domingo, 3 de julio de 2011

Movie Reviews

The Fans Own the Magic

By MANOHLA DARGIS and A. O. SCOTT

Josh Haner/The New York Times

A fan in costume at a book release party.

Others may control the copyrights, the royalties and the theme park receipts, but they can’t keep Harry Potter’s wizardry out of millions of hearts.

Timeline: Harry Potter and the Billion-Dollar Franchise

The Team Player Who Blends Into the Comedy

By JONAH WEINER

John P. Johnson/Warner Brothers

Jason Bateman, right, with Jason Sudeikis, left, and Charlie Day, in a scene from “Horrible Bosses.”

A former sitcom star and Teen Wolf, Jason Bateman has become a consummate ensemble player.

Trailer: 'Horrible Bosses' | Filmography: Jason Bateman

An Experiment That Evolved Into a Tragedy

By NICOLAS RAPOLD

Harry Benson

Seeking to disprove Noam Chomsky's contention that only humans could make sentences, Columbia researchers in the 1970s taught sign language to Nim Chimpsky.

A new documentary, “Project Nim,” retells the sad, absurd story of Nim Chimpsky, neither human nor ape.

News & Features

Yvan Attal is surrounded by his kidnappers in a scene from Lucas Belvaux's tense hostage drama, “Rapt.” The French-Belgian film opens at Film Forum on Wednesday.

We’re Holding Your Plot Device. If You Want It Back, Send Us ...

By FRANZ LIDZ

Lucas Belvaux’s French-Belgian hostage drama “Rapt” is the latest assignation in the film industry’s long, dark romance with ransom notes.

Gary Cooper, left, and Burt Lancaster in “Robert Aldrich's “Vera Cruz” (1954), an influence on Sergio Leone and other makers of spaghetti westerns.

An Influential Director, Two Distinct Directions

By DAVE KEHR

The new Blu-ray releases of two films directed by Robert Aldrich are very different: “Vera Cruz,” and “Kiss Me Deadly.”

The Oscar-winning actress Celeste Holm, 94, with her husband, Frank Basile, 48, at their co-op on Central Park West. The couple have had a five-year legal battle with her sons.

Love and Inheritance: A Family Feud

By JOHN LELAND

A five-year legal battle between the actress Celeste Holm, 94, and her sons has drained her trust and has left her 48-year-old husband bitter.

Post a Comment | Read (13)

Movie Reviews

MOVIE REVIEW | 'LARRY CROWNE'

Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks in “Larry Crowne,” directed by Mr. Hanks.

Stymied in Middle Age, Reaching for a New Life

By STEPHEN HOLDEN

In “Larry Crowne” Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts are grown-ups who more or less act their age as they overcome monetary and emotional setbacks.

Movie Overview | Showtimes | Trailers | Rate and Review

MOVIE REVIEW | 'MONTE CARLO'

Leighton Meester, Katie Cassidy and Selena Gomez in

Cinderella Goes to Europe, and Cute Meets Culture

By MANOHLA DARGIS

In “Monte Carlo,” Selena Gomez plays a Texas Francophile who travels to France and Monte Carlo with her eager friend and reluctant older stepsister.

Movie Overview | Showtimes | Trailers | Rate and Review

MOVIE REVIEW | ‘TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON'

One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Autobots

By A. O. SCOTT

“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” is among Michael Bay’s best movies and by far the best 3-D sequel ever made about gigantic toys from outer space.

MOVIE REVIEW | 'TERRI'

Jacob Wysocki in the title role as a high school student in “Terri,” directed by Azazel Jacobs.

Another Teenage Misfit Trying to Like Himself

By A. O. SCOTT

In “Terri,” directed by Azazel Jacobs, an isolated, misunderstood teenage boy finds a way to accept himself.

MOVIE REVIEW | 'THE PERFECT HOST'

A Welcome to His World Is Accepted at Your Peril

By STEPHEN HOLDEN

In “The Perfect Host,” David Hyde Pierce plays a gentleman whose elegant dinner party is hijacked by a bank robber.

MOVIE REVIEW | 'SMALL TOWN MURDER SONGS'

Violence Close at Hand Shakes a Bucolic Setting

By STEPHEN HOLDEN

“Small Town Murder Songs” follows a born-again police officer with inner demons in rural Ontario.

Movie Overview | Showtimes | Trailers | Rate and Review

MOVIE REVIEW | 'AURORA'

Cristi Puiu is the dark, mysterious Viorel in “Aurora,” which is set in present-day Romania.

