Week in Rewind Movie Reviews by Christopher Smith

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Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Across the Universe: DVD, Blu-ray Review (2008)
2008-02-09 17:46:00
"Across the Universe " DVD, Blu-rayWatching Julie Taymor’s rock opera is such a trip, it’s surprising Sony didn’t include a bong as part of the packaging.Visually, the film is a psychedelic triumph, the best part of the show, with Taymor weaving her unwieldy story around three friends (Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess and Joe Anderson) who come together in Greenwich Village during the 1960s, just as everything is about to go to hell.Helping them through all of it is the soundtrack, which includes more than 30 Beatles songs, a good deal of which are murdered by new arrangements that are less successful than one might have hoped.Still, you have to hand it to Taymor for carrying off her experiment with chutzpah, even if she doesn’t —much like Todd Haynes in "I’m Not There"—succeed in the end.Rated PG-13. Grade: C+Watch the trailer below:
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Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 4 DVD Review (2008)
2008-02-09 17:41:00
"Charlie Chan Collection: Vol. 4"Warner Oland died in 1938, so Sidney Toler, ever the good sport, took the reins as Charlie Chan, the smooth Chinese sleuth you could have over for dinner or a murder, preferably the latter, though his manners (not to mention his puns) certainly were good enough for the former.Four Toler films make up this lively set of B-movies from Fox —"Charlie Chan in Honolulu"(1938), "Charlie Chan in Reno"(1939), "Charlie Chan at Treasure Island"(1939) and "Charlie Chan in City in Darkness"(1939).The fact that all of these films were shot and released over the course of two years says it all for the quality of the production values. The movies were made on the cheap, but they are engaging. Now that they’re fully restored, they almost look respectable.Grade: BWitness the curious influence of Charlie Chan in Reno:
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Dallas: Complete Eighth Season DVD Review (2008)
2008-02-09 17:38:00
"Dallas : Complete Eighth Season "Proves once again that where there’s oil, there’s drama.The eighth season of "Dallas"features the usual doses of death, destruction, barbed tongues, backbiting, a kidnapping, kicks to the groin, and even J.R. (Larry Hagman) up to no good in a blackmail scheme that features a prostitute hilariously named Miss Cummings. Seriously.As for Miss Ellie, Donna Reed assumes the role long played by Barbara Bel Geddes, who was out sick for most of the season.Turns out she missed plenty.Amid all the fireworks, the alcoholic benders and adulteries, this is the season in which Bobby and Pam fall in love again, only to have their renewed hopes and dreams dashed when Bobby bites the big one in the fiery season finale.Pity.Grade: B
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Gone Baby Gone: DVD, Blu-ray Movie Review (2008)
2008-02-09 17:35:00
"Gone Baby Gone" DVD, Blu-rayBen Affleck, redeemed.The actor’s solid directorial debut is a mature, engrossing drama that finds Affleck and cinematographer John Toll working hard to capture a working-class section of Boston that reeks of havoc, desperation, drug use and danger.Affleck’s brother, Casey, is Patrick Kenzie, a private investigator living with his girlfriend and business partner, Angie (Michelle Monaghan), in Dorchester, Mass., when into their lives comes a business opportunity in the wake of a 4-year-old girl’s abduction.Though the girl’s cocaine- and heroin-addicted mother (Amy Ryan, outstanding in an Academy Award-nominated performance) has all but shut down, her brother (Titus Welliver) and sister-in-law (Amy Madigan) want that baby back, and they’re willing to pay for outsiders to glean the sort of inside information they know the locals won’t share with the police.Taking the case means working the living rooms, backrooms and sleazy bars in the surroundi...
