http://www.grouchoreviews.com/ Tue, 18 Nov 2008 06:50:40 GMT Film/DVD reviews, interviews and features. http://www.grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3261 /reviews/3261 The 22nd Bond film too often seems like an old friend on the wrong anti-depressant: still the person you love, but the rhythm‘s off and the precious moments fewer and further between. Fri, 14 Nov 2008 08:40:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://www.grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3257 /reviews/3257 Americans shouldn‘t have to feel comfortable with the thought of kicking back and having a beer with their President, but it‘s not a bad criterion for a comedy filmmaker, and Smith is that guy. Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:36:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://www.grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3256 /reviews/3256 A portrait of democracy in action with high personal stakes and, as such, a moving emotional experience. Sun, 26 Oct 2008 05:44:06 GMT Peter Canavese http://www.grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3255 /reviews/3255 In working to keep the audience off-center...Desplechin artfully makes the well-worn family-weekend plot endearing again. Sun, 26 Oct 2008 05:26:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://www.grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3251 /reviews/3251 Knows its priorities: to make the legions of High School Musical fans dewy-eyed, toe-tapping, soul-soaring happy, and to pave the way for High School Musical 4. Sat, 25 Oct 2008 20:17:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://www.grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3250 /reviews/3250 A fascinating true-crime story, elegant period detail, and Clint Eastwood‘s consummate filmmaking technique mask [that]...Changeling lacks enough grit and intellect to convert moody melodrama into thoughtful drama. Sat, 25 Oct 2008 17:35:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://www.grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3244 /reviews/3244 Equal parts comedy (inevitably only-in-America satire) and Oedipal psycho-drama...[from] the bard of American political cinema. Fri, 17 Oct 2008 20:59:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://www.grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3243 /reviews/3243 A scathing insider look at Hollywood...De Niro gives one of his most winning performances of recent years... Fri, 17 Oct 2008 13:50:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://www.grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3235 /reviews/3235 Like a biography plucked from the shelf of a grade-school library...includes ample inspiration and sufficient history to get to its destination in “express“ fashion. Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:52:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://www.grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3232 /reviews/3232 A shaggy dog of a movie that will appeal big-time to its young target audience...Juno meets After Hours. Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:54:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://www.grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3233 /reviews/3233 Unfortunately, the film’s editing creates a confusing chronology and awkward pace, but it’s easy to see why producers saw a satisfying audience experience in Kearns’ moral crusade. Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:51:48 GMT Peter Canavese http://www.grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3234 /reviews/3234 A film that stands the best chance of winning the hearts and minds of those who now embrace the gay ‘recovery‘ movement. Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:11:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://www.grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3226 /reviews/3226 The annoyance of its Screenwriting 101 script is hard to overcome, but The Lucky Ones just about works in spite of itself, as an actor’s showcase. Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:45:57 GMT Peter Canavese http://www.grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3224 /reviews/3224 Incorporates Freudian psychodrama, twisted romance, and national satire while giving redemption the Heimlich maneuver. Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:34:44 GMT Peter Canavese http://www.grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3225 /reviews/3225 It’s too easy to hold the film’s at arm’s length and scoff at Sparks’ cynical repetition of psycho-romance clichés and meteorological metaphors. Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:25:03 GMT Peter Canavese http://www.grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3219 /reviews/3219 The comic voice of Ricky Gervais comes through loud and clear, and Koepp‘s vision of a classical Hollywood comedy creates a confluence not only of great performers but of considerable wit and heart. Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:09:10 GMT Peter Canavese http://www.grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3217 /reviews/3217 Sour candy...redeemed by its humor and its clever construction, harkening back to the relatively optimistic crime comedy Fargo. Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:13:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://www.grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3216 /reviews/3216 The new thriller that emphatically pairs [De Niro and Pacino] qualifies as a historic event, whether it‘s any good or not. Thu, 11 Sep 2008 21:40:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://www.grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3204 /reviews/3204 Another predictable romantic comedy, one that insists that spending time locked into an unhappy marriage doesn‘t breed contempt, but sows love. Sat, 23 Aug 2008 18:58:57 GMT Peter Canavese http://www.grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3202 /reviews/3202 Almost worth seeing just for Faris‘ spot-on work...Shelley becomes an endearing character in Faris‘ nonjudgmental hands. Fri, 22 Aug 2008 21:44:00 GMT Peter Canavese