Aronofsky's footwork faultless in 'Black Swan'

| May 13, 2011

Aronofsky's footwork faultless in 'Black Swan'

We liked Darren Aronofsky when he was the scrappy young filmmaker from Brooklyn (via Harvard) who financed his debut, “Pi,” in 1998 with $100-loans from friends and relatives, and relied on promotion that consisted of tagging Tokyo’s streets with the film’s logo. We liked ...

'Mr. Nobody'/'The Kids Are All Right'

Apr 29, 2011

'Mr. Nobody'/'The Kids Are All Right'

Jaco Van Dormael, best known for his much-loved 1991 film “Toto the Hero,” returns to the big screen in Japan after 14 years with his comeback film, “Mr. Nobody” — but all indications are he should have stayed in retirement. With “Mr. Nobody,” director/screenwriter ...

'Mary and Max'

Apr 22, 2011

'Mary and Max'

There’s just no other way to describe “Mary and Max,” the eccentric clay-animation tour de force by Australian director Adam Elliot, than as “black humor.” What else can you a call a film where the best jokes involve a plummeting air conditioner and the ...

'Sucker Punch'

Apr 15, 2011

'Sucker Punch'

I’ve never thought of director Zack Snyder (“300″, “Watchmen”) as an experimental filmmaker, but his latest, “Sucker Punch” (Japan title: “Angel Wars”), seems like some sort of conceptual art prank. The experiment seems to have been as follows: Send some staff to San Diego’s ...

'Fantastic Mr. Fox'

Apr 1, 2011

'Fantastic Mr. Fox'

Wes Anderson, a director known for the laconic preppie chic of “The Royal Tenenbaums” and “The Life Aquatic,” turns his hand to animation with “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” an adaptation of an idiosyncratic children’s tale by Roald Dahl. Cinema has been kind to Dahl, with ...

'The Illusionist'

Mar 25, 2011

'The Illusionist'

“The Illusionist,” Sylvain Chomet’s sentimental animated film about a fading vaudeville magician and the young runaway who comes under his wing, is a parable worth viewing, especially in these troubled times. For while it is a film about magic and the illusion that tricks ...

'Never let Me Go'/'Away We Go'

Mar 18, 2011

'Never let Me Go'/'Away We Go'

The challenge this week is how to convince you to go see “Never Let Me Go” without ruining its surprises for you. The film looks deceptively normal: It’s a love triangle with Andrew Garfield, Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan set in 1970s and ’80s ...

'The Runaways'/'True Grit'

Mar 11, 2011

'The Runaways'/'True Grit'

The Runaways were an all-girl band whose comet flared briefly in the late 1970s, living precariously on that fault line between party-hearty hard rock and attitude-laden punk. The fact that they were teenage girls who dared to play harder than the cock-rock boys made ...

'Of Gods and Men'/'Agora (Japan title: Alexandria)'

Mar 4, 2011

'Of Gods and Men'/'Agora (Japan title: Alexandria)'

Just a quick glance at the headlines will reveal how many conflicts and massacres in our world find their roots in religious differences. While believers of any given faith are quick to blame the misguided and evil intentions of all those other religions, the ...

'Antichrist'

Feb 25, 2011

'Antichrist'

Out of professional courtesy, if nothing else, I will usually sit through the end of just about any film — even ones by Michael Bay. There are some films, though, that are simply asking to be walked out on; when a filmmaker spends two ...

'Hereafter'

Feb 18, 2011

'Hereafter'

Life is short, death eternal, and Clint Eastwood’s “Hereafter” lies somewhere in between. The film starts off with a bang — a tsunami hitting a Thai resort town, a psychic contacting the dead in San Francisco, and a street mugging turning into accidental death ...

'Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson'

Feb 11, 2011

'Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson'

On one level, Dr. Hunter S. Thompson’s career can be described simply: He was a writer who wrote best when loaded. Sure, you say, but tell me which great American writer wasn’t a raging alcoholic. F. Scott Fitzgerald? Jack Kerouac? Ernest Hemingway? William “There ...