• Stories told in the movies are often unearthed from the bric-a-brac of our own lives, since life teems with narratives. For her first documentary, Sarah Polley lifted the veil on a family secret whose revealing caused her and her close ones much, much heartache. Polley ("Take this Waltz") is an Oscar-nominated writer, actress, and filmmaker who's made two feature films about intimate relationships and the challenges faced.

  • After vampires and wherewolves let us hail the return of the zombies (whether they appear in "The Walking Dead," "Warm Bodies," "28 days and weeks later," "Zombieland," or, very soon, "World War Z," zombies are pleasing to audiences--they're attention-grabbers and soon they'll probably control everything).

    The Jonathan Levine-directed (PROFILE) "Warm

  • Pablo Trapero is a socially-committed filmmaker who delivers powerful movies. After "Leonera" (2008) and "Carancho" (2010) he delves into one of Argentina's more bothersome problems, its everspreading urban slums. In an Argentina that's been licking its economic wounds, the slum have become a supporting character in and of itself. In the vein of Ken Loach or Fernando Meirelles Pablo Trapero depicts the saddening

  • Since “Blue Valentine” Derek Cianfrance has paired up with Ryan Gosling again this time with the ambition of achieving "his" epic crime movie. Because who better to delve into this genre with than the hero of "Drive," currently enjoying leading-man status? The idea for “The place beyond the pines” was clever--the film, much less. Stilted by excessive determination Cianfrance delivers an imitative film that’s full of clichés and un-

  • It was quite a while ago when Sam Raimi signed off on “Evil Dead,” a fun and uninhibited film that inspired many more and earned its author his reputation. Today, after the mid-air explosion of his Spiderman franchise Raimi turns his creative powers to mythology again with “Oz the great and powerful,” which was released in theaters earlier this month. And at the same time he sacrifices himself on the altar of the big-studio God

  • Less than three years after “Tree of Life” and his Palme D'Or win at Cannes, Terrence Malick is back with “To the Wonder,” a film-as-poem whose secret only he knows, apparently. At some point during the time lapsed Malick’s creativity and inspiration went out the window. In fact, with this vaguely sensory, visual fog of a film, Malick, convinced of his own genius and assured of making a new masterpiece, has completely forgotten to tell a story.