Waltz with Bashir–Movie Review
Waltz with Bashir (Vals Im Bashir) is an interesting experiment: an animated documentary. It has received numerous awards and been nominated for the Foreign Language Oscar. While it is a… Read more »
Author Archives: Jonathan Tappan
Frost/Nixon–Movie Review
Frost/Nixon is a semi-fictional account of an event of little historical importance: the 1977 televised interviews of Richard Nixon conducted by David Frost, a British talk-show host. As far as… Read more »
Whisper of the Heart–Anime Review
Studio Ghibli is the most prestigious of all anime studios. A small studio founded by acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki, it primarily does theatrical movies with clever, original screenplays and top-quality… Read more »
Revolutionary Road–Movie Review
I’m giving this movie a cautious recommendation because it is well-written, well-acted and thought-provoking. The reason for caution is that it requires spending 119 minutes with some very unlikeable characters…. Read more »
Slumdog Millionaire–Movie Review
For an arthouse film that isn’t in many mainstream theaters, Slumdog Millionaire has been getting a lot of buzz and picking up a lot of awards. It’s pretty well done,… Read more »
Shugo Chara! Season 1–Anime Review
Crunchyroll.com has a checkered history. It started out as a pirate video site that featured unauthorized anime fansubs. Then, a few months ago, it went legit. It now offers only… Read more »
Movies, Cartoons and Age Ratings
Writing in Slate Emily Bazelon describes how her children were frightened by the 3-D animated movie The Tale of Despereaux and wonders how to determine if a movie is to… Read more »
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button–Movie Review
This movie shines from a technical standpoint, with competent acting and advanced makeup and special effects, yet as a story it leaves me cold. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,… Read more »
2008: The Anime Year in Review
Once again it’s time to look back on the past year and pontificate on what was noteworthy in the world of anime. This is not intended as any sort of… Read more »
Aria the Animation–Anime Review
This is not the show to watch if you are looking for searing drama, tearful heartbreak or gut-clenching action. It’s more like the ultimate feel-good show, a cheerful vision of… Read more »