Hey, Hollywood: I don't want Eminem, the Movie. Give me Enron, the Movie. Marshall Mathers makes his acting debut in the semi-autobiographical 8 Mile, opening nationwide this weekend. But even if the big-budget picture turns out to be a masterpiece, the arguably homophobic and misogynist white rapper - risen up from childhood poverty in Detroit - ain't no Tiny Tim for the holidays.

The film seems like a less-than- courageous choice for Curtis Hanson, who also directed the wonderful L. TAGS: flick chick, movies

Villains sometimes get away with posing as heroes. In The Trials of Henry Kissinger, the famed elder statesman is unmasked by intense scrutiny of his alleged war crimes in the 1960s and 1970s. Behind the scenes, this unflinching documentary is also a tale of disillusionment. Director Eugene Jarecki experienced a personal arc of change in researching his thorough portrait of a man with many faces.... Read more

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The Vermont International Film Festival this weekend in Burlington has its share of foreign accents. At long last, the event's new executive director has one, too.... Read more

TAGS: burlington, immigrants & refugees, movies, politics

TAGS: back talk, books, culture, movies, performing arts

Don Robisky would rather see “a marginal movie from Mongolia” than virtually any slick Tinsel Town release. The Montpelier engineer regularly takes a chance on the selections at the Green Mountain Film Festival, which plays out in Vermont’s capital city from Friday through March 29. He’s never been disappointed.... Read more

TAGS: montpelier, movies, politics

It’s a wrap. After five weeks at the Savoy Theater, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has finally soldiered on. The Ang Lee film broke all kinds of attendance and revenue records at the Montpelier movie house, including “longest run” and “most people through the door.” Its success put the single-screen cinema in an enviable, if somewhat ironic, blockbusted position. Co-owner Rick Winston says the resulting run was an economic boon for the Savoy, but concedes it frustrated some fans who were eager to see other indie offerings.... Read more

TAGS: back talk, books, culture, movies, radio

On Sunday night, one floor above Stuporbowl fans cheering the televised game at Nectar’s, about 50 people are sitting at bistro tables in a darkened room, intently watching and discussing experimental films made by local artists.... Read more

TAGS: burlington, culture, movies

I suspect there are some advantages to living in a smaller community — such as the survival of places like the Ethan Allen Cinema, a.k.a. the “cheap seats.” On the other hand, things don’t change quite as rapidly as they do in big cities. Sure, downtown Burlington has its Old Navy and Williston has its Wal-Mart. But you, my American friends, are still missing out on the latest, coolest technology that Silicon Valley geeks have invented for our entertainment pleasure.... Read more

TAGS: culture, montreal, movies, tourism

At high noon on a bone-chilling Inauguration Day, Robin Lloyd joins a rally in front of the Federal Building in Burlington. She is holding a sign that asks the question on the minds of everyone who voted for Al Gore and Ralph Nader: “What happened to democracy?”... Read more

TAGS: activism, culture, movies, politics, profile

KENNEDY CONNECTION: Kevin Costner plays a convincing Kennedy confidant in the new movie 13 Days. That’s according to the son of the man who held that job — Kenneth O’Donnell — when the United States was on the brink of nuclear war. Now a resident of Westford, Kenny O’Donnell Jr. was a freshman in high school when his father disappeared for two tense weeks during the Cuban missile crisis.... Read more

TAGS: back talk, books, culture, movies, poetry