Movie Review – Law Abiding Citizen (2009)
by HELEN GEIB
Law Abiding Citizen is an elaborately plotted revenge fantasy starring Gerard Butler as a crime victim with a vendetta against the justice system that allowed his family’s killer to go free. Jamie Foxx plays the district attorney who bears main responsibility for the miscarriage of justice. F. Gary Gray directed and Kurt Wimmer is responsible for the script. Read more 
Thinking Outside the Multiplex
by MIKE MACCOLLUM
It’s hard to complain about the selection of theatrical movies in central Indiana this week- three new films are opening at the Keystone Arts (one of which will also be playing at the ShowPlace 16 on the south side), while two new Indian films start at the Georgetown 14; another film starts an exclusive central Indiana run at the Rave theater in Plainfield, and Paranormal Activity expands to so many screens in the area that it is outside of the scope of this column now. In addition to all of that, the Heartland Film Festival continues this week, with a number of interesting films on its schedule. For information on all of the new limited release movies, the holdovers, the one-shot showings, and the other big-screen curiosities across the state of Indiana – and the list of limited release films opening around the country – read on below… Read more
DVD of the Week – Review of Drag Me to Hell (2009)
by NIR SHALEV
Writer/director Sam Raimi is most famous for his Spider-Man trilogy, although for many others his Evil Dead trilogy stands out more. It was between the making of the second and third films in that series, Evil Dead2: Dead by Dawn (1987) and Army of Darkness (1992), that he came up with the idea for another wacky and devilishly hilarious horror flick. Drag Me to Hell possesses the soul of the Three Stooges and all the fun of the Looney Tunes cartoons. Raimi waited a couple of decades to unleash this masterpiece and it’s as good as his early work. Read more
Movie Review – Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
by HELEN GEIB
The uncontested release this weekend of Couples Retreat gave me the opportunity to catch up with the big family movie of September, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. It’s far enough into the film’s run that it’s been pushed off my local multiplex’s 3-D screen by the Toy Story re-release, so this review is of the 2-D version. Read more
Thinking Outside the Multiplex
by MIKE MACCOLLUM
Weep ye, oh weep ye, for the young people of central Indiana, for they are being denied vital contributions to world cinema starring Corbin Bleu (Free Style) and Kuno Becker (From Mexico with Love) that open elsewhere in Indiana this week – although both films may open in the Indy area later on. (By which point many in their target audience may well have seen them by way of illegal downloads, if they haven’t done so already.) For now, Indianapolis residents will have to content themselves with Paranormal Activity (YES! – opening on three screens at the same theater – !), Earth Days and The Boys Are Back (both at the Keystone Arts) – along with the start of the Heartland Film Festival, various holdovers, non-theatrical screenings, and one-shot events. For more on all of that, other films showing throughout the state, and this week’s complete listings of limited release films opening around the country, read on below…. Read more
Movie Review – Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
by NIR SHALEV
Playwright Tennessee Williams had a way with words. Williams’ characters speak in cryptic tongues, often repeating someone’s name as a way of pointing the finger audibly, but they’re not caricatures. His most famous play is still A Streetcar Named Desire and its equally famous film adaptation starring Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando is a classic in its own right. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof may not be as well known but is also classic Williams. This movie version offers Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor in early and unforgettable performances as a southern couple who hate each other. Read more
DVD of the Week – on vacation
by HELEN GEIB
The DVD of the Week feature is on vacation this week. Check out the following list of the week’s new releases for part of the reason why.
New releases this week: Dance Flick, My Life in Ruins, Year One
Movie Review – Surrogates (2009)
by HELEN GEIB
The future-world premise of Surrogates is economically established in a montage that plays behind the opening credits. Robotics technology initially developed to help people suffering from paralysis or neurological disorders has made it possible for everyone to spend practically every waking moment living life through an android surrogate. Nearly everyone has embraced the technology; the tiny minority that rejects surrogacy is segregated in primitive reservations. Read more
Hollywood Releases Preview – October, 2009
by HELEN GEIB
October ushers in the first of the fall-is-for-serious-movies film fare, although the schedule is filled out with the usual Hollywood mix of broad comedies, horror films (of both the slasher and genre-bending types), and thrillers. Meanwhile the Michael Jackson concert film gets the last weekend of the month to itself. Read on below for a preview of the month’s multiplex releases. Read more
Thinking Outside the Multiplex
by MIKE MACCOLLUM
It seems like every week I put together this column, I am surprised by the number and variety of films being shown throughout the state. You’d think that after nearly a half a year of writing this column, that feeling would go away, but it hasn’t – not yet, at least. Read on below for this week’s cinematic grab-bag in the state of Indiana, plus a complete listing of limited release films opening around the country. Read more
