The Extra Man
There are some actors who excel at playing a wide range of eclectic roles, high or low status, mighty or feeble, comic or tragic. There are some few of these who can do so and yet still can shape a...
View ArticleThe American
I have not read Martin Booth’s novel, A Very Private Gentleman, on which screenwriter Rowan Joffe based this film. I think that is the screenwriter of 28 Weeks Later can’t inject some adrenaline into...
View ArticleMonsters
A friend subtitled this movie based on its premise District 9 II: Immigration Reform, and we laughed at the brazenness of the writer/director/cinematographer setting the Infected Zone in the border...
View ArticleLet Me In
Let Me In Matinee with Snacks For those