http://grouchoreviews.com/ Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:02:13 GMT Film/DVD reviews, interviews and features. http://grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3184 /reviews/3184 Perhaps the greatest compliment to be paid to Vicky Cristina Barcelona is that it serves as a spot-on emblem of Allen‘s own life philosophy: cling to the transient pleasures, as you‘re bound to be let down in the end. Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:23:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3286 /reviews/3286 Nothing in Superhero Movie could be described as magical, but for comic-book fans in a forgiving mood, this lowbrow outing has its moments. Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:36:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3167 /reviews/3167 Despite its rusty mechanics and hodgepodge of tones, Pineapple Express convincingly imitates the mode of Midnight Run: on-the-run odd-couple comedy with gunplay and car chases. Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:52:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3292 /reviews/3292 Pretty thin material, but it still holds up for the same reason it worked in 1994: Carrey unleashed in a part tailor-made for just that purpose. Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:06:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://grouchoreviews.com/reviews/2894 /reviews/2894 Oh, Napoleon Dynamite! What have you wrought? Thu, 01 Jan 2009 18:37:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3290 /reviews/3290 Penn has managed an impressive achievement that qualifies as a great American film. Thu, 01 Jan 2009 01:43:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3288 /reviews/3288 So colossally ridiculous (and transparently derivative) that willing suspension of disbelief is a fool’s errand. Wed, 31 Dec 2008 20:29:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3280 /reviews/3280 An enduring film property with an unforgettable catch phrase (“Klaatu barada nikto“)...[and] socially conscious themes. Wed, 31 Dec 2008 00:24:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://grouchoreviews.com/reviews/2305 /reviews/2305 [A] hugely entertaining dramatization of Plato‘s “Allegory of the Cave“...a fable that would be relevant 50 years earlier and no doubt will remain relevant 50 years hence. Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:27:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://grouchoreviews.com/reviews/2371 /reviews/2371 Whedon‘s smart, densely plotted, fast-paced story provides ample opportunities for characterization, revealing the pain beneath the characters‘ defensive humor. Tue, 30 Dec 2008 08:04:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://grouchoreviews.com/reviews/2457 /reviews/2457 A better way to seize the day would be to do something other than sitting through the sitcomedic Last Holiday. Mon, 29 Dec 2008 22:27:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3275 /reviews/3275 That‘s the problem with this well-intentioned celebration of the spirit of Title IX: it wants so badly to be liked that it tries to blend into the crowd. Sun, 28 Dec 2008 16:53:04 GMT Peter Canavese http://grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3285 /reviews/3285 A celebration of unrealistic lifestyles, which makes it exactly the wrong film for our times. Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:31:06 GMT Peter Canavese http://grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3289 /reviews/3289 Willing to settle for all-around competency instead of excavating history for deeper insights, leaving audiences with another undemanding genre placeholder. Sat, 27 Dec 2008 19:31:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://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. Sat, 27 Dec 2008 13:09:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3284 /reviews/3284 An unofficial “sideways sequel“ to Top Gun...except with national treasure Robert Duvall in the role of crusty mentor. Sat, 27 Dec 2008 02:59:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3282 /reviews/3282 An unqualified populist success...works because it evinces a sincerity rarely felt in today‘s cinema. Sat, 27 Dec 2008 00:47:39 GMT Peter Canavese http://grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3283 /reviews/3283 Farley and Spade have a definite chemistry, and they do their best to pick up the slack. Fri, 26 Dec 2008 18:21:23 GMT Peter Canavese http://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. Sun, 21 Dec 2008 14:13:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://grouchoreviews.com/features/242 /features/242 The Year‘s Best Films 1. Waltz with Bashir 2. My Winnipeg 3. The Class (Entre le murs) 4. The Dark Knight 5. Doubt 6. Happy-Go-Lucky 7. Synecdoche, New York 8. The Flight of the Red Balloon (Le voyage du ballon rouge) 9. Let the Right One In (Låt de Sat, 20 Dec 2008 12:13:46 GMT Peter Canavese http://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, 19 Dec 2008 21:44:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://grouchoreviews.com/interviews/262 /interviews/262 [We] talked about Harold and Maude as a tone. Fisher King, I brought that up. And then Alfie and Five Easy Pieces and a few others…We wanted something realistic but funny…moving and emotionally deep. Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:38:15 GMT Peter Canavese http://grouchoreviews.com/interviews/261 /interviews/261 Sexuality is really a way that people’s souls get expressed...I know that we have a tendency as Americans to sort of not go there, but I’m kind of interested in going there because I think it tells you a lot about someone’s psyche... Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:07:52 GMT Peter Canavese http://grouchoreviews.com/interviews/260 /interviews/260 He’s very effusive and emotionally open in a way that’s not very masculine. And certainly not British...someone who sort of waves his arms around a lot and clutches his bosom. It’s like he actually thinks his life is a movie. Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:50:47 GMT Peter Canavese http://grouchoreviews.com/interviews/259 /interviews/259 Well, the mythological arc of the saga doesn‘t really continue in these other things...which means we‘re not encumbered by this mythological uber-story of the psychological underpinnings of why somebody turns to be a bad person. Thu, 14 Aug 2008 18:54:14 GMT Peter Canavese http://grouchoreviews.com/features/237 /features/237 Goosebump alert: the disc kicks off with one of the all-time great movie themes, the “Raiders March“...a magnificent, brassy piece of music. Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:27:03 GMT Peter Canavese http://grouchoreviews.com/interviews/258 /interviews/258 They can‘t run over us if we really want to stand up. So as long as we have our vote, we have some hope. Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:01:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://grouchoreviews.com/features/239 /features/239 The definitive book on the Adam West Batman. Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:32:35 GMT Peter Canavese http://grouchoreviews.com/features/238 /features/238 Brilliant...essential reading on the modern myth of Batman, its meaning, and its enduring hold on the American imagination. Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:16:00 GMT Peter Canavese http://grouchoreviews.com/features/89 /features/89 Frank Miller revolutionized Batman (and arguably the comic-book industry) with the hugely successful graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns (1986), about an aged Batman. Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:10:10 GMT Peter Canavese