Domino (2005) Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) While not the last film in Tony Scott’s filmography (and thank goodness for that because there’s some gold to come), Domino feels like the movie his entire career has been building toward. Ironically, it’s also one of his least successful films financially, and it was largely panned by critics. Let’s get this […]
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 […]
2015 Golden Globes Nominations Predictions
The ultra-prestigious and never ridiculous Hollywood Foreign Press Association is on the cusp of announcing its nominees for the 2015 Golden Globes. We should take these nominations very seriously, as the many, many dedicated and serious-minded members of this fine organization consider only the artistic merits of each film, performance, and craft achievement in a […]
2013 TIFF Movies to Watch: #40-#31
Previewing TIFF continues today with the directorial debut of a young superstar actor and the live-action debut of a modern animation legend, among many other promising films. 40.) Don Jon Program: Special Presentation Distributor: Relativity Media Directed by: Joseph Gordon-Levitt Written by: Joseph Gordon-Levitt Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Joseph Gordon-Levitt Synopsis: Joseph Gordon-Levitt writes, […]
Anna Karenina (2012) Review
RATING: (1.5 STARS) Joe Wright’s adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s monumental novel Anna Karenina is a borderline unendurable experience—an exercise in period porn so devoid of charm, pleasantness, and an artistic reason to exist that each second feels like 1,000. Yes, Wright has updated Tolstoy’s text considerably—a necessary evil of adapting something that’s been seen on […]
Never Let Me Go Review
RATING: (3 STARS) Not having read Kazuo Ishiguro’s beloved novel Never Let Me Go, I wasn’t sure how I’d react to Mark Romanek’s polarizing film adaptation. Fans of the novel seemed taken with the film’s deeply tragic themes. Others reported being unfazed, even bored, by the proceedings. I guess I fell somewhere in the middle. […]
A Dangerous Method Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) A Dangerous Method is a case of a film not equalling the sum of its parts. There were aspects of the film I loved (such as Viggo Mortensen’s brilliant portrayal of Freud), but the film doesn’t really amount to much, ultimately. I think that’s because it doesn’t know what it’s about. Is […]
