Cairo Time Review
RATING: (3 STARS) I watched Cairo Time and I Am Love back to back, and the two films make for a really interesting study. Their themes are quite similar—woman past her prime finds love at an unexpected time. But they’re executed so differently. While I Am Love goes off a cliff in the final 45 […]
Easy A Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) Easy A takes the traditional high school comedy formula and throws it on its head. Instead of a schlubby male virgin trying to get laid, it focuses on a smart, attractive young woman telling everyone she got laid. It’s an interesting premise, but director Will Gluck and screenwriter Bert V. Royal take […]
Whatever Works Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) Perhaps a more apt title for Woody Allen’s “Whatever Works†would have simply been “Whatever,†because that’s exactly what I felt about the film when it finished. It was whatever. I didn’t dislike it, but almost nothing about it was original, and while it was clever in parts, it didn’t measure up […]
Far from Heaven Review
RATING: (4 STARS) Todd Haynes’ “Far From Heaven†transports us to a time that is often lampooned in film (1950s suburbia), but rarely taken seriously. It confronts some difficult social issues (racism, sexism, homophobia), while also finding time to develop some involving, non-manipulative melodrama. It’s also visually stunning and features one of the finest performances […]
Shutter Island Review
RATING: (4 STARS) When the release date for “Shutter Island†was pushed back from October to February, film buffs everywhere panicked. The thriller, directed by Martin Scorsese and based on a novel by Dennis Lehane, was expected to be a major player at this year’s Academy Awards, but the delay meant it would be out […]
