Emelie Battaglia

April 29, 2010

Not-So-Loveable “Losers” **

By Emelie Battaglia

What's great about movies like "The Losers" is the lack of intelligence required to enjoy them.

April 21, 2010

It Really IS “Kick-Ass” ****

By Emelie Battaglia

Have you always wanted to be a superhero? Well, if you weren't already trained to be one by age 11, you might reconsider after seeing "Kick-Ass," the newest and hippest action-adventure flick of the season.

April 14, 2010

A Perfect “Date” Flick ***

By Emelie Battaglia

To bring down Titans, you need power, and this weekend, the laughs brought the heavy artillery.

April 8, 2010

A Perfect “Bedtime” Story

By Emelie Battaglia

Last week at Center Stage Theater, UCSB Theater & Dance Dept.'s Ellen K. Anderson unveiled her original play "Bedtime in Detroit" to Santa Barbara audiences. Debuting in New York a year ago, the script is a unique love s...

April 7, 2010

A Perfect “Bedtime” Story

By Emelie Battaglia

March 4, 2010

Smith Doesn’t Quite “Cop Out” ***

By Emelie Battaglia

You may think that Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan make the worst pairing since Eddie Murphy and Robert De Niro in "Showtime." Strangely, you would be wrong.

February 25, 2010

This “Guy” Is Decent ** and 1/2

By Emelie Battaglia

The job of a narrator is to take you on a journey. As a viewer, you have to trust that what you're being told on this journey is the truth. But what if it's not? That's the question that Julio DePietro's "The Good Guy" t...

February 18, 2010

A Night With the Stars

By Emelie Battaglia

While most actors would let a moderator get away with being a bore, Gabourey Sidibe ("Precious") -- who was receiving her Virtuosos Award at the Cinema Vanguards event Friday evening -- did just the opposite. Roger Durli...

February 11, 2010

Bullock Storms the Riviera

By Emelie Battaglia

If Sandra Bullock had it her way, she'd be taking the 200-liter bottle of Chopin Potato Vodka at the door of Arlington Theatre last Friday night back home with her.

February 4, 2010

The Ruins of “Rome” *

By Emelie Battaglia

Oh, Veronica Mars, how far you have fallen. You went from a sarcastic, witty teen detective to a flat, broken slapstick humorist. "When in Rome" just happens to be your latest sad attempt at moving beyond the small scree...

January 28, 2010

“Legion” = Unholy Failure * 1/2

By Emelie Battaglia

The single redeeming value of "Legion" is that it only takes itself half seriously. Unfortunately, neither half really merits watching.

January 21, 2010

“Eli” Doesn’t Rewrite the Book **

By Emelie Battaglia

Walking into the theater, I wasn't sure what to expect of the Hughes Brothers' latest flick. Of course, that may be the curse of January film drudge more than anything else, but "The Book of Eli" was surprisingly worth t...

January 7, 2010

Love, Senior-Citizen Style ***

By Emelie Battaglia

Filmed and set in our own Santa Barbara, Nancy Meyers' new romantic comedy, "It's Complicated," delivers the laughs and a hell of a view along with it.

November 19, 2009

“Pirates” Is Captivating ****

By Emelie Battaglia

November 12, 2009

Ordinary “Men” ** (and 1/2)

By Emelie Battaglia

Maybe it's the way the author of the novel, Jon Ronson, wanted it. Maybe it's the all-star cast with the less-than-stellar script from screenwriter Peter Straughan. Either way, Grant Heslov's "The Men Who Stare at Goats"...

October 22, 2009

The “Paranormal” Phenomenon ****

By Emelie Battaglia

It only took one million online demands for the independently produced "Paranormal Activity" to be distributed to theaters nationwide, but it has finally arrived. And boy was it worth it.