TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL - For a man who takes great pride in being a writer of crime fiction, architect Walter Stackhouse (Patrick Wilson) sure acts like a blithering idiot when he get embroiled in an actual murder investigation. It’s quite astonishing, really; he doesn’t do one thing right. When his mentally unbalanced and suicidal wife winds up dead beneath a rural overpass—the same overpass where ... more >
ARCHIVES
“A kind of murder”
A Christine Vachon / Ted Hope production
Patrick Wilson, Jessica Biel and Eddie Marsan
Directed by Andy Goddard
The Conjuring
Or the death of Marco Polo
Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson and Lili Taylor
Directed by James Wan
In “The Conjuring” Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga take the roles of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, a Nick and Nora of supernatural troubleshooting. The real-life Warrens are best known in some circles as investigators at Amityville. “The Conjuring” comes from a lesser known incident earlier in their career, a 1971 investigation at a 300-year-old Rhode Island farmhouse. The ... more >
Young Adult
Coming home is a bitch
Charlize Theron, Patrick Wilson and Patton Oswalt
Directed by Jason Reitman
The most deliciously scabrous skit on the mid-nineties HBO comedy series “Mr. Show” was “The Dewey Awards,” which skewered the sanctimonious trend of rewarding A-list Hollywood actors for their “brave” portrayals of the autistic, the mentally retarded, and other less fortunate types. Those rankled by the sight of Dustin Hoffman and Tom Hanks playing these parts, rather than real-life challenged ... more >
Insidious
Less is more?
Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne and Ty Simpkins
Directed by James Wan
There are two good things about the indie horror flick “Insidious,” directed by the original “Saw” helmer James Wan. One is the awesome retro-Bernard Herrmann-style score, all-nutso violins in the key of “Psycho.” The second is that it’s always good to see Darth Maul getting work again. The years after “Return of the Jedi” were so hard on Chewbacca. Other than that, there’s not so much to say ... more >
Morning glory
What's the story?
Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton
Directed by Roger Mitchell
What’s wrong with being happy? Contrary to the evidence presented in adult-focused movies, you might never know there are happy people out there. It’s true. I’ve ignored them at parties. But I never see them on-screen. In “Morning Glory,” Rachel McAdams plays a lemons-to-lemonade go-getter named Becky Fuller, with all the spritely dewiness that such a wide-eyed name conjures. Addicted to ... more >
Watchmen
So much potential, and yet
Milan Akerman, Patrick Wilson and Billy Crudup
Directed by Zack Snyder
One Thanksgiving, a friend and I had a long, involved conversation with his uncle about the origin, history, and development of the sport of racquetball. It’s a conversation that we still like to make evil fun of. Racquetball was once a game of finesse, we learned. But racquetball was never the same after Marty Whatshisname came along in the seventies, added power, and changed everything. Good ... more >