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Ghetto
(2002)
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Jean Lowerison
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A sad but inspirational story that needs to be told and should be seen.
Posted Jan 29, 2019
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Gran Torino
(2008)
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Jean Lowerison
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Even this one-trick predictable pony is worth seeing when Eastwood is riding.
Posted Jul 07, 2010
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Slumdog Millionaire
(2008)
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Jean Lowerison
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Dev Patel and Freida Pinto, the older Jamal and Latika, will make you smile and cry and happy you saw Slumdog Millionaire, which will certainly be in the Oscar hunt.
Posted Jul 06, 2010
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Up
(2009)
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Jean Lowerison
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The first from Pixar to be filmed in Disney Digital 3-D, Up looks and sounds great. The script is charming, touching and altogether delightful; the voice talent perfectly suited to the characters.
Posted Jul 06, 2010
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12
(2007)
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Jean Lowerison
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12 is a mildly interesting exercise in cultural translation, but it's difficult to understand why the film was made.
Posted Jul 06, 2010
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Requiem for a Dream
(2000)
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Jean Lowerison
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Unfortunately, about halfway through, the film takes a (deliberate) nosedive into the depths of human degradation from which it never emerges.
Posted Jul 06, 2010
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The Reader
(2008)
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Jean Lowerison
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There's something missing from screenwriter David Hare's adaptation of Bernhard Schlink's Oprah selection, The Reader.
Posted Jul 06, 2010
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Coraline
(2009)
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Jean Lowerison
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Gaiman's great story and Selick's direction make it a fun few hours in the theater. Just don't take anybody under eight.
Posted Jul 06, 2010
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Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea
(2004)
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Jean Lowerison
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Narrated by John Waters, Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea is an odd bird -- wacky and poignant, funny and sobering, but this portrait of a forgotten paradise is a must-see.
Posted Sep 13, 2009
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Brick Lane
(2007)
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Jean Lowerison
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Despite the fine performances, Brick Lane comes across as a nice soap opera when it promised much more.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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Choke
(2008)
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Jean Lowerison
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Rockwell and Henke are spectacular as the sex-addicted protagonists, and the other cast members are up to the task as well. And that makes Choke wild and woolly enough to keep you laughing much of the time.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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Religulous
(2008)
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Jean Lowerison
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Be prepared for truths, distortions, unfair juxtapositions (especially with the film clips) and just plain goofiness in this too-long but often very entertaining film.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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Mamma Mia!
(2008)
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Jean Lowerison
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Brosnan, Firth and Skarsgard have a great time playing the bimbos who may be Sophie's dad.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
(2007)
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Jean Lowerison
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How does an actor act when he can use only one eye? You'll have to see the film to find out, but rest assured that there are sufficient flashbacks to give the remarkable Mathieu Amalric a chance to use the usual actor's tools as well.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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Taxi to the Dark Side
(2007)
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Jean Lowerison
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Gibney asks us to ponder the likelihood of getting good information from suspects turned in by bounty-hunting locals (more than 90% of those jailed for terrorist activity or connections to terrorists were fingered for a reward).
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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Under the Same Moon
(2007)
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Jean Lowerison
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The argument of Under the Same Moon isn't news to anyone living near the border, but it does present the migrants' problems well and poignantly.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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Before the Rains
(2007)
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Jean Lowerison
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An unremarkable story beautifully told, and should appeal to the legion of Merchant Ivory fans out there.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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The Duchess
(2008)
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Jean Lowerison
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It's not bad. It's not great. It's just there.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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Military Intelligence and You!
(2006)
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Jean Lowerison
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A hilarious takeoff on World War II training films.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?
(2008)
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Jean Lowerison
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Spurlock's disarming, slightly goofy demeanor gets him out of situations that might mean trouble for anyone else. His films are always fun and even illuminating to watch.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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The Dark Knight
(2008)
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Jean Lowerison
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Lacks a sense of humor and a notion about the essential silliness of this premise.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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Morning Light
(2008)
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Jean Lowerison
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The film may interest sailing enthusiasts. For the rest of us, Morning Light is a yawn.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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The Fall
(2006)
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Jean Lowerison
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The story Roy tells is involving enough and so beautifully shot (see how many locations you can name) that it's worth seeing for that alone.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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In Search of a Midnight Kiss
(2007)
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Jean Lowerison
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There is no magic here. This is not Paris, these are not Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke, and Holdridge's script does not give us a reason to care what happens to these characters.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
(2007)
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Jean Lowerison
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This is an unsettling film, brilliantly acted all around, most especially by Vasiliu and Marinca.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
(2008)
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Jean Lowerison
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It's a fascinating portrait.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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Brideshead Revisited
(2008)
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Jean Lowerison
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Characters have been left out -- certainly inevitable -- but mainly what this lacks is air to breathe, wit, humor, a lightness of touch to keep it from being the stodgy bore it is.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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Standard Operating Procedure
(2008)
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Jean Lowerison
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Morris never gets close to the administrative attitude that apparently sanctioned, perhaps even encouraged the goings-on, despite Karpinski's contention that 'none of this produced useful intelligence.'
