SONNY BUNCH
Articles by SONNY BUNCH
MOVIE REVIEW: Ridley Scott’s ‘Body of Lies’
Ridley Scott's "Body of Lies," visually, is quite striking. Too bad Scott's moral vision isn't as clearly refined as his camera's. Published October 9, 2008
MOVIES: ‘Nick and Norah’s‘ mixtape love
"Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" follows a group of New York City teenagers over the course of a night as they traverse their city trying to track down a performance by Where's Fluffy? a mysterious hipster band. Published October 3, 2008
MOVIES: ‘Blindness’ stumbles despite pedigree
It's hard to say what's more annoying about "Blindness" - its relentlessly negative view of humanity's ability to handle crisis, or its vacuous moral stance suggesting violence is never the answer. Published October 3, 2008
MOVIES: Ridiculous religion
"Religulous," the new anti-religion documentary from Bill Maher and Larry Charles, is a deeply frustrating film. Published October 3, 2008
EDGE: Michael Cera and the death of irony
Michael Cera has developed broad appeal with both hipster tastemakers and the general public alike. His star turns could signal the beginning of a new era of comedy, one in which irony is out and sincerity is in. Published October 3, 2008
BEYOND: ‘Genius’ wiped away
"Most crusader stories, David and Goliath stories, are stories about someone who was fighting a battle of really critical importance," explains Marc Abraham, director of "Flash of Genius." "You're saving a town from perishing because the water has been filtrated with too much Mercury or Plutonium. That has its own weight. Published October 3, 2008
Davi’s known, but name isn’t
Robert Davi is undoubtedly the biggest actor to show up at the American Film Renaissance Institute's festival this year. If you don't recognize his name, don't worry, you're not alone. Published September 26, 2008
MOVIES: Bird’s-eye view
"Eagle Eye" is a totally derivative, unoriginal techno-thriller. But it's also thoroughly entertaining, with a fun cast and a plot that moves quickly from crisis to crisis, action scene to action scene. Published September 26, 2008
MOVIE REVIEW: Spike’s “Miracle at St. Anna”
Early in Spike Lee's new World War II drama, "Miracle at St. Anna," there's a scene in which a squad of black soldiers prepares to assault a fortified German position. Published September 25, 2008
MOVIES: Ghosts are back, for laughs
"Ghost Town" is a perfectly acceptable, entirely generic romantic comedy; there are enough laughs to keep the audience entertained and nothing terribly heavy to weigh down the rest of the evening. Published September 19, 2008
BEYOND: ‘Towelhead’ dives into difficult territory
"Towelhead," adapted from Alicia Erian's novel of the same name by Alan Ball, is not a light late-summer, early-fall feature. "This story has real hot-button emotional issues, and there will be people who will not be able to see beyond that," Mr. Ball says. Published September 19, 2008
MOVIES: A WTO protest for its own sake
Just in case you're too dense to understand "Battle in Seattle," director-writer Stuart Townsend bookends his film with two lectures about the evils of the World Trade Organization and globalization. Published September 19, 2008
What’s with Dane Cook?
It's hard to figure out just what Dane Cook's deal is. Published September 18, 2008
Spy Museum: Learn to duck terrorists
As part of the International Spy Museum's ongoing effort to offer the public a glimpse into the lives of the intelligence community, the museum designed a special anti-terrorist driving course. Published September 17, 2008
BEYOND: DC Shorts film fest at milestone
This year marks the fifth anniversary of the DC Shorts Film Festival, an important milestone. Why? Because upon completion of this fifth year, the festival is eligible for accreditation by the Academy Awards. Published September 12, 2008
MOVIES: Pacino, De Niro a ‘Righteous’ bore
When does a "twist" ending become so predictable that it's not a twist anymore? Published September 12, 2008
Digital Copy
Some people want to watch their movies on the go [-] on their laptops, their iPods and their iPhones [-] without hauling around boxes of DVDs. Studios have just the solution for this slice of consumers Published September 5, 2008
MOVIES: ‘What We Do’ is pointless
Distilled to its purest essence, "What We Do Is Secret" is a docudrama with the production qualities of a made-for-MTV movie about a band that recorded one album and never managed to finish a gig and whose lead singer was a fascist poseur. Published August 29, 2008
EDGE: Hollywood’s terror avoidance
Jeffrey Nachmanoff, the writer-director of "Traitor" is tired of Hollywood's evasiveness when it comes to international terrorism. "If you're trying to make an ambitious movie that's for adults to talk about and start a discussion, [and] no one gets upset about it, then you haven't really dealt with the subject at all," he says. Published August 29, 2008
Cheadle’s ‘Traitor’ is complex
It was a little surprising to see the latest round of ads hyping "Traitor" as a "Bourne Identity"-style action thriller. True, the story does have action elements — it's a globe-hopping tale of a military man's infiltration of a terrorist cell, after all. Published August 27, 2008
