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 […]
Hanna Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) Hanna isn’t quite the film you’d expect from director Joe Wright. The man who directed Pride and Prejudice and Atonement does an action-thriller? It’s an odd match on paper, but it works on film—at least as far as the story will allow. Wright’s film looks gorgeous. It sounds terrific. Yet, it’s totally […]
Win Win Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) As a drama, Win Win is exceptional—not unlike director Tom McCarthy’s last feature, The Visitor. Unfortunately, it occasionally gets its feet wet with comedy, which slightly derails the film. But on the whole, the good moments far outweigh the bad. This is definitely one of the year’s best independent efforts so far. […]
Everything Must Go Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) There’s a point in almost every comedian’s career at which he decides it’s time to get serious. Adam Sandler had Punch-Drunk Love. Jim Carrey had The Truman Show. Robin Williams had Dead Poets Society. Now, Will Ferrell has Everything Must Go. The film, writer/director Dan Rush’s debut, is completely devoid of Ferrell’s […]
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 […]
The Beaver Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) The Beaver is about as strange as advertised. It’s hard to find conventionality in a film about a man who tries to overcome his depression by talking through a hand puppet. Unfortunately, quality can’t be measured through unconventionality, and though I wouldn’t call The Beaver bad, it’s a little disappointing. It never […]
Jane Eyre (2011) Review
RATING: (3 STARS) Watching Jane Eyre brought me back to high school English class—not just because I did in fact read the classic Charlotte Bronte novel upon which the film is based, but because I reacted to this film in the same way I would most assigned reading: I got through it at a sluggish […]
Page One: Inside the New York Times
Page One: Inside The New York Times might not be the best doc I see this year, but I can’t imagine another one coming along that’s this much in my sweet spot. Having studied the film’s internal debate for four years (and lived through it for a year and a half now), it’s nearly impossible […]
Crazy, Stupid, Love. Review
RATING: (2 STARS) Crazy, Stupid, Love. isn’t exactly a bad movie, but it commits two absolutely unforgivable errors. It’s embarrassingly unoriginal (haven’t we seen Steve Carell get the makeover treatment and try to pick up women before?), but worse, it takes a dreadful subplot and gives it far more screen time than it deserves. Really, […]
Trust Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) David Schwimmer is probably the last person you’d expect to direct a hard-hitting drama about rape, but with Trust, he’s done just that, and he does a solid job. He certainly deserves a great deal of credit for the extraordinary performances he coaxes out of all four of the main actors involved. […]
Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop
By combining elements of fellow show-biz docs I’m Still Here and Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop manages to fall right between the two quality-wise. It’s certainly not the abomination that Casey Affleck’s Joaquin Phoenix hoax was. But it also doesn’t touch the brilliance of last year’s brilliant Joan Rivers portrait. […]
Rise of the Planet of the Apes Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) Who would have thought the worst titled movie of the summer would also be the best? But Rise of the Planet of Apes has it all. It’s a magnificent film with breathtaking special effects, exceptional pacing, and a ton of heart. Andy Serkis deserves an Oscar for his incredibly realistic, motion-capture portrayal […]
Limitless Review
RATING: (1.5 STARS) For a movie about people who are amazingly smart, Limitless sure is dumb. Director Neil Burger’s thriller looks flashy, but the characters and situations are groan-inducing to say the least. I found myself enjoying it to a certain extent in the beginning, but as it progresses, it becomes mind-numbingly stupid. Sure, its […]
