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Friday, November 20, 2009

Carina Chocano, Film Critic

Review: 'Synecdoche, New York'

By CARINA CHOCANO

MOVIE REVIEW: Charlie Kaufman creates a world where futility fights to coexist with function.

October 24, 2008

Paul Newman wielded his beauty like a craftsman

By Carina Chocano

APPRECIATION: Refusing to romanticize his nonconformist characters, the star put his sex appeal to complicated and fascinating use.

September 28, 2008

'The Go-Getter'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Martin Hyne's twee film travels a road to nowhere.

June 6, 2008

Review: 'Sex and the City'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: The big-screen version of the HBO series tackles weighty issues with grace but is still very funny.

May 30, 2008

'Bigger, Stronger, Faster'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: This documentary looks at a culture predicated on might and obsessed with achieving success at any cost.

May 30, 2008

'The Edge of Heaven'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Fatih Akin's captivating film is about coming together in trying times.

May 30, 2008

'Mr. Lonely'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Harmony Korine revives his signature surrealism in 'Mr. Lonely,' starring Diego Luna.

May 9, 2008

'What Happens in Vegas'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: The romantic comedy has a weak premise and most of its humor is based on clichés.

May 9, 2008

'Redbelt'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: David Mamet's contemporary noir film follows a moral code in and out of a jujitsu club.

May 2, 2008

'Baby Mama'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: The buddy film starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler gets in some jabs but plays it mostly sweet.

April 25, 2008

'Then She Found Me' with Helen Hunt and Colin Firth

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: The dramatic comedy about a woman desperate to have a baby is Helen Hunt's directorial debut.

April 25, 2008

'Body of War'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Documentary examines Tomas Young, who was paralyzed fighting in Iraq.

April 25, 2008

'The Orphanage'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: The chain saws are set aside so the film can tap into what we find truly horrifying.

December 28, 2007

'Persepolis'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: The adapted graphic novel shows Marjane Satrapi's life in, and after, Iran

December 25, 2007

'Southland Tales'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: 'Southland Tales' is a political farce, a doomsday chiller and a paranoid fantasy that heads messily toward the apocalypse.

November 14, 2007

'Bee Movie'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Jerry Seinfeld wrote and voices the lead character, but there's not much at stake. Although the jokes are funny.

November 2, 2007

Lumet's mastery shines in 'Devil'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: In the latest from the 83-year-old director, things go horribly wrong, exactly as planned.

November 2, 2007

'Rendition'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: The star-filled political drama has few surprises but gives everyone a chance to shine.

October 19, 2007

'Elizabeth: The Golden Age'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Elizabeth I morphs into some kind of 16th-century Michael Corleone to keep her throne.

October 12, 2007

'Sleuth'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: The remake of the 1972 film benefits from an updated script by Harold Pinter and pitch-perfect performances by Michael Caine and Jude Law.

October 12, 2007

'The Darjeeling Limited'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: The film about three brothers in the wake of their dad's death is a pleasurable journey to nowhere, but it's worth the ride.

October 5, 2007

'The Heartbreak Kid'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: The Farrelly Brothers' remake of Neil Simon's comedy has none of the charm of the original, and the body function jokes are the most touching parts.

October 5, 2007

'Feast of Love'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Robert Benton's film about love and loss is free of catharsis and is neither funny nor sad.

September 28, 2007

'The Last Winter'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Gothic horror rises in the Arctic

September 21, 2007

'The Jane Austen Book Club'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Robin Swicord's first feature, with Maria Bello and Emily Blunt, is a clever look at modern life and love.

September 21, 2007

'Blame It on Fidel'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: A young girl is caught in the swirl of '70s politics in Julie Gavras' assured directorial debut, 'Blame It on Fidel.'

September 14, 2007

'Eastern Promises'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: In David Cronenberg's London-set thriller, evil must be battled, often with evil.

September 14, 2007

'The Hunting Party'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Black comedy turns preachy in a somewhat-true story of journalists who are out to get a Balkan war criminal.

September 7, 2007

'Dans Paris'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Spirit of J.D. Salinger hangs heavy in the French film about two brothers exploring love and loss ad nauseam.

