Movie review by Greg Carlson Curmudgeonly cult hero Alan Moore makes mere mortals jealous with his super-powered ability to have his cake and eat it. Perpetually grousing about the ways in which Hollywood hacks butcher his source material, he drums up all sorts of extra publicity for projects that aren’t worthy of it, keeping his […]

Movie review by Greg Carlson Movies that resort to unnecessary punctuation in their titles, particularly exclamation points, ought to provide enough fair warning for discerning moviegoers. “Fired Up!” is trashy, pointless, and lacking in taste, but nobody needs reminding that it is also a PG-13 cheerleader sex comedy that blends elements of “Bring It On” […]

Movie review by Greg Carlson Winner of the Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize, Courtney Hunt’s “Frozen River” is a taut, sober drama that uses the tension of human smuggling to comment more subtly on the challenges of single motherhood. Veteran actor Melissa Leo leaves a strong impression as Ray Eddy, the minimum wage-earning mom […]

Movie review by Greg Carlson A beneath-the-underdog story that would be right at home as a produced-for-cable movie of the week, “The Wrestler” transcends its familiar structure by way of the title performance of previously washed up star Mickey Rourke, whose unsavory antics and questionable plastic surgery torpedoed his once healthy career.  The fourth feature […]

Movie review by Greg Carlson Gus Van Sant cleverly links past and present in “Milk,” a sturdy, carefully crafted biopic of the martyred gay rights activist. The past is represented by frequently integrated archival footage that the director combines with the fictionalized dramatizations of Harvey Milk’s political failures and triumphs. The present finds parallels between […]

Movie review by Greg Carlson From “The Village Voice” to “Variety,” reviews of Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire” (co-directed with Loveleen Tandan) compare its inhabitants to the colorful street urchins and the cruel tormenters and exploiters of Charles Dickens. For anyone familiar with “Oliver Twist” or “David Copperfield,” the similarities are hard to ignore, and offer […]

Movie review by Greg Carlson An almost absurdly reductive outline that dramatizes the best-known highlights of the short life of Christopher Wallace (known better as the Notorious B.I.G.) while skipping over any real opportunity to explore the mind of one of hip hop’s greatest artists, “Notorious” will appeal to many viewers too young to have […]

Movie review by Greg Carlson An occasionally stimulating, often perplexing treatment of the nature of guilt, redemption, and the responsibility taken (or not taken) for one’s actions, “The Reader” is the kind of film designed to entice award season kingmakers.  Two of the film’s producers – Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack – died prior to […]

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