washingtonpost.com - Desson Thomson: Reviews and Features

'American Teen': Documentary Goes Beyond Yearbook Labels

Desson Thomson — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Those social bumper-sticker stereotypes we blithely attached to ourselves and others in high school -- "cheerleader," "jock," "nerd," "princess" -- can last forever if we're not careful.

Peering Under the Surface of Antarctica

Desson Thomson — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

What draws us to distant places? Is it a chance to leave our footprints on the moon? To have encounters with exotic cultures? Make connections with fellow travelers? Find a mystical route back to ourselves? In "Encounters at the End of the World," documentary provocateur Werner Herzog blows the portentous dust off those questions and takes us on an enjoyably caustic journey to the heart of Antarctica.

'Love Songs': Paris on a Dark, Plaintive Note

Desson Thomson — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

At the risk of turning a movie review into an SAT quiz, we ask you to choose the one category that doesn't seem to apply.

The Director Who Always Played a Supporting Role

Desson Thomson — Wed, 28 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Sydney Pollack made them old-fashioned -- big and bighearted. Matinee idols kissed in exotic locales. The music washed over us like an aural Danube. He lifted us out of our lives and into worlds we would never go -- the hunting grounds of "Out of Africa," the snowy mountains of "Jeremiah Johnson," the TV dressing rooms of "Tootsie."

Behind the Screen

washingtonpost.com — Fri, 23 May 2008 12:30:00 EDT

As The Washington Post reconfigures its mission, it has offered career buyouts to many of its editors and writers. And Thomson is one of the many staffers to accept the offer to explore new horizons as of June 1.

It's Long Before Opening Night. Enter, the Director.

Desson Thomson — Sun, 18 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Washingtonians who have seen Michael Kahn's plays -- more than 40 of them over 20 years -- have come to appreciate his signature. Without being able to articulate his style, perhaps, they have come to expect a certain familiarity, the distinct confidence that they are in familiar, reliable hands.

Behind the Screen

washingtonpost.com — Fri, 09 May 2008 12:30:00 EDT

Washington Post film critic Desson Thomson was online Friday, May 9, at 12:30 p.m. ET to discuss the latest Hollywood ("Iron Man," "Speed Racer") and indie movie offerings, and the art of film.

'Son of Rambow': Powerful Make-Believe

Desson Thomson — Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Think of John Rambo not as that kitschy Cold War warrior of the 1980s, but as a ripped personal savior.

People Who Need People

Desson Thomson — Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

"Mister Lonely" makes you expect not just the unexpected, but the downright startling.

Behind the Screen

washingtonpost.com — Fri, 02 May 2008 12:30:00 EDT

Washington Post film critic Desson Thomson was online Friday, May 2, at 12:30 p.m. ET to discuss the latest Hollyood ("Made of Honor" and "Iron Man") and indie movie offerings, and the art of film.

Tacky 'Made of Honor' Is Missing a Best Man

Desson Thomson — Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

This just in . . .

Behind the Screen

washingtonpost.com — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:30:00 EDT

Washington Post film critic Desson Thomson was online Friday, April 18, at 12:30 p.m. ET to discuss the latest Hollyood and indie movie offerings, and the art of film.

'Forgetting Sarah Marshall': Guy Loses Girl, Winningly

Desson Thomson — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

As we find ourselves watching yet another male-centric romantic comedy from Judd Apatow -- he of "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up" -- we ask ourselves: What more is there to dredge from the well of man's arrested development?

It's Chaos, but Not the Fun Kind

Desson Thomson — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

With comedies, in particular, casting is crucial.

Museum's Cinematic Bounty Leaves You Reeling

Desson Thomson — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Watching the in-house movies at the new Newseum, our first reaction is -- incoming! -- a defensive posture.

Behind the Screen

washingtonpost.com — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 12:30:00 EDT

Washington Post film critic Desson Thomson was online Friday, April 4, at 12:30 p.m. ET to discuss the latest movies including "Shine a Light," "Flawless" and "Run, Fat Boy, Run." Plus, he'd like to know what your pick is for best movie musical. Send in your choices and he'll talk about them.

