Tag Archives: dallas

Reviews

Review: When You’re Strange

“Being drunk is a good disguise…”    — from the poetry of Jim Morrison

Tom DiCillo’s When You’re Strange gives a lopsided view of ’60s- and ’70s-era rock band The Doors, and a cursory one at that.  The film seems more about the gradual disintegration of front man Jim Morrison rather than the band as a whole, as it persistently circles back to arty footage of Morrison travelling alone through the desert (these scenes taken from Paul Ferrara’s 1969 film Hwy: An American Pastoral) that only serve as a stilted reminder that drug culture doesn’t age well.  When You’re Strange does benefit, however, from a seemingly endless supply of archival footage that suggests the band members were never far from cameras.

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Reviews

Special Engagement: Secret Reunion

Director Jang Hun’s Secret Reunion (2010) makes a terrific follow-up to the gangster/actor face-off Rough Cut, and keeps that film’s central gimmick in place: the uneasy alliance between men of opposing backgrounds.   Secret Reunion begins and ends with a pair of thrilling action set pieces, as South Korean security forces led by Agent Lee (Song Kang-ho) close in on a Jackal-esque North Korean assassin dubbed Shadow.  Assisted by a younger, inexperienced (but no less devoted) spy named Ji-won (Kang Dong-won), Shadow is out to kill traitors to the homeland during a very tense time as South and North Korea approach a lessening of hostility.  This means a reduction of South Korean security forces, so when Lee takes responsibility for an initial botched capture of Ji-won and the assassin, he’s the first to be let go.

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Reviews

Review: Clash of the Titans (2-D)

Clash of the TitansObjectively, Clash of the Titans is not a good movie. The characters are names rather than people, the action scenese are incomprehensible, and the adventure never builds to a climax. Subjectively, it feels like a classic 80s b-movie, consisting of cheese, cheese, and cheeze-whiz, and that kind of picture always hits my sweet spot.

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Opening

Opening in Dallas: 04/02/10

Limited Releases: Based on the best-selling book, the mysterious Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Magnolia, Angelika Plano) received only a mild reaction when it screened recently at SXSW. On the other hand, the documentary The Art of the Steal (Angelika Dallas) has received glowing notices so far.

The third opener is the South Korean flick Secret Reunion (AMC Grapevine Mills 30), which is described as an action / drama / comedy about two former espionage agents. We’ll have reviews up this weekend.

Wide Releases: Widely derided already for its 3-D effects, slapped on in a mad dash in post production, Clash of the Titans is the biggest, brawniest release this weekend and should steal the mint. I’m inclined to go 2-D on this one. To be frank, I get unreasonably chilled whenever I hear Liam Neeson command: “Release the Kraken!”

Miley Cyrus stars in The Last Song, which opened on Wednesday. Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too also opens wide.