NYC Film Critic

Cameron Diaz plays a bad teacher in…uh, Bad Teacher, the new comedy from writer/director Jake Kasdan.  I spoke with Kasdan for a feature that went live today over at Film Journal.  Read the piece and see the movie on June 24th.

The Tree of Life
Written and Directed by Terrence Malick
Starring Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken, Sean Penn
****

Terrence Malick’s reclusive nature coupled with his infrequent forays into filmmaking guarantees that when he does make a movie, the anticipation level amongst his modest, but devoted fanbase will run high.  Even by Malick’s standards though, the excitement surrounding the director’s fifth feature The Tree of Life has been particularly intense.

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The Michael Bergmann-directed indie comedy Tied To a Chair offers an interesting set-up, but suffers mightily from a lack of follow through.  Read my review over at Film Journal.

Kung Fu Panda 2
Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson
Written by Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger
Starring Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan
***

When they first opened their doors in the late ‘90s, DreamWorks Animation initially tried to match Disney and the newly ascendant Pixar prestige picture for prestige picture.  Than a little blockbuster called Shrek came along and the studio promptly developed a new M.O.: creating pop-culture savvy comedies packed with big-name vocal talent.  2008’s Kung Fu Panda was one of the more successful of their post-Shrek efforts, a fleet-footed and cheerful send-up of chopsocky martial arts movies starring a menagerie of cute animals led by the titular kung fu fighting panda, Po (voiced by Jack Black).

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The fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film On Stranger Tides is intended to launch a new series of high-seas adventures with Captain Jack Sparrow at its center.  But mostly this leaden blockbuster just shows why the franchise has run its course.  Read my review over at Film Journal and try to resist the lure of Johnny Depp’s pirate mascara if you can.  Your wallet will thank you.

During the Tribeca Film Festival last month, I had the opportunity to sit down with Stevan Riley, director of the documentary Fire in Babylon, which tells the fascinating story of the world’s winningest cricket team.  That Q&A was just posted over at Life + Times.  Check it out and, if you’re in England, you’ll be able to see the film for yourself in theaters starting May 20.  The rest of the world will have to wait…at least for now.

Bridesmaids
Directed by Paul Feig
Written by Kristen Wiig and Anne Mumolo
Starring Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy
***1/2

There’s no way to say this without sounding hyperbolic, but the new Judd Apatow-produced, Paul Feig-directed comedy Bridesmaids is the closest I’ve seen a studio comedy come to channeling the Marx Brothers in some time.  Now mind you, I don’t mean to place Bridesmaids in rarefied company of such classics as Duck Soup, A Night at the Opera or Animal Crackers.  But what this movie has in common with those classics is the skillful way it escalates its comic set-pieces, upping the ante as the scene unfolds.  Take the immortal stateroom sequence from A Night at the Opera, which opens in a perfectly ordinary way, with Groucho, Chico and Harpo crammed into a tiny cabin aboard a big ocean liner.  Gradually, more and more people start entering the space (maids, janitors, manicurists) and attempt to go about their tasks despite the lack of room.  The energy and choreographed chaos of the scene continues to build until it reaches its final punchline—Margaret Dumont opening the door—and the audience erupts in laughter.

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Thor
Directed by Kenneth Branagh
Screenplay by Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz, Don Payne
Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins
**

As a feature-length preview for The Avengers—the all-star superhero team-up picture that Marvel Studios is unleashing next summer—Thor offers a number of moments that will make comic-book fans extremely happy.

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The creator of Star Wars is placed on trial by the franchise’s many fans in the new documentary The People Vs. George Lucas.  Sadly, the film doesn’t make its case, but it does provide a fun look at the many faces of contemporary fandom.  Read my full review over at Film Journal International.

The mixed-martial arts documentary Like Water, which follows a few months in the life of Ultimate Fighting champ Anderson Silva, was one of my big surprises at the just-wrapped Tribeca Film Festival.  Not being an MMA fan, I knew very little about Silva going in but came away with an appreciation for the amount of work he puts in to being the best there is at what he does.  I interviewed Silva and the doc’s director Pablo Croce for the new lifestyle and culture site, Life + Times.  Check out the Q&A here.