Media margarine
Douglas Coupland performs high mass with the low-priced spread….
Atomic Numbers
Transcending the boundaries of simple power-pop (and all the while tweaking its rules), the Atomic Numbers manage to retro-fit the grand pop sounds of yesteryear (think Badfinger, Elvis Costello) into a walloping, brainy whole of post-modern rock ‘n’ roll most grand. Chock full of shut-in paranoia and sexy rock block walking, the Atomic Numbers make…
Genghis Blues
This is one of those documentaries filmed in such a rudimentary, on-the-fly manner that it has to get by on subject matter alone. Fortunately, the subject is very appealing. It’s the story of the blind blues singer Paul Pena, a journeyman artist who, despite having played with T-Bone Walker and B.B. King, and having penned…
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
In writer-director Jim Jarmusch’s spiritual meditation on the outlaw life, it’s only fitting that a hit man follows a philosophy which asserts, “meditation on inevitable death should be performed daily … and every day without fail one should consider himself as dead.” Ghost Dog (Forest Whitaker) is a man out of time. A killer for…
Beyond the Mat
A lifelong fan of professional wrestling, director Barry W. Blaustein seeks to put a human face on this larger-than-life spectacle, which he sees as an intoxicating fusion of showmanship and athleticism. Even though he’s a “Saturday Night Live” alumnus (former head writer), Beyond the Mat never once makes fun of its subjects. Instead Blaustein has…
Feast from the East
It is the year of the dragon, ladies and gentlemen, and, as such, the culture – high, low, pop, etc. – of the Asian diaspora is roaring its way into popular culture. You already know about Dragon Ball Z, Pokémon, Hello Kitty and the ubiquity of Nintendo. You know about the kitsch cache of Godzilla…
Feast from the East
It is the year of the dragon, ladies and gentlemen, and, as such, the culture – high, low, pop, etc. – of the Asian diaspora is roaring its way into popular culture. You already know about Dragon Ball Z, Pokémon, Hello Kitty and the ubiquity of Nintendo. You know about the kitsch cache of Godzilla…
Mission to Mars
Director Brian DePalma makes sure there’s always plenty to look at during Mission to Mars, but his effort adds up to very little in the end. If Mission: Impossible, Snake Eyes and this torpid science fiction epic are any evidence, DePalma (Carrie, The Untouchables, Casualties of War) has completely given up trying to tell a…
The War Zone
The War Zone, the directorial debut of actor Tim Roth, is probably the most visually sumptuous film about incest that you’ll ever see. Much of the story, shot in a carefully composed wide-screen format, takes place in Devon on the English coast, an area of flat empty fields, tall rocky shores and crashing waves. When…
The Ninth Gate
Don’t let anyone or anything keep you from seeing Roman Polanski’s new release. The veteran director of gripping 20th century benchmarks – Repulsion, Rosemary’s Baby and Chinatown – has delivered a simmering thriller that’s the comeback testament of a major artist. Whenever a truly great film comes along, there are always jokers (among them, film…