Under His Thumb

Desson Thomson — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

We dream of control in modest morsels -- a little cooperation from the spouse here, a homework agreement from the teenage kid there. Maybe full and uncontested rights to the remote around March Madness time. But few of us get to enjoy Mick Jagger's 24-7 command authority in that fusion of personal and public existence he calls his life -- the one that includes the Rolling Stones.

'Flawless' Puts A Jewel of a Tale In a Perfect Setting

Desson Thomson — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EDT

"Flawless," a period yarn about diamond theft, tight-lipped secrets and moral payback, brings a deeply satisfying catharsis -- the breaking of the old boy network, an entrenched brotherhood created to protect the privileged from the rest of us. And it does so with an entertainingly nostalgic journey to old Britain -- that world we remember from long-ago Alfred Hitchcock and David Lean movies.

'21' Is Stuck With a Losing Hand

Desson Thomson — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The movie "21" offers the appealing notion that success is just a matter of number crunching and calculation. Learn to count the cards in Vegas and you'll never hurt for money again.

'Run Fatboy Run': We'd Walk, if It Weren't for Simon Pegg

Desson Thomson — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Just how bad a movie will we sit through to get our Simon Pegg on?

'Meet the Browns': Slapstick That Resonates

Desson Thomson — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EDT

To appreciate "Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns," there's really only one requirement: Loosen up.

Anthony Minghella, Bringing the Art House to the Mainstream

Desson Thomson — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Anthony Minghella brought the art house to the multiplex without forcing anyone to squirm or read subtitles. In doing so, the filmmaker created a formula that has confounded so many moviemakers since Hollywood first erected that famous shingle in the hills.

Anthony Minghella, Bringing the Art House to the Mainstream

Desson Thomson — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:03:57 EDT

Anthony Minghella brought the art house to the multiplex without forcing anyone to squirm or read subtitles. In doing so, the filmmaker created a formula that has obsessed and confounded so many moviemakers since Hollywood first erected that famous shingle in the hills.

Behind the Screen

washingtonpost.com — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 12:30:00 EDT

Washington Post film critic Desson Thomson was online Friday, March 14, at 12:30 p.m. ET to discuss his reviews of "Blindsight," "Funny Games" and "Horton Hears a Who" and the art of film.

'Horton's' Joyful Noise

Desson Thomson — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EDT

As sacred cows go, Dr. Seuss is one of America's most beloved Holsteins.

'Blindsight': The Heart Shows Climbers the Way

Desson Thomson — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EDT

What can you see from the top of Mount Everest when you're blind?

'The Bank Job': Thieves Who Steal Our Hearts

Desson Thomson — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST

"The Bank Job" doesn't just give us license to enjoy two hours of grand larceny, it turns robbery into a rousing virtue.

Behind the Screen

washingtonpost.com — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 12:30:00 EST

Post movie critic Desson Thomson talks about "Semi-Pro" and "The Other Boleyn Girl" as examples of movies that seem geared towards gender audiences.

When Hollywood Knows Its Audience (and Doesn't Like It)

Desson Thomson — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST

If gals are fools for diamonds, princes and marrying up, and guys are suckers for sports, burping and crude talk, Hollywood has the movies for both -- or thinks it does.

The Oscar Winners

washingtonpost.com — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 12:30:00 EST

Washington Post film critic Desson Thomson was online Monday, Feb. 25 at 12:30 p.m. ET to discuss this year's Academy Award winners, announced at this year's Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 24.

Filmmaker Michael Haneke Pours Blood on Troubled Waters

Desson Thomson — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST

Michael Haneke's films are audience provocations in disguise.

Schuss! Daredevils at Work!

Desson Thomson — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST

An intimate brush with death is one way to reaffirm the joy of being alive -- as any cancer or road accident survivor will tell you. But how many of us actively seek out this experience?

The Oscar for Best Party . . .

Desson Thomson — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST

Now that the Oscars are back on, everyone's happy -- none more so than Nancy Hwa.

