Zack Snyder’s Watchmen is impressively ambitious, but its hard to avoid the conclusion that when it succeeds as a film, it’s in spite of him rather than because of his efforts. The grim masterwork crafted by Alan Moore and Dave … Continue reading Midnight is in her eyes, tears drop like a child
And I thought the ads that replaced critics’ comments with testimonials from giddy, halfwit patrons who’ve just exited the theater were bad. We’ve reached a hilarious new low. (Posted simultaneously to “Jelly-Town!”) Continue reading If she had half a mind, you’d be about even
In Bruges (Martin McDonagh, 2008). The acclaimed Irish playwright follows up his Oscar-winning short film with a feature debut about a pair of hitmen laying low in a Belgian tourism mecca. The film is enjoyable, charged by a flinty wit and features a pair of winning lead performances by Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell. It’s also fairly inconsequential, structured with the shrewd storytelling insight of a seasoned dramatist but somewhat wanting in depth. All of the characters feel like pieces instead of completely realized creations. None of the relationships have resonance, causing problems as the twists of the plot require … Continue reading Pivotal film, selling out your monkey
The Bucket List (Rob Reiner, 2007). When I write these “catch-up reviews” posts, I present the films strictly in the order I watched them. That’s not the case with Rob Reiner’s latest, however. As I perused my list, I realized that I had neglected to write about this at the point I watched it. I offer this piece of information not because the inside details of my methodology are especially scintillating, but because it ably illustrates that this film is completely forgettable. Jack Nicholson plays his stock character: the careening, carousing, glinting little devil. Morgan Freeman plays his stock character: … Continue reading In Hollywood where all the lights are low and truth’s as rare as the winter snow
So, let’s say that while walking around my workplace I look down at the floor and found a stray envelope. I pick it up and discover that its an Academy Awards ballot addressed to one of the students in our institution’s MFA program. Were I the sort of individual who would conveniently neglect to return this document to its rightful owner, choosing instead to take the unexpected opportunity to help shape the Oscar nominations, the document mailed back to he Academy would look a little something like this… BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE 1. Kate Winslet, … Continue reading I gave America her gold and she melted over me
#1 There are no shortage of dysfunctional families in the annals of film. Directors like Jonathan Demme–who brings an observant delicacy to his work, a commitment to emotional honesty and an abundant insight–are, on the other hand, a true rarity. … Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2008 — Number One
#2 Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona, like many Woody Allen films before it, is all about relationships between men and women. Two female friends are vacationing in Spain. A charming, handsome local painter propositions them, proclaiming equal satisfaction with any … Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2008 — Number Two
#3 Arguably, the most impressive thing about Four Months, Three Weeks and Two Days is its matter-of-fact tone. There’s ample opportunity for highly charged scenes given the subject. Cristian Mungiu’s film follows a woman in mid-eighties Romania who helps her … Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2008 — Number Three
Coraline isn’t an especially original story, in some respects. Literature and film is filled with tales of children who escape the drudgery and heartache of their lives by throwing themselves into fantastical worlds, worlds that may or may not exist … Continue reading Count down backwards from ten and everything’s okay, you can wish the world away
Revolutionary Road never had a chance. Months before it ever unspooled in a theater, it was the focus of agitated hype, the reunion of Titanic co-stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet held up as a major movie moment. As if … Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2008 — Number Four
Coffee for Two 