Movies

| Print |

Written by Sean Lass Friday, 03 February 2012 11:28

Any found-footage film has to work extra hard to win me over, and Chronicle pretty much did.

| Print |

Written by Sean Lass Friday, 03 February 2012 11:23

It really felt very middle of the road; ghosts spend most of their time jumping out and saying “boo.” 

| Print |

Written by Sarah Boslaugh Wednesday, 01 February 2012 13:11

You’re probably thinking either “Cool; how can I learn more?” or “Isn’t that a little precious for something that will be traveling through your digestive system?”

| Print |

Written by Sarah Boslaugh Tuesday, 24 January 2012 23:25

When she shares the screen with McTeer, Close simply disappears into the woodwork, which may be appropriate for her character but doesn’t give the audience much to appreciate.

| Print |

Written by Sean Lass Tuesday, 24 January 2012 23:20

I felt nothing while watching it, and as I was leaving the theater, I could feel the film fade from my memory at an alarming rate.

| Print |

Written by Sarah Boslaugh Tuesday, 24 January 2012 23:18

My Sweet Suicide incorporates one film archetype and anticipates another, while making the most of its modest budget and showcasing the talents of the lead actors.

| Print |

Written by Sarah Boslaugh Tuesday, 24 January 2012 23:15

The film is totally sincere but also a bit boring, as if the excitement of leading societal change had to be dulled down lest revolution start breaking out all over.

| Print |

Written by Pete Timmermann Tuesday, 24 January 2012 23:04

The film hinges on Héran’s performance, and she pulls it off rather remarkably.

| Print |

Written by Sean Lass Thursday, 19 January 2012 14:35

Gina Carano certainly wins the audience over in the fight scenes, so I see potential for her to have a future; I just can’t fully endorse her at this point.

| Print |

Written by Pete Timmermann Thursday, 19 January 2012 14:32

I can’t say that I can get too upset about this awful chunk of treacle, aside from the fact that it will probably put a lot of people off of reading the book.

| Print |

Written by Sarah Boslaugh Thursday, 19 January 2012 14:28

One of the most remarkable facts about Pariah is how it manages almost completely to avoid stereotypes.

| Print |

Written by Pete Timmermann Thursday, 19 January 2012 14:25

By the end of the film, it almost feels as if director Steve McQueen has lost interest and just needs a way to put some semblance of closure on the proceedings.

| Print |

Written by Pete Timmermann Thursday, 19 January 2012 14:10

I tend to prefer David Cronenberg when he’s heavier on action and lighter on psychological fare.

| Print |

Written by Sarah Boslaugh Thursday, 19 January 2012 11:44

Director Stuart Schulberg skillfully combines trial materials with other footage from the war to illustrate the extent of the crimes of which the defendants were accused.

| Print |

Written by Sarah Boslaugh Friday, 13 January 2012 13:17

The main problem with The Iron Lady is the script by Abi Morgan. I’m all in favor of new approaches to the biopic, but if you’re going to throw away the obvious (chronological) path, you need to provide something more interesting in its place.

| Print |

Written by Matthew Newlin Friday, 13 January 2012 13:14

Giovanni Ribisi, the most colorful of the bunch, is at his over-the-top best and is fun to watch every second. 

| Print |

Written by Matthew Newlin Friday, 13 January 2012 13:05

Without question, the most memorable aspect of Beauty and the Beast is the Academy Award-winning music from Alan Menken and Howard Ashman.

| Print |

Written by Sean Lass Thursday, 22 December 2011 18:16

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a slow, moody spy film that focuses on character and atmosphere rather than explosions and gunfights.

| Print |

Written by Pete Timmermann Thursday, 22 December 2011 10:42

War Horse is manipulative, dumb, obvious, and cloying.

| Print |

Written by Pete Timmermann Thursday, 22 December 2011 10:37

I, for one, want to see The Artist succeed; it is as good as you’ve heard.

| Print |

Written by Pete Timmermann Thursday, 22 December 2011 10:31

The specific talents of Cameron Crowe and Scarlett Johansson are a good match for one another.

| Print |

Written by Pete Timmermann Wednesday, 21 December 2011 12:18

While Jamie Bell and Daniel Craig are just fine, most of the pleasures of the film come from bit parts from great British comedians such as Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Mackenzie Crook.

| Print |

Written by Pete Timmermann Monday, 19 December 2011 11:18

There is what I feel is a glaring holdover from his debatably misogynistic days here that deeply hurts the overall power of the movie.

| Print |

Written by Pete Timmermann Thursday, 15 December 2011 12:58

Theron’s character Mavis Gary, a narcissistic writer of a popular series of young adult books, is one of the most intentionally dislikeable main characters in film in recent years.

| Print |

Written by Sean Lass Thursday, 15 December 2011 12:54

Robert Downey Jr. is phoning in his performance, and is dangerously close to becoming a parody of himself.

| Print |

Written by Adrienne Jones Thursday, 15 December 2011 12:49

The movie has all the right ingredients to be a thrilling, intense, fun-filled spy adventure, but still somehow left me feeling like I hadn’t actually watched anything.

| Print |

Written by Sean Lass Thursday, 15 December 2011 12:43

We squirm because it is horrible, and then laugh because we can’t believe what we are seeing.

| Print |

Written by Sarah Boslaugh Wednesday, 07 December 2011 12:02

Passione may be best regarded as the film equivalent of a mix tape that appreciates equally well a mega-cheesy booty-shaking rap number and a heartfelt performance by a jazz musician.

| Print |

Written by Sarah Boslaugh Friday, 02 December 2011 14:33

Whitechapel stays within the expected confines of its genre, but it’s unusually well done.

| Print |

Written by Pete Timmermann Wednesday, 23 November 2011 11:47

Werner Herzog doesn’t seem terribly interested in making this anything like a mystery, despite the fact that most of the people in the film can’t seem to agree on what actually happened.

| Print |

Written by Sean Lass Wednesday, 23 November 2011 00:00

The cast is uniformly good. Just about everything in the movie is good. Not much is great.

| Print |

Written by Erin Jameson Tuesday, 22 November 2011 19:05

Steven Moffat seems to have also gotten over any initial little hiccups and has put together a pretty good season.

| Print |

Written by Matthew Newlin Tuesday, 22 November 2011 13:36

Many actresses have portrayed Marilyn Monroe on TV and in film, but none has come close to the absolutely fantastic performance Michelle Williams has crafted.

| Print |

Written by Sean Lass Tuesday, 22 November 2011 13:30

From the moment this film began, I was completely entranced. Everything about it was clicking perfectly.

| Print |

Written by Pete Timmermann Tuesday, 22 November 2011 13:26

The film has a lot of very good hipster-ish talent behind it to give those adults all the more reason to come.

| Print |

Written by Matthew Newlin Tuesday, 22 November 2011 13:23

Director Sarah Smith fills every scene with subtle and hilarious visual jokes; too many, in fact, to catch on first viewing.