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Articles in Culture and Criticism

The China Syndrome
March 5, 2007 – 3:22 AM | No Comment

I liked it; I liked Jane Fonda’s character.   She can be hard for me to like as an actress sometimes; I’m not sure why.   She’s just not fun to watch.   Not the …

Catch Me If You Can
March 5, 2007 – 3:21 AM | No Comment
Catch Me If You Can

Catch Me If You Can.Initially, when I got to the end of it, it didn’t seem like it had a whole lot to it.It’s sweet, and it’s paced well, but it seemed light.But the more …

Casino Royale
March 5, 2007 – 3:21 AM | No Comment

Now I’d like to rewatch the original — apparently it’s weak, but it could be good peanut-gallery fun — but this one’s quite good.   Good action sequences (muddily shot at times, but it doesn’t …

Cars
March 5, 2007 – 3:20 AM | No Comment

Excellent, as always.   I just said this about The Incredibles as well, but the animation is really sharp, so much so that I forgot a few times it was animation at all, and it’s …

Capturing the Friedmans
March 5, 2007 – 3:19 AM | No Comment

Wow.   I still can’t figure out what to believe about Jesse, but no matter what you think happened, it’s really really good.   (The movie is good, not what happened; what happened is bad.) …

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
March 5, 2007 – 3:18 AM | One Comment

It feels like it used to be a much longer movie that got chopped down to ninety minutes; I’ve read that Whedon’s original script is a lot darker, which would explain how tacked-on and flat …

Buffalo Soldiers
March 5, 2007 – 3:17 AM | No Comment

Weird little movie, which I think got buried on its release because of the timing (it’s about army dudes fucking up and being corrupt, which in 2001 was maybe not what studios wanted to emphasize …

Buffalo ’66
March 5, 2007 – 3:17 AM | No Comment

I fully expected to hate the movie, and in many ways, it’s not very good.   It’s self-indulgent.   Certain scenes go on long after we’ve gotten the point; others make no logical sense.   …

Brokeback Mountain
March 5, 2007 – 3:16 AM | No Comment

I expected it to be really overrated, especially Heath Ledger, and I am thrilled to report that it was excellent, and that Ledger is really a treat to watch — just an amazing performance, and …

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
March 5, 2007 – 3:15 AM | No Comment

“Edge of Reazzzzzzz,” maybe.   Dreadful sequel.   It just recycled the showpiece bits from the first one, which weren’t terribly funny to begin with, and made Bridget into a self-absorbed twit where she used …