http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/movies.shtml Reviews of independent and wide-release films written by lead critic Joe Lozito and his merry band of crackerjack movie reviewers. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:54:21 PST en-us http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Planet-51.shtml Reviews Although this animated film turns the stereotypical alien invasion scenario on its head, the tale itself is old hat. ]]> Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:30:10 PST http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Planet-51.shtml http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Blind-Side.shtml Reviews An African-American teen has his life turned around in unlikely circumstances and, as run-of-the-mill as it may sound, it really works. ]]> Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:17:12 PST http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Blind-Side.shtml http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Red-Cliff.shtml Reviews It's wartime in China, 1,700 years ago, and John Woo, after a so-so start, delivers a near epic by the time the final arrow is launched. ]]> Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:31:00 PST http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Red-Cliff.shtml http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Broken-Embraces.shtml Reviews Penélope Cruz struts her stuff in this otherwise very disappointing Pedro Almodóvar film. ]]> Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:29:09 PST http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Broken-Embraces.shtml http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Mammoth.shtml Reviews Swedish writer-director Lukas Moodysson, in his first English-language film, lays an egg of mammoth proportions. ]]> Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:23:16 PST http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Mammoth.shtml http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Fix.shtml Reviews This documentary-style view of a frantic attempt to get someone into rehab before he is sent to jail needs fixing. ]]> Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:22:28 PST http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Fix.shtml http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/The-Missing-Person.shtml Reviews Gumshoe is hot on the trail of a missing person in this homage to Film Noir that works less hard than a good looking dame. ]]> Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:21:08 PST http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/The-Missing-Person.shtml http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/The-Twilight-Saga-New-Moon.shtml Reviews Heartbreak, a love triangle, werewolves, and a trip to old-world vampire royalty. Not a bad time at the movies. Especially if you're a 14 year-old girl. ]]> Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:12:44 PST http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/The-Twilight-Saga-New-Moon.shtml http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/The-Sun.shtml Reviews Hirohito is brought to life in Alexander Sokurov's artsy view of the Emperor's final days before the surrender of Japan in World War II. ]]> Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:28:23 PST http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/The-Sun.shtml http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/The-War-on-Kids.shtml Reviews Documentary asserts that our government has declared war on our students and that the results have been devastating. ]]> Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:25:11 PST http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/The-War-on-Kids.shtml http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/2012.shtml Reviews Would it kill Roland Emmerich to make a halfway decent movie? ]]> Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:27:00 PST http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/2012.shtml http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/The-Messenger.shtml Reviews Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson star in a frustrating, near-great film that examines those that inform relatives of soldiers that have perished in combat. ]]> Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:26:25 PST http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/The-Messenger.shtml http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Oh-My-God.shtml Reviews Peter Rodger's documentary attempts to ascertain what God is. That Ringo Starr is considered an authority tells you everything you need to know. ]]> Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:19:43 PST http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Oh-My-God.shtml http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/William-Kunstler-Disturbing-the-Universe.shtml Reviews Documentary about the life of famed (some would say infamous) attorney William Kunstler is handled in a top-notch manner by his daughters. ]]> Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:09:48 PST http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/William-Kunstler-Disturbing-the-Universe.shtml http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/The-Men-Who-Stare-at-Goats.shtml Reviews A funny first half hour becomes aimless and painful to watch in this poor imitation of a Coen Brothers film. ]]> Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:31:36 PST http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/The-Men-Who-Stare-at-Goats.shtml http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Precious-Based-on-the-Novel-Push-by-Sapphire.shtml Reviews "It's just another day for you and me in paradise," according to Phil Collins. "Precious" puts an exclamation point at the end of that sentence. ]]> Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:50:00 PST http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Precious-Based-on-the-Novel-Push-by-Sapphire.shtml http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/The-Fourth-Kind.shtml Reviews Director Olatunde Osunsanmi's teasingly effective thriller aims to do for alien abduction what "Paranomal Activity" did for hauntings. ]]> Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:43:50 PST http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/The-Fourth-Kind.shtml http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/A-Christmas-Carol.shtml Reviews If you need another version of the Dickens holiday classic, featuring a multitasking Jim Carrey and improved but typically stiff motion-capture animation, this is the movie for you. ]]> Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:40:54 PST http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/A-Christmas-Carol.shtml http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Pirate-Radio.shtml Reviews Musically, "Pirate Radio" is a pop rock lover's dream. Too bad that cinematically it's shipwrecked. ]]> Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:43:00 PST http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Pirate-Radio.shtml http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Michael-Jackson-s-This-Is-It.shtml Reviews An up-close glimpse of a performer rediscovering his creative fire, Kenny Ortega's often mesmerizing account of Michael Jackson's final months of song and dance is a portrait of the artist as an older man. ]]> Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:41:17 PST http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Michael-Jackson-s-This-Is-It.shtml