Review – Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)
by HELEN GEIB
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a big budget Arabian Nights-style adventure produced by Disney. The once-upon-a-time setting is a mythical ancient Persia. The hero is Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal), adopted youngest son of the wise and noble king. Dastan is devoted to his father, who took Dastan in off the streets as a boy, and to his two older brothers. When he is framed for regicide, Dastan must uncover the truth behind the murder and the Persian invasion of the holy city of Alamut if he is to save himself and his family. His only ally is the city’s beautiful princess-priestess Tamina (Gemma Arterton), the guardian of a secret magical device that allows the holder to turn back time. Read more 
Thinking Outside the Multiplex in Indiana (May 28, 2010)
by MIKE MACCOLLUM
So the only new limited-release film opening in Indiana theaters this Friday seems to be the documentary Racing Dreams- but it won’t be at the Indianapolis theater you might suspect would be showing it. But it will be showing at one Indy-area theater that has undergone a big change recently- and that is the headline news for this week’s back-from-vacation column…. Read more
Movie Review – Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
by NIR SHALEV
A great method for testing one’s love for cinema is to watch and suitably comprehend what makes Shadow of the Vampire a great film. Read more
Movie Review – Iron Man 2 (2010)
by HELEN GEIB and NIR SHALEV
SYNOPSIS
Robert Downey Jr returns as Tony Stark/Iron Man in Iron Man 2, the sequel to 2008′s surprise blockbuster Iron Man and a linchpin of a new movie franchise starring a bevy of heroes from the pages of Marvel Comics comic books. Read more
Thinking Outside the Multiplex in Indiana (May 14, 2010)
by MIKE MACCOLLUM
So it looks like there’s only one new arthouse film opening in the state this week- but then again, that movie did win an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, so the quality will most likely make up for what we won’t be getting in quantity. Also, a number of good movies are holding over in Indiana theaters- and apparently, we will be getting more than one promising-looking film next week. For all that and ever so much more, read on below…. Read more
DVD of the Week – Spotlight on… Flicker Alley
by HELEN GEIB
This week’s DVD of the Week post inaugurates “Spotlight on…,” a new occasional feature that will profile independent companies producing high quality DVDs/Blu-ray discs of classics, foreign films, and other specialty releases. This new feature was suggested by a regular commenter on Commentary Track, and readers’ suggestions for future “Spotlight on…” columns are most welcome. Read more
Hollywood Releases Preview – May, 2010
by HELEN GEIB
We apologize for the late arrival of this post. But you knew Iron Man 2 was opening this weekend without my telling you, right? Read more
Thinking Outside the Multiplex in Indiana (May 7, 2010)
by MIKE MACCOLLUM
In case you hadn’t heard, summer is on the way- along with the big summer movies. The signs are there: The Rocky Horror Picture Show seems to be on summer break from the Georgetown 14, mainstream movies are starting to ooze their way back in to the Keystone Art Cinema after a brief respite, and the big movies are taking over more and more screens at other theaters across the state. (For example, the Hamilton 16 and IMAX in Noblesville and the Portage 16 and IMAX both will show Iron Man 2 on FIVE screens this week- one IMAX screen, and four “regular” screens… yeesh.) But there is still more than a little in the way of cinematic variety around the state- as demonstrated below…. Read more
Movie Review – The Ghost Writer (2010)
by NIR SHALEV
Being exiled for over thirty years hadn’t hindered Roman Polanski’s career in the slightest bit. As a matter of fact, The Pianist (2002) and Ghost Writer are easily two of his greatest movies. Add those to Repulsion (1965), Cul-de-sac (1966), Rosemary’s Baby (1968), and Chinatown (1974) and now we’re cooking with fire. Clearly he’s a master filmmaker, a famous auteur, and a media darling but that’s because when he’d created a great thriller early in his career he’d stuck to making the best thrillers from then on. Read more
DVD of the Week – Review of Tetro (2009)
by NIR SHALEV
Francis Ford Coppola is one of the most famous and greatest of living directors, but strangely he hasn’t written an original screenplay since his Oscar winning film The Conversation (1974). With Tetro, Coppola goes back to his roots of being an “original” director and, as expected the film is gorgeously shot. Read more
