Andrew Wright

Spike Lee’s latest, Inside Man, hits theaters this weekend. But there’s more to Lee—who, ever since he exploded onto the scene in 1989 with Do the Right Thing, has remained a fascinating filmmaker… even if all of his films aren’t always so fascinating: • Do the Right Thing (1989)—Two common sights outside of movie theaters […]

Ask a devotee of hypnotic director Wong Kar-Wai exactly what makes them a fan, and you’ll likely get back a blissful grin and dazed mutterings about the songs, and the women, and the colors, man. Dopey as it sounds, you won’t get it until you’ve seen it. • Days of Being Wild (1991)—Following the ’60s […]

In the decade and change since his debut with Boyz ‘n the Hood, director John Singleton has garnered a rep as a filmmaker

Yes dir. Potter Opens Fri July 15 Fox Tower Hand it to writer/director Sally Potter–regardless of what you thought of Orlando or The Tango Lesson, she never, ever does anything halfway. True to form, Yes–Potter’s visually intricate look at post 9-11 romantic philandering–is incredibly, awesomely pretentious… but, ultimately, in a rather good way. Feeling stymied […]

Crash dir. Haggis Opens Fri May 6 Various Theaters The cinema of sprawling coincidences and chance encounters (in which A bumps into B, who just happens to know C, who is secretly having an affair with D, who works for F, who shares a dark secret with A) exhibits a catnip pull for filmmakers–the framework […]

Primer dir. Carruth Opens Fri Oct 29 Fox Tower Assured, deliberate cinematic incomprehensibility is a rare bird these days. Even ostensibly indie flicks show signs of having been test marketed, smoothed out, and pre-digested to the lowest common denominator for easy consumption by the masses. In welcome contrast, Primer–the $7,000 debut from director/ writer/editor/composer/actor/egghead Shane […]

She Hate Me dirs. Lee Opens Fri Aug 20 Fox Tower Rule number one about film critics is that they love hyperbole. Attention-hungry reviewers quickly proclaim everything as either being the best or the worst, with little else in between. Taking this into account, please believe that I only say this after much consideration: She […]

A House on a Hill dir. Workman Opens Fri, Aug 13 Hollywood Theater As far as cinema-friendly careers go, architecture–with its driven visionaries and camera-ready backdrops–would seem rife with possibility. Past attempts have failed to do much with that inherent promise, however. (See 2001’s Life As A House for a less-than-impressive example… or don’t.) A […]