Lindsay McCarney

Broken EnglishDirected by: Directed by Zoe R. Cassavetes MagnoliaWhen I told my boyfriend I was reviewing a film called Broken English, he used his savvy know-how about lame movie titles to predict that the film would be about miscommunication. And so it is—both metaphorically (single Nora has difficulty speaking the language of love) and literally […]

Christmas Time in South ParkDirected by: Trey Parker and Matt StoneParamount Home VideoIf your diet’s fibre-friendly, and you like your holidays treacle-free, it’s time to get your George-Bailey-weary mitts on the new South Park collection, Christmas Time in South Park. The compilation brings together seven of South Park’s stellar Christmas episodes—five of them featuring everyone’s […]

This Is EnglandDirected by: Shane MeadowsAllianceThis is England is set in 1980s Thatcher-era Britain—most of its characters are skinheads. For some, like kind Woody (Joseph Gilgun), being a skinhead is a style choice. Woody shaves his head, wears combat boots, and is best friends with Milky (Andrew Shim), who’s black. Other skinheads, like angry racist […]

How William Shatner Changed the WorldDirected by: Julian Jones(Discovery Channel Canada)Fans of William Shatner may be disappointed to learn that this documentary’s true subject is not reflected in its name. While the former Captain Kirk does narrate the film (originally made for TV’s Discovery Channel), the movie’s less about Shatner’s global impact, more about the […]

RatatouilleDirected by: Brad Bird and Jan PinkavaPixarAny movie directed by Iron Giant/The Incredibles helmer Brad Bird, made by Pixar, and featuring comedian Patton Oswalt as a culinarily gifted rat earns its way into my good books by virtue of pedigree alone. But it’s Ratatouille’s weird ending that makes the film great: a surreal sequence that […]

DisturbiaDirected by: DJ Caruso(Dreamworks/Universal)The high-school suspense thriller Disturbia (a modernization of Hitchcock classic Rear Window) opens with a touching fishing trip between protagonist Kale (Shia LaBeouf) and his father. In movie shorthand, this means that the father’s subsequent death in a car accident is pretty much inevitable. A year later, Kale punches his Spanish teacher […]

Jesus CampDirected by: Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady(Magnolia Pictures)Early in Jesus Camp, Pentecostal children’s minister Becky Fischer says she wants to see kids “radically laying down their lives for the gospel.” The documentary is about the Kids on Fire Summer Camp Fischer runs each year in North Dakota, a series of intense and apparently kid-friendly […]

Dirty Dancing: 20th Anniversary EditionDirected by: Emile ArdolinoMaple PicturesLet’s face it: this ’80s-made ode to 1960s against-all-odds love and coming of age in the Catskills is painfully lame…and terribly fun to watch. For those who can’t wait until the next TBS screening to watch true-blue dance expert Johnny (Patrick Swayze) let Baby (Jennifer Grey) out […]

The Last King of ScotlandDirected by: Kevin MacDonald(Fox Searchlight)In The Last King of Scotland, the vain young doctor Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) heads to Uganda on a whim. He spins a globe and points randomly, then leaves his home in Scotland to launch himself into a country he hasn’t learned about. It’s 1971 and famed […]

ShortbusDirected by: John Cameron MitchellVelocity/ThinkfilmJohn Cameron Mitchell’s follow-up to rockin’ sex-change musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch has gained notoriety for its no-holds-barred sexuality—including self-fellatio, a naked Sook-Yin Lee and a naughty performance of the US national anthem. So, come for the sex, if you’re so inclined, but stay for the film’s less publicized sweet […]