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The Oscars look back in languor in 2011

This year, perhaps in hopes of diverting audiences with a different format, the Motion Picture Academy has again changed the number of Best Picture nominees.
Golden oldies
By PETER KEOUGH | January 20, 2012

Review: The Iron Lady

Meryl Streep's two films with Phyllida Lloyd, Mamma Mia and this silly biopic, demonstrate that even when the world's greatest actress is at the peak of her powers — whether dramatic, comic, or musical — it's not enough.
Streep's not enough to save this one
By PETER KEOUGH | January 13, 2012

Review: Carnage

As befits someone with jail time hanging over his head, Roman Polanski does his best work in close quarters. From Knife in the Water , to Repulsion , to The Tenant and The Pianist , he's a master of claustrophobic close encounters, and as such has
Claustrophobic close encounters
By PETER KEOUGH | January 13, 2012

Review: The Divide

Many a teleplay for The Twilight Zone threatened atomic Armageddon, and though Frontier(s) director Xavier Gens nukes New York in the opening shots of his latest thriller, he finds more inspiration in the horrors of human nature as seen in the old T
The horrors of human nature
By BRETT MICHEL | January 13, 2012

Review: Dreileben

Taking a cue from Kieslowski's Three Colors by way of the British Red Riding series, this TV trilogy from three German directors of the Berlin School starts out with a creepy aura of dread and mystery and ends with contrived and unsatisfying resolut
TV trilogy from three German directors
By PETER KEOUGH | January 13, 2012

Review: The Devil Inside

William Brent Bell's film opens with a disclaimer that "the Vatican does not endorse this movie." No kidding — the Catholic Church isn't exactly known for its sense of humor.
William Brent Bell's limp mockumentary
By ALEXANDRA CAVALLO | January 13, 2012

Review: Joyful Noise

There's not much joy but there's plenty of noise of the rafter-rocking gospel singing variety in Tony Graff's musical dramedy.
Rafter-rocking gospel singing
By TOM MEEK | January 13, 2012

Review: In the Land of Blood and Honey

Jolie has loosely reworked the story of Romeo and Juliet in an infamous setting familiar from CNN but here seen from the inside.
Angelina Jolie's feature directorial debut
By TOM MEEK | January 06, 2012

Hollywood offers botched operations and altered lives in 2012

Those who got a thrill last spring when the SEALS took out Osama bin Laden will have more of the same covert ass-kicking to look forward to in theaters as we enter 2012.
Change of plans
By PETER KEOUGH | December 30, 2011

Unsexiest Men '11: Big Screen Bums

Being a famous-ass movie star or a bigwig producer does not preclude one from being a douchebag. Often, it only raises the levels of douchebaggery...
By Alexandra Cavallo | December 27, 2011

Review: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Aside from the obvious differences — a knack for Quidditch for example — George Smiley might be considered the Cold War equivalent of Harry Potter.
Alfredson tinkers with le Carré's spy classic
By PETER KEOUGH | December 16, 2011

Interview: Steve McQueen puts the MPAA ratings system to Shame

Every few years a film challenges the stigma of NC-17.
The X factor
By PETER KEOUGH | December 09, 2011

Film favorites to pass the Occupation with — no matter what side you’re on

From the wealthiest stockbroker to the lowliest unemployed college grad, who doesn’t love a good movie?
Action! group
By MICHAEL NEEL | December 09, 2011

[POST-MORTEM] In praise of Horror Hound: What keeps us coming back for more blood, guts, and Jason Voorhees sugar cookies

Dear HorrorHound Weekend: Thanks for another amazing horror convention. I only get to see you twice a year, but you always make it worth my...
By Michael Neel | December 01, 2011

Review: The Muppets

It's tough when your brother Gary is played by Jason Segel and you're only three feet tall and made of felt.
A Muppets for our ironic age
By ANN LEWINSON | November 25, 2011