What the Oscar Drama Needs Is Some Comic Relief

Desson Thomson — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST

If you want to win an Academy Award, for goodness' sake don't sing, dance or make 'em laugh.

Behind the Screen

washingtonpost.com — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 12:30:00 EST

Washington Post film critic Desson Thomson was online Friday, Feb. 15, at 12:30 p.m. ET to discuss current Hollywood and indie movie offerings and the art of film.

'Diary of the Dead': Zombie See, Zombie Do

Desson Thomson — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST

Zombies should comfort us. No, really. Unlike the rest of us -- so caught up in the workaday world, the day-care center pickups, the whole Sturm und Drang of living -- they are beyond anxiety. As they shuffle through panicked crowds -- strangely, trying to get away from them -- they are so relaxed. So oblivious to the screams.

Paris Hilton, Acting Like Herself Again In 'The Hottie'

Desson Thomson — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST

The Paris Hilton Question Du Jour: But can she act?

'Roscoe Jenkins': There's Fun In That Painful Family Party

Desson Thomson — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST

When it comes to connecting with audiences, Martin Lawrence knows it ain't about the plot.

Behind the Screen

washingtonpost.com — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 12:30:00 EST

Washington Post film critic Desson Thomson was online Friday, Feb. 1, at 12:30 p.m. ET to discuss current Hollywood and indie movie offerings and the art of film.

A 'Rambo' Without a Cause?

Desson Thomson — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST

"Rambo" follows the action movie's time-honored tradition of having it both ways -- ratcheting up our moral outrage at the oppressors of this world so we can enjoy the spectacle of turning them into mincemeat.

'U2 3D': It's Almost Like Being There

Desson Thomson — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST

There may be no substitute for the firsthand experience -- jostling elbow to elbow, for instance, with ecstatic fans at a U2 concert. But "U2 3D," which renders the popular band in startling, three-dimensional immediacy, shows how closely technology can match that kind of natural high.

The Oscar Nominees

washingtonpost.com — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 12:30:00 EST

Washington Post film critic Desson Thomson will be online Tuesday, Jan. 22 at 12:30 p.m. ET to discuss this year's Academy Award nominations. The nominees will be announced that morning.

Behind the Screen

washingtonpost.com — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 12:30:00 EST

Washington Post film critic Desson Thomson was online Friday, Jan. 18, at 12:30 p.m. ET to discuss acting itself, as seen this year, and in the past. What is about Daniel Day-Lewis's performance that makes "There Will Be Blood" so powerful? Why does Javier Bardem capture us so powerfully in "No Country for Old Men"? What performances this year -- or in the memorable past -- really held your attention and why?

Serving, and Missing, Another 'Match Point'

Desson Thomson — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST

Maybe it's time for Woody Allen to come home.

'Youth': Coppola's Dizzying Spin On Fleeting Time

Desson Thomson — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST

It's an unwritten rule that any venerated director who returns from a 10-year absence gets to write his own creative ticket. Especially Francis Ford Coppola. Even if the movie is the weirdest, most challenging -- for filmmaker and audience -- of his career.

Horror Without The Gore

Desson Thomson — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST

As American horror has devolved into a butcher's market, where the hacking, lopping and chopping of captives has become the central purpose, the genre has forgotten to care about the people doing all the screaming -- you know, the "us" in the movie.

Behind the Screen

washingtonpost.com — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 12:30:00 EST

Washington Post film critic Desson Thomson was online Friday, Jan. 4, at 12:30 p.m. ET to discuss "The Orphanage," There Will Be Blood," and many other Hollywood and indie movie releases. Plus, a look at the best films of '07.

If These Walls Could Talk, They'd Scream

Desson Thomson — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST

"The Orphanage" doesn't need special effects to haunt us -- just one delicately disturbing idea: The most powerful ghosts are the ones we create ourselves.