Following in the Shadows of a Very Shadowy Man

By MANOHLA DARGIS

Cristi Puiu stars in and directs “Aurora,” an enigmatic feature about human relations in present-day Romania.

Movie Overview | Showtimes | Trailers | Rate and Review

MOVIE REVIEW | 'POLYTECHNIQUE'

Evelyne Brochu, left, and Karine Vanasse in “Polytechnique.”

A Fictional Killer of Women Who Is All Too Familiar

By A. O. SCOTT

In “Polytechnique,” the director Denis Villeneuve reconstructs events from 1989, when a disturbed young man went on a rampage against women at a Montreal technical school.

Movie Overview | Trailers | Rate and Review

MOVIE REVIEW | 'CRIME AFTER CRIME'

Deborah Peagler, the subject of the documentary “Crime After Crime,” flanked by her lawyers Joshua Safran and Nadia Costa.

Seeking a Path to Justice

By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS

“Crime After Crime” favors the personal over the political, creating a no-frills portrait of a stoic and remarkably unembittered woman.

Movie Overview | Showtimes | Trailers | Rate and Review

MOVIE REVIEW | 'DELHI BELLY'

From left, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Imran Khan and Vir Das play roommates who are pursued by bad guys in “Delhi Belly.”

Indian Cinema With an Indie Sensibility

By RACHEL SALTZ

Starting with the pride of place given the digestive problem of the title, “Delhi Belly” thumbs its nose at propriety.

Movie Overview | Showtimes | Trailers | Rate and Review

MOVIE REVIEW | 'LOVE ETC.'

Marion and Albert, one of the couples profiled in “Love Etc.,” Jill Andresevic's documentary on the ups and downs of romance in New York.

Exploring Love’s True Nature

By MIKE HALE

“Love Etc.” tries to explore the true nature of love in the city through the lives of eight New Yorkers.

Movie Overview | Showtimes | Trailers | Rate and Review

More Reviews

News & Features

“Milocrorze: A Love Story,” Yoshimasa Ishibashi's genre-bending fantasy that features an elaborately staged sword-fight sequence, is one of 40 movies in this year's New York Asian Film Festival.

A Rogue Film Festival Earns Respect (Sort Of)

By MIKE HALE

Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, the New York Asian Film Festival offers a solid blend of high-quality movies along with the hyperbolic and fantastic.

ArtsBeat Video: New York Asian Film Festival

COMMON SENSE

A Collision of Creativity and Cash

By JAMES B. STEWART

While Disney focuses on lucrative franchises, Pixar maintains it is devoted to the story. In “Cars 2,” Disney won.

Post a Comment | Read (33)

More News & Features

'Pirates' Booty Approaches $1 Billion

July 1, 2011

Stan Lee Starts Chinese Superhero Franchise

July 1, 2011

No Refunds in the Event Your Team Loses or You Don't Like the Film

June 30, 2011

Photos & Video

Interactive Feature

Harry Potter and the Billion-Dollar Franchise

A look at how Harry Potter evolved from a figment of a teacher’s imagination into the foundation of an entertainment empire.

Video

Artsbeat - June 30, 2011

Mike Hale interviews Grady Hendrix of the New York Asian Film Festival and Charles Isherwood reviews "Zarkana," the latest from Cirque Du Soleil.

Video

Critics' Picks: 'Sweet Smell of Success'

A. O. Scott looks at Alexander Mackendrick's 1957 film starring Burt Lancaster as a powerful gossip columnist and Tony Curtis as an ambitious press agent.

Movie Overview | Comment

A. O. SCOTT RECOMMENDS:

Soaring From Poverty All the Way to Ecstasy

Design for the Road in ‘Cars 2’

By MEKADO MURPHY

Pixar’s film takes the race-car Lightning McQueen and his tow-truck pal, Mater, to great world cities.

Slide Show

Mid-Century Mutants

A look at some of the sets of “X-Men: First Class” with commentary from the production designer Chris Seagers.

Related Review

Interactive Feature

Anatomy of a Scene

In this series, directors discuss ideas and techniques behind moments in their films.

Summer Movies

The critics' take on girls in action movies, Maria Bello's tough dramas, Michael Fassbender on his rise from bit player to leading man and more.

Education review

Crusading From Outside to Lower College Costs

By REEVE HAMILTON

Todd Wiseman for The Texas Tribune

Michael Crosno, chairman and chief executive of MyEdu, is working to reduce the time it takes to earn a college degree.

Michael Crosno and MyEdu, the Web company of which he is chief executive, are working to reduce the costs of college and lower the average time for getting a degree.

