series of illustrations as its rubric, a spiritual journey away from and back to Greenwich Village of 1973, when fate and friendship altered the course of a young man's life. Perhaps taking his cue from Neil Simon's various, ethnic sojourns into the bourgeois, Jewish lifestyle of the 1950's and 1960's, Duchovny opens his Christian journey with Warshaw's early morning hours' explanation of his lateness and... READ MORE >>>

HONEY


Too Sugary and Syrupy for Most of Us, Great Message for Kids Honey is the story of a young woman, Honey (Jessica Alba), who has a passion for hip-hop, and runs an urban center where youth come to learn hip hop. She gets discovered and makes it big as a dancer/choreographer for some of the biggest names in hip-hop, but of course she is torn between the world of hip-hop on the streets (where the treasured roots of hip-hop are from) and the glamour of dancing with the big boys. The film has such a positive message to be your self and it was great to see hip-hop culture take center stage. I hate revealing the truth that this movie is pretty prosaic and... READ MORE >>>

HEADING SOUTH (VERS LE SUD)


Laurent Cantet’s (Time Out, Human Resources) Heading South is based in Haiti yet never really ventures past the confines of a resort hotel. When it does, we see a very clean Haiti (it was, after all, filmed in Santo Domingo), with well-dressed people, a vibrant, thriving marketplace, and not a sight of poverty. Granted, Haiti is a beautiful country, but to ignore its poverty and the people ground into it is inexcusable, especially from an acclaimed filmmaker known for his films about social problems and the existentialist questions that arise from them. I’ve been to Haiti once, back in about, oh, I don’t know, maybe 1987 or so, and I was horrified by the outright, blatant state of affairs there. People running up to you,... READ MORE >>>

HAROLD AND KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE


If youre looking for the stoner, fast food movie of the summer youve found it in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, starring John Cho (American Pie trilogy) as Harold and Kal Penn (Van Wilder) as Kumar. This is a classic buddy movie but one that breaks the mold by giving the lead to Asian characters for the first time in a mainstream Hollywood picture. This film definitely scores points for comedy as it induces countless belly laughs throughout the film. Its a little early in the year to start talking Oscar contention, but for its niche Harold and Kumar hits the mark. At the core both Harold and Kumar are characters that are very easy to relate to. Harold works in a... READ MORE >>>