Unstoppable Review
RATING: (3 STARS) I don’t think Tony Scott gets enough credit as a director. His films, I guess, are somewhat disposable, but he knows how to make an old-school action flick. I didn’t care for his 2009 entry, The Taking of Pelham 123, but Man on Fire, Déjà Vu, and his latest, Unstoppable are fun, […]
The Ten Best Films of 2009
This was a very good year in film, and my first (partial) year as a blogger. Below are the ten films that have best stood the test of time. 10.) In the Loop Profanity has never been better used than in this frightening satire of government ineptitude. The film is very British and very, very […]
The Fighter Review
RATING: (3 STARS) In this corner, weighing in at approximately 700 pounds—the dynamic acting foursome of Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, and Mark Wahlberg. And in this corner, weighing in at a whopping 2,000 pounds—a ton of dysfunctional family- and boxing-movie clichés. David O. Russell’s The Fighter was a real slugfest between these two […]
Mother and Child Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) Those of you who found Crash—or Clint Eastwood’s clunker Hereafter—unwatchable should stay far, far away from Rodrigo Garcia’s Mother and Child. It’s the kind of film that starts in several very different places and seeks to weave all of its threads together. But while I thought Paul Haggis’ film was engaging (if […]
TRON: Legacy Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) TRON: Legacy is a film essentially devoid of any surprises. Anyone who has seen the original TRON will likely go in expecting something great-looking, great-sounding, and incredibly goofy. And that’s precisely what this film is. The plot is laughable, but there is some fun to be had. The visual effects, however, are […]
Black Swan Review
RATING: (3 STARS) Black Swan represents the kind of ambitious, stylish filmmaking that’s easy to admire, tough to love, and impossible to forget. It’s a very visceral film that gets under your skin and stays there. Comparisons to director Darren Aronofsky’s last film—The Wrestler—are apt, though where that film was a quiet contemplation on a […]
Restrepo
When I was in journalism school, I had a professor who just fawned over Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington. He said they were among the elite in the profession, that these were men we should strive to emulate in our careers. Their war documentary, Restrepo, shows the kind of journalistic ambition and integrity that I […]
The Ten Best Films of 2007
10.) Ratatouille After its lackluster 2006 effort, Cars (which inexplicably earned a sequel, coming in 2011), Pixar bounced back in a big way with its love letter to the beauty of France and French cooking. It’s perhaps the great animation studio’s best written film (along with Toy Story 3), and the animation, it goes without […]
Agora Review
RATING: (2 STARS) You certainly can’t fault Agora director Alejandro Amenabar for not being ambitious. His sword-and-sandals drama tries to connect stories related to religious intolerance, the alignment of the universe, and the love of a slave for his master. He isn’t wholly unsuccessful—the film has some very powerful moments—but there are far more misses […]
How to Train Your Dragon Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) For the most part, I find Dreamworks animation quite underwhelming. Maybe the tendency to compare their films to Pixar’s far-superior efforts clouds my objectivity, but other than the first Shrek and, to a lesser extent, Kung Fu Panda, I can’t even say I enjoy their films. It’s hard to say whether How […]
Sense and Sensibility Review
RATING: (4 STARS) In high school English class, I was the kid who usually didn’t bother reading the assigned novels. Victorian-style lit wasn’t really my thing. Unfortunately for me, filmmakers seem to love these types of stories. We’ve got plenty screen interpretations of Wuthering Heights, Pride and Prejudice, The Scarlet Letter, and Jane Eyre (with […]
Exit Through the Gift Shop
My thoughts going into Banksy’s Exit Through the Gift Shop were summed up perfectly by one art patron in the film: “It’s one of those thing I’m not quite sure what I’m in for, but I’m excited about it.†My thoughts after seeing it are all over the place, but I still remain excited about […]
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Review
RATING: (2 STARS) I’m no fan of The Twilight Saga. The films are awkward, forced, poorly written, and feature worse acting than many soap operas. But I’ve seen the first two, so I feel obligated to finish the series out. For better or worse, I will find out how Bella, Edward, and Jacob resolve this […]
The Ten Best Films of 2006
10.) Notes on a Scandal Outstanding acting and a tight story elevate this film above a few cringe-worthy moments related to its conclusion. Cate Blanchett was robbed of a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. 9.) The Prestige Christopher Nolan can do anything, including early-20th century magic thrillers, apparently. The Prestige is a film that’s all story, […]
Inside Job
Charles Ferguson’s Inside Job is the kind of film that gets under your skin and stays with you. That’s not something I normally get out of documentaries (though 2009’s The Cove certainly stayed with me for quite some time), but this one, a searing expose on the current financial crisis freaked me out. It explains […]
Cairo Time Review
RATING: (3 STARS) I watched Cairo Time and I Am Love back to back, and the two films make for a really interesting study. Their themes are quite similar—woman past her prime finds love at an unexpected time. But they’re executed so differently. While I Am Love goes off a cliff in the final 45 […]
