Sarah Polley has directed two prior feature films, but Stories We Tell represents her first foray into the documentary form. It’s not hard to fathom what led her to explore this particular story as a non-fiction effort. A skilled screenwriter, … Continue reading And if you ever wonder why you ride this carousel
As I consider Pacific Rim, one question nags at me: would I be as charitable towards this film if it were from a director other than Guillermo del Toro? Not that I feel all that charitable towards the film, but as I sat through the procession of overblown digital spectacle populated by thinly conceived characters and driven by a plot holey enough to zing like a Wiffle ball, I had to admit that the damn thing won me over by the end, even as that end indulged in every goofy trope imaginable, including the sort of big, dumb, rousing speech … Continue reading I hear the human race is fallin’ on its face and hasn’t very far to go
After so many years of struggling to maintain his distinctive voice in an entertainment industry that instinctively wants to exploit it (and the fan base that responds to it with Pavlovian fervor) but doesn’t truly understand it, Joss Whedon finally … Continue reading Baby, we’re the king and queen of nothing
I frankly loved Richard Linklater’s 1995 film, Before Sunrise, but I would lukewarm on the widely praised 2004 follow-up, Before Sunset. It was still delightfully hyper-verbal and hit the right notes of romantic cynicism, but the film was also a … Continue reading We’re gonna cause talk and suspicion, give an exhibition
In many respects, Frances Ha is a perfectly logical follow-up to Noah Baumbach’s 2010 film, Greenberg. Putting aside observations about the newer film’s sense of hope being gradually thwarted that makes it feel like the cautionary prequel to the earlier … Continue reading These things I know, they come and go like laughing
The 2009 reboot of the Star Trek franchise, directed by J.J. Abrams, was better than any such pillaging of pop culture’s past has a right to be. Ingeniously drawing on the exact time travel tropes that contributed to some of … Continue reading I was so nervous I shook my head, it was a struggle but there was pleasure at the end
Having a streak of cheapskate in me, I’m very selective about which films I see in 3D. Paying the extra dollars for the cavalcade of superhero movies and animated features that have effectively padded their prosperity with dimensional upscaling in … Continue reading You’ve been with the professors and they’ve all liked your looks
I had a lot of stuff go up at Spectrum Culture this week, so let’s just tick them off: –It’s fairly rare that I write for the book section, but it occurred to me late last fall that I just might be able to get myself a review copy of the massive, intimidating and universally adored new outing from Chris Ware, Building Stories. Evidently, I made my request right before our editor-in-chief, inspiring at least a bit of envy. That’s the proper reaction on his part, by the way. This thing is spectacular. In my many reviews for Spectrum, this … Continue reading Spectrum Check
The new film Admission differs drastically enough from the source material novel of the same name that original writer Jean Hanff Korelitz was given the opportunity to address it, presumably with the consent of studio p.r. mavens given her willingness … Continue reading You have to pay the price of admission sometime in your life, somewhere along the line
In recent interview with New York magazine’s online outlet, director Sam Raimi was surprisingly frank about earlier films of his that didn’t work, specifically citing Spider-Man 3 and The Quick and the Dead. I concur on the former and would … Continue reading And movie stars you thought were long dead now are framed beside your bed
Coffee for Two 