From the monthly archives:

June 2009

Drag Me to Hell (well, not literally)

June 24, 2009

“Drag Me to Hell,” directed by Sam Raimi. Buckaroo Entertainment, 2009, 99 minutes.
I confess to a lifelong love of horror movies–the good old-fashioned kind that tingle the spine with dread, without resorting to gratuitous gore. A truly great suspense film can terrify audiences without a single drop of blood being shed. I haven’t seen many [...]

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The Taking of Pelham 123

June 21, 2009

“The Taking of Pelham 123.” Tony Scott, director. Sony Pictures, 121 minutes. Rated R for language and violence.
In 1994 a quiet, unassuming, former computer systems analyst for a large investment firm built several gasoline bombs out of mayonnaise jars and alarm clock timers, intending to deposit them in subway trains around New York City and [...]

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Angela Lansbury in Blithe Spirit

June 20, 2009

“Blithe Spirit.” Noel Coward, playwright. Michael Blakemore, director. Shubert Theater, Broadway.
Here’s one of my immutable rules of theater enjoyment: If there’s a play by George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, or Noel Coward in production, don’t miss it. Wilde and Shaw virtually invented the drawing room “comedy of manners” that exposed hypocrisy and boorishness among the [...]

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The Brothers Bloom

June 15, 2009

School’s out for summer, and teen comedies abound. Most of them are trite, raunchy, potty-mouthed, formulaic– and immensely successful. “The Hangover” is one of them. Its big-budget advertising throughout the spring made it look clever and entertaining, and its 80% approval rating on rottentomatoes gave it an air of respectability from the critics. Largely a [...]

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Up with “Up”!

June 12, 2009

“Up.” Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, directors. Pixar Studios, 96 minutes.
Perhaps my favorite film of the year so far, “Up” is an animated feature film from Disney’s Pixar studios, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s a children’s movie. This film offers story telling at its best, with a central character whose emotions are [...]

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Waiting for Godot

June 4, 2009

“Waiting for Godot.” Samuel Beckett, playwright. Anthony Page, director. Studio 54, Broadway.
“Waiting for Godot,” Samuel Beckett’s masterpiece of existential angst, opened at Studio 54 on Broadway this spring with a sparkling cast and towering set. The script, about two men waiting on a dreary road for someone named Godot to come, is deliberately spare, [...]

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