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Review: Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
Reviews
Sydney White
An obvious, labored fairy tale
By
BRETT MICHEL
|
September 19, 2007
SYDNEY WHITE
" alt="photo of 'SYDNEY WHITE'">
1.0
Stars
SYDNEY WHITE: Spend your dollars elsewhere.
Once upon a time, Joe Nussbaum (last seen directing the straight-to-video
American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile
) decided to set his ambitious sights on updating the beloved
Snow White
. Just as he did with his breakthrough short, “George Lucas in Love,” he’s created a genre mash-up, grafting on the plot of
Revenge of the Nerds
and . . . the climax of
Spartacus
? The resulting “Sydney White and the Seven Dorks” is an obvious, labored fairy tale where the only ones lucky enough to live happily ever after are the audiences spending their dollars elsewhere. Amanda Bynes (
Hairspray
) plays Sydney, a Southern Atlantic University freshman dreaming of continuing her late mother’s legacy at a sorority lorded over by evil Rachel Witchburn (Sara Paxton). Banished to live with the social misfits on Greek Row, Sydney draws the attention of Tyler Prince (Matt Long), a charming metrosexual who offers to be her “Greek guide.” Now
that
would have been a movie.
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:
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,
Review: House
,
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
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Sith happens
Many people regard anything produced in the past 15 years or so bearing the Star Wars brand as total garbage, and rightly so.
Review: House
Just imagine, after viewing Nobuhiko Obayashi’s bona fide genre find, how a generation of moviegoers’ tastes might have deviated in wonderfully odd directions had they sampled the Japanese visionary’s comic-horror hybrid back in 1977.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
It is Star Wars , but it's also an ad for an upcoming video game and an animated TV series debuting in October.
The girls of summer
It’s summer, so no one’s surprised at the onslaught of sequels, adaptations, or even movies based on toys. But films with Oscar-caliber women’s roles?
Labyrinth
Of course I imagined I was Jennifer Connelly.
Aquamarine
Daryl Hannah can breathe easy — this mermaid tale based on Alice Hoffman’s book will do little to erase memories of Ron Howard’s Splash .
Numb Skull
You can’t say they don’t warn you.
Off with their heads
The signs are getting bleak for the man in the White House and the party in power.
Potter-schmotter!
No reading required.
Golden anniversary
Happy 50th anniversary to the San Francisco Film Festival.
Art in America
The legend of the Old West's cowboys and Indians, flinty pioneers and buffalo killers, sheriffs and gunslingers started with the tall tales that cowboys themselves told of their glorious exploits.
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,
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,
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,
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ARTICLES BY BRETT MICHEL
REVIEW: FOR GREATER GLORY
| May 29, 2012
Bring coffee, because director Dean Wright's dramatization of the 3-year-long Cristero War (1926-9) seems to last longer than the Mexican conflict itself.
REVIEW: GIRL IN PROGRESS
| May 15, 2012
As rites of passage go, Girl in Progress is a step backward for the genre.
REVIEW: FIRST POSITION
| May 10, 2012
While not the most probing look at rising stars, Bess Kargman's documentary focuses on six aspiring contestants preparing for the prestigious Youth America Grand Prix competition (a proven entry point into the world of professional ballet) who demonstrate dazzling talent.
REVIEW: THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL
| May 03, 2012
Filled with Indian (and British) clichés, it is nonetheless a pleasant diversion that doesn't involve special effects or 3D glasses.
REVIEW: BLUE LIKE JAZZ
| April 12, 2012
A faith-based film directed by Christian recording artist Steve Taylor, adapted by Taylor and Donald Miller from the latter's 2003 memoir, this micro-budgeted indie tries to appeal to everyone by not offending anyone . . . except those who like movies.
See all articles by:
BRETT MICHEL
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