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The Jane Austen Book Club: DVD, Blu-ray Movie Review (2008)
2008-02-09 17:32:00
"The Jane Austen Book Club " DVD, Blu-rayBased on Karen Joy Fowler’s 2004 best-seller, this likable if formulaic movie follows five women (Maria Bello, Emily Blunt, Maggie Grace, Kathy Baker and Amy Brenneman) and one sci-fi-loving guy (Hugh Dancy) who come together to read six Austen books.The idea is that within those books are guides to leading one’s life, with the characters naturally coming to find themselves in Austen’s books.So, once again, the enduring Austen proves she’s fit for contemporary consumption. As one character in the movie notes, "You can’t read these novels without wondering whether she has a little thing for the naughty boys."Good point.Another character claims that "reading Jane is a freakin’minefield."Well, maybe after a bottle of wine and a heated conversation with friends, which is what this movie is all about.Rated PG-13. Grade: BWatch the trailer below:
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No Reservations: DVD, HD DVD, Blu-ray Review (2008)
2008-02-09 17:29:00
"No Reservations " DVD, HD DVD, Blu-rayBased on the 2001 German film "Mostly Martha," this remake is a tragedy, a romantic comedy and a drama, with its charismatic cast navigating the manufactured highs and lows with enough skill to deepen what otherwise might have been a slight movie sorely lacking in depth.Catherine Zeta-Jones is Kate, a gourmet chef at a top New York restaurant who loses her sister to an accident and assumes the responsibility of raising her niece, Zoe (Abigail Breslin). The transition proves more difficult than Kate imagined.Zoe wants nothing to do with her aunt, and Kate, by extension, doesn’t know what to do herself. She seeks the help of her psychiatrist (an excellent Bob Balaban), but still the situation stretches her to her limit, so much so that Kate’s boss, Paula (Patricia Clarkson), insists that Kate take time off from work to get her life back in order — and, most importantly, to grieve.Meanwhile, here comes Nick (Aaron Eckhart), the affable sous-c...
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The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: Movie Review (2008)
2008-02-09 17:08:00
CoccoonedDirected by Julian Schnabel, written by Ronald Harwood, based on Jean-Dominique Bauby’s memoir, 112 minutes, rated PG-13, in French with English subtitles.Julian Schnabel’s "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" is the moving, real-life story of Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Almaric), a former editor of the French fashion magazine Elle who, at 43, suffered a massive stroke that left him with something called "locked-in syndrome."The condition is as devastating as it sounds.Though Bauby’s mind returned to full capacity upon waking from the coma induced by the stroke, his body was paralyzed. The only exception was his left eye, which he was able to use, and which became his only tool for communication in the months that followed.Recently, the movie earned Schnabel ("Before Night Falls") and his screenwriter, Ronald Harwood ("The Pianist"), Academy Award nominations for best director and best adapted screenplay, respectively, which they deserve. Their film is based on Bauby...
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I'm Not There: Movie Review (2008)
2008-02-09 17:01:00
But is the movie there?Directed by Todd Haynes, written by Haynes and Oren Moverman, 135 minutes, rated R.Last year was a good year for Cate Blanchett even if the movies in which she appeared weren't very good themselves.In Todd Haynes' bizarre biopic "I'm Not There," the actress co-stars in an Academy Award-nominated performance as Jude, one of several characters meant to recall a fraction of the personality of the famously complicated musician Bob Dylan.She is an intriguing choice of casting, to say the least, and the good news is that Blanchett, one of the most savvy and intelligent actors working today, pulls off the gender-bending just as seamlessly as you would expect.Along with Dylan's music, which is interlaced throughout (his name, however, is never spoken, though the singer does appear at the end), Blanchett is the best part of the movie. If you decide to see it, she's the reason to see it — she deserves her Best Supporting Actress nomination just as she deserves he...
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Joan Crawford Collection, Vol. 2
2008-02-08 00:44:00
What, no Mother's Day release?In spite of that glaring oversight, this solid boxed set from Warner does comprise five heroic Crawford films, including 1934's "Sadie McKee," one of Crawford's many working-girl dramas; 1940's "Strange Cargo," in which Joan is Julie, a saloon girl who comes up against a criminal played by Clark Gable--and naturally falls for him upon his escape from Devil's Island; and George Cukor's 1941's drama "A Woman's Face," in which Crawford played Anna Holm, a physically scarred woman who finds that all the plastic surgery in the world can't heal the scars within.Also included in the set is 1949's "Flamingo Road," with Crawford getting back to her dance hall roots--and getting framed for murder in the process; and 1953's "Torch Song," in which Crawford throws back her shoulder pads and belts out on hell of a camp melodrama. The extras are expansive, with several featurettes worthy of note--"Crawford at Warners," "Tough Baby: Joan Crawford and 'Tor...

