(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 >
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NEBRASKA: We had more to say about it
Available in Blu-ray / DVD / Digital HD
Starring Bruce Dern, June Squibb and Will Forte
Men in Black 3
A very franchisey kind of franchise
Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones
Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld
“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
Ridley Scott's on top of his sci-fi game
Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace and Logan Marshall-Green
Directed by Ridley Scott
"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
Things don't always go as planned
Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth
Directed by Rupert Sanders
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 >
The Dictator
The Republic of Wadiya welcomes you
Sacha Baron Cohen and Anna Faris
Directed by Larry Charles
“The Dictator” is Sacha Baron Cohen’s first attempt at anchoring his own scripted comedy and to all the naysayers who think he’s just an attacker of “little people”—he proves that he’s actually an attacker of almost everyone. He plays General Aladeen, the ruthless leader of the fictitious Middle Eastern nation of Wadiya, who when not trying to keep a straight face when it comes to discussions ... more >
BRINGING ROCK’S UNSUNG HEROES INTO THE LIGHT: Teen A Go Go
Doc explores the teenage scene of the Sixties
Joni Ashworth and Bobby Barnes
Directed by Melissa Kirkendall
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
Change begins with a whisper
Emma Stone, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer
Directed by Tate Taylor
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 >