“I think that I shall never see / A poem as lovely as a tree.” American writer Joyce Kilmer penned these now ubiquitous words nearly a century after the demise of English poet John Keats. Perhaps Kilmer should have better studied the forefathers of his art. During his tragically short life, John Keats drew upon […]

“Whip It” is sure to generate a huge new interest in “roller derby,” a thriving underground sport in which two teams of fierce females race around an oblong track on roller-skates to score points. But the roller derby reputation far exceeds that of a battle royale on wheels: it has evolved into a supreme statement […]

The premise of “The Invention of Lying” seems destined for laughs. In a world where everyone tells the truth, where humans are physically incapable of the neurochemical processes behind fabrication, one man discovers that he has the ability to lie. The film uses both its unfalteringly honest universe and its central character’s unique gift within […]

Fame, a remake of the 1980 mini-classic, is, simply put, an incongruous mishmosh. Director Kevin Tancharoen attempts to give us an unflinching look at the intensity of an arts school, rendering and pacing his shots with documentarian-like grit. Meanwhile, a screenplay by Allison Burnett wants to be a character study, offering an intimate glimpse at […]

Look up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… “The Informant!” Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh (“Traffic”) heralds his newest offbeat comedic entry with exclamation (indeed, with an exclamation point), as if portending the arrival of a superhero. While central character Mark Whitacre dons no cape, his ever-increasing delusions convince him of his […]