Not a Novelty
When I reviewed Becoming Jane two months ago (“Conduct Unbecoming,” Aug. 8), I mentioned how certain movies and books imagine a romantic life for...
Arabesque
The Kingdom is the fourth movie directed by Peter Berg, and it’s obviously his bid to join that elite club of filmmakers whose action...
Half-Baked Alaska
In a fitful and fitfully effective sidelight as a director, Sean Penn has been trying to make Jon Krakauer's book Into the Wild into...
Mario Imbroglio
A few weeks ago I called No End in Sight the best documentary so far this year.
That may still be the case, but now...
You Can’t Do That
Musical stage shows and films established themselves as massively popular forms of entertainment in the first half of the 20th century, but then in...
Duck and Cover
After years of toiling unappreciated in movies that nobody saw, Terrence Howard finally got his fingers on the brass ring two years ago with...
Gym Class Villain
If you saw last year’s School for Scoundrels and wished that it had been funnier, you should know that Mr. Woodcock answers your prayers.
It...
Desert Dogs
3:10 to Yuma began life as a Western short story written by Elmore Leonard in 1953, before he made his reputation writing crime fiction.
It's...
High School Movie
The filmmakers in Samsung’s Fresh Films contest not only haven’t been to film school, they haven’t finished high school.
The electronics firm sponsors an...
U.S. Steal
Too often when Hollywood tries to make movies for the Latino audience, the result is embarrassingly tone-deaf — look no further than the currently...