Review: My Week with Marilyn

The Prince and the Showgirl (1957) didn't distinguish the résumés of either Marilyn Monroe or Laurence Olivier. It did mark a highpoint in the life of 23-year-old Colin Clark.
Kiss-and-tell-memoir
By PETER KEOUGH | November 25, 2011

Review: Arthur Christmas 3D

The diametric opposite of the Antarctica-set Happy Feet Two , or at least geographically, Sarah Smith's revisionist Santa Claus tale still delivers the same kind of offbeat holiday animation.
Sarah Smith's revisionist Santa Claus
By PETER KEOUGH | November 25, 2011

Review: Happy Feet Two

Lovely to look at despite the 3D, and sometimes bordering on the psychedelic, this crack-brained morality tale blends the sublimely weird and the cloyingly awful as it preaches once again the paradox that you should be true to yourself as long as you a
Crack-brained morality tale
By PETER KEOUGH | November 18, 2011

Review: Jack and Jill

Director Dennis Dugan's second Adam Sandler vehicle of the year turns out to be even worse than Just Go with It.
Easily Sandler's worst film
By BRETT MICHEL | November 18, 2011

Review: The Man Nobody Knew: In Search of My Father, CIA Spymaster William Colby

"My father lived in shadows," says filmmaker Carl Colby in voiceover. "He liked being invisible." His documentary is a valiant but ultimately futile attempt to understand William Colby, the ex-CIA head who died in 1996.
Carl Colby documents his father's life
By GERALD PEARY | November 18, 2011

Review: Being Elmo

Just in time for the release of The Muppet Movie on November 25 comes Constance Marks's look at the man behind the pilly-fabric Sesame Street character.
A moving portrait of an unheralded artist
By PETER KEOUGH | November 18, 2011

Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone

Lev Anderson and Chris Metzler's documentary details Fishbone's quarter-century journey from musically-diverse South Central middle school classmates to becoming one of the most influential Los Angeles bands of the '80s.
Fishbone's quarter-century journey
By SCOTT FAYNER | November 18, 2011

A Very Phoenix Halloween: 5 Scary Movies for Halloween You've Probably Never Heard Of

So you're looking for scary a movie to watch on Halloween. Maybe you're not a huge horror buff, so you Google "Scary Halloween Movies," and...
By Michael Neel | October 31, 2011

Review: Martha Marcy May Marlene

As implied by the title of Sean Durkin's coldly confident, insidiously haunting first feature, personal identity can be a fragile thing.
Helter shelter
By PETER KEOUGH | October 28, 2011

Documentary films get some love at a great Maine festival

We've all had that irritating waitress who, asked what she'd suggest on the menu, answers cheerily, "Everything is great!" Thanks for the help — and what credibility!
Hello, Camden!
By GERALD PEARY | October 07, 2011

Review: Tucker & Dale vs. Evil

From Deliverance to the new Straw Dogs , elitist Hollywood hasn't shown rednecks any respect.
Eli Craig's morality tale
By PETER KEOUGH | September 30, 2011

A good festival becomes a great one in the Midcoast this weekend

Last year, the big stories out of the Camden International Film Festival were its newfound industry cachet and a very noticeable uptick in Portlanders making the trip up to Midcoast Maine's annual documentary showcase.
Reel talk
By CHRISTOPHER GRAY | September 30, 2011

Review: Straw Dogs

Remaking, polishing, and in effect housebreaking what should've remained untamed and feral, Rod Lurie's new version of the Peckinpah classic follows the original's story beats closely, and so the devil is in the details.
Rod Lurie's new version of the Peckinpah classic
By MICHAEL ATKINSON | September 23, 2011

Providence Community Library’s 16mm surprise

Behind the librarian's desk at the Knight Memorial Library in the Elmwood section of Providence, a narrow staircase leads to a three-level basement below.
At the Movies
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | September 23, 2011

Reviews: Gun Hill Road

When tough guy Enrique (a stolid Esai Morales) returns to his Bronx home after his latest stint in the joint, he finds that things have changed.
A recently released inmate has trouble with his family's newfound values
By PETER KEOUGH | September 16, 2011

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