Josh Tate

In the opening scene of The Real Dirt on Farmer John, the eponymous farmer, John Peterson, kneels down in a plowed field and chews on a good-sized clod of dirt. It's exactly the sort of thing you might expect a true farmer to do when gauging the quality of his soil. Soon enough, though, John is riding his tractor dressed in a feather boa and being followed by a nude woman who appears to...

Ten years from now we may look back at 300 as the movie that heralded the final shift away from the star-driven, mega-budget blockbuster paradigm. In an increasingly risk-managed world, why not spend 60 million dollars on a whole movie instead of 25 million on Tom Cruise or one of the Wills? Hot Fuzz signals the definite arrival of Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg that was so strongly hinted at in Shaun of the...

For what seems like the first time in years, The Simpsons actually exceeded expectations. The first movie of America's first animated family took in a whopp(er)ing 71.8 million dollars at the box office this weekend, demolishing even the most optimistic of estimates. Credit Fox's clever marketing campaign and the opportunity to finally see Bart's shrimpy doodle. I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry finished a distant second, making 19 million bucks to raise its...

It always feels strange to walk out of a movie knowing you were probably the only one in the theater that didn't like it. It feels stranger still when you get home and look up that movie on Rottentomatoes--hoping for some sort of petty vindication--only to find out that the film in question has received an astonishing 100% positive reviews! Nevertheless, that was my experience with Rocket Science. While I recognize the obvious craft,...

David Fincher's obituary will likely refer to him as the director of Fight Club, but Zodiac is his most complete work. Luxuriate in its full 157 minutes this week when it reaches stores. The Number 23 had a pretty good trailer, but unfortunately the actual movie was longer than 90 seconds. Bring back Lloyd Christmas, Jim! Sure HBO seems to have the best shows on cable, but Showtime is quickly closing the gap. Weeds...

I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry eked out a win this weekend, just besting Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The moronic Sandler vehicle earned 34.7 million versus 32.1 million for the latest, infinitely superior Harry Potter installment (now at 207.5M). My guess is that the release of Deathly Hallows cost Order of the Phoenix a second consecutive weekend crown (I still can't believe that Voldermort turned out to be Harry's...

Since it is the last Harry Potter weekend, allow me to open with a relevant quote from the late (or is he?) Albus Dumbledore, "I make mistakes like the next man. In fact, being--forgive me--rather cleverer than most men, my mistakes tend to be correspondingly huger." This sentiment applies very well to Milos Forman and his new movie, Goya's Ghosts. In his long career, Forman has directed numerous superb films, deservedly winning Oscars for...

Steve Buscemi really is a minor miracle. As I'm looking through his prolific resume on IMDB, I can't find an instance where I didn't enjoy his work. Sure, he's had his clunkers (Mr. Deeds, Domestic Disturbance) and has even fallen under the dark spell of Voldythingy, er, Michael Bay (Armageddon, The Island), but somehow Buscemi always seems to emerge untainted by the mediocrity surrounding him. And when he gets a great role (here, here,...

Remember when Sandra Bullock set aside her flourishing, if somewhat formulaic, Hollywood career to make compelling independent films that actually had something original to say? Yeah, me neither. Premonition continues a long slide that I predict will ultimately end in a USA series about a quirky female detective--Bullock to star, produce AND direct a few eps. Factory Girl also drops today. After seeing Sienna Miller in Interview and reading this, I'm renting it. Other...

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix blew away not only the competition, but its own previous franchise records this week with a 140 million dollar opening 5 days. Expect Potter mania to reach its full flowering later this week when the 7th and final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, reaches stores. Transformers held steady at number two, dropping only 49% from the previous week (movies typically drop well over 50%...