Bringing Out the Dead Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) Arguably one of Martin Scorsese‘s most forgotten (and forgettable) titles, 1999’s Bringing Out the Dead is a slippery eel of a film that eludes classification as defiantly as it does a traditional narrative trajectory. We never see our protagonist, Nicolas Cage‘s Frank Pierce, in a good place, so as far as the […]
2013 TIFF Movies to Watch: #20-#11
Today’s TIFF preview (the penultimate!) features films directed by the likes of Nicole Holofcener, Hirokazu Kore-Eda, and David Gordon Green. 20.) Enough Said Program: Special Presentation Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures Directed by: Nicole Holofcener Written by: Nicole Holofcener Starring: Catherine Keener, James Gandolfini, Toni Collette, Julia Louis-Dreyfus Synopsis: This smart and decidedly modern romantic comedy […]
TIFF 2013: Top 10 Intriguing Performances
We’ve still got plenty of time to dissect the 2013 TIFF lineup and its films’s Oscar chances. Hell, we’ve still got plenty of 2013 TIFF films to be announced. In lieu of yet another list of the most promising 2013 TIFF films or the movies with the most Oscar buzz, I’m turning my eye toward […]
Raising Arizona Review
RATING: (3 STARS) If Blood Simple was our introduction to Joel and Ethan Coen as smart, talented filmmakers, Raising Arizona is our introduction to them as crazy geniuses. At times, the comedy is laid on a little thick, but for the most part, this is a fantastically fun and breezy ride and a total departure […]
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans Review
RATING: (3 STARS) I’m not at all familiar with Abel Ferrera’s 1992 cult classic “Bad Lieutenant,†other than the fact that Werner Herzog re-imagined it into 2009’s “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans.†The former film starred Harvey Keitel as a dirty cop capable who didn’t give a damn about law and order. The […]
Kick-Ass Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) “Kick-Ass,†the latest from director Matthew Vaughn, is a wild ride from start to finish. Simultaneously a superhero movie and a riff on superhero movies, the film is full of ribald humor, over-the-top violence, and a surprising amount of heart. It’s a tad long, but it doesn’t once wear out its welcome. […]
