I Love You Phillip Morris Review
RATING: (3 STARS) Anyone who knows me knows my issues with Jim Carrey as a comedian. He’s not a bad actor—Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind showed us that. But his comedic style is way too spastic and over-the-top for my tastes. I Love You Phillip Morris features perhaps the first such performance from Carrey […]
Barton Fink Review
RATING: (2 STARS) Until watching Barton Fink, I honestly thought the Coens could do no wrong. I had never seen a film of theirs that I didn’t at least like or admire on some level. This one I just didn’t get, to be honest. The film spins its wheels for nearly two hours and in […]
127 Hours Review
RATING: (4 STARS) Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours is an absolute triumph on every level imaginable. It’s difficult to sit through, but Boyle gives it the magic touch and turns this dark, disturbing story into something that’s ultimately hopeful and inspiring. It’s spectacularly directed—Boyle deserves another Oscar for his work—and brimming with the same energy that […]
Apocalypse Now Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) Apocalypse Now’s back story has been exhaustively covered, but for good reason. The film forever altered the trajectory of Francis Ford Coppola’s career (and nearly destroyed his sanity). It almost killed Martin Sheen. It was disrupted by indecision, narcissism, and acts of Mother Nature. It was delayed for a long time and […]
Somewhere Review
RATING: (1 STAR) Somewhere is a very inaccurate title for Sofia Coppola’s latest film for it begins nowhere, goes nowhere, and ends nowhere. I’d love to sit down with the director and ask her why she felt this was a necessary film to make because after sitting through nearly two hours of just nothingness, I […]
Rabbit Hole Review
RATING: (4 STARS) John Cameron Mitchell’s Rabbit Hole takes you to an emotional place no man or woman ever wants to experience, but it does so with such unflinching honesty that it’s hard not to admire it. Is it a film I love? That’s a tricky question because I love what the filmmakers accomplish. I […]
Countdown to Zero
When the Academy’s documentary branch released its short list for Best Documentary contenders in 2010, a few titles were surprisingly omitted. Catfish fascinated many, but its questionable veracity likely prevented some members from wholly embracing it. Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work was a startlingly honest look at fame and one woman’s determination to keep […]
Tangled Review
RATING: (3 STARS) Tangled, like The Princess and the Frog in 2009, is a send-back to the Disney animation of old. It looks modern, but it has films like The Little Mermaid and The Lion King at its heart. It’s not as good as those films—few animated movies are—but it’s a worthwhile adventure. It might […]
Superbad Review
RATING: (4 STARS) Because comedy is so subjective, I find it the most hit-and-miss of all the film genres. Too often I’ve sat down expecting a laugh riot and found a film completely devoid of humor. Perhaps that’s why I typically revisit one of my old standbys when I’m in the mood to laugh. And […]
The King’s Speech Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) The King’s Speech has all the pieces necessary to be a masterpiece. The ensemble is as good as any this year. The writing is spot-on. The cinematography, art direction, and score are all fantastic. And Tom Hooper’s direction is confident and smart. The only thing missing is that little extra umph—the quality […]
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps Review
RATING: (2 STARS) To be perfectly blunt, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is a mess. The frustrating thing is that there’s a good film in there somewhere, but it’s bogged down by a slew of dull subplots, jarring shifts in tone and pace, and an ending that’s a total cheat. I didn’t care for Oliver […]
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole Review
RATING: (3 STARS) Despite having one of the worst titles of 2010, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole is quite a fun ride. If you can let yourself escape to a place full of evil owls and babysitting snakes, you’ll probably be thoroughly entertained with director Zack Snyder’s animated adventure fantasy. It’s a […]
True Grit (2010) Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) If the Coen Brothers’ trademark is unpredictable and unexpected, True Grit is another solidly Coen-esque film. Why? Because it’s such a straight-forward well-told Western that we keep waiting around for some standard Coen twists and turns. But they don’t arrive. I didn’t have a problem with that per se, but it did […]
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 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 […]