And the United Artists 90th Anniversary Prestige Collection Winner Is....
2008-02-06 02:20:00
By far, this was the biggest turn out we've ever had for a giveaway, and for good reason. The United Artists 90th Anniversary Prestige Collection not only includes 90 movies, but it also retails for $900. Literally thousands of you turned out for this, and we thank you for it (just wait till you see what we have in the wings for the coming weeks), but in the end, it comes down to one winner. That person is:Michael Adams of Bristol, INCongrats to you, Michael! You'll be receiving an email in a few minutes about when the collection will be shipped!As we always do at Week in Rewind, we drew several other names from the thousands of contestants to be added into future contests. Their names will be added an additional 10 times in future drawings for which they sign up (but they must sign up for them and remain a member of Week in Rewind in order to win).Using only the first parts of their email address, they are:Cowleyhklp1965cuddlyinvtkbarkerfotoRU NNERGirlof80smobo688BarracudaRon...
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DAMAGES: COMPLETE FIRST SEASON--GIVEAWAY!
2008-02-05 01:08:00
Week in Rewind is happy to offer a giveaway of DAMAGES: SEASON ONE, with Glenn Close in the title role.Here's our recently published review of the show:"Damages : First Season " While it's true that this tense serial is yet another legal drama set in New York, don't dismiss it for that reason. Instead, embrace it because it's one of the smarter television series going, with Glenn Close obviously having the time of her life in a role to which she brings plenty. Her Patty Hewes is a ruthless, infamous litigator who, as she puts it, is "engaging in a battle with a man who will stop at nothing to preserve his fortune." That man is Ted Danson's Arthur Frobisher, a billionaire creep of the first order whose actions screwed 5,000 of his employees out of their life's savings. It's the sort of case that not only makes for big headlines, but also for big egos to take hold and lead one astray. That certainly is the case when cut-throat Patty hires Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) to be her new ...
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New to DVD
2008-02-02 17:54:00
"The Brave One" DVD, HD DVD, Blu-rayThis movie about vigilante justice collapses in a run of bad decisions midway through, but when it comes to the quality of the acting, that’s where it delivers. Think of it as a weaker, modern-day version of “Death Wish." Jodie Foster is Erica Bain, a talk show host at a New York City-based radio station who is set to marry her fiance, David (Naveen Andrews), when they are attacked by a group of skinheads in Central Park. In the wake of David’s death, Erica begins a long recovery in which her body heals, though her heart and mind don't. Frightened now by a city she no longer feels she knows, she purchases a gun with the intent to protect herself, and here is where the movie stumbles. Increasingly, Erica becomes such a magnet for repeated acts of violence--either against her or somebody else--that she starts mowing people down at every turn. Is New York City really as violent as it's presented here? Maybe as a whole. But many rightf...

La Vie En Rose: Movie Review, DVD Review, Trailer (2008)
2008-01-31 21:21:00
Thorns and allDirected by Olivier Dahan, written by Dahan and Isabelle Sobelman, 140 minutes, rated PG-13. In French with English subtitles.Marion Cotillard, the French actress who portrays Edith Piaf in Olivier Dahan's "La Vie En Rose ," takes a flawed movie and turns it into something memorable and haunting.Dahan co-wrote the screenplay with Isabelle Sobelman, and what they have created is a testament to a few things--first, the power of Cotillard's fierce performance, which is nominated this month for an Academy Award for Best Actress, and second to Piaf herself, the hard-luck singer who survived her bum early years as a child in Paris to literally become Paris' favored child.For those who know and admire the mix of strength, frailty, pluck and heart that rings through Piaf's voice--her "Milord," "Hymne a L'amour," "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien" and the song that inspires the title of this film are classics--this movie based on her life wastes no time in underscoring the reasons ...