September 7, 2007

'The Nines'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Reality? Or fantasy? 'The Nines' blurs the lines

August 31, 2007

'Live-in Maid'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: The film gives an intimate portrait of a complex 30-year relationship and shows a side of Latin America rarely seen in the U.S.

August 31, 2007

'The Nanny Diaries'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: The social bite of the popular novel fades into a generic chick flick.

August 24, 2007

'Superbad'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: 'Superbad's' teen raunch isn't what's shocking; it's the love story.

August 17, 2007

'2 Days in Paris'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Julie Delpy lingers between cultures and must constantly reset her bearings -- an intriguing place to be.

August 10, 2007

Engaging 'Bourne Ultimatum' sets a frantic pace

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Between fireballs and chases, hero-on-the-run Bourne deals with killer angst.

August 3, 2007

'Becoming Jane'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: In the new movie, the author Jane Austen is over-fictionalized into one of her heroines.

August 3, 2007

'The Ten'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Vignettes are based on the biblical commandments

August 3, 2007

'The Simpsons Movie'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Unlike the TV show, the film digs into morality and meaning, giving it a safer feel.

July 27, 2007

'No Reservations'

By Carina Chocano

REVIEW: Catherine Zeta-Jones' career woman reverts to a long-ago formula in 'No Reservations.' It seems she needs a man and a kid to make her complete.

July 27, 2007

'Girl 27'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Instead of focusing on the woman who was raped at an MGM sales convention in 1937, filmmaker David Stenn takes center stage.

July 27, 2007

'Hairspray'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: The movie of the musical is a joy — with an edge. As for romance, Walken and Travolta are the real thing.

July 20, 2007

'Goya's Ghosts'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: 'Goya's Ghosts' is Milo Forman's first film since 1999. Alas, it's a mere shadow of his great work.

July 20, 2007

'Talk to Me'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Don Cheadle and Chiwetel Ejiofor play men who spark social change and redefine the radio industry in 'Talk to Me.'

July 13, 2007

'Interview'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Premise of the Dutch film's remake seems less believable here, but the acting is compelling and believable.

July 13, 2007

'Joshua'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Having it all: Love, money, a creepy kid

July 6, 2007

'Introducing the Dwights'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Brenda Blethyn makes 'Dwights' a family worth knowing

July 4, 2007

'Rescue Dawn'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: The director, with Christian Bale starring, again explores the role.

July 4, 2007

'Evening'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Despite a stellar cast, the story of regret for a love lost in the '50s gets muddled.

June 29, 2007

'Broken English'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Left charmed by 'Broken English.'

June 22, 2007

'1408'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Cusack checks into a room with a boo.

June 22, 2007

'Evan Almighty'

By Carina Chocano

REVIEW: The comedian is lovable as God's unwilling disciple. But the comedy is less than divine.

June 22, 2007

'Nancy Drew'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: ‘Nancy Drew’ solves the modern girl blues.

June 15, 2007

'Amu'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: 'Amu' reveals shameful secrets in India

June 15, 2007

'Eagle vs. Shark'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: While dialogue amuses, nerdy outcasts ultimately aren't any more watchable in a film as they are in real life.

June 15, 2007

'Crazy Love'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: 'Crazy Love' recalls '59 stalking that led to tragedy

June 8, 2007

"La Vie en Rose"

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Marion Cotillard astonishes as Edith Piaf.

June 8, 2007

'Golden Door'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Dreams just beyond reach through the 'Golden Door'

June 1, 2007

'Bug'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Some of this film, which is adapted from a play, really burrows in. But the piece is also uneven and claustrophobic.

May 25, 2007

'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Third 'Pirates' long on spectacle, short on sense

May 23, 2007

'The Wendell Baker Story'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Owen, Luke and Andrew Wilson team on a hipster story of an amiable con man, but it all gets muddled.

May 18, 2007

'Paris, Je T'Aime'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Short films by such directors as Tom Tykwer, Alexander Payne and Alfonso Cuarón chronicle the city beyond the Eiffel Tower.

May 18, 2007

'Chalk'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: The squirm-inducing but very funny mock documentary shows real empathy for its subjects.

May 11, 2007

'28 Weeks Later'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Sequel isn't giving anyone a break. Plenty of zombies and muck.

