Movie Review – Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009)
by HELEN GEIB
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li is a bad movie. It is not extravagantly bad, a still entertaining near-miss, or an interesting failure. It is simply one more shoddily constructed, commonplace, boring genre movie off the Hollywood assembly line. Read more 
Top Ten Films of 2008 by Helen Geib
by HELEN GEIB
When I see a – best, worst, whatever – films list, I ask, “what’s the methodology?” I want to know eligibility standards, selection criteria, purpose. I want to know if the list will be of use to me by challenging my critical judgments or introducing me to new works, or if it’s just another useless “AFI 100”-style publicity grab. Because context matters to me when I read others’ lists, I lay out the context for mine in the next paragraphs. If you’re here for the titles and want to jump straight to the list, that’s okay with me too. Read more
Top Ten Films of 2008 by Rishi Agrawal
by RISHI AGRAWAL
First of all, just to get something out of the way, a lot of people wonder why this list is coming so late. A lot of the films that I typically like don’t get released in places other than New York and Los Angeles until January or February, and it’s not as if I live in a small city. A lot of other critics that work for professional outlets are able to get screener copies of the films, but I don’t have that luxury. So, the Oscars are over and so I’m not sure if people are still interested in the Best Films of 2008, but I still enjoy the listmaking exercise, so here we go. Read more
DVD of the Week – A Few Best Picture Winners, 1930s-1960s
by HELEN GEIB
Ask me what I think of the Oscars and you’ll hear far more criticism than praise, especially when it comes to the best picture category. But while the Academy’s track record in recognizing the best films leaves a lot to be desired, the Oscar has found its way to many good films and a few great ones over the years. This week I spotlight four of those films, one for each decade from the 1930s through the 1960s.
1930s Read more
Movie Review – Doubt (2008)
by RISHI AGRAWAL
Writer-director John Patrick Shanley’s much anticipated follow-up to Joe Versus the Volcano is Doubt, a film based on Shanley’s own play that takes place at a Catholic school in New York during the 1960s. Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) befriends a young black boy, but Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep) is convinced that there is impropriety in their relationship. Read more
81st Academy Awards (for 2008): Predictions and Winners
by HELEN GEIB
edited February 23 to add the winners
This post lists our predictions for who will win – and our picks for who should win - the Oscar in the categories of best picture, animated feature, director, actress, actor, supporting actress, supporting actor, original screenplay, and adapted screenplay. We also call out some films and people overlooked in the nominations. Title links are to Commentary Track reviews (title linked at first nomination only). Post will be updated with the winners list after the broadcast.
BEST PICTURE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Helen
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire – Geoff, Rishi, Tom, James
Who should win: Slumdog Millionaire – Geoff, Helen, Rishi, James; Milk – Tom
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire
Overlooked: The Wrestler, The Dark Knight
Movie Review – Bolt (2008)
by HELEN GEIB
The Disney animated film Bolt opened at the local second run theater this past weekend, giving me the opportunity to see another of the major Academy Awards nominated films on the big screen. I’m glad I acted on it. Bolt is a fun movie and excellent family fare. Read more
Top Ten Films of 2008 by Tom Nixon
by TOM NIXON
I just love those moments when I’m reading a list and, say, my own top three occupy the 2, 3 and 4 spots below an unknown champion; that number 1 suddenly takes on an inordinate amount of power in my mind, a great potentiality shrouded in mist. In that way, a list can communicate excitement for a movie better than any number of superlatives, and this may be why I enjoy the process of list-making far too much. At the same time of course I recognize that such lists tend to be flippant, or self-indulgent with ridiculous pretensions to objectivity, and that taking them with less than a pinch or two of salt is a kind of madness. Read more
DVD of the Week – Review of Frozen River (2008)
by RISHI AGRAWAL
Writer-director Courtney Hunt makes it seem so effortless in her debut film Frozen River, which surprisingly garnered two Oscar nominations despite its low profile. I realize that there is much more to filmmaking than this (and I know that Courtney Hunt had to work hard to secure funding for the film), but sometimes it seems as though all a director needs to do is find a good story, hire some good actors, and let things unfold. Read more
Top Ten Films of 2008 by James Brigham
by JAMES BRIGHAM
The ten best films of 2008, listed in no particular order:
Slumdog Millionaire
I’m very thankful for movies like Slumdog Millionaire. Every once in awhile after a string of mediocre theater expeditions, I begin to question my spending habits. Films like this get me excited again about choosing to venture away from the safety of my living room DVD player to see films on the big screen. The sheer bravado of this picture is extraordinary. I felt like I had been swept down upon by some magnificent energy bird, yanked off my feet and hurled into the screen. Read more
