Thinking Outside the Multiplex
by MIKE MACCOLLUM
The French musical drama Paris 36 and the Iraq war drama The Sandbox open at, respectively, Landmark’s Keystone Arts and Republic’s Georgetown 14 this Friday. For more information on those titles, and on other movies and big-screen events playing this week in Indianapolis and throughout the state, read on below. Read more 
Movie Review – Next Day Air (2009)
by HELEN GEIB
Next Day Air is an ensemble piece revolving around a mis-delivered shipment of cocaine. The story takes place over three days, supplemented by a few flashbacks, and follows five groups connected in some way to the cocaine. Events are set in motion by a Mexican drug lord and his lieutenant, who ship the cocaine to the Philadelphia apartment of a Puerto Rican man, their Philadelphia distribution agent, and his girlfriend. The drugs are shipped by the invented UPS-like service Next Day Air, a poor choice of vendor. Read more
Anime Feature Film Review – Ninja Scroll (1993)
by HELEN GEIB
Writer-director Yoshiaki Kawajiri’s anime feature Ninja Scroll draws on Japanese folk tales, popular culture, and history in its story of a noble ronin reluctantly drawn into a fight against a vicious criminal organization. The history enters through the setting of feudal-era Japan and socio-political backdrop of bitter clan rivalries and rigid behavioral codes. Folk tales and popular culture supply the hero Jubei, the gallery of grotesques who are his antagonists, and his sole ally, a ninja woman named Kagero. Read more
Movie Review – Fighting (2009)
by HELEN GEIB
Some movies are described as love letters to New York. Fighting is not one of those movies. The title refers to the underground fights that bring the main characters together and for a time, ensnare them with the lure of easy money. But it also captures the condition of daily living in a clamorous, squalid city where rents are impossibly high, too many people are trapped in too small a space, and everyone’s a chiseler when opportunity presents. The only dream worth pursuing is getting out. Read more
Thinking Outside the Multiplex
by MIKE MACCOLLUM
Another week, another batch of films (and other events playing at movie theaters) opening in and around Indianapolis that aren’t the subject of huge, well-nigh-unavoidable advertising campaigns. Titles are listed in alphabetical order, followed by a list of movies opening, but not here this week and a short preview of next week’s Indy offerings.
DCI 2009: The Countdown – Six area theaters (AMC’s Castleton 14, Goodrich’s Hamilton 16, Kerasotes Showplace 16 and IMAX, Regal’s Circle Center 9, Regal’s Galaxy 14, and Regal’s Shiloh Crossing 18) will have one showing of this on Wednesday, May 13, at 7:30 PM. “DCI” stands for “Drum Corps International,” and the Fathom Events website says that this “program” features “six full-length corps performances from among the 72 World Championship Finalists of the past six seasons (2003-2008), as chosen by fans during an online vote,” and promises that “fans will relive these corps performances remixed and re-mastered specifically for this special theatrical release.” Visit the Fathom Events site for more information. Read more
Movie Review – The Ladykillers (1955)
by NIR SHALEV
Mrs. Wilberforce is the nicest little old lady. She is righteous and is always in a positive mood, and everyone is nice to her, in turn. One day the shadow of a man appears in the streets and follows the old lady to her home. The shadow turns out to be one Professor Marcus (Sir Alec Guinness) and he dropped by to answer her advertisement about “rooms for rent.” He informs the old lady that he and four other acquaintances have formed a string quintet and that they will be dropping by, every so often, to practice. Read more
Movie Review – Crank: High Voltage (2009)
by HELEN GEIB
Some movies are not worth the time it takes to write a full-length review. Crank: High Voltage is one of them. The sequel to Crank brings back co-writers and directors Brian Taylor and Mark Neveldine behind the camera and Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Dwight Yoakam, and Efren Ramirez in front of it for a movie that is more of the same, only without the cleverness, energy, and whimsicality that made the earlier film so much fun. High Voltage is more remake than sequel, moving anti-hero Chev Chelios through the same scenes writ cruder and meaner and with a newly-present edge of creative desperation.
1/2 star
DVD of the Week – Review of Wendy and Lucy (2008)
by RISHI AGRAWAL
In Kelly Reichardt’s latest film, Wendy and Lucy, Michelle Williams plays Wendy, a young woman who is trying to start a new life in Alaska with her dog Lucy. Her car breaks down in a small town in Oregon and as her money is rapidly dwindling, she finds herself in dire straits. The only other actor of note is Wally Dalton, who plays a security guard who tries his best to help Wendy out. Read more
Movie Review – Unforgiven (1992)
by TOM NIXON
In 1992, the Western and its heroes lay in ashes; old and weathered has-beens usurped by civilization, forgotten. Aptly, Unforgiven takes place amidst the winding down of the old school under crisp red sunsets, its heroes now struggling farmers and carpenters, or pompous self-parodies followed around by doting biographers. But Clint Eastwood knew that his beloved genre still had something to offer; understood our notions of propriety and civility to require deeper examination. He also knew that he, uniquely placed as a touchstone of the Western mythos, should be the one to attempt such an examination; a revival tempered by the wisdom, and the regret, of age and hindsight. Read more
DVD of the Week – Disc Commentary Track for Wizards (1977)
by NIR SHALEV
This week’s DVD of the week pick is the commentary track for Wizards. Wizards is an animated film about a battle between fairies and orcs and two wizard brothers who duel with one another. Blackwolf is the evil brother and is a Hitler-type who finds and uses Nazi propaganda footage to pump up bile in his armies and to scare his enemies on the battlefield. Avatar is the good brother who must find Blackwolf and rid the world of him. Read more