Film

	'Salt': Flat By Frederik Sisa @ 4:00 PM July 30, 2010 Found in: Film What ever happened to the humble vial of truth serum? A few drops of the stuff and suspects were chirpier than a colony of birds on a telephone wire. It was the epitome of spy movie interrogation technology. The real drama, of course, came from the pitting of mind vs. mind, spy vs. counterspy, in tense, unaided confrontations across a table. Now we get neural imaging devices that scan a suspect’s brain in real-time to root out deception, which is convenient as it illustrates how much technology — both real and speculative — has infiltrated our spy movies. Like the dilemma facing the intelligence services, people have given way to machines.read
	‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’: Welcome Back, Magic By Frederik Sisa @ 1:00 PM July 23, 2010 Found in: Film Dismissed by many among the film cognoscenti as shallow spectacle and proclaimed a flop by the media for raking in a mere $24 million on its five-day opening weekend — Disney’s second misfire after “Prince of Persia” — “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” seems positioned for box office oblivion. read
	Inception: Into the Maze We Go By Frederik Sisa @ 1:00 PM July 16, 2010 Found in: Film Handling dreams like Russian nested dolls is perhaps not, in itself, the most innovative concept given movies like “The Matrix,” “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” read
	'Iron Man 2': Heart of Lead By Frederik Sisa @ 11:00 AM May 14, 2010 Found in: Film The foremost question of “Iron Man 2” is: What happened to the Jon Favreau of the first Iron Man and Zathura? That Favreau was a director from the old school, comfortable with modern CGI effects but at home in the roots of classical filmmaking and, crucially, well-versed in the storytelling arts. In the armored superhero’s second outing, however, Favreau has been edged out by Marvel’s marketing committee.read
	Sci-Fi Short Film Roundup: The District 9 Trend By Frederik Sisa @ 3:00 PM April 30, 2010 Found in: Film Although it would be rather hyperbolic to suggest that District 9 represents a milestone in 21st century science fiction cinema, Neil Blomkamp’s gritty tale of aliens among us certainly does set the pace for a new trend. And it is this: science fiction rooted in near-future speculation.read
	‘The Losers’ Are Winners By Frederik Sisa @ 11:00 AM April 23, 2010 Found in: Film It must be true that “The Losers” started life as a groundbreaking comic book; I’ve never heard of it. Or perhaps “groundbreaking” is merely the buzzword of an enthusiastic publicity department. read
	Larry and Burt’s Gut Rot: Better Than Beer By Frederik Sisa @ 2:00 PM April 02, 2010 Found in: Film The brothers Butler return with a sense of humour that, like a dirty martini, is bone dry, liable to kick your teeth in, and generously dosed with comical vulgarity. In the format of their latest venture, a web series called Larry and Burt’s Gut Rot (http://www.subprod.com/?p=219), it works especially well, better even than in their compelling but somewhat unfocused film effort The Notorious Newman Brothers.read
	Powerful New Black Panther Documentary Debuts in Culver City By Jasmyne A. Cannick @ 2:00 PM March 25, 2010 Found in: Film read
	Alice in Wonderland: Burton and Carroll, Together at Last By Frederik Sisa @ 4:00 PM March 12, 2010 Found in: Film As far as Tim Burton fans were concerned, there might as well have been a little white rabbit in a waistcoat wearing Mickey Mouse ears running around the director exclaiming, “You’re late, you’re late!” And so it seems that this pairing of the visionary Burton and Lewis Carroll’s classic fantasia was a long time coming. At last, the moment to fall down the rabbit hole has arrived. This may not be the definitive cinematic Alice, if such a beast is even possible, but we are nonetheless well-treated to an imaginatively realized Wonderland sumptuously filtered through Burton from the pages of the original books and Sir John Tenniel’s illustrations.read
	‘A Serious Man’: Serious About Questions, But Not About Answers By Frederik Sisa @ 2:00 PM February 26, 2010 Found in: Film Note: In anticipation of the Oscars, the following is a review of a best picture nominee missed during its original theatrical run. We join, without fanfare, a life in progress as physics Prof. Larry Gopnick experiences what is euphemistically described as a “rough patch.”read