Everest Review
RATING: (3 STARS) The only character who matters in Everest is the titular mountain. This is something director Balthasar Kormakur gets across to his audience within minutes. As a group of bodies (that’s all they are in the moment) ascends the face of the mountain, the camera overcomes their understandably slow pace. As they’re pelted […]
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl has all the traits of a Sundance (and Sundance only) hit. A cast of young unknowns and veteran comedians tell the story of a quirky trio of angsty teens dealing with serious problems beyond their years and current levels of emotional maturity. Classic foreign films […]
Trainwreck Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) Trainwreck is just the funniest Hollywood comedy in years. No big deal. It generates its laughs by subverting and embracing in equal measure the romantic comedy formula, and because it can do the former so well, it feels fresher than it ever ought to. Though the Amy-Schumer-penned film suffers from Apatow-itis—symptoms include […]
Mission: Impossible: Rogue Nation Review
RATING: (3 STARS) Five films into the Mission: Impossible series, and you sort of think you know everything you’re going to get—death-defying action, lots of Tom Cruise faces, masks, exotic locations, etc. It’s a variation on the James Bond theme, just like the Fast & Furious franchise has become a variation on the Mission: Impossible […]
Ex Machina Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) In the last few years, we’ve seen a surge in both quantity and quality of films that question and dissect what it means to be human. Two obvious standouts are Spike Jonze’s Her and Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin, which see Scarlett Johansson portray a loving operating system and ravenous Scottish alien, […]
The Wolfpack Review
RATING: (2 STARS) There’s a beautiful story somewhere in the mess that is The Wolfpack. There’s also an uplifting story, a terrifying story, a comedy, a tragedy, and who knows what else. So why is the end result such a mish-mash of tones and themes? Why doesn’t it know what it wants to be? Perhaps […]
Ant-Man Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) In Marvel’s Ant-Man, the wise father figure character informs our hero that the world of the quantum is totally unknown by man. Its real-life equivalent, then, might be Ant-Man‘s pre-production story. The great Edgar Wright wrote a screenplay for Marvel’s smallest superhero alongside Attack the Block‘s Joe Cornish. Wright was also attached […]
Odd Man Out Review
RATING: (4 STARS) It’s finally happening: Director Carol Reed is getting the recognition he deserves. Of course, it’s only 60 or 70 years too late to make a difference in his career. And of course, I’m only referring to the small (but sometimes deafening) community that goes nuts over things like auteurship, black and white […]
Amy Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) I remember where I was when I found out Amy Winehouse died. At a Subway in New Jersey, I can still picture what I was wearing, what kind of day it was, how the conversation went between my friends and I. It was an awful day. No contemporary singer affected me the […]
Inside Out Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) According to director Pete Docter’s Inside Out, the human mind is a colorful place. It’s also complicated, conflicted, and perpetually changing. In that respect, the film is about as true to life in its intent (if not its execution) as any Pixar movie in recent memory. (Color-wise, of course, it’s pure fantasy. […]
Results Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) It’s a narrow lane, but Andrew Bujalski owns it: the cinema of the weird shit people do when they’re alone. His last film, Computer Chess, touched on it, but Results goes there in a way that will make 95% of its viewers confused and uncomfortable. After all, the colorful posters with the […]
Jurassic World Review
RATING: (3 STARS) For the third straight Jurassic film, no one has a good answer to the obvious question: Why are we doing this to ourselves? Why is Isla Nublar a place human beings want to visit? Why are parents putting their kids on planes in order to be in the immediate vicinity of giant, […]
Entourage Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) There’s a moment deep into the Entourage movie when the guys are chastising their boy Vinny Chase (Adrian Grenier) for sleeping with Emily Ratajkowski (playing herself) moments after the financier of Vince’s directorial debut leaves her house. Vince begs his closest friends for some understanding, asking them to remember who they are. […]
San Andreas Review
RATING: (1.5 STARS) One should go into a movie like San Andreas assuming he or she will have a good time. There is no other reason for this movie to exist. It’s not an acting showcase. It isn’t saying anything unique about family dynamics. And for the love of God, it offers nothing in terms […]
Aloha Review
RATING: (3 STARS) You’re enjoyment of Cameron Crowe’s Aloha will likely be dependent upon how much you subscribe to and are interested in film’s auteur theory—or the idea that a director’s personal creative vision is the driving force behind a finished onscreen product. Filmmakers like Wes Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, and Martin Scorsese are proof positive […]
That Night’s Wife Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) The words “crime drama” bring to mind shadowy characters doing dirty deals in back rooms or pool halls. Noir is token “crime drama,” and noir is awesome. But noir is not Yasujirô Ozu’s bag. His crime drama is still a Ozu film, but its inciting incident is a thrilling caper. It’s this […]
