GOOD Movies

A Mighty Heart
Directed by Michael Winterbottom. Showing in Limited Release.

"A Mighty Heart has to serve a number of masters - the somber story surrounding the kidnapping of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, the magnetic star quality of actress Angelina Jolie, the quasi-documentary style of director Michael Winterbottom - and it does so remarkably well."

Review by Kenneth Turan in the Los Angeles Times.
Trailer here.

Casting About
Directed by Barry J. Hershey. Documentary showing exclusively at Laemmle's Music Hall (Beverly Hills).

This film about what it means to be an actress, as documented through hours of casting sessions, "... gives us glimpses of how accommodating actresses have to be, how resilient in the face of demanding and sometimes obtuse filmmakers."

Review by Kenneth Turan in the Los Angeles Times.
Trailer here.

White Palms
Directed by Szabolcs Hajdu. Documentary playing exclusively at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan.

"The term "sports film" doesn't do justice to the director Szabolcs Hajdu's movie White Palms, a punishing, beautiful drama about a troubled 30-something Hungarian gymnast who gets a job as a coach training 2001 Calgary Olympic hopefuls."

Review by Matt Zoller Seitz in the New York Times.
Trailer here.

Resolved
Directed by Greg Whiteley. Documentary playing at the Los Angeles Film Festival, this week only.

"Full of details that will both shock and induce nostalgia among former debaters, and refreshing in its presentation of American teens as intelligent young adults, pic reveals a fascinating rift inside the debate world that could portend a coming revolution."

Review (print only) in Daily Variety.