Ariana Salazar, an UNO adviser, talks with eighth-grade math students about high school applications.

Expanding Hispanic Students’ Academic Horizons

By IDALMY CARRERA

The United Neighborhood Organization, or UNO, steps in to guide Hispanic elementary school students in applying to high schools with favorable graduation and college-enrollment rates.

Visitors entering the Supreme Court in April 2003 passed pro-affirmative-action demonstrators.

Court Overturns Michigan Affirmative-Action Ban

By TAMAR LEWIN

Decision by federal appeals court is the latest round of the decade-long fight over the University of Michigan’s affirmative action policies.

Stephanie J. Hull, who resigned as head of Brearley.

Quick Exit of Private School’s Leader Puzzles Parents

By JENNY ANDERSON and WINNIE HU

The quick resignation of Stephanie J. Hull from Manhattan’s Brearley School stands in contrast to the elaborate farewell that accompanied her predecessor’s departure.

YOUR MONEY

A New Type of Student Loan, but Still a Risk

By RON LIEBER

Fixed-rate student loans from banks are a welcome innovation, but they should serve as a reminder of the hazards of this kind of debt.

Post a Comment

WEALTH MATTERS

When Lilli DeBode, from Summit, N.J., attended Camp Start-Up in Massachusetts, she said that she found herself not wanting to do anything but work on a business plan.

Making a Portfolio, and More, at Money Camp

By PAUL SULLIVAN

Summer camps where children learn skills like investing and developing a business plan are one way to increase young people’s financial literacy.

Post a Comment

What’s the Most Expensive College? The Least? Education Dept. Puts It All Online

By TAMAR LEWIN

The new Web site lists tuition costs for public and private colleges and also notes which ones have the fastest-rising costs.

Dennis M. Walcott at the graduation ceremony for Francis Lewis High School in Queens, his alma mater, which was held at Hoftstra University this month. Mr. Walcott recognized James Saez, left, for his achievements.

For New Schools Chief, a Policy Statement in Tones of Harmony

By SHARON OTTERMAN

Three months after his sudden ascension, Dennis M. Walcott has been smoothing feathers, promoting stability and nurturing relationships amid continuing challenges.

Read Comments (17)

Dennis M. Walcott, New York City's schools chancellor, speaking on Saturday before the first graduation class at the Urban Assembly School for Applied Math and Science in the Bronx.

Pomp, Diplomas and Words of Inspiration

By JESSICA BELL, JESSICA CAMPBELL, CHRISTINA DIAZ AND RACHEL OHM

Dennis M. Walcott, who became New York schools chancellor in April, has spoken at 14 commencement ceremonies this season, far more than his predecessors.

Mary Gloster, left, evaluated Emily Strzelecki, a first-year science teacher at a low-performing high school in Washington.

Teacher Grades: Pass or Be Fired

By SAM DILLON

A job evaluation system that places significant emphasis on classroom observations is disliked by unionized teachers but has become a model for many educators.

Read Comments (325)

Even Without Teacher Layoffs, City Schools Will Still Feel Pain

By FERNANDA SANTOS and JAVIER C. HERNANDEZ

Several other city agencies are still bracing for cuts totaling more than 1,000 jobs.

ON EDUCATION

Cindy Robinson teaching her kindergarten students how to tell time at Central Elementary in San Diego. Her class size could soon jump to 30 from 17.

For San Diego Schools, a Fear That Larger Classes Will Hinder Learning

By MICHAEL WINERIP

Class size is a priority for the district, but all around California districts are preparing worst-case budget plans.

Leo Martinez, 15, on the Hudson. He is earning math credit at the Manhattan Business Academy, for completing an after-school program at Hudson River Community Sailing that lasts about six hours a week

Taking a Spin on the Hudson, and Earning Course Credit, Too

By SHARON OTTERMAN

In an era of budget cuts, more and more students are earning some credits in unconventional ways by taking classes online, on Saturdays and through independent study.

Sister Nora McArt, right, principal of St. Martin of Tours, and Lydia Cruiz, the secretary, with kindergarten students on graduation day.

School’s Out, Forever

By DAVID GONZALEZ

The closing of St. Martin of Tours in the Bronx reflects a crisis facing the Roman Catholic educational system in New York.

Comments

Natalie Butler works with groups focused on how best to address education.

Third-Party Groups Take Up Challenge of How Best to Improve Public Universities

By REEVE HAMILTON

Various education constituents in Texas are preparing for a protracted public discussion about how to best address problems like rising tuition and ballooning student debt.