There was a time when watching an action movie inevitably meant turning off the brain, stuffing one's head full of popcorn, and departing the theater with a glow of adrenaline-fueled bliss that at least lasted until you got to the parking lot. Somewhere along the line, a select few movies proved that guns and muscles didn't have to come with a frontal lobe numbing agent. James Cameron, whatever soggy atrocities he can later be blamed for, was at the vanguard of smart action-blockbuster cinema, and the first two Terminator films (along with Aliens) are prime examples of action movies that provided a thinking man's (and woman's) alternative to the oeuvres of the Seagals and Van Dammes of the world. Which is why it's so disappointing that Terminator Salvation is such a big, dumb, noisy mess. more ›

Just who does Bob Dylan think he is? There must be a truth, a real life story way down underneath the layers of the biography that Dylan has created, but where that truth lies is probably only known to Mr. Zimmerman himself. So how does one approach making a film about the life of a man who has made a career out of self-mythologizing and asking us to please pay no attention to the man... more ›

Dan Evans is the Charlie Brown of the post-Civil War American west. He just can't win. His wife looks at him with disappointment and disdain. His eldest son thinks he's a lily-livered coward. His creditors bully and insult him. Even nature thumbs her nose at him, refusing to give him the rain he needs to water the pastures that could feed his starving cattle. Only his youngest son still looks at him with admiration, mostly... more ›

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. Major Release: 3:10 to Yuma Mark your calendars. Labor Day is past, summer is over, and it's time for all the Oscar contenders to step into the ring. First out of the gate is 3:10 to Yuma, the second filmed version of an Elmore Leonard short story about a Civil War veteran (played here by Christian... more ›

Chaos, hostility, and murder. The three items that Werner Herzog believes are the common denominators of the universe, according to the narration of his 2005 documentary, Grizzly Man. And the subject of his own obsession, expressed again and again in the choking jungles and obsessives heroes of his films. In Rescue Dawn, Herzog stabs at yet another heart of darkness, another soul driven to desperation in pursuit of a seemingly impossible goal. In this case,... more ›