An Actress Who's As Great as the Sum of Her Parts

Desson Thomson — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST

On-screen, Laura Linney rarely enjoys the more obviously transformative roles that so many actresses clamor for -- the kinds that require wigs or prostheses or bulletproof bracelets. She's the nameless prosecutor, the cool FBI supervisor, the long-suffering wife, but never Marie Antoinette, Virginia Woolf or Wonder Woman. And in "The Savages," opening Friday, she's a lowercase being again, an emotionally immature daughter trying to find a nursing home for her estranged father.

Behind the Screen

washingtonpost.com — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 12:30:00 EST

Washington Post film critic Desson Thomson was online Friday, Dec. 14, at 12:30 p.m. ET to discuss "I Am Legend," "Juno," "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," and many other Hollywood and indie movie releases, plus the Golden Globe nominations.

Shapely Travolta, 'Atonement,' HBO Nab Nominations For Golden Globes

Desson Thomson — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST

It's that rare time of year when comedies and musicals are guaranteed to get the love with their very own awards categories -- thank you very much, Hollywood Foreign Press Association -- as "Hairspray," "Sweeney Todd" and the Beatles music-driven "Across the Universe" were nominated as the Golden Globes' best motion picture -- musical or comedy. Claiming the remaining two spots were the offbeat comedy "Juno" and the satirical "Charlie Wilson's War" (nominated for five awards).

Not Quite A Living 'Legend'

Desson Thomson — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST

When it comes to playing the hero in computer-generated sci-fi movies -- good, medium or hokey -- Will Smith is our designated human.

Expect the Unexpected From 'Juno'

Desson Thomson — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST

Thinking of "Juno" as just a teenage comedy would be a truly patronizing misstep. Though it centers on the emotional uncertainties of a 16-year-old girl, and though it's laugh-out-loud funny, it's anything but genre-fried hokum. In fact, it transforms an outwardly mundane story line into something extraordinarily affecting.

'Atonement' Leads the Pack With 7 Golden Globe Nominations

Desson Thomson — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 12:08:00 EST

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association gave foreign-fisted pumps in the air for British prestige picture "Atonement" this morning. The tony production took seven nominations for the association's Golden Globes, including for Best Picture and three out of the four acting categories.

Diablo Cody: From G-String to A-List

Desson Thomson — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST

As Hollywood success stories go, Diablo Cody's is a postmodern doozy.

Behind the Screen

washingtonpost.com — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 12:30:00 EST

Washington Post film critic Desson Thomson was online Friday, Dec. 7, at 12:30 p.m. ET to discuss "Atonement," "The Kite Runner," "Juno," "Revolver," "I Am Legend," "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," "The Savages" and many other Hollywood and indie movie releases.

Welcome to Tinseltown

Desson Thomson — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST

Going to the movies, as opposed to staying in, has become something of an ordeal in recent years. But we continue to do it, especially this time of year when the studios send out their Oscar bait and prestige pictures.

Hollywood's Avant-Garde Storyteller

Desson Thomson — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 00:00:00 EST

Why make a movie about Bob Dylan and cast a half-dozen actors to play the living legend?

Blood Ties, Cutting Some Deep Wounds

Desson Thomson — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 00:00:00 EST

"Margot at the Wedding" is for those who couldn't get enough of the dysfunctional family conflict in Noah Baumbach's "The Squid and the Whale."

'Redacted': Actually, It Shows Us Too Much

Desson Thomson — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:00:00 EST

Movies about Iraq have essentially arrived in two forms: critically acclaimed documentaries, and feature films that have bombed at the box office. Which is why a movie from Brian De Palma about the military occupation that employs both genres in a timely synthesis sounded awfully compelling. Sounded.

Behind the Screen

washingtonpost.com — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 12:30:00 EST

Washington Post film critic Desson Thomson was online Friday, Nov. 9, at 12:30 p.m. ET to discuss "American Gangster," "No Country for Old Men," "Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten" and other Hollywood and indie movie offerings.

'Strummer': In the Spirit Of the Clash's Punk God

Desson Thomson — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 00:00:00 EST

"Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten" may not summon the British rocker from the dead, but it gives us the next best thing -- a cozy fireside encounter with the punk era's greatest poet.

