A Look Back at Movies of the '00s

Filmmakers will have a television project for the first time

(NEWSER) - Good news for Coen brothers fans: Soon you won't even have to leave your house to get a fix. The Oscar-winning filmmakers are creating an hour-long TV series for Fox, according to the Hollywood Reporter . The single-camera comedy Harve Karbo will center on a Los Angeles private investigator, his deadbeat friends, and the Tinseltown VIPs he frequently crosses paths with. More»

Broderick mopes about in sentimental, cliched dramedy

(NEWSER) - Critics are not sold on Wonderful World, a creaky indie starring Matthew Broderick as a misanthropic children’s folksinger. Here’s what the critics are saying:

• World is “a checklist-indie that offers up clichés with gusto,” even flirting with Magical Negro stereotypes, writes Nick Schager of Slant . “Broderick mopes and grouses admirably,” but this treacle is still “pretty close to the bottom of the barrel.”
• Keith Uhlich of Time Out New York agrees, crediting the cast with giving a “committed, nearly convincing effort” in what’s ultimately “fey Indiewood bullcrap.”

Lee Daniels misses Best Director race, The Road shut out, and more

(NEWSER) - The Golden Globes are “as notable for the films and performances that members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association omit as for those that they celebrate,” writes Chris Lee in the Los Angeles Times , and yesterday’s nominations “had no shortage of surprising snubs.” Lee, and Gregg Kilday in the Hollywood Reporter , point out a few:

• Lee Daniels, Precious: The only director whose movie got a best dramatic picture nod without being nominated for best director.

What will we still be talking about next decade? Britney, for one

(NEWSER) - The ‘00s were full of important contributions to culture, but which ones will we still be talking about in another decade? Here are some of New York ’s picks:

• TV: The Sopranos for inventing quality cable, American Idol for changing the music industry, and of course all things Oprah Winfrey.
• Books: The Da Vinci Code for singlehandedly sustaining the book industry, and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay for blazing the trail of combining geek lit with high lit.

Film festival spawns potential hits

(NEWSER) - This year’s indie love-fest Sundance spawned several movies that have a shot at real commercial success, with a roster of films showcasing “more old-fashioned storytelling,” writes Andrew O’Hehir in Salon. Jury prizes went to Push and We Live in Public, but here’s a sampling of the films O’Hehir deems unmissable:

• An Education: “Marvelously well-constructed period entertainment with a feminist bite.”