Tag: Zal Batmanglij
50 articles
The Magic Tree: When Wishes Come True Too Easily
The Magic Tree ( Magiczne Drzewo , 2009) is not really about a tree: when the film begins, the tree in question has already fallen down during a storm, and has been used to make a number of different...
Oct 24, 2010 / Alison FrankRED (2010)
“ R etired, E xtremely D angerous” is the secret behind the ambiguous title of the Robert Schwentke-directed adaptation of the popular graphic novel “RED,” created by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner....
Oct 15, 2010 / Eric M. ArmstrongWall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)
Director Oliver Stone, or as he’s sometimes known, Anathema to Subtlety, isn’t shy about his left-leaning politics or his disdain for Wall Street leeches who represent a glaring inefficiency in the...
Oct 14, 2010 / Eric M. ArmstrongMachete (2010)
The permanent scowl etched into the ungodly face of Danny Trejo has helped the former San Quentin State Prison boxing champion parlay his talent for the terrible into a decorated Hollywood career....
Sep 19, 2010 / Eric M. ArmstrongHell Comes To Frogtown (1988)
As a product of the 1980s, I often reflect on my childhood and the distinctive pop culture of that era. Television provided me endless hours of action and adventure through the eyes of my favorite...
Sep 15, 2010 / Greg KitaPiranha 3D (2010)
Despite James Cameron’s impassioned attempts to legitimize a 1950s gimmick employed by cinema hucksters to serve cheap thrills to audiences willing shell out a couple of extra bucks, 3D has yet to...
Sep 13, 2010 / Eric M. ArmstrongScott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
Hipster loathing has graduated from passive distaste to aggressive protest. The religion of rebellion, of conformity to anti-conformity, seems to every generation looking back on their bygone years...
Sep 1, 2010 / Eric M. ArmstrongUptown (2009)
Two attractive twentysomethings meet for the first time in a Manhattan restaurant and engage in obligatory small talk. What was intended to be a meeting between indie film director and potential star...
Jul 29, 2010 / Eric M. ArmstrongKatrina’s Son (2010)
Brilliant, vivid colors flood the opening moments of Ya’Ke Smith’s latest short film, “Katrina’s Son.” A bright yellow sun bathes a young boy in a beautiful warmth — a superficial warmth obscured by...
Jul 19, 2010 / Eric M. ArmstrongPredators (2010)
Rumor has it that three follow up films, a sequel and two crossovers with the “Alien” franchise, to John McTiernan’s 1987 sci-fi thriller, “Predator,” exist somewhere out there in the ether. I’m...
Jul 16, 2010 / Eric M. ArmstrongThe Last Airbender (2010)
Two parts “Captain Planet,” one part “Star Wars.” Mix together in a large bowl of rock-paper-scissors. Replace ethnic characters with white Americans. Cast “The Daily Show” comedian as evil fire...
Jul 13, 2010 / Eric M. ArmstrongLost in New Mexico: The Strange Tale of Susan Hero (2009)
Jason Rosette’s no-budget tale of desolation, desperation and loss subtly weaves together the disparate lives of a group of struggling Southwesterners in “Lost in New Mexico.” Susan (Drea Pressley),...
Jul 4, 2010 / Eric M. ArmstrongToy Story 3 (2010)
Pixar isn’t blazing any new trails in the realm of critically acclaimed animated cinema. Its parent company, Disney, has been winning Oscars with its hand-drawn masterpieces since 1937. But, the...
Jun 23, 2010 / Eric M. ArmstrongThe A-Team (2010)
The merits of an intellectual elucidation of Joe Carnahan’s 21st century revamp of the mid-1980s absurdist TV show about a team of disgraced Army Rangers-turned outlaw mercenaries are negligible at...
Jun 20, 2010 / Eric M. ArmstrongPrince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)
Is “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” the best video game adaptation ever? Personally, I prefer Uwe Boll’s “House of the Dead.” At least the latter had the decency not to spend $200 million as if...
May 31, 2010 / Eric M. ArmstrongRecent Articles
- Review: ‘A War’ explores war’s quiet, forgotten horrors
- TMA FilmCast #33 — Vera Chytilova and the Czech New Wave
- The fantasist: The comic art of Woody Allen
- Tribeca picks up North American rights to ‘Misery Loves Comedy’ at Sundance
- TMA FilmCast #32 — Alison Frank interviews Ana Geislerova
- ‘Grand Budapest Hotel’ tops Online Film Critics Awards
- TMA FilmCast #31 — Alison Frank reports from 67th Locarno Film Fest
- 5 ½ hour film dominates awards at Locarno
- Shorts at #Locarno67: meditation vs testing the audience’s patience
- ‘The Fool’: A modern propaganda film
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