Lessons of Darkness

Vs. This

 

In the spirit of last weekend's Monsters vs. Aliens, the estimable R. Emmet Sweeney and myself have come up with a list of the ten best "Vs." films, and picked the winners of each of those sagas' titular battles. The scorecard is up at IFC News.

Getting Versed in Versus Movies (IFC News)

Monsters, New Directors, Racist Zombies and More

I've got an enormous update for this beautiful Friday afternoon. To begin, my latest Sandbox column is up at IFC News, and tackles the much-debated issue of racism in Capcom's Resident Evil 5.

The Sandbox: "Resident" Racism (IFC News)

Next are reviews of this week's new releases, highlighted by Goodbye Solo.

Out Now:
Monsters vs. Aliens (Slant magazine)
Goodbye Solo (Slant magazine)
The Haunting in Connecticut (Slant magazine)
The Country Teacher (Slant magazine)
Guest of Cindy Sherman (The Screengrab)

And finally, I've got my write-ups from Lincoln Center/MOMA's New Directors/New Films series, the most glowing of which is for the superb Treeless Mountain.

New Directors/New Films:
Treeless Mountain (Slant magazine)
The Maid (Slant magazine)
Barking Water (Slant magazine)
Cold Souls (Slant magazine)
Louise-Michel (Slant magazine)
Harmony and Me (Slant magazine)
Can Go Through Skin (Slant magazine)

Newness

New redesign. New reviews. Same ol' critic.

Out Now:
Duplicity (Cinematical)
Knowing (Slant magazine)
The Great Buck Howard (Slant magazine)
Skills Like This (Slant magazine)
We Pedal Uphill (The Screengrab)

And coming next week: the usual new-release reviews, two IFC features, and write-ups of some of the films featured in Lincoln Center/MOMA's annual New Directors/New Films series.

Horrific Perspectives

My latest Sandbox column at IFC News is about the use of first-person POVs in horror cinema and gaming. And, at least in terms of writing that was published, the week's most positive review is of a horror film. Which, I guess, means that you should be enjoying a good scare this weekend.

The Sandbox: That Old Creeping Feeling (IFC News)

Now Playing:
The Last House on the Left (Slant magazine)
Miss March (Slant magazine)

Watching the Watchmen

Watchmen has finally made it to the big screen. And though most are surely exhausted from all the hype, Zack Snyder's adaptation is actually better than expected...though not necessarily good.

Now Playing:
Watchmen (Slant magazine)
Explicit Ills (Slant magazine)
12 (Slant magazine)
Tokyo! (The Screengrab)
Sherman's Way (The Screengrab)
Reunion (The Screengrab)