May 11, 2007

'Away From Her'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: The film explores the ephemeral nature of memory.

May 4, 2007

'Civic Duty'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: An out-of-work accountant who feels besieged fixates on his new Middle Eastern neighbor.

May 4, 2007

'Snow Cake'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Performances by Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver and Carrie-Anne Moss make the story resonate.

April 27, 2007

'Next'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Even superhuman powers can't save 'Next'

April 27, 2007

A reluctant leading man

By Carina Chocano

CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK: It’s easy to snicker when Hugh Grant says he’s unsure about stardom. But maybe that’s his appeal.

February 14, 2007

'Because I Said So'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Parental guidance hits a low with Diane Keaton's meddling mom.

February 2, 2007

'Verdict on Auschwitz: The Frankfurt Auschwitz Trial 1963-1965'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: A documentary of the Auschwitz trial builds a horrifying portrait.

January 26, 2007

'Absolute Wilson'

By Carina Chocano

REVIEW: The Robert Wilson documentary takes on a challenging subject, but it's up to the task.

January 5, 2007

'Miss Potter'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: An oddball "Miss Potter" doesn't want to grow up.

December 29, 2006

'Perfume: The Story of a Murderer'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: While the film stays true to the book's plot, its portrayal of the main character's amorality misses the mark.

December 27, 2006

'The Painted Veil'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: "The Painted Veil" is a testament to star and producer Edward Norton's passion, yet that element is elusive on the screen.

December 20, 2006

'Breaking and Entering'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Polished but flawed.

December 15, 2006

'Inland Empire'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: It's easy to get lost in Lynch's "Inland Empire," where parallel realities turn into nightmares.

December 15, 2006

'Backstage'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Seduced by the glitter, suffering at celebrity's shrine.

December 15, 2006

'The Good German'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Director Soderbergh drenches 1945 Berlin in classic noir and period nuance.

December 15, 2006

'The Architect'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: With a symbolist tone, the film about families in the suburbs and the projects focuses on middle-class guilt.

December 8, 2006

'The Holiday'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: As reliably as Santa, this romantic comedy about a transatlantic house swap delivers Christmas sweets.

December 8, 2006

'Candy'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: In "Candy," young lovers keep their looks as they get hooked on heroin. No moralizing here, but a sadness just the same.

December 1, 2006

'Flannel Pajamas'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Justin Kirk and Julianne Nicholson struggle as a couple while viewers struggle to know them.

November 24, 2006

'The Fountain'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: "The Fountain" drags out mythical, metaphysical examinations of life's cycle.

November 22, 2006

'The History Boys'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: A lively adaptation of the play makes a study of education. Its lessons in contrasts ring true. RECOMMENDED

November 21, 2006

'Fast Food Nation'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: The horrors go well beyond the plate in Richard Linklater's fictionalized adaptation.

November 17, 2006

'For Your Consideration'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Christopher Guest’s latest spoof targets Oscar award season.

November 17, 2006

'Copying Beethoven'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: A quasi-biopic about the composer's difficult final years, "Copying Beethoven" is largely about his relationship with a fictional assistant.

November 10, 2006

'F---'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: A (expletive) documentary on '(expletive)'? (Expletive)!

November 10, 2006

'Volver'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Forget the man of La Mancha. "Volver" puts the town's women front and center.

November 3, 2006

'Death of a President'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Asking, "What if?" The consequences ripple

October 27, 2006

'Babel'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Around the globe, "Babel" pries into the difficulty of communicating.
CRITIC'S CHOICE

October 27, 2006

'Marie Antoinette'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Sofia Coppola rivets on the singular experience of a vilified royal.

October 20, 2006

'Running With Scissors'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW

October 20, 2006

'Old Joy'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Two old buddies, grown distant, take an impromptu camping trip. Read their faces to understand their minds.

October 13, 2006

'Little Children'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Satire and terror are brilliantly blended in Todd Field's "Little Children." It's a suburbia where parents are as unformed as the kids.
CRITIC'S CHOICE

October 6, 2006

'49 Up'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Seven-year itch grows up.

October 6, 2006

'Last King of Scotland'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Forest Whitaker portrays Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. Gillian Anderson and James McAvoy costar.

