(this is Screen Comment's second review of "Nebraska") American indie cinema also has its giants. Just like his compadres Wes Anderson and Jason Reitman Alexander Payne has, after directing only a few movies, spearheaded this other cinema in which America, and its history, fill the whole screen. As it were, in “Nebraska” America is hiding in plain sight. Not the one where superheroes save humanity ... more >
ARCHIVES
NEBRASKA: We had more to say about it

Men in Black 3
“Men in Black 3” is a paycheck movie for everyone involved, except the audience, who again get another middling, phoned-in sequel looking to drain their wallets with its average 3-D-ness. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones again return as agents J and K, except Jones much more briefly. His Agent K has been extinguished, all part of a plan by alien baddie Boris the Animal (the always-funny Jemaine ... more >

Prometheus
"Aliens" would sooner burst out of my stomach than me reveal the secrets of Ridley Scott’s first foray in sci-fi since “Blade Runner.” What I will tell you is Scott is back on the top of his game, starting right from the opening scene where a character falls apart in an almost barren wasteland, complete with rocky terrain, deep caves and steamy waterfalls. It will be the place where most of the ... more >

Snow White and the Huntsman
In the same vein as Tim Burtons “Alice in Wonderland," “Snow White and the Huntsman” seeks to turn a classic female fairytale character into a battle-crying version of “Robin Hood." Not that that’s a bad thing. I can’t wait to see Goldilocks pick up a flamethrower and hunt some bear in a movie real soon. Charlize Theron takes on the role of the evil queen, who tricks a king, ravages his land, ... more >

BRINGING ROCK’S UNSUNG HEROES INTO THE LIGHT: Teen A Go Go
Most people probably know Buddy Holly but not a single member of his backup band, the Crickets. Backup bands and other support acts make the stars possible, and seldom—if ever—get the recognition they deserve. Teen a Go Go goes behind the scenes to bring some of these unsung heroes into the light. Delving deep into the Sixties’ music scene of Ft. Worth, the documentary includes a plethora ... more >

The help
Tate Taylor’s adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's The Help filled me with a wonder similar to that I felt watching—and relishing—Mad Men. There, the three-martini lunch, the 1960 men and women boozing and smoking themselves to death had me aghast. Same here. This was Jackson, Mississipi, fifty years ago? It’s beyond racism, unless racism means considering people so far below you that no one would ... more >