http://www.inlander.com/spokane/articles.sec-53-1-dvd-review.html Strange though it may seem, “American” might be a perfect word for describing the sorely missed comedian Bill Hicks. The man spent a majority of his comic career tearing the American government a new one, but his bold defiance of conformity and his devotion to strong opinions are among the most American values there are.]]> Dave Grohl started the Foo Fighters after Kurt Cobain committed suicide. The death of the nirvana frontman left Grohl confused and unemployed. He holed up in his house, wasting away for eight months. And then one day, he decided to haul a guitar, bass and drums to a local recording studio to record some tracks.]]> Why are these alien kids so important? And why are the bad aliens so inconsistent in their badness (they could be having fun decimating 6 billion plus humans, instead of hunting down one random bland blond kid)? Who cares! John Smith (the...]]> i’ve been a fan since connick’s early days. at 18, he moved from new orleans to new York and played the local watering holes, perfecting his repertoire of the Great american songbook. at 20, he recorded 20 — a brilliant record with just him and his piano.]]> The Chateau Marmont is a hotel in West Hollywood that has become infamous as a sanctuary for celebrities. Keanu Reeves lived there for years. Lindsay Lohan sought refuge there after a 2007 drunk drivi]]> Inspired-by-a-true-story stories usually carry several weaknesses. real life doesn’t follow the classic rising-action/falling-action formula. and stories of an entire life are so dense that compressing them into a few hours often eliminates the chance for greater meaning.]]> the only real mystery here is why Depp took this role. our best guess is that the world’s sexiest Man wanted to see if he could play a schlub. (he can. still, this is the worst Depp has ever looked in a film. and his character is utterly forgettable.).]]> Charles Ferguson zooms in on iceland. at the beginning of his oscar-winning documentary about the global financial crisis, he focuses on the quiet island nation that, in 2000, began to undertake “one of the purest experiments in financial deregulation ever conducted,” as the gentle narration of Matt Damon informs us.]]> Watch one of those videos of would-be suicide bombers promising fiery death to the great Western serpent or whatever, and it’s hard not to see the future terrorists as pure evil. But watch the b-roll from the same videos. When the terrorists don’t think the camera’s on, they become real people — joking, laughing, relaxed.]]> Two men ride in the backseat of a car driven by Jacques Mesrine (Vincent Cassel), who for a time was infamous as France’s vaguely elitist version of John Dillinger. The passengers are a rotund Gérard Depardieu and a well-dressed Arabic pimp.]]> Looking for a quick fix — maybe some kind of anti-adolescence serum? — Craig goes to the emergency room. Can’t they just give him some pills that will make him think less suicide-y and more college-application-y? Nope. Instead, Craig gets a five-day stay in the psych ward.]]> Add in an out-of-town business meeting in exotic New Orleans, and you’ve got the basics that will lead a middle-aged guy to an awkward meeting with a stripper. That’s fine first-draft material, but it lacks the complexity needed to make this film sparkle.]]> The carefree and joyous students of Halesham, a remote English boarding school, are bright, attractive, and prone to all the usual childhood complaints, from fighting when they shouldn’t and falling into heartbreaking romances at ever-so tender ages.]]> Last year, a documentary adaptation covered the same ground, with a $10 million budget, a lineup of star directors, and the full arsenal of stylistic tricks that “docutainment” masters like Michael Moore and Morgan Spurlock use to create smash hits. (Spurlock writes and directs episodes here, too.]]> Sure, it’s a cheap, B-movie that relies on naked women (including Lindsay Lohan) and skull-cracking fistfights to entertain macho audiences and maintain the director’s filmic style. Ultimately, however, Machete.]]> the story focuses on nev, a young, good-looking photographer, who one day receives a painting from an 8-year-old fan named abby. she lives in small-town Michigan, and the two begin e-mailing, with abby’s replies mostly written by her mom. eventually, as relationships tend to evolve these days, they become friends on Facebook.]]> also, the humans lack a goal. there’s talk of needing to “get out” of the building but no discussion of a safe haven or solution. one would also expect the characters to be seeking out new information, but in La Horde.]]> In one scene, clooney has grown suspicious of the gold-hearted hooker he has befriended (the stunning Violante Placido). Must be all the stress. so he takes another drive, enters yet another phone booth, calls his spymaster and argues with him, broods in yet another cafe over yet another cup of espresso.]]> Walt Disney movies are the stuff of legends. Literally. Our most popular fables and myths are not Aesop’s, nor from the Brothers Grimm, but the story of a plucky meerkat and warthog who help a lion king regain his throne. It’s an abundance of dalmatians matching wits against the female personification of the devil.]]> the documentary consists of footage shot by two journalists, sebastian Junger and tim hetherington, who accompanied the platoon for the duration of their stay, and one-on-one interviews conducted after their return home.]]>