Film Reviews
Pizza and Coffee
Noah Sargent brings a live TV sitcom to UNT.KRISTIAN LIN
North Texas may be only a way station for Noah Sargent. The 21-year-old University of North Texas student is from San Antonio, and after his upcoming graduation he’s anticipating a summer course in Spain and internships on th...
Raid: Indo Cinema
It’s the best Indonesian thriller you’ll see this spring!KRISTIAN LIN
When was the last time you saw an absolutely badass Indonesian movie? The world’s fourth most populous country — and its largest Muslim nation — has made a remarkably small footprint in the movie world. That’s partly be...
Salmon Fishing: Running Dry
The pond isn’t as well-stocked as it seems in this Arab fish story.KRISTIAN LIN
Why is this movie called Salmon Fishing in the Yemen? Like the satirical Paul Torday novel that it’s based on, the film constantly refers to the Republic of Yemen as “the Yemen,” whereas in real life, most authorities sim...
Hunger Games: Girl on Fire
Suzanne Collins’ dystopian novel becomes a bruising sci-fi thriller.KRISTIAN LIN
When it comes to adapting Suzanne Collins’ novel The Hunger Games to film, the big challenge is that the book is so many different things at once. It’s an action thriller, a dystopian exercise, a social commentary on pop cu...
Rainbow Lounge Documentary Screens
Notes from the Fort Worth premiere of Robert Camina’s film.KRISTIAN LIN
A great many things started on June 28, 2009, when Fort Worth police officers and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission agents conducted mass arrests at the Near Southside gay bar The Rainbow Lounge. One of them came to fruition ...
Casa de mi Padre: Heading South
Will Ferrell goes español in this uneven comedy.KRISTIAN LIN
With Casa de mi Padre, Will Ferrell has entered the baroque phase of his career, where he realizes he can do whatever the hell he wants. (And he can; his co-ownership of FunnyorDie.com has made him one of Hollywood’s wealthie...
John Carter: Man from Mars
An antiquated adventure yarn turns into pure summer fun.COLE WILLIAMS
They say the easiest reviews to write are for very bad movies and very good ones. This was an easy review to write, because despite some minor problems, John Carter is one of the best times I’ve had at the theater in a while....
Friends With Kids: Meet the Parents
Is Jennifer Westfeldt the next Woody Allen? Looks like it.KRISTIAN LIN
You could be forgiven for thinking that Friends With Kids is an unofficial sequel to Bridesmaids. After all, half the cast of last summer’s comedy hit wound up in this film, and those actors have been understandably put front...
Arrietty: Borrowed Time
This delicate Japanese animated fable lights up our multiplexes.KRISTIAN LIN
So what’s it gonna take for Hayao Miyazaki to get his due in America? The co-founder of Studio Ghibli has built his legacy on animated films for children, and his studio’s body of work is every bit as strong as Pixar’s. Y...
This Means War: Bad Threesome
Two CIA guys date the same ditz: Bullets fly, the film doesn’t.KRISTIAN LIN
These days, romantic comedies often come packaged with gunfire, explosions, and car chases because filmmakers and studios think that’s the only way to make male moviegoers sit still. This Means War is one of those. While that...