Out in Theaters: THE WIND RISES
Is The Wind Rises Mizayaki's masterpiece? Certainly not. But it's an intriguing work nonetheless. It lacks the jubilant capriciousness of Mizayski's prior filmography, a thing ineffably harder and more coarse…
REVIEW
REVIEW
Out in Theaters: ROBOCOP
Gone are the lampooning moments of levity that flowed from the originals, replaced with the likes of Batman-mimicking "Does it come in black?" For those seeking action-packed escapism, look elsewhere…
REVIEW
Weekly Review 40: SCANNER, TOUCHY, TROLL, POINT, ASSASSINATION
Lengthy and dense enough to warrant a viewing in two sitting, TAOJJBTCRF is an impeccably photographed, wonderfully acted Western character study. Brad Pitt plays iconic train robber Jesse James with…
REVIEW
Out in Theaters: THE PAST
The character dynamics carry weighty gravitas and their tempered interactions hue closely to the real world but, for me, movies are at least partially about escapism and there's no semblance…
REVIEW
Out in Theaters: THE MONUMENTS MEN
One thing is abundantly clear at this junction, Clooney's art junkie project was certainly not moved from its original release date to "fix up the effects." Columbia must have know…
REVIEW
Out in Theaters: THE LEGO MOVIE
Going back to the kids, those sugar-stuffed Ritalinites are sure to just eat this up as the partially CGI, partially stop-motion visual style is mind-boggling enough to make even a…
FESTIVAL
Sundance Review: APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR
“Appropriate Behavior” Directed by Desiree Akhavan Starring Desiree Akhavan, Rebecca Henderson, Halley Feiffer, Scott Adsit, Anh Duong, Arian Moayed 82 minutes U.S.A./United Kingdom Appropriate Behavior might be another entry in the growing ‘struggling NYC girl’ genre but it’s generously funny, sexy (in a weird, gangly way) and has a great cultural bent to boot. I’ll...
FESTIVAL
Sundance Review: BLUE RUIN
“Blue Ruin” Directed by Jeremy Saulnier Starring Macon Blair, Amy Hargreaves, Kevin Kolack, David W. Thompson, Brent Werner, Sidne Anderson Thriller 92 Mins R Enveloped in a scent of Coen Bros, Blue Ruin is a masterclass in indie reinvention – reinvention of genre, of character, even of plot subversion. But no matter how familiar the...
REVIEW
Weekly Review 39: HARD, CHOPPER, JAWS, RED 2, BUTLER, DIRTY, SQUARE, DAZED
Another period in which I haven’t posted Weekly Reviews for a stretch, this time due to my time spent at Sundance, this week I offer up eight (!!!) short blurbs on movies that I’ve watched in the recent past. Some good, some bad, some ugly, this Weekly Review segment features two of the Oscar-nominated documentaries...
REVIEW
Out in Theaters: LABOR DAY
Strangely enough, in the throes of this hackneyed love drama Reitman tries to ratchet up some invisible tension with a syncopated score reminiscent of a 90's spy thriller complete with…