Watch 'Em and Weep

Desson Thomson — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Why do we cry at the movies?

Bumbling 'Bee Movie' Needs More of Jerry

Desson Thomson — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Hey, Jerry Seinfeld, mind if we call you "Jerry" or "Jer"? After all, we've logged in so many hours on the sofa watching you and the crew on TV's "Seinfeld," we feel we know you.

In 'Control,' A Rock Star's Painful Pursuit Of Happiness

Desson Thomson — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 00:00:00 EDT

"Control," which culminates with the 1980 suicide of English pop star Ian Curtis, isn't designed to send us home with a fuzzy glow in the heart. But this unsentimental treatment of the musician's tortured life moves us in ways more conventional rock-star biopics rarely do -- by making us appreciate the happiness that always eluded him.

Behind the Screen

washingtonpost.com — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 12:30:00 EDT

Washington Post film critic Desson Thomson was online Friday, Oct. 26, at 12:30 p.m. ET to discuss the current Hollywood and indie movie offerings and the art of film.

Behind the Screen

washingtonpost.com — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 12:30:00 EDT

Washington Post film critic Desson Thomson was online Friday, Oct. 12, at 12:30 p.m. ET to discuss the current movie offerings, including his reviews of "Rush Hour 3," "Daddy Day Camp" and "Interview."

Full-Court Dress

Desson Thomson — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Just in time for Halloween, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" is here to tell us that evoking England's greatest queen is just a matter of finding the right gown, ruffled collar and frizzy wig. That seems to be the only purpose of this much-anticipated follow-up to 1998's "Elizabeth," which thrilled audiences with its spirited embrace of history and the introduction of a fiery newcomer named Cate Blanchett.

Behind the Screen

washingtonpost.com — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 12:30:00 EDT

Washington Post film critic Desson Thomson was online Friday, Oct. 5, at 12:30 p.m. ET to discuss the current movie offerings, including his reviews of "Rush Hour 3," "Daddy Day Camp" and "Interview."

'Heartbreak Kid': And Now, You May Ditch the Bride

Desson Thomson — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT

We feel soiled.

'Lust, Caution's' Open Hearts Aren't For Closed Minds

Desson Thomson — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT

"Lust, Caution," a "romance noir" set in Japanese-occupied Shanghai, makes a powerful case for love as a transcendental force that draws people together, no matter how perverse audiences may deem their relationship.

A New Star Holds the Keys to 'The Kingdom'

Desson Thomson — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Watching "The Kingdom," we're supposed to be taken up with Jamie Foxx as an FBI agent who defies his bosses and flies into Saudi Arabia, determined to identify the perpetrators of a terrorist attack. But instead, we're drawn to a lowly Saudi police official who has the job of guiding the American visitor through this complicated culture.

Behind the Screen

washingtonpost.com — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 12:30:00 EDT

Washington Post film critic Desson Thomson was online Friday, Sept. 14, at 12:30 p.m. ET to discuss the current movie offerings, including his reviews of "Rush Hour 3," "Daddy Day Camp" and "Interview."

'December Boys': Daniel Radcliffe's Scoring Opportunity

Desson Thomson — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 00:00:00 EDT

You're Daniel Radcliffe and you've become virtually synonymous with Harry Potter, the fictional magician you played in five -- eventually to be seven -- blockbuster hits. But you want to move on. You want to show the world what you can do without wand, cape or Quidditch broom. But how?

Reaching Out Beyond the Grave

Desson Thomson — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 00:00:00 EDT

"Forever" proves once and for all there is life after death, though not necessarily for the dead.

David Cronenberg, Dead Serious

Desson Thomson — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 00:00:00 EDT

When David Cronenberg brings violence to the screen, it feels like something directed at our moral consciences as much as at the dead, bleeding bodies sprawled in front of us.

Behind the Screen

washingtonpost.com — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 12:30:00 EDT

'Eastern Promises,' Crossing Many Borders

Desson Thomson — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Gangland thriller, murder mystery, immigration saga, family parable -- you can pin a lot of labels on "Eastern Promises," but they don't adhere for long.

