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BETSY SHERMAN

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Review: Bride Wars

Chixploitation at its creative nadir
There are no pleasant surprises in this partly-Boston-shot Gary Winick film.

By: BETSY SHERMAN | January 13, 2009

Review: Bedtime Stories

Sandler reassures his audience
Adam Sandler returns to his simpering manchild persona in this witless ode to "imagination" directed by Adam Shankman.

By: BETSY SHERMAN | December 23, 2008

Review: Seven Pounds

A gimmicky tale annoyingly told
Will Smith's previous film with director Gabriele Muccino, The Pursuit of Happyness, was a tale well told. Their new one is a gimmicky tale annoyingly told.

By: BETSY SHERMAN | January 06, 2009

A comic but poignant collision of biography and filmography
Action hunk Jean-Claude Van Damme, who hasn't had a US theatrical release in years, found a more creative venue than Celebrity Rehab in which to seek redemption.

By: BETSY SHERMAN | November 11, 2008

My Name is Bruce

Rarely feels like more than a padded sketch
Chisel-profiled B-movie icon Bruce Campbell struck gold not with any particular role but by detailing his career ups and downs in a very funny memoir, If Chins Could Kill .

By: BETSY SHERMAN | November 05, 2008

Ashes of Time Redux

Sumptuous, angsty swordplay drama
Ashes ’ sumptuous tapestry depicts intersecting tales in a mediæval China teeming with 20th-century angst.

By: BETSY SHERMAN | October 25, 2008

An American Carol

A dissent-bashing tale
A Michael Moore–esque documentarian changes his stars and stripes after trying to abolish the Fourth of July.

By: BETSY SHERMAN | October 09, 2008

Beautiful Losers (2008)

An energized portrait of Alleged Gallery artists
A documentary, directed with Joshua Leonard, about an energized group portrait whose accessibility is abetted by the artists’ collectively keen sense of humor.

By: BETSY SHERMAN | October 06, 2009

The Pool

Quietly moving, and full of dark secrets
Chris Smith, maker of the hilarious indie gems American Job and American Movie , set this quietly moving story in the Indian state of Goa, using a mostly non-professional cast.

By: BETSY SHERMAN | October 01, 2008

Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist

A smart, refreshing teen romance
In what has been an excellent year for comedies, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist ensures that the young ’uns won’t be left out.

By: BETSY SHERMAN | October 01, 2008

Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild

A campy, smutty, neon-hued, extremely silly good time
Todd Stephens brings back the characters from Another Gay Movie for a homo-erotic Where the Boys Are .

By: BETSY SHERMAN | September 23, 2008

Momma's Man

A lovely cocoon of a movie
Jacobs films his childhood home with grace and endows it with an air of mystery.

By: BETSY SHERMAN | September 16, 2008

Babylon A.D.

Incoherent and somewhat amusing
Vin Diesel’s bad-ass boomfest will do if you’re in the mood for post-environmental-apocalypse action that doesn’t make you think too hard.

By: BETSY SHERMAN | September 03, 2008

What We Do Is Secret

Exposition trumps atmosphere
That staple of the musical bio-pic — a close-up of dope bubbling on a spoon — punctuates Rodger Grossman’s account of the short life of Darby Crash.

By: BETSY SHERMAN | August 20, 2008

Mamma Mia!

Passable, frothy fun
The Abba musical, helmed by stage director Phyllida Lloyd, sails to a real Greek island with its fairy-tale aura intact.

By: BETSY SHERMAN | July 16, 2008

Elsa y Fred | Elsa + Fred

Geriatric hijinks abound
Set in modern-day Madrid, Marco Carnevale’s gentle romantic comedy slaps two touchstone images from Italian cinema on the screen.

By: BETSY SHERMAN | July 16, 2008

Sputnik Mania

A brisk, informative documentary
The film underlines the political consequences of the space race.

By: BETSY SHERMAN | June 11, 2008

The Promotion

A bumpy seesaw ride
Reilly is an actor who excels at both realism and caricature — too bad the director doesn’t have the chops to take advantage either way.

By: BETSY SHERMAN | June 11, 2008

The Animation Show 4

Skewed humor and sophisticated animation
The traveling collection of international animation gems is back.

By: BETSY SHERMAN | June 11, 2008

Stuck

Smart, gonzo pulp
A post-Katrina parable that’s smart, sobering, and frequently hilarious.

By: BETSY SHERMAN | January 28, 2010

Deception

Unimaginative erotic thriller
Director Marcel Langenegger has a way with a nocturnal urban landscape, but his feature debut goes splat on the pavement.

By: BETSY SHERMAN | April 30, 2008

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