Sin Nombre Review
RATING: (3 STARS) “Sin Nombre,†the debut feature from director Cary Fukunaga, comes along at a time when its subject (immigration) has become a heated political issue. Shockingly, the film is pretty apolitical. It has some things to say, but these points are more related to gangs and violence in general. What the film has […]
Memento Review
RATING: (4 STARS) It was the film that introduced us all to Christopher Nolan. But “Memento†is more noteworthy than that. It’s a sensational story of a damaged man and his backward quest for revenge. The film does so many things right, but its premise and style are unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. “Memento†[…]
Kill Bill Review
RATING: (4 STARS) I’m choosing to write about both volumes of Quentin Tarantino’s epic samurai revenge saga “Kill Bill†in one article because they are so inextricably linked. More so than even “The Lord of the Rings†trilogy, these two films feel as if they should be one. For the longest time, I refused to […]
Chéri Review
RATING: (2 STARS) I remember first hearing about Cheri shortly after the Oscar ceremony in 2009. It was time for everyone’s year-in-advance predictions, and at the top of many Best Actress lists was Michelle Pfeiffer. And for good reason. She’s a well-respected actress who has never won an Oscar, and she was being directed in […]
Training Day Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) Training Day is a rare beast—a cop movie that’s about more than a clichéd crime and investigation. This film, a very personal one for director Antoine Fuqua, raises questions about the meaning of justice, the point of it, and the lengths one will go to in order to ensure it. And it’s […]
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Review
RATING: (2 STARS) This review will likely sound a lot more positive than the star rating indicates. That’s because I actually kind of begrudgingly enjoyed it—but in a “that was so bad, it’s good†sort of way. If you take it as a comedy, the film is moderately funny (although the scenes that are supposed […]
Mystic River Review
RATING: (4 STARS) Mystic River vs. Million Dollar Baby. It’s a debate I’ve had over and over again (with myself, pathetically). Most would agree that Clint Eastwood has undergone some kind of renaissance in recent years. Did it peak with the esteemed director’s 2004 Best Picture winner? Or has it been downhill since the 2003 […]
The Invention of Lying Review
RATING: (3 STARS) I remember watching “Ghost Town†in 2008 and thinking, “Is this really the best Ricky Gervais could do?†Granted, he wasn’t responsible for the material, but I don’t think there are many people funnier than the man who created the original “The Office,†and his major film debut was just so ordinary. […]
Appaloosa Review
RATING: (3 STARS) The western is one of my favorite genres of film. They take you to a time that’s alien to us—a time when laws and morals were different, almost incomprehensible to what we know today. It’s also a time that’s been captured many times on film, but not so much recently. Every year, […]
The Young Victoria Review
RATING: (3 STARS) European royalty dramas are a dime a dozen. The last decade has seen films about Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Elizabeth II, Marie Antoinette, among many others. The close of the decade brought another such film—Jean-Marc Vallée’s “The Young Victoria†about the early years of the reign of Britain’s longest serving monarch. The […]
Whip It Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) The best thing I can say about “Whip It†is that it’s competent. It doesn’t make any major mistakes, and it tells its story well. Unfortunately, it’s all so safe that it’s hard to muster up much enthusiasm about it. The only interesting thing about it is the device it uses to […]
Million Dollar Baby Review
RATING: (4 STARS) It was supposed to be the year of Martin Scorsese. The Aviator had all the makings of an Oscar darling—it was a biopic with great acting, direction, and technical features. But all of a sudden, at the end of December, a little film called “Million Dollar Baby†gets released and knocks just […]
Summer Hours Review
RATING: (3 STARS) It’s with bated breath that I wait to see director Olivier Assayas’ “Carlos†this fall. I might end up hating it, but long (this one’s over 5 hours), epic movies like this always intrigue me. That anticipation came to a head with some glowing reviews out of Cannes, so I decided to […]
The Twilight Saga: New Moon Review
RATING: (1.5 STARS) When on vacation with a group, one does things one might not normally do by his or herself. So when it was decided we would all be watching “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,†I had little choice but to oblige. Two hours and ten minutes later, I wished I had gone for […]
Inglourious Basterds Review
RATING: (4 STARS) You know something, Quentin Tarantino. I think this just might be your masterpiece. Inglourious Basterds is a truly audacious film from one of my all-time favorite directors. Not many filmmakers can rewrite history, but Tarantino does and succeeds with flying colors. The film, a fusion of war films and spaghetti westerns, has […]
Gone Baby Gone Review
RATING: (4 STARS) “Gone Baby Gone†is a brutal film that raises some really tough questions. It features some exceptional direction (by rookie filmmaker Ben Affleck) and some terrific acting, but it never quite caught on with audiences. Nor did it catch on with the Academy. For that reason, it qualifies as one of the […]
