Syriana Review
“The Beverly Hillbillies” called oil “black gold,” which sums things up quite well. It’s a commodity that people like Daniel Plainview from There Will Be Blood would sell his soul for back at the turn of the 19th century, and in the century between when that film is set and when Stephen Gaghan’s Syriana is both set and released, the […]
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) Review
RATING: (3 STARS) David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is about as good as its nauseatingly dense source material would allow. I’m no fan of Stieg Larsson’s novel, nor the original Swedish film version. Fincher, however, is able to milk this puppy for all its worth. It’s pulp for mass consumption. It hides […]
Beginners Review
RATING: (2 STARS) Beginners is a snooze. Plain and simple. And I really don’t like dismissing it so bluntly because it’s a very personal story. Director Mike Mills based Beginners, at least in part, on his own life—specifically, the material dealing with the main character’s elderly father who comes out of the closet after his […]
The New World Review
RATING: (4 STARS) The first two hours of The New World represents director Terrence Malick’s greatest achievement to date. For those two hours, The New World is nearly perfect. It’s a tragic story of unobtainable love that brilliantly parallels the early American pioneers’ quest for utopia. It’s exquisitely composed and features some fantastic acting, yet […]
9 Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) 9, not to be confused with Nine, the Rob Marshall musical which also came out in 2009, is another in a long line of post-apocalyptic films from the past few years. Two things separate it from films like Children of Men, The Road, and The Book of Eli. The first is obvious—9 […]
Up Review
RATING: (4 STARS) Up is without a doubt one of Pixar’s best films. The film’s first scene is one of the most sublime cinematic moments I’ve ever experienced. And while the rest of the film doesn’t quite measure up to that level of greatness, it’s still a rousing adventure, complete with all the humor and […]
The Last Station Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) “The Last Station†sounded like it would be a fascinating experience. It tells the story of the final years of one of the greatest writers in history—Leo Tolstoy—while examining whether one can believe in an ideology while not following it religiously. It’s a relevant subject, and with Oscar-nominated performances from Helen Mirren […]
