Ocean’s 8 Review
RATING: (3 STARS) Ocean’s movies are tough to get wrong. It’s true that Ocean’s 8 is the first (at least this century) that’s been made by someone other than the incomparable Steven Soderbergh. But as good as his direction and sensibilities were for Ocean’s 11, 12 (especially), and 13, it wasn’t hard to imagine a […]
The 5 Best Leading Female Performances of 2013
Click here to check out my 5 favorite leading male performances of 2013. On to the leading ladies! One could plausibly argue 2013 was as strong a year at the top for leading women as it was for leading men, and one couldn’t plausibly argue that most other years. It was a great year for […]
Predicting the 2014 Golden Globes Winners
This Sunday, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association will carve for itself a unique place in the 2013/2014 awards season. How do I know? Because it must. There still isn’t much consensus among this year’s major categories. The critics groups like 12 Years a Slave and Her. American Hustle and Gravity have loads of support—some from […]
2014 Oscar Predictions: Resetting the Board
Click on over to my 2014 Oscar Predictions page to see everything I’m forecasting in the major categories. And check out my 2014 Oscar Predictions: Technical Categories page for projections in Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, and more. I’d planned to dive a little deeper into Best Documentary Feature today, but I’ve got quite a […]
Gravity Review
RATING: (4 STARS) “I hate space.” That quote represents a brief moment of levity in Gravity, an otherwise harrowing thriller, and it perfectly sums up its lead character, rookie spacewalker Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock). The film itself—or at least the stakes from which every bit of tension is derived—is better summarized by a quote […]
Venice and Telluride: What We’ve Learned So Far
Click on over to my 2014 Oscar Predictions page to see everything I’m forecasting in the major categories. We’re mere days into the fall movie season, and already the Oscar landscape has changed significantly. I’ve updated my Oscar predictions today, and I will continue to on a weekly basis—every Wednesday—until the season ends. I will […]
2013 TIFF Movies to Watch: #10-#1
My TIFF preview concludes today with some of festival’s heaviest hitters. I hope you enjoyed this series. I’ll be covering the fall fests extensively, so stay tuned! More TIFF Movies to Watch: 2013 TIFF Preview: Part 1 2013 TIFF Preview: Part 2 2013 TIFF Preview: Part 3 2013 TIFF Preview: Part 4 10.) The Past […]
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Review
RATING: (1 STAR) Stephen Daldry’s latest film, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, tries to make sense of one of the worst days—perhaps the “Worst Day”—in American history. It does so through the eyes of a pre-teen boy, who appears to suffer from Asperger’s Disease. And what does it ultimately tell us? That New Yorkers are […]
2010 OSCARS: Recapping the Show
Ugh, can we do that one over again? I’m not only referring to my predictions which were uncharacteristically poor, but also the show itself. I haven’t read many other people’s thoughts on the show, but I was quite unimpressed. This was the weakest show in recent memory. Maybe it’s awards fatigue this year, or perhaps […]
2010 OSCARS: Final Guesses Before the Big Night
Tonight is the big night. It seems like this awards season has gone on FOREVER so I’m relieved it finally ends. I’ve talked ad nauseum about the nominees, so now I’m simply going to list who or what I think will win, followed by who or what I think should win (won’t discuss foreign, doc, […]
The Blind Side Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) Many of you probably think I hate “The Blind Side.†That’s understandable. I vaguely remember saying something like “I almost vomited when the film was nominated for Best Picture.†But I don’t hate it. I actually kind of like it. I just think it’s so derivative that to nominate it alongside films […]
