Arts Review
Sydney Film Festival 2009—Part 1: Courage and audacity sadly lacking
By Richard Phillips, July 9, 2009
The quality of new work screened at this year’s Sydney Film Festival was patchy and generally undemanding, with critical human issues largely unexplored.
Karl Malden: a serious actor
By David Walsh, July 3, 2009
Malden first made his name in the New York theater as part of a generally left-wing group of writers, directors and performers and later enjoyed a long career in Hollywood extending from the postwar y...
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3: A tale of two movies
By Alan Whyte, July 2, 2009
A remake of the 1974 film, the new version of The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 retains the same plotline: a gang of criminals hijacks a single New York City subway car and attempts to extort cash from city ...
The Girlfriend Experience: Not rich or thorough enough
By David Walsh, July 1, 2009
Steven Soderbergh’s new film, The Girlfriend Experience, is a glimpse into the life of a high-priced call girl in New York City, set and filmed during the financial meltdown (and pre-election period...
Book review: The Unit
Dispensable people
By Marge Holland, June 30, 2009
As the first decade of the 21st century comes to a close, a good many artists and writers are attempting to gauge the impact on a human level of collapsing economies and the bankruptcy of hitherto acc...
Away We Go: Parent trap
By Joanne Laurier, June 29, 2009
Away We Go is British director Sam Mendes’s third attempt to deal with social reality in the United States—the film is no more successful than American Beauty and Revolutionary Road.
US House passes Obama administration’s carbon trading legislation
By Patrick O'Connor, June 29, 2009
On Friday, the US House of Representatives narrowly approved Democratic-sponsored legislation for a national “cap and trade” carbon emissions scheme.
PJ Harvey and John Parish in concert
By Hiram Lee, June 26, 2009
PJ Harvey and John Parish recently gave a remarkable performance in Covington, Kentucky, while touring in support of their new album A Woman a Man Walked By.
San Francisco International Film Festival 2009
An interview with He Jianjun, director of River People
By David Walsh, June 25, 2009
He Jianjun’s River People from China is a serious and honest work about young fishermen on the Yellow River. The film depicts a harsh, almost entirely joyless existence. The WSWS conducted an e-mail...
The Twilight Saga: Shimmering vampires who drive Volvos
By Alfonso Santana, June 24, 2009
The entertainment media in the US is in the process of fattening up its new golden goose: New Moon, the next installment of The Twilight Saga series about vampires living in small-town America, set fo...
Afghan Star: Eyes not opened wide enough
By Peter Kloze, June 23, 2009
Afghan Star, a documentary about Afghanistan’s version of American Idol, the television talent show, includes some interesting human material, but glosses over all the complex questions.
Six pre-Production Code films from William Wellman: an uneven but welcome collection
By Charles Bogle, June 22, 2009
In one astonishing 12-month period, 1932 to 1933, American filmmaker William Wellman directed 13 movies, 6 of which are included in this, the third volume in Turner Classic Movies’ “Forbidden Holl...