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Away From Her: Movie Review, DVD Review (2008)
2008-01-31 21:15:00
A stranger among usWritten and directed by Sarah Polley, 110 minutes, rated PG-13Sarah Polley’s beautifully realized drama, "Away From Her," stars Julie Christie in an Academy Award-nominated performance for Best Actress. "Away From Her" opened last May, just as blockbuster season was upon us, thus quashing any hopes for smaller films such as this to enjoy the attention they deserve. It is, in fact, a testament to the strength of this movie that it’s now garnering any notice at all — most films put up for awards consideration open at year’s end, when the Hollywood hype machine can fully back them given their freshness on the scene."Away From Her" defies those odds for good reason. The film, which writer-director Sarah Polley based on Alice Munro’s short story "The Bear Came Over the Mountain," tackles with grace and insight the complicated issues surrounding Alzheimer’s disease.It’s a powerfully understated movie that considers how the afflicted must knowingly let them...
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The Eye: Movie Review, Preview, Trailer (2008)
2008-01-31 21:09:00
The Eye Release Date: February 1, 2008Studio: LionsgateGenre: Drama, Horror, ThrillerMPAA Rating: PG-13 (for violence/terror and disturbing content)Review : Coming Soon...Studio Plot Summary: Sydney Wells (Jessica Alba) is an accomplished, independent, Los Angeles-based concert violinist. She is also blind, and has been so since a childhood tragedy. As our story opens, Sydney undergoes a double corneal transplant, a surgery she has waited her whole life to have, and her sight is restored. After the surgery, neural ophthalmologist Dr. Paul Faulkner (Alessandro Nivola) helps Sydney with the difficult adjustment, and with the support of her older sister Helen (Parker Posey), Sydney learns to see again.But Sydney's happiness is short-lived as unexplainable shadowy and frightening images start to haunt her. Are they a passing aftermath of her surgery, Sydney's mind adjusting to sight, a product of her imagination, or something horrifyingly real? As Sydney's family and friends begin to ...
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Over Her Dead Body: Movie Review, Preview, Trailer (2008)
2008-01-31 21:03:00
Over Her Dead Body Release Date: February 1, 2008Studio: New Line CinemaComedy, RomanceMPAA Rating: Not Available Review: Coming SoonStudio Plot Summary: Devastated when his fiancée Kate (Eva Longoria Parker) is killed on their wedding day, Henry (Paul Rudd) reluctantly agrees to consult a psychic named Ashley (Lake Bell) at the urging of his sister Chloe (Lindsay Sloane). Despite his skepticism over her psychic abilities, Henry finds himself falling hard for Ashley, and vice versa. But there is a big snag. Ashley is being haunted by Kate's ghost, who considers it her heavenly duty to break up Henry and Ashley's fledgling romance, if it is the last thing she does on this earthly plane...
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Cloverfield: Movie Review (2008)
2008-01-26 18:40:00
Nothing lucky here.Directed by Matt Reeves, written by Drew Goddard, 84 minutes, rated PG-13.Long before the Statue of Liberty’s head is ripped off its neck and hurled down the streets of lower Manhattan, where it lands with a thud in the new Matt Reeves movie, "Cloverfield ," you know you’re in for something you’re either going to love or loathe.For the most part, the deciding factor will come down to the way the movie is filmed.Much like its technical inspiration "The Blair Witch Project," the film’s conceit is that you witness its story through a handheld video camera — and not one armed with a steadying device. This frenetic, jittery movie is shot by characters running for their lives from a towering monster destroying Manhattan as if it were a house of cards.For those who can stomach the crazed rush of jerky madness that ensues, they might find that the technique amplifies the action with a sense of urgency — it does, after all, put you in the middle of the chaos in ...
