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PEG ALOI

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Out like a lamb

Sweetgrass marks the end of an era
When Cambridge-based filmmakers Ilisa Barbash and Lucien Castaing-Taylor lived in Colorado, they met a man making history: leading a sheep drive through the Montana mountains that would bring a century-old way of life to an end.

By: PEG ALOI | March 31, 2010

Review: The Girl From Monaco

Satisfying and not overly complicated
This sensual tale of dangerous love comes from writer/director Anne Fontaine ( Dry Cleaning , How I Killed My Father ).

By: PEG ALOI | July 01, 2009

Review: Summer Hours

Deliciously stylistic
In his understated, intricate L'heure d'été , Olivier Assayas comments on globalization and materialism by way of a simple story of three siblings dividing the contents of their mother's estate in rural France.

By: PEG ALOI | May 19, 2009

Review: Is Anybody There?

Bored boy befriends down-and-out magician
This seems to be the year for nostalgia films. Here we have relative newcomer John Crowley directing an English working-class yarn from Peter Harness's autobiographical script.

By: PEG ALOI | April 29, 2009

Review: Paris 36

A guilty pleasure of the vintage Parisian variety
Director Christophe Barratier (Les Choristes) co-wrote this nostalgic paean to 1930s Paris and the stage musical.

By: PEG ALOI | April 07, 2009

Review: The Last House on the Left (2009)

Instead of subversive shocks, it's more of the same torture we've seen a thousand times before
Critics and audiences reviled Wes Craven's 1972 original, but its raw power gave it an enduring, endearing legacy.

By: PEG ALOI | March 18, 2009

Nobel Son

A precious, hyperkinetic mess
On its surface, this quirky thriller from Randall Miller has indie-style appeal, with Alan Rickman in a delicious role as a gluttonous, philandering, narcissistic physics professor whose Nobel Prize win is deflated by the kidnapping of his rebellious philosophy-major son.

By: PEG ALOI | December 05, 2008

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

A stirring glimpse at Europe's darkest hour
The performances never falter, and even James Horner's heavy-handed score can't dim the film's unfathomable, unshakable ending.

By: PEG ALOI | November 17, 2008

Our Disappeared

Fascinating historical clips mixed with personal interviews
Between 1976 and 1983, some 30,000 people were kidnapped and killed by the Argentine military dictatorship.

By: PEG ALOI | October 09, 2008

British Advertising Films Of 2008

This year’s goodies revealed some notable new trends
Simple visual concepts predominate; — the use of color, in particular, shows advertising’s incestuous link with the high-flying design and DIY œuvre.

By: PEG ALOI | October 09, 2008

Sixty Six

A pleasing, if unbalanced, period piece
Paul Weiland ( Made of Honor ) directs this autobiographical coming-of-age comedy set in London in 1966, the year England took on Germany in the World Cup final.

By: PEG ALOI | August 20, 2008

Brick Lane

A lush love story of Bangladeshi immigrants
A lush love story set in East London explores the lives of Bangladeshi immigrants caught up in social turmoil before and after 9/11.

By: PEG ALOI | June 25, 2008

Zombie Stippers

Hilariously good gorefest
I found it well-directed, sexy, schlocky, and sublime.

By: PEG ALOI | April 16, 2008

Flying: Confessions of a Free Woman

Exploring the modern female life
At six hours, with its deliberate pacing and thoughtful editing, Flying makes for an absorbing viewing experience.

By: PEG ALOI | April 09, 2008

La Misma Luna | Under the Same Moon

Irresistibly good
This uplifting debut from Patricia Riggen tells the story of young single mother Rosario and nine-year-old son Carlitos.

By: PEG ALOI | April 02, 2008

Khadak

Contemporary nomads in Mongolia
Khadak is a brutal but redemptive story of an oppressed, disappearing pastoral culture.

By: PEG ALOI | February 13, 2008

Lynch (One)

Utterly otherworldly
An intimate look at the creative process of a man who has brought nightmares and dreams alive in cinema as no one before or since.

By: PEG ALOI | December 12, 2007

The Price of Sugar

Prisoners in cane fields
Such an inspiring figure might invoke martyrdom, but Haney’s treatment is unsentimental, allowing the harrowing truth to speak for itself.

By: PEG ALOI | November 07, 2007

Cama Adentro/Live-In Maid

Wry desperation in Buenos Aires
Both actresses embody their roles with subtlety and subdued emotion — Aleandro especially, pride, humiliation, and desperation palpable in her regal face.

By: PEG ALOI | October 17, 2007

British Advertising Films of 2007

Vaseline and sock monkeys
Each year these commercials show an engagement with global culture and commerce.

By: PEG ALOI | October 10, 2007

Pete Seeger: The Power of Song

Exploring saintlike passion
This documentary by Jim Brown offers an inspiring portrait of America’s most enduring folk artist.

By: PEG ALOI | September 26, 2007

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