Movies In Chilly 'Transsiberian,' An Endlessly Twisty Ride July 31, 2008 • In a summer of forward-looking superhero films and sci-fi flicks, Transsiberian revives the Russian crime drama. This cool thriller offers it all: seedy mobsters, stunning snowscapes and even a suitcase full of babushka dolls.
Movies In 'Swing Vote,' A Civics Lesson, Hollywood Style July 31, 2008 • Just in time for the political conventions: a morally muddled attempt to pay Capra-esque tribute to America's democracy. Kevin Costner plays a 50-something buffoon with arrested development.
Movies 'Brideshead': A Shorter Visit To A Grand Old Place July 25, 2008 • Purists, fear not: The new film of the Evelyn Waugh novel is visually sumptuous and largely stays true to its source. And Bob Mondello says this two-hour take on the classic tale provides new insights on character.
Movies 'X-Files' Movie A Thriller? Don't You Believe It July 24, 2008 • More sentimental than spooky, the second X-Files film asks not whether you believe in alien life or vast government conspiracies, but if you believe in life after love.
Movies 'Step Brothers': A Family Affair Worth Skipping July 24, 2008 • The Talladega Nights team reunites for some rudimentary plotting and an abundance of anatomical humor, courtesy of two whiny man-children: To critic Cynthia Fuchs, that all adds up to "tedious."
Movies 'Man On Wire': Defying Gravity And Time Fresh Air July 24, 2008 • With a tightly woven narrative, James Marsh's superb documentary studies Philippe Petit's high-wire walk between the Twin Towers. Critic David Edelstein says the film is often awe-inducing.
Movies American Teens Hog Spotlight; 'Boy A' Shies Away July 23, 2008 • Amid summer's blockbusters, two films offer a change of pace: American Teen, a documentary that plays like fiction, and Boy A, fiction that feels true to life.
Movies In Gotham, A Long Look Into The Heart Of Darkness July 18, 2008 • In The Dark Knight, an explosively provocative Batman installment directed by Christopher Nolan, exhilaratingly straightforward action sequences are matched by moral complexity of a sort not usually associated with comic-book movie franchises.
Movies 'The Dark Knight': Through Shadows And Hype July 18, 2008 • The Dark Knight, the new Batman film with Christian Bale in the title role, may be the most hopeless, despairing comic-book movie in memory. It creates a world where being a superhero is at best a double-edged sword and any triumph is likely to be short-lived.
Movies 'Mamma Mia!' Revisits The Greek Wedding July 17, 2008 • The folks directing, scripting and producing Mamma Mia! are the same ones who did the show on Broadway. They are not movie people, and it shows at times: The performers have been encouraged to overdo, play to the back row, and belt songs into each other's faces.
Movies 'The Doorman' Bubblier Than Dance-Club Cristal July 17, 2008 • The Doorman offers a genial take on the absurdities of the velvet-rope culture, in the process gently lampooning the nightclub set. Bob Mondello calls the titular gatekeeper a "hilariously preposterous movie creature."
Movies 'Dark Knight,' A Cheerless Blood-Drenched Allegory Fresh Air July 17, 2008 • Batman should be dark, reviewer David Edelstein says, but Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight is a sadistic film with "no wit, visual or otherwise."
Movies 'Before I Forget' A Poignant Memoir July 17, 2008 • With steely nerve and mordant wit, Jacques Nolot's Before I Forget presents an unflinching portrait of a former hustler now in middle age, HIV positive, and negotiating the financial and emotional legacies of several generations of gay men.
Movies 'Mad Detective': Gritty And Grisly July 17, 2008 • A twisted take on the usual Hong Kong crime film, Mad Detective is a psychologically harrowing thriller with a supernatural side. It even possesses elements of another Asian cinematic staple: the ghost story.
Movies A Portrait Of The Great 'Gonzo' Fresh Air July 16, 2008 • The documentary Gonzo remembers the strange and wild life of writer Hunter S. Thompson. Critic John Powers reviews the film.