A no-fail winning combination in film would be great actors+great director+good story. You think ? Not necessarily. Hollywood dustbins are filled with disappointing films made according to this very combination. Still, Tim Burton bringing together Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz in a true tale involving a kitsch painter and a charming con artist, with the backdrop of fifties and sixties San ... more >
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Big Eyes
Women don't count for much--or so we're told
Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz
Directed by Richard Burton
Carnage
And the point of it all was ...
Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet and John C. Reilly
Directed by Roman Polanski
Carnage tells the story of two couples who meet to discuss in as civilized and understanding a manner as possible the schoolyard spat of their sons that resulted in broken teeth and harsh words. One pair of parents comes to the other pair’s apartment to discuss the situation. After they come to an agreement about the wording of a document describing the incident, things start going ... more >
Roman Polanski’s Carnage
The New York Film Festival opener
Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, and John C. Reilly
Directed by Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski's latest effort is an adaptation of French dramatic auteur—and, for a short while, Nicolas Sarkozy confidante--Yasmine Reza's play “God of Carnage.” After being favorably received onstage, both Broadway and the West End mounted productions to mostly positive acclaim. It seems natural, then, that a film version—a ninety-minute set piece in which the characters barely leave the ... more >
The Green Hornet
Michel Gondry is back in full effect
With Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Christoph Waltz and Cameron Diaz
Directed by Michel Gondry
When small children lay their head on the pillow each night, do they dream of running into a phone booth to change into Seth Rogen? A more popular figure in raunchy comedies than little boys’ daydreams, Rogen is one of the least-likely Hollywood stars to play a superhero. Nevertheless, that’s what we get in "The Green Hornet," played by Rogen as his typical directionless man-child. Accompanied by ... more >
Water for Elephants
Full of promise but an ultimately disappointing film
Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson and Christoph Waltz
Directed by Francis Lawrence
The marriage of circus and cinema took place in the very early days, fittingly enough as film, the new form of entertainment, sought to capitalize on one of the oldest ones. Some of the first memorable movies about the big top are Chaplin’s “The Circus” in 1928 and Tod Browning’s unforgettable “Freaks” in 1932. From then on, the list of circus movies is unending, about pathetic carnival sideshows ... more >