Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Review
RATING: (3 STARS) For many, Prisoner of Azkaban marks the apex of the Harry Potter film series. I don’t share that belief, but I do think it’s one of the series’ better entries. Somewhat ironically, most of my issues stem from the narrative itself. I think Prisoner of Azkaban is easily the weakest novel in […]
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Review
RATING: (2 STARS) After Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, one would think it was time for the Harry Potter series to dispense of introductions and the real childlike qualities that, while necessary, held the first film back a bit. I guess director Chris Columbus (back for some reason after the first film) didn’t get […]
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Review
RATING: (3 STARS) In 2001, the Harry Potter phenomenon finally hit the big screen. The first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, perfectly captures the sense of childlike wonder any of us would feel if we went to a school of magic. The film adaptation, directed by Chris Columbus, does the […]
Gosford Park Review
RATING: (3 STARS) It takes great skill to make a film like Gosford Park. Besides the obvious technical work needed to create the world of this film, director Robert Altman also must work hard to manage a group of nearly 25 important characters. And each actor needs to know his or her place in the […]
The Princess and the Frog Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) I’m not sure how this delightful film slipped through the cracks until now, but The Princess and the Frog (like Fantastic Mr. Fox the same year) is proof that Pixar isn’t the only studio that can turn out high-quality animated films that work for both children and adults (granted this is a […]
Panic Room Review
RATING: (3 STARS) Panic Room is arguably David Fincher’s most problematic film. Yet, this is a rare instance in which the technical aspects of the film are so admirable and strong that you can overlook the massive narrative hiccups and actually enjoy the end product. Too often, the needs of the plot drive the actions […]
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Review
RATING: (4 STARS) Until 2008, David Fincher was primarily a genre director—a damn good one, for sure, but a genre director nonetheless. With Se7en and Zodiac, many would argue that his specialty was serial killer films. So I think it surprised a lot of people that he was taking on a project as complex and […]
Zodiac Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) Ask a random assortment of film lovers what their favorite David Fincher film is and there’s a good chance a majority will vote for Zodiac, the director’s 2007 look at the effects of a serial killer in 1970s San Francisco. Strangely enough, I find Zodiac to be among Fincher’s least successful efforts. […]
Casino Royale Review
RATING: (4 STARS) I’ve written around these parts before that I’m a big James Bond fan. I grew up watching the movies, and they turned out to be like a gateway drug for me—after watching them so many times, I began to experiment with other types of movies until I became a full-on film addict. […]
The Bourne Identity Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) It was old-fashioned and a new breed of spy film at the same time, and it ended up being one of the most influential films of the past decade. Doug Liman’s The Bourne Identity is a great action film that feels very cold but still manages to engage on a number of […]
9 Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) 9, not to be confused with Nine, the Rob Marshall musical which also came out in 2009, is another in a long line of post-apocalyptic films from the past few years. Two things separate it from films like Children of Men, The Road, and The Book of Eli. The first is obvious—9 […]
Munich Review
RATING: (4 STARS) The buzz around the opening of Steven Spielberg’s Munich back in 2005 was deafening. After a shift into more commercial projects (A.I., Catch Me if You Can, Minority Report, The Terminal, War of the Worlds), the director finally transitioned back to the kind of film that won him an Oscar. But many […]
The Damned United Review
RATING: (3 STARS) The Damned United is a delightful little film made for a very specific audience—English soccer fans. The fact that I’m not part of that demographic didn’t prevent me from enjoying it, but it did keep me a little at arm’s length. Director Tom Hooper, writer Peter Morgan, and star Michael Sheen are […]
The Cove
I’ve said before on this blog that I’ve never really been a huge fan of documentaries. To be fair, I don’t watch all that many (maybe three or four per year on average, although a quick survey of 2010’s slate of non-fiction tells me that number will be much higher). I think the reason I […]
Me and Orson Welles Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) With the exception of one outstanding performance, Me and Orson Welles is completely disposable. An awkward mix of romantic comedy, theater drama, and coming-of-age story, the film isn’t original and doesn’t say anything particularly interesting. But Christian McKay’s brilliant work as the enormously charming, yet painfully controlling Welles is on par with […]
Up Review
RATING: (4 STARS) Up is without a doubt one of Pixar’s best films. The film’s first scene is one of the most sublime cinematic moments I’ve ever experienced. And while the rest of the film doesn’t quite measure up to that level of greatness, it’s still a rousing adventure, complete with all the humor and […]
