Reviews and News | Local film

Home movies and tape tell a painful tale

Published Feb. 18, 2009 at 12:41 p.m.

For all their ambition, sometimes films that take an unusual approach to storytelling don't work terribly well. Morgan Dews' family memoir, "Must Read After My Death," which draws heavily on tapes and films his grandmother left behind is an exception.

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Three Monkeys opens February 20th, 2009 (limited)

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Published Feb. 15, 2009 at 3:12 a.m.

This Turkish film, which played in competition at Cannes, centers on a family that decides to play blind, deaf, and dumb to the various troubles in their lives. Directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan (CLIMATES), this drama was its countryÂs submission to the Oscars in 2008 ...

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Youth in Revolt opens February 20th, 2009 (wide)

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Published Feb. 15, 2009 at 3:12 a.m.

Teenage antihero Nick Twisp moves from the pages of the beloved novel YOUTH IN REVOLT to the screen with this film directed by Miguel Arteta (THE GOOD GIRL). Michael Cera (JUNO) stars as Nick, a teenager who may be wise beyond his years, but that doesn't stop him from getting in all sorts of trouble ...

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Must Read After My Death opens February 20th, 2009 (limited)

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Published Feb. 15, 2009 at 3:12 a.m.

Hours of dictaphone tapes, reels of 8mm film footage, and boxes of letters assemble this found-footage family tragedy. While life may have seemed normal between 1960s housewife Allis and her husband, Charley, it was anything but--as the couple's grandson, director Morgan Dews, discovered after their deaths. Irresponsible psychiatry, open marriages, and still uncertain family secrets make this documentary riveting if unsettling viewing ...

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New York, I Love You opens Spring 2009

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Published Feb. 10, 2009 at 3:12 a.m.

After the success of PARIS, JE T'AIME, the film's producers take their winning concept across the Atlantic for this compilation film set in Gotham. THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL stars Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson each make their directorial debuts, and I LOVE YOU, NEW YORK also boasts directors as varied as Turkish auteur Fatih Akin and blockbuster helmer Brett Ratner. A total of 12 shorts will be included in this portmanteau film ...

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Friday the 13th opens February 13th, 2009 (wide)

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Published Feb. 10, 2009 at 3:12 a.m.

Searching for his missing sister, Clay Miller heads up to the eerie woods of legendary Crystal Lake, where he stumbles on the creaky remains of rotting old cabins behind moss-covered trees. And that's not the only thing lying in wait under the brush. Against the advice of police and cautions from the locals, Clay pursues what few leads he has in the search for his missing sister, Whitney, with the help of Jenna, a young woman he meets among a group of college kids up for an all-thrills weekend.

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Milwaukee, Chicago, Brussels ... Berlinale!

Published Feb. 7, 2009 at 5:15 p.m.

In his debut blog on OnMilwaukee.com, Milwaukee Film Artistic Director Jonathan Jackson writes from Berlin, the site of the 59th Berlin International Film Festival.

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Metcalf's DVD Screening Room: February, 2009

Published Feb. 7, 2009 at 12:15 p.m.

Thinking about renting a DVD this weekend? OnMilwaukee.com movie expert Mark Metcalf weighs in on the slacker/stoner hit "Pineapple Express" and a Pacino-DeNiro combination in "Righteous Kill."

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"Handmade Nation" knits together a close community

Published Feb. 6, 2009 at 11:58 a.m.

The only thing more extraordinary than the showing of the locally made feature documentary "Handmade Nation," was the locally produced buzz and turnout that greeted the film at the Oriental Theatre last night.

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"Handmade Nation" premieres in Milwaukee

Published Feb. 4, 2009 at 12:26 p.m.

Faythe Levine's highly anticipated debut documentary is finished, but before it travels the globe to screen in New York City, San Francisco, Toronto, Barcelona and Melbourne, "Handmade Nation" premieres here in Milwaukee on Thursday, Feb. 5 at the Oriental Theatre.