'Deep Water': A Stirring Odyssey of Man Against the Sea

Desson Thomson — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Stories of valor and intrepidness usually end in glory -- the battle won, the mountain conquered, the kingdom saved. But what of the would-be heroes who falter because of their moral shortcomings? And what of their emotional damage afterward, the heartbreak of their families and, in the case of the eloquently told documentary "Deep Water," the dashed expectations of all the supporters who waved their Union Jacks one late October day in 1968 for Donald Crowhurst?

'Superbad,' Serving The Greater Good

Desson Thomson — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Was there anything to be learned from a second viewing of "Superbad," a movie that is not only crude and lewd but makes more casual mention of the male sexual organ within two hours than Alfred Kinsey did in a lifetime? Actually, there was, I found, if you watched it next to someone for whom the movie defines his life and amounts to a birds-and-the-bees briefing -- teen to teen.

Behind the Screen

washingtonpost.com — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 12:30:00 EDT

Washington Post film critic Desson Thomson was online Friday, Aug. 31, at 12:30 p.m. ET to discuss the current movie offerings, including his reviews of "Rush Hour 3," "Daddy Day Camp" and "Interview."

In 'Death Sentence,' No Method to Dad's Madness

Desson Thomson — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 00:00:00 EDT

In "Death Sentence," Kevin Bacon may not be the baddest dad who ever cocked a shotgun in the name of his family, but he's the most insanely inscrutable.

'Rocket Science': Inspiring Teen Tale Achieves Liftoff

Desson Thomson — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 00:00:00 EDT

We've seen enough movies about the horror of being young and dorky -- and Lord knows how many of us have suffered through that larva stage. So why live through it again?

Angry -- but Embraceable -- Young Men

Desson Thomson — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 00:00:00 EDT

"This Is England," a 1980s-set memoir about skinheads, Doc Martens and Maggie Thatcher, reaches us powerfully across the vales of culture and time.

Behind the Screen

washingtonpost.com — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:30:00 EDT

Washington Post film critic Desson Thomson was online Friday, Aug. 10, at 12:30 p.m. ET to discuss the current movie offerings, including his reviews of "Rush Hour 3," "Daddy Day Camp" and "Interview."

Tucker, Chan Still Provide a 'Rush'

Desson Thomson — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 00:00:00 EDT

A critic is bound by honesty. So at the risk of eternal humiliation in the Internet stockade, I must admit I laughed -- and was even touched by -- "Rush Hour 3."

'Interview' Doesn't Have Much to Say

Desson Thomson — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 00:00:00 EDT

The story behind "Interview," which stars Steve Buscemi as a hard-news reporter and Sienna Miller as the celebrity he's forced to interview, turns out to be more interesting than the movie itself.

'Camp' Gooding: Art & Craft Aren't In the Program

Desson Thomson — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 00:00:00 EDT

We come to bury Cuba Gooding Jr., not to praise him.

'Arctic Tale' Has The Heartwarming Stuff Down Cold

Desson Thomson — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 00:00:00 EDT

"Arctic Tale" wants to celebrate everything that's pure and authentic about nature, but is the spectacle of walruses sunning themselves to Sister Sledge's "We Are Family" the way to do it?

The Unblinking 'I'

Desson Thomson — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 00:00:00 EDT

The idea of greatness often stops us. Beethoven? Van Gogh? Babe Ruth? Jackie "the Great One" Gleason? All have earned the g-word without so much as a whimper of protest. We know the arcing home run, the painting of a starry night, the spine-tingling crescendos fill us with inexpressible joy. But why were they great?

March of the Cuddly-Wuddly Documentaries

Desson Thomson — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Call it the "fuzzumentary," this new documentary sub-genre in which creatures of the wild -- think the birds of "Winged Migration," or the emperors of "March of the Penguins" -- are turned into almost-human characters on the big screen. Wildlife footage is combined with an off-screen narrator to concoct a G-rated story of loyalty, survival, family togetherness and other themes designed to draw human empathy.