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New to DVD
2008-01-26 18:35:00
"Criss Angel: Mindfreak — Complete Season Three"—Criss Angel: high roller. In this third season of the magician’s show, Angel’s big stunt is his attempt to levitate 500 feet above the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Who wants to bet that he pulls it off? Later, he escapes from prison in the nude. Who wants to bet that he isn’t cited for indecency? In other tricks, he makes his Lamborghini disappear and later survives being cut in half in front of a live audience, all while heavy metal music bangs its head on the soundtrack. This is appropriate because in one trick gone awry, Angel leaps from a van only to land on his head, which shut down production for weeks. So, the danger is real even if Angel himself carries with him a whiff of the surreal. Includes all 20 episodes, including an appearance by everyone’s favorite repenting racist, Dog the Bounty Hunter.Grade: B"Drumline: Special Edition—This surprise hit finds a cocky kid from Brooklyn winning a drumming schola...

There Will Be Blood: Movie Review (2008)
2008-01-20 20:48:00
Fueled by greedWritten and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, 156 minutes, rated R.The best movie of Daniel Day-Lewis' career turns out to be in the best movie of Paul Thomas Anderson's career, a nice slice of symmetry that gets even better when you consider that so far, the actor and director have achieved their personal peaks in one of 2007's best films, "There Will Be Blood ." By far, the movie is among the most satisfying, complex and intelligent films to hit theaters in years. Any year. As if the movie's title weren't enough indication that all won't go well in this reimagining of Upton Sinclair's 1927 novel "Oil!," Jonny Greenwood's score gets right to it in the film's opening moments. With the screen still dark, a shrieking of strings is unleashed in ways that become so unsettling, you know you're in for it even before you lay eyes on Day-Lewis' Daniel Plainview, an intense man whose cultivated voice obviously is modeled after John Huston's. It's an uncanny imper...
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Lars and the Real Girl: Movie Review (2008)
2008-01-20 20:45:00
Real problemsDirected by Craig Gillespie, written by Nancy Oliver, 106 minutes, rated PG-13.Craig Gillespie’s "Lars and the Real Girl " is the story of 27-year-old Lars Lindstrom (Ryan Gosling), a shy, God-fearing man who orders a life-size sex doll through the Internet and eventually accepts her not only as a real person, but also as his new girlfriend, Bianca, a half-Brazilian, half-Danish missionary.Good for him, you say? Not so fast.The trouble with Lars is that none of this is a joke. He expects everyone in his life to accept Bianca as a living human being, which not only sounds screwy given Bianca’s rubbery mouth, corked gaze and strawlike hooker wig, but also, as far as this movie is concerned, painfully manufactured and a wee bit creepy.Given the subject matter, it’s easy to go into the movie armed with resistance — the whole premise is a stretch. After its awkward opening moments, it’s also just as easy to dismiss it, particularly since it initially isn’t clear w...
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The Bucket List: Movie Review (2008)
2008-01-15 04:51:00
Terminal Cancer Can WaitDirected by Rob Reiner, written by Justin Zackham, 97 minutes, rated PG-13.Rob Reiner's new fairy tale about living and dying with terminal cancer is called "The Bucket List ," in which two of our finest living actors--Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson--improve upon the manufactured material by the sheer strength of their talent and chemistry.From Justin Zackham's script, this unlikely, mostly feel-good movie allows its two main characters to live out their life's fantasies by compiling a bucket list of all the things they want to do before they officially kick the bucket. Since their wishes are steeped in financial extremes--no average person struggling with, say, the cost of health care could afford such extravagances--the movie eschews reality for the balm of going out with a bang. In the film, Freeman is Carter Chambers, a genius mechanic and "Jeopardy!" wiz who is no stranger to cancer. He's been down this road before, and when the bad news strikes ...
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GIVEAWAY--WHITE NOISE 2!