September 27, 2006

'Al Franken: God Spoke'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: 'God Spoke' captures comedian and pundit Al Franken evolving from satirist to activist.

September 22, 2006

'The Science of Sleep'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: A work that's clearly the vision of Michel Gondry.

September 22, 2006

'The Last Kiss'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: When a group of 29-year-olds, all good friends with good prospects, mope about longing for the good old days, the end is just more trying than true.

September 15, 2006

'Vajra Sky Over Tibet'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: The third installment in documentarian John Bush's "Yatra Trilogy" is a filmed pilgrimage through Tibet's religious history and current religious community, as well as a travelogue of its fairy-tale architecture and breathtaking landscapes.

September 8, 2006

'Mutual Appreciation'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: "Mutual Appreciation" refreshingly cuts straight to a stripped-down post-collegiate scene.

September 8, 2006

'Sherrybaby'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: "Sherrybaby" sinks into nihilism as it wades into the brimming genre of the addiction tale.

September 8, 2006

'Idiocracy'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Are things bad now? "Idiocracy" imagines a future in which people are, well, take a guess. Its satire is spot-on.

September 4, 2006

'This Film Is Not Yet Rated'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Film excoriates a rating system that seemingly condones violence and condemns sex.

September 1, 2006

'Buzz'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Shining a strong light on Hollywood, American history.

August 25, 2006

'Queens'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: In "Queens," the prospective mothers-in-law loom large, and hilariously, over the tale of a gay wedding in Spain.

August 25, 2006

'Snakes on a Plane'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: "Snakes on a Plane" isn't quite a horror film or a thriller or a parody. Happy now, Web fans?

August 19, 2006

'The Illusionist'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: The period drama has fun supporting players, but meaning does a disappearing act.

August 18, 2006

'Trust the Man'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: The romantic escapades of four New Yorkers — an actress, her stay-at-home husband, her slacker brother and his aspiring novelist girlfriend — play out against the hectic background of modern life.

August 18, 2006

'House of Sand'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: A woman and her mother live cut off from the rest of the world as nearly a century passes in "House of Sand."

August 11, 2006

'Conversations With Other Women'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Helena Bonham Carter and Aaron Eckhart star in a double-visioned chronicle of a revisited intimate history.

August 11, 2006

'Brothers of the Head'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: "Brothers of the Head" is a fake documentary about the fictional Howes, conjoined twins who hit it big in music.

August 4, 2006

'Barnyard'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Seriously, what's with the male cows in "Barnyard"?

August 4, 2006

'Boynton Beach Club'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: The comedy caters to an overlooked audience in a film about love and loss after retirement.

August 4, 2006

'Scoop'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: The director has nice rapport with Scarlett Johansson, but there are a lot of old jokes and, of course, stammering.

July 28, 2006

'Little Miss Sunshine'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: The sun doesn't shine on delusion, and it never will for the Hoover family, whose dreams are crushed in the funny, subversive "Little Miss Sunshine."
RECOMMENDED

July 26, 2006

'My Super Ex-Girlfriend'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: She's a testy superhero. He's a sweet guy who realizes dating her is a mistake. Mayhem ensues in "My Super Ex-Girlfriend."

July 21, 2006

'Heading South'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Charlotte Rampling plays a professor on vacation, romancing Ménothy Cesar’s character in 1970s Haiti.

July 21, 2006

'You, Me and Dupree'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: The comedy takes a predictable ride to a sappy turnaround, but — gosh — Owen Wilson's still cute.

July 14, 2006

'A Scanner Darkly'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Director Richard Linklater once again reworks reality into a cautionary tale on American society.

July 7, 2006

'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Awash with plot twists, this sequel is too much of what was a good thing.

July 5, 2006

'Wassup Rockers'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Skateboarders from South Central meet Beverly Hills girls in Larry Clark’s sort-of-reality film.

June 30, 2006

'The Devil Wears Prada'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: A comic Meryl Streep brings a stylishly better-than-the-book allure to "Prada."

June 30, 2006

'The Road to Guantanamo'

By Carina Chocano

MOVIE REVIEW: Michael Winterbottom's docudrama examines how three British teens were held without being charged, but fails to look into the other side of the story.

June 23, 2006

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