Tower Heist Review
RATING: (3 STARS) In a post-Bernie Madoff world, it’s hard not to enjoy Tower Heist at least a little. Yes, it’s a heist film with plot holes the size of craters and leaps in logic Evel Knievel and his motorcycle couldn’t jump. But there’s a great deal of pleasure in seeing a corrupt billionaire get […]
Martha Marcy May Marlene Review
RATING: (4 STARS) As far as gritty character studies go, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a recent one quite as good as Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May Marlene. The writer/director, wearing both hats for the first time, proves adept at two very difficult things: Structuring a film to maximize tension and emotional impact, as well […]
Margin Call Review
RATING: (3 STARS) Margin Call does for business what The Ides of March did for politics. It tells a familiar, high-stakes story about people making difficult and morally-questionable decisions. And like George Clooney’s film from earlier this month, rookie writer/director J.C. Chandor’s film isn’t afraid to get very technical on its viewers. If you’re unfamiliar […]
Melancholia Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) Lars von Trier’s Melancholia defies classification about as much as it does your expectations. What else is there to expect, really, from the director of Antichrist and from a very personal story of depression and the end of the world. I guess the easiest thing to call it would be the anti-Tree […]
Like Crazy Review
RATING: (2 STARS) Like Crazy, one of the most buzzed about films coming out of Sundance earlier this year, is about love at its most frustrating. The film’s protagonists can’t see the forest for the trees. They’re so caught up in how they feel in the moment that they make foolish decisions that threaten to […]
The Big Year Review
RATING: (2 STARS) The Big Year is a movie about competitive birdwatching—or “birding” as the film’s main characters would insist you call it—and it’s about as forgettable a movie experience as I’ve had in some time. Not atrocious, like Colombiana or Dream House, just insignificant. And that would be fine, I guess, except for the […]
The Ides of March Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) The Ides of March is a slick thriller with a clear message: Idealism and hope have no place politics. Succumb to these feelings and you’re finished. Yes, it’s not a new thesis, but it’s one that director George Clooney presents unflinchingly. There are moments in this film that I felt real despair, […]
50/50 Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) Cancer, sadly, is something most people need to deal with sometime in their lives, whether it’s their own diagnosis or that of a family member or friend. That’s what makes 50/50 so believable and relatable. It looks at one young man’s diagnosis of a rare form of the disease, the way he […]
Dream House Review
RATING: (1 STAR) Dream House is a B-movie with A-list talent and a story that’s an F-minus, maybe worse. It’s not just that we’ve seen elements of this film a thousand times before. Rather, it’s the nonsensical composition of them that boggles my mind. Where’s the sense of dread, the slow-burn pacing that’s so integral […]
Moneyball Review
RATING: (4 STARS) While Moneyball might seem like an odd cinematic fit, the dream writing team of Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zailian transform the story of the 2002 Oakland A’s into something exciting, emotionally-involving, and surprisingly thoughtful. Though the film (thankfully) doesn’t shy away from the nuts and bolts of building a successful baseball team, […]
Drive Review
RATING: (3 STARS) Drive occupies a totally unique space on the cinematic continuum, existing somewhere among Death Wish, Double Indemnity, Batman, and Miami Vice. However, it’s not the pulse-pounding, excitement-generating movie you might expect. It unfolds at a very slow pace, and the plot is kept to a minimum. The film instead relies on style […]
Straw Dogs (2011) Review
RATING: (3 STARS) The 1972 version of Straw Dogs is the kind of movie that’s admirable, but tough to enjoy. It’s just not a fun movie experience, and its 2011 remake—directed by Rod Lurie—isn’t much more fun. Lurie’s version is actually a good film; It’s well-shot, well-acted, and very suspenseful. But I never want to […]
Warrior Review
RATING: (3 STARS) Warrior is too long. It’s cliched as hell. It’s manipulative. Parts feel forced and artificial. It’s overstuffed with subplots. And it’s totally unbelievable. But hell if I didn’t get caught up in it all. I found myself groaning and rolling my eyes far more than I’d like, but I’m a sucker for […]
Contagion Review
RATING: (4 STARS) By staying away from the familiar conventions of most thrillers, Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion manages to reach a level of believability and natural tension that I thought impossible out of a film like this. There are no chases, nor are there any heroes and villains. In fact, the characters in Contagion take a […]
Colombiana Review
RATING: (0.5 STARS) With names like Luc Besson and Zoe Saldana attached to an action movie, it seems reasonable to expect something at least fun and entertaining. After all, these folks were involved in films like Avatar, Star Trek, Taken, The Transporter, and The Fifth Element, among others. The latest for each is Colombiana, and […]
The Help Review
RATING: (3 STARS) Though relatively lightweight and somewhat manipulative, The Help is nonetheless affecting. It’s the acting that sets it apart from most films of its kind, and with no less than four excellent performances, it’s easy to forgive a film its missteps. I thought some of the characters were frustratingly one-dimensional, but the performances […]