2008-01-15 04:45:00
Yet ANOTHER giveaway!Week in Rewind is happy to offer a giveaway of the new horror movie, White Noise 2, which stars Nathan Fillion and Katie Sackhoff.We're giving away three copies each, so consider yourself in it for three chances to win! Winning is simple.Sign up for our RSS feed or our Daily E-Mail Update of all the latest movie reviews and news, make sure to let us know you did so by sending us an email at BDNFilm1@aol.com, put WHITE NOISE 2 in the subject heading, CONFIRM YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS VIA THE EMAIL SENT TO YOU (CRITICAL), and we'll put you in the mix.Three winners will be drawn on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008, and the DVD will be shipped to the address you provide to us once we contact you. Remember, you can't win if you don't sign up. So sign up! We never share your information with any third party--Ever. You must be a resident of the United States or Canada to win!Enjoy!Subscribe in a readerEnter your email address:

GIVEAWAY--HE WAS A QUIET MAN!
2008-01-15 04:42:00
Week in Rewind is happy to offer a giveaway of the movie, "He Was a Quiet Man," which stars Christian Slater, Elisha Cuthbert and William H. Macy.We're giving away three copies each, so consider yourself in it for three chances to win! Winning is simple.Sign up for our RSS feed or our Daily E-Mail Update of all the latest movie reviews and news, make sure to let us know you did so by sending us an email at BDNFilm1@aol.com, put QUIET MAN in the subject heading, CONFIRM YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS VIA THE EMAIL SENT TO YOU (CRITICAL), and we'll put you in the mix.Three winners will be drawn on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2008, and the DVD will be shipped to the address you provide to us once we contact you. Remember, you can't win if you don't sign up. So sign up! We never share your information with any third party--Ever. You must be a resident of the United States or Canada to win!Enjoy!Subscribe in a readerEnter your email address:

GIVEAWAY--JOHNNY SUEDE!
2008-01-15 04:37:00
Week in Rewind is happy to offer a giveaway of the 1991 movie, Johnny Suede , with Brad Pitt in the title role. Pitt was basically a child here, but his hair--well, check it out above. It likely had a birthday of its own.We're giving away three copies each, so consider yourself in it for three chances to win! Winning is simple.Sign up for our RSS feed or our Daily E-Mail Update of all the latest movie reviews and news, make sure to let us know you did so by sending us an email at BDNFilm1@aol.com, put JOHNNY SUEDE in the subject heading, CONFIRM YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS VIA THE EMAIL SENT TO YOU (CRITICAL), and we'll put you in the mix.Three winners will be drawn on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008, and the DVD will be shipped to the address you provide to us once we contact you. Remember, you can't win if you don't sign up. So sign up! We never share your information with any third party--Ever. You must be a resident of the United States or Canada to win!Enjoy!Subscribe in a readerEnter your ...

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days: Movie Review (2008)
2008-01-11 13:58:00
The enemy isn't just timeWritten and directed by Cristian Mungiu, 113 minutes, not rated. In Romanian with English subtitles.Cristian Mungiu’s "4 Months , 3 Weeks and 2 Days ," winner of last year’s Palme d’Or, is set in 1987 Romania toward the end of Nicolae Ceausescu’s tyrannical rule.The time in which the film is set is significant for several reasons, chiefly because it was Ceausescu, long before his Christmas Day execution in 1989, who reversed Romania’s stand on abortion, thus making the procedure illegal and punishable (with few exceptions) whereas beforehand, women had the right to choose.Ceausescu criminalized abortion upon his ascension to power in 1966. Twenty-one years later in 1987, his corrupt dictatorship had turned Romania into a country of chaos, poverty and turmoil, so much so that Romania became a country of outlaws forced to turn to the black market to have their needs met. There, cigarettes were a popular choice. So was finding someone who would perform...
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And the Jason Bourne Collection Winners Are...
