FilmStew.com: REVIEWSANDVIEWS

Not Quite Up to "Speed"

05/09/2008

Even though Speed Racer has the crazed look and feel of a Hunter S. Thompson hallucination, it’s ultimately nothing more than a gonzo copout.

Socking It to "Summerland"

05/08/2008

On the cusp of another summer TV season filled with reality, Tori Spelling is not among those who think it has her dad Aaron spinning in his grave.

A Pair of Very Personal Debuts

05/07/2008

For documentary filmmakers Irene Taylor Brodsky and Ben Byer, an intimate personal knowledge of disability and disease has translated into success on the film festival circuit.

Better Romcom Than "Red"

05/02/2008

After several successful attempts at subverting genre with the theme of masculine amorality, playwright-filmmaker David Mamet falls flat on the mat with Redbelt.

"Harold and Kumar" Triple Their Take

04/28/2008

Besting their previous opening weekend mark by $9 million, New Line’s odd couple appear to be on track for a new overall revenue benchmark.

Aboard the USS Nimitz

04/25/2008

Six years after starring in the Vietnam War drama We Were Soldiers, Mel Gibson ushers in perhaps the most powerful look yet at the human side of soldiers currently serving in the new U.S. quagmire.

Defiling the "Auteur" Theory

04/25/2008

Though not quite a video store clerk turned filmmaker on the level of Quentin Tarantino, Portland, Oregon moviemaker James Westby continues to do his best to stock the New Releases section.

"Forgetting" the Macho Man

04/18/2008

At $400 million and counting, the partnership between Universal Pictures and Judd Apatow looks set to easily pass the half-billion mark this spring with yet another comical look at the imperfections of man.

The IFC Experiment

04/16/2008

Three Sundance Film Festivals later, IFC remains committed to the idea of offering independent movie lovers a day-and-date choice.

It Was a Dark and Stormy "Night", Eh

04/11/2008

The story behind the 1980 Jamie Lee Curtis version of Prom Night is far more interesting than the one Screen Gems wouldn’t let us see in advance of today's release.

Film Appreciation "101"

04/10/2008

The trick to enjoying Daniel Waters and Winona Ryder’s reunion flick is to expect a comedy-drama nowhere near as great as their 1989 counterculture classic Heathers.

Brought Together by the "Medium" of Television

04/07/2008

At age 48, Rosanna Arquette finally gets the chance to act opposite her sister Patricia in the form of an older woman preying on much younger men.

The Canon of Clooney

04/04/2008

After stumbling through a predictable Hollywood game plan, George Clooney has repeatedly found the end zone with his own mix of standard and loopy plays.

Kar Wai's Bland Piece of Pie

04/04/2008

Despite strong performances from Norah Jones and Jude Law, Wong Kar Wai’s eighth film just kind of sits there, like a piece of pie that’s been left too long inside a café’s glass case.

From Garfield High to MIT

04/01/2008

Twenty years after the barrio flick Stand and Deliver, this weekend’s box office champ proves that the mathematical competition stakes are greatly raised at the privileged collegiate level.

Unable to "Stop" the Stereotyping

03/31/2008

Though filmmaker Kimberly Peirce delves into admirably complex issues, her tendency to caricature has so far prevented her films from attaining greatness.

The Everyman Show

03/28/2008

Slowly but surely, Adam Carolla has wedged his way into the media space formerly ruled by Roseanne Barr and Tim Allen.

"Fatboy" Fricassee

03/28/2008

A fry-up of American, British and Irish comedy sensibilities that will have no trouble satisfying mainstream movie appetites.

From J.D. Salinger to J.W. Lennon

03/28/2008

John Lennon was only ten-years-old when the novel Catcher in the Rye was first published in 1951. But sadly for him, a fan’s twisted interpretation of that seminal work led to an abrupt end on December 8th, 1980.

Guy Maddin's "Brain" Power

03/19/2008

For a lot of folks in Guy Maddin's home and native land of Canada, tonight will provide the first opportunity to catch the deepest expression yet of the filmmaker’s love of show business and melodrama.