The reviews are in for the $180 million production of The Golden Compass, and they’re lackluster at best, which is a pity not just for fans of the novel from which it’s adapted but for New Line Cinema, which was banking on another Lord of the Rings cash cow. Times critic Manohla Dargis calls it flawed and cluttered, although her description of Nicole Kidman ought to sway any dudes reluctant to see a movie starring...
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Results tagged “stephaniezacharek”
Big Holiday Movies Get Lukewarm Reception
Starsky & Hutch: Don't Give Up On Us Baby
The big movie opening this weekend is the movie version of Starsky and Hutch starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, and Gothamist has to say, if you love Ben and Owen's chemistry (think Meet the Parents... Zoolander...), go see it (or just go because Snoop Dogg steals the film). E! Online has a great question and answer with the pair in their feature, "Guffaw and Order"; E! asked Wilson about singing the David Soul hit, "Don't Give Up On Us, Baby" (lyrics;
here's a short sound file of the song):
You know, that was a choice I made, going for that soulless sound. I have to admit, when we were filming that scene and I had to sing for Carmen [Electra] and Amy [Smart], it was awkward--just seeing their expressions. You know when somebody shows you their baby, and you think the baby is not very cute but you try to smile anyway? That's how they looked. I could just see their interest in me flicker out--if it was ever there to begin with.Also, Gothamist wants to note that Carmen Electra is a better actress than Amy Smart: When they are called to make out, Carmen really gets into it.
Roger Ebert wonders if Stiller and Wilson are the new Hope and Crosby/Martin and Lewis in his three-star review. And Elvis Mitchell has fun mentioning The Fader, The Cure, John Holmes, and the Love Boat plus other movie references in his positive review of Starsky & Hutch: "Mr. Wilson has really become the stoner's version of James Garner, and his most charming asset continues to be his combination of good manners and ecstasy-flavored narcissism." Word. But Salon's Stephanie Zacharek thinks the movie "poops out before it gets going." She did, however, like the dragon scene. "Grrrr!"
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X2 and a Little Lizzie
X2...blah blah...X-Men United...blah blah...X2...need to see it...better than the first, but the first is different...blah blah... Critics pretty much love the sequel to X2, from A.O. Scott rhapsodizing about Anna Paquin's kissability, Kenneth Turan giving Brian Cox props and Stephanie Zacharek's admission that X2 is good though less lyrical than the first. Gothamist is debating whether to see X2 this weekend, as it will be hella crowded, even at the stadium seating multiplexes.
Mike D'Angelo
Because I have a thing for movies, I am a little in love with Mike D'Angelo who writes film reviews for Time Out New York, because I tend to be a little in love with anyone who writes about them (Stephanie Zacharek, Andrew Sarris, Elvis Mitchell and A.O. Scott of the Times, etc.). He has a terrifically lo-fi site, The Man Who Viewed Too Much, that lists all the movies he's seen. The movie list is another reason why I love Mike D'Angelo, since I want to create a list of all the movies I've seen in a theater since August 1996 (when I started keeping track).
Anti-Celebrity
Page Six shows its true colors by calling any celebrity who does not support war a "Saddam lover." Gothamist does like the Post for its crazy right wing tabloidism, but this is stupid - we'd like to see proof that these celebrities truly are Saddam lovers, preferably in easily uploadable images.
Bend It Like Beckham
Finally, the British hit Bend It Like Beckham opens here. It's about an Anglo-Indian girl whose parents want her to lead a traditional Sikh life while she is crazy about soccer. The Beckham in the title refers, of course, to the impossibly attractive and talented David Beckham of Manchester United. Here are reviews from A.O. Scott of The New York Times and Kenneth Turan of the L.A. Times. Stephanie Zacharek of Salon calls love interest Jonathan Rhys-Myers "sullen and dull. Hee.
Stephanie Zacharek of Salon is
Stephanie Zacharek of Salon is one of my favorite film critics today. She's smart, funny, a huge Buffy fan, and incisive. I admit to being disappointed when she likes something I don't or vice versa, but she's the only female movie critic worth reading these days (well, Manohla Dargis of the L.A. Times is pretty great). What solidified this feeling my agreement with her position that she can't give up on Sandra Bullock yet and that Hugh Grant is better as scoundrel than sop. Check out her review: Salon.com Arts & Entertainment | "Two Weeks Notice"
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