2008-01-09 02:40:00
We had a huge turnout for this contest, but in the end, it comes down to three. They are:Jennifer Moreau, Seattle, WAAlan Nickerson, Portsmouth, NHCheryl Paine, Buffalo, NYCongrats to all! You'll be receiving an email in a few minutes about when the collection will be shipped!As we always do at Week in Rewind, we drew several other names from the thousands of Bourne contestants to be added into future contests. Their names will be added an additional 10 times in future drawings for which they sign up (but they must sign up for them and remain a member of Week in Rewind in order to win).Using only the first parts of their email address, they are:wlong18flbreezessweepheatEBBB31scottc oxsb02127annestsnowman1mobeiselgriporterr dezsodanmarugglorrainebrophySo, congrats to you!Thanks for playing! More contests are on the way!Christopher
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Persepolis: Movie Review (2008)
2008-01-07 04:03:00
No Country for Young WomenWritten and directed by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, 95 minutes, not rated. In French with English subtitles.Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud's "Persepolis " ushers audiences into two colliding worlds.The first is an arresting, black-and-white world animated with the grimness of abstract noir (color is used only fleetingly in this movie). The second is Satrapi's real-life story of growing up in Iran and Europe during the late 1970s and early 1990s, which gives life to the film's 2-D animation in ways that make for a strange yet fascinating brand of pop art.The story and the vehicle for telling it complement each other so beautifully, they work to make this one of 2007's most unique, satisfying movies. What Satrapi and Paronnaud have achieved is animation lifted to its highest, most cerebral form, with the medium used as a tool to generate the sort of off-beat, dreamlike mood live-action would find difficult to match.Based on Satrapi's gra...
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No Country for Old Men: Movie Review (2008)
2008-01-07 03:54:00
Creepy time down southWritten and directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, 123 minutes, rated R.The modern-day Western "No Country for Old Men" hails from Ethan and Joel Coen, who arm themselves with Cormac McCarthy’s fantastic 2005 book of the same name and deliver one of 2007’s best films in the process.Working from their own script, the Coens ("Fargo," "Blood Simple") craft a violent, engrossing movie that never telegraphs or condescends; it keeps its twists and its surprises close to its bleeding heart, which is significant because in this movie, that heart is often hemorrhaging.Though the movie isn’t as bloody as, say, the recent "Sweeney Todd" or "Shoot ’Em Up," its violence also isn’t stylized or played for dark humor, as it is in those films. As such, it comes off as far more authentic and chilling, not to mention intense.Set in 1980, the film stars Josh Brolin as Llewelyn Moss, a Vietnam veteran hunting one day along the Texas-Mexico border when he comes upon a grisl...
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GIVEAWAY--JIMMY AND JUDY!
2008-01-02 04:55:00
Week in Rewind is happy to offer a giveaway of the new Edward Furlong and Rachael Bella movie, Jimmy and Judy .We're giving away three copies each, so consider yourself in it for three chances to win! Winning is simple.Sign up for our RSS feed or our Daily E-Mail Update of all the latest movie reviews and news, make sure to let us know you did so by sending us an email at BDNFilm1@aol.com, put JIMMY AND JUDY in the subject heading, CONFIRM YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS VIA THE EMAIL SENT TO YOU (CRITICAL), and we'll put you in the mix. Three winners will be drawn on Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2008, and the DVD will be shipped to the address you provide to us once we contact you. Remember, you can't win if you don't sign up. So sign up! We never share your information with any third party--Ever. You must be a resident of the United States or Canada to win!Enjoy!Subscribe in a readerEnter your email address:

The Great Debaters: Movie Review (2007)
2008-01-02 04:42:00
Making their pointDirected by Denzel Washington, written by Robert Eisele, 127 minutes, rated PG-13.The new Denzel Washington movie, "The Great Debaters," is about finding the courage to raise your voice in the face of great hatred, opposition and fear.It comes by coincidence in the wake of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, who faced death daily because she used her voice to fight oppression, and because she was willing to pay the price for doing so. If her death is a reminder of how high that price can be, then the bellows of rage and grief that have followed it are a reminder of how critical her voice was.The tragedy of Bhutto’s death connects "The Great Debaters " to the present and gives it an immediacy and a power it otherwise might have lacked. By standing up and speaking for so many Pakistanis, surely Bhutto’s quest to shake her country into change will inspire others to come forward and raise their own voices, as well.The real-life students whose lives are explored in ...
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