Mark Palermo

Published December 08, 2005. Masculin, Feminin Directed by: Jean-Luc Godard (Paradox/Criterion) The most enthralling balance of joy and experimentation of Jean-Luc Godard’s career. Existential crisis and the pursuit of sex play into the semi-improvised escapades of a young man’s afternoons spent in arcades and coffee shops. The greatest youth film ever? The feature-laden Criterion release […]

Published December 08, 2005. Fire and Ice Directed by: Ralph Bakshi (Paradox/Blue Underground) It’s the collaborative appeal of director Ralph Bakshi teaming with famed artist Frank Franzetta that makes the extras on Blue Underground’s two-disc set more enthralling than the movie they’re supporting. Fire and Ice plays like a longer, slower He-Man and the Masters […]

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead is a sourpuss version of a Coen Brothers movie. Sidney Lumet uses the Coens’ most frequent story template: A crime is committed, leaving characters to contend with unforeseen consequences. But Lumet doesn’t replicate the way the Coens’ idiosyncrasies and moral inquiry keep viewers concerned. Before the Devil Knows You’re […]

Horror fans are among the most passionate film-goers because, even when a movie doesn’t really work, they look out for the moments that do. The Mist, an adaptation of the Stephen King novella from The Shawshank Redemption writer/director Frank Darabont, has its share of impressive pieces. But the movie runs too long to make those […]

Movie buffs can be like sports fans supporting their favourite teams through losing streaks. They get very protective of the filmmakers they like. This makes some sense. If you love David Cronenberg, you’re aligned to his sensibility and probably have more insight into what works in Eastern Promises than a casual moviegoer does. But it’s […]

If you’ve seen Lions for Lambs or Fred Claus, you may wonder when it became acceptable for movies to lack visual conception. Blame it on cheaper viewing habits: Neither film would lose much downloaded to your cell phone. This doesn’t ensure a place for the Coen Brothers, but No Country For Old Men continues their […]

Give Fred Claus this much credit: It doesn’t completely equate Christmas spirit with one’s light displays. That puts it above Deck the Halls, The Grinch and Christmas With the Kranks. But it doesn’t attain the uplift it aspires to, either, and hasn’t the sincerity to admit that it’s a wounded film rather than a happy […]

American Gangster begins in 1968 and would have greater impact were it released then. Ridley Scott fills in the usual crime kingpin showpieces with tight direction and one notable standout: It’s the first major film since New Jack City about the rise of a black gangster. This distinction gives the typical anti-hero narrative a social […]

There’s a deliberate simplicity to Dan in Real Life. In telling the story of an everyday father, director and co-writer Peter Hedges (Pieces of April) constructs an everyday movie. It’s a character-driven, family-centric comedy that’s post-theatre shelf life will be owed to viewers who just want to watch something “nice.” A place for movies like […]