Search for 2008

The primary goal of Seven Pounds is to make viewers weep, and it pursues that aim with a doggedness that is almost commendable. The film manipulates shamelessly and, despite defying logic with its contrivances and unconvincing character portrayals...

In transitioning Sex and the City from the small screen to the big one, filmmaker Michael Patrick King (who was also one of the HBO show runners) chose not to make the movie inclusive. This is for the fans, and only for the fans. Those who lived a...

Sometimes, even a hardened critic can be surprised by a movie. Based on the promotional material, Sex Drive appears headed down the worn track followed by a long line of formulaic teenage road comedies. I won't bother listing the titles - those w...

The Asian horror remake subgenre has gone through all the stages of bread: at first, it was a fresh alternative to generic American horror then, as more product came out of the cinematic oven, it grew increasingly stale. Now, it's rock hard and mo...

The strength of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, like its unnumbered predecessor, lies in the appeal and complexity of the characters. The four friends who form the backbone of the narrative are warm, believable individuals. We like them. ...

There are movies that amble because the slow pace is necessary to provide insight into the characters and allow an overriding sense of atmosphere to envelop the viewer. Then there are movies whose slowness threatens to turn into stagnation and hel...

Slumdog Millionaire comes from director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Simon Beaufoy, who fashion what is at heart a romance into a mystery and a thriller with Dickensian undertones. It's tough not to think of David Copperfield when we see the "orph...

Big Hollywood productions aren't the only ones to rely on formula. For his feature debut, director Noam Murro has taken the safe route of enlisting the "redemption of the misanthrope" narrative. Everything one expects from such a tale is found he...

No one could accuse Soul Men of originality - it cribs liberally from countless buddy films and road movies - but it offers enough energy and humor to overcome its shortcomings. The hit-to-miss quotient of the film's frequently profane and raunchy...

There's no doubt that the Wachowskis' vision of Speed Racer is big, wild, and overripe with garish colors. It's what I'd imagine it might be like trapped inside a video game or a pinball machine. It's a kaleidoscope gone mad. Yet this kind of vis...