'dream house' review

How can a movie that stars Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz, and Naomi Watts (and is directed by Jim Sheridan) not be screened in advance for crit...

fruit bats - you're too weird

I am shocked and embarrassed that I have yet to pick up the new Fruit Bats album, Tripper . I also can't believe I hadn't seen this ...

'margaret' review

It's hard to say what's the saddest thing about Margaret . Is it that it's the long-delayed follow-up film from Kenneth Lonergan...

'sarah palin: you betcha!' review

Sarah Palin: You Betcha! is not grade-A Nick Broomfield, but it's still an engaging, breezy documentary into the former Alaska governor...

'take shelter' review

Yeah, Take Shelter is terrific. Writer-director Jeff Nichols and star Michael Shannon performed their magic first in 2007's Shotgun Stor...

'the whale' review

So, Ryan Reynolds' best movie of 2011 definitely isn't Green Lantern or The Change-Up . It's the documentary The Whale , which h...

'my joy' review

My Joy is a Russian drama that calls to mind the bare-bones stories popular in Romanian cinema, but it's more existential and mysterious...

wilco - 'the whole love' review

I'm one of those weirdos who has preferred Wilco's post- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot / A Ghost Is Born period to all the ones that came bef...

'thunder soul' review

On Friday, I reviewed Thunder Soul , a documentary about the Kashmere Stage Band. It's a very likable film that isn't quite as deep...

r.e.m. - try not to breathe

Yeah, I'm still bummed out about the R.E.M. news . So here's a little "Try Not to Breathe."

'weekend' review

If it's playing in your area, seek out Weekend , a sweet, simple drama directed by Andrew Haigh. If you're the type to be unnerved b...

'machine gun preacher' review

Gerard Butler gives one of his better performances -- which, I realize, isn't saying all that much -- in Machine Gun Preacher , an inspi...

'puncture' review

Chris Evans goes dark and indie for Puncture , a legal drama based on a true story. Turns out the true story is more interesting than the mo...

toronto film festival 2011, from worst to best

If it hadn't been for a nasty cold that wiped out the last two-and-a-half days of my trip, I would have easily logged over 30 films duri...

'your sister's sister' review

Humpday is one of my favorite recent American indies, so I was excited to see what writer-director Lynn Shelton would do next. That turns ou...

'twixt' review

Francis Ford Coppola continues his late-career adventurousness with Twixt , a moody, loopy horror thingy starring Val Kilmer. And parts of i...

trent reznor and atticus ross - in motion

If I had to list my 10 happiest film moments of the year, I think one of them would be Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross winning the Oscar for t...

'take this waltz' review

One of the happier surprises at this year's Toronto Film Festival has been Take This Waltz , the follow-up film from Away From Her direc...

'rampart' review

Director Oren Moverman reunites with Woody Harrelson, his star from "The Messenger," for his new film, "Rampart." It...

'alps' review

Dogtooth was a disturbing, original drama. (Or was it a dark comedy?) Regardless, director Yorgos Lanthimos is back with a new film that...

'into the abyss' review

Werner Herzog's latest documentary is one of his strongest in years, mostly because he stays out of the way. It's called Into the Ab...

'the descendants' review

Alexander Payne's new movie, The Descendants , sneaks up on you. It's not quite as sharp as his About Schmidt , but it's in the ...

the sundays - here's where the story ends

Dreamy folk-pop modern rock circa 1990 for your Friday morning. I was about the only person I knew who owned Reading, Writing and Arithmetic...

'moneyball' review

Hi, everyone. I'm covering the Toronto Film Festival for The Projector , and my first review is up. It's Moneyball , which really sh...

'warrior' review

Miracle is probably the best sports movie of the last 10 years, so I had high hopes for director Gavin O'Connor's latest, Warrior . ...

'shark night 3d' review

Put me in the camp of people who found Snakes on a Plane big, dumb ludicrous fun. That movie was directed by David R. Ellis. His latest is S...

'apollo 18' review

Shock of shocks, I didn't hate Apollo 18 like a lot of folks did. Actually, I found it enjoyable enough. My review is up at Screen Int...

serge gainsbourg and brigitte bardot - bonnie and clyde

The French biopic Gainsbourg , about singer Serge Gainsbourg, is out this weekend, so a little "Bonnie and Clyde" seemed appropria...