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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Juno
(2007)
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Jean Lowerison
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Jason Reitman directs Juno with just the light touch it needs, and Page is surrounded by terrific supporting performances all around. This could be the sleeper hit of the year.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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Tuya's Marriage
(2006)
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Jean Lowerison
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A lovely and sad film.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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Fighting for Life
(2008)
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Jean Lowerison
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If you're wondering where the heroes went, take a look at this group, and see if you're not impressed.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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American Teen
(2008)
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Jean Lowerison
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Burstein could be faulted for occasionally staging her 'plot points,' but she can't be accused of making anything but a riveting piece of film.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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Persepolis
(2007)
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Jean Lowerison
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Persepolis is a funny, touching, occasionally frightening and altogether engrossing description of her life between 1978 and 1994.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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Swing Vote
(2008)
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Jean Lowerison
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Costner does what he can with a role that is described as lovable, but I didn't find him so. Bud's a loser, nearly a bum, and even the expected turn-around didn't ring true for me.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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Towelhead
(2007)
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Jean Lowerison
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Give Bishil props for a truly brave performance. Eckhart and Macdissi do what they can, as does Toni Collette as a concerned neighbor who tries to save Jasira from Eckhart. But the script isn't up to the actors.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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Appaloosa
(2008)
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Jean Lowerison
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It isn't a bad film, but the pacing drags it down to the level of just another horse opera when it could have been so much more.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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Baghead
(2008)
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Jean Lowerison
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The plot is tired, the actors are not much good, the situation is way too familiar, there is no humor or fright in sight.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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Flow: For Love of Water
(2008)
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Jean Lowerison
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It is required watching, because only concerted citizen action can stop the trend.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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Chicago 10
(2007)
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Jean Lowerison
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Chicago 10 isn't perfect, but is required viewing for anyone who wasn't around at the time, if only as a reminder of the effectiveness of citizen action.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
(2007)
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Jean Lowerison
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Depp does about as well as anyone other than Len Cariou could with his one-note character. Bonham-Carter gives Mrs. Lovett a game stab, but she suffers from all that freaky makeup and lacks the voice of an Angela Lansbury.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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21
(2008)
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Jean Lowerison
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See this for the sheer fascination of it.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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The Foot Fist Way
(2006)
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Jean Lowerison
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The blatant, inarticulate idiocy of McBride's Simmons is, in a certain way, endearing.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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Charlie Bartlett
(2007)
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Jean Lowerison
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Lightweight fare, but a pleasant outing.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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I Served the King of England
(2006)
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Jean Lowerison
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[A] delightful, lighthearted satire, a quirky story of fantasy, wealth and pretty women with exposed nipples.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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In Bruges
(2008)
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Jean Lowerison
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McDonagh's trademark is dark humor, the ability to humanize inhuman situations, and plot twists you don't see coming. Expect all of these here, along with gorgeous cinematography by Eigil Bryld.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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Encounters at the End of the World
(2007)
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Jean Lowerison
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You will get Herzog's patented quirky and riveting piece of cinema, wonderfully filmed by Peter Zeitlinger and accompanied by the Bulgarian Women's Choir.
Posted Oct 18, 2008
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The Orphanage
(2007)
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Jean Lowerison
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This Christmas, Spain has given the film world the best possible gift: a new and brilliant young director.
Posted Jan 07, 2008
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I'm Not There
(2007)
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Jean Lowerison
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Ultimately, though, the question arises: why bother?
Posted Nov 24, 2007
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No Country for Old Men
(2007)
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Jean Lowerison
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Murder for its own sake wears quickly on me and I found myself wanting to flee the theater, and the sooner the better.
Posted Nov 17, 2007
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Lions for Lambs
(2007)
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Jean Lowerison
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Screenwriter Matthew Michael Carnahan as a way with dialogue; the verbal confrontations between Malley and Todd and Janine and Irving are choice, and all actors are in top form.
Posted Nov 17, 2007
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