October 2010

“Catfish”

October 31, 2010

“Catfish,” directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. Rogue Pictures, 2010, 94 minutes. There was a time when drama focused on the acts of the rich and legendary. From Sophocles to Shakespeare, plays were about kings and heroes, gods and generals. When Henrik Ibsen introduced realism in the nineteenth century, critics predicted that no one [...]

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“The Social Network”

October 31, 2010

“The Social Network” (2010). David Fincher, director. Columbia Pictures, 120 minutes. “The Social Network” is a fascinating, witty, intelligent film about the creation of facebook.com, the Internet phenomenon that transformed the way humans communicate with each other. Almost spontaneously, this social network spread around the globe in a matter of months. As one character says [...]

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“RED”

October 31, 2010

“Red” (2010). Robert Schwentke, director. Summit Entertainment, 111 minutes. Reviewed by Jo Ann Skousen Part comedy, part romance, and one hundred percent action, “Red” is a thoroughly entertaining ensemble film, featuring four Oscar winners (Ernest Borgnine, Richard Dreyfuss, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman) and several nominees. It isn’t likely to win any awards, but it is [...]

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“Never Let Me Go”

October 31, 2010

“Never Let Me Go” (2010). Mark Romanek, director. DNA Films/ Fox Searchlight, 103 minutes. “Never Let Me Go” is based on the haunting, elegantly written novel by Kazuo Ishiguro (2005). This unusual science fiction story is set in the mid-twentieth century, not in the future. The setting is horrifying only because it is not horrifying–it [...]

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Capitalism: A Love Story

October 31, 2010

“Capitalism: A Love Story,” written and directed by Michael Moore. Vantage Productions, 127 minutes. Michael Moore has made a name for himself as the king of ambush journalism. He snags interviews with corporate bigwigs and policy makers by pretending to be interested in benign issues and then switches to hot-button topics once he’s in the [...]

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“City Island”

October 31, 2010

“City Island.” Raymond DeFelitta, director. CineSon Entertainment, 100 minutes. What is your deepest secret? Can you share it with the people you love most? This is the theme of “City Island,” a wonderful little Indie film set in a working class fishing community on the eastern shore of the Bronx. The film suggests that everyone [...]

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Avatar

October 31, 2010

“Avatar.” James Cameron, director. Twentieth Century Fox, 160 minutes. Many critics have called “Avatar” “‘Dances with Wolves’ in Space,” but as a story line the film is worse than that: “Avatar” is about as predictable as an ABC after school special. When humans arrive on planet Pandora, local residents unite to protect their land from [...]

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