50/50 Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) Cancer, sadly, is something most people need to deal with sometime in their lives, whether it’s their own diagnosis or that of a family member or friend. That’s what makes 50/50 so believable and relatable. It looks at one young man’s diagnosis of a rare form of the disease, the way he […]
Dream House Review
RATING: (1 STAR) Dream House is a B-movie with A-list talent and a story that’s an F-minus, maybe worse. It’s not just that we’ve seen elements of this film a thousand times before. Rather, it’s the nonsensical composition of them that boggles my mind. Where’s the sense of dread, the slow-burn pacing that’s so integral […]
Revolutionary Road Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) Revolutionary Road is one of the most literary adaptations I’ve seen in some time. By that, I mean the film looks, sounds, and is structured as if it was directed by the source’s author Richard Yates, rather than Sam Mendes. That’s not a bad thing, per se. In fact, I think it […]
Interiors Review
RATING: (3 STARS) After directing the Best Picture-winning Annie Hall, Woody Allen was essentially given the keys to the castle, and with them, he made Interiors, his first foray into pure drama—a genre he’d later perfect with Crimes and Misdemeanors and Match Point. Watching him go serious for the first time, however, is an interesting, […]
Moneyball Review
RATING: (4 STARS) While Moneyball might seem like an odd cinematic fit, the dream writing team of Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zailian transform the story of the 2002 Oakland A’s into something exciting, emotionally-involving, and surprisingly thoughtful. Though the film (thankfully) doesn’t shy away from the nuts and bolts of building a successful baseball team, […]
Senna
Senna takes the idea of a non-fiction film to a whole new level. The film’s presentation isn’t that of your average documentary. Instead of talking heads and flashy visuals, the film is composed entirely of archival footage, with an unseen first-hand interview thrown in here and there. It makes the film, about the life and […]
Manhattan Murder Mystery Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) Few would dispute that Woody Allen’s most fertile period was the late 1970s. Annie Hall and Manhattan are two of cinema’s most valued treasures, and for good reason. They are transcendent films, full of several magical moments. Allen’s 1980s pictures are also (mostly) exceptional. Crimes and Misdemeanors might be my favorite Allen […]
Drive Review
RATING: (3 STARS) Drive occupies a totally unique space on the cinematic continuum, existing somewhere among Death Wish, Double Indemnity, Batman, and Miami Vice. However, it’s not the pulse-pounding, excitement-generating movie you might expect. It unfolds at a very slow pace, and the plot is kept to a minimum. The film instead relies on style […]
Straw Dogs (2011) Review
RATING: (3 STARS) The 1972 version of Straw Dogs is the kind of movie that’s admirable, but tough to enjoy. It’s just not a fun movie experience, and its 2011 remake—directed by Rod Lurie—isn’t much more fun. Lurie’s version is actually a good film; It’s well-shot, well-acted, and very suspenseful. But I never want to […]
Warrior Review
RATING: (3 STARS) Warrior is too long. It’s cliched as hell. It’s manipulative. Parts feel forced and artificial. It’s overstuffed with subplots. And it’s totally unbelievable. But hell if I didn’t get caught up in it all. I found myself groaning and rolling my eyes far more than I’d like, but I’m a sucker for […]
Contagion Review
RATING: (4 STARS) By staying away from the familiar conventions of most thrillers, Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion manages to reach a level of believability and natural tension that I thought impossible out of a film like this. There are no chases, nor are there any heroes and villains. In fact, the characters in Contagion take a […]
Hanna Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) Hanna isn’t quite the film you’d expect from director Joe Wright. The man who directed Pride and Prejudice and Atonement does an action-thriller? It’s an odd match on paper, but it works on film—at least as far as the story will allow. Wright’s film looks gorgeous. It sounds terrific. Yet, it’s totally […]
Win Win Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) As a drama, Win Win is exceptional—not unlike director Tom McCarthy’s last feature, The Visitor. Unfortunately, it occasionally gets its feet wet with comedy, which slightly derails the film. But on the whole, the good moments far outweigh the bad. This is definitely one of the year’s best independent efforts so far. […]
Everything Must Go Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) There’s a point in almost every comedian’s career at which he decides it’s time to get serious. Adam Sandler had Punch-Drunk Love. Jim Carrey had The Truman Show. Robin Williams had Dead Poets Society. Now, Will Ferrell has Everything Must Go. The film, writer/director Dan Rush’s debut, is completely devoid of Ferrell’s […]
Diabolique Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) Director Henri-Georges Clouzot is often referred to as the “French Hitchcock.” If that’s the case, I’d call The Wages of Fear his Psycho and Diabolique his Vertigo. The two former films reinvented cinema as we know it and represent the pinnacle of their respective genres. The two latter films aren’t quite on […]
The Wages of Fear Review
RATING: (4 STARS) The Wages of Fear is filmmaking at its absolute finest. The tension and anxiety you’ll feel watching this film is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. My body was still, my breathing sporadic for nearly two and a half hours as director Henri-Georges Clouzot’s accomplishes something I rarely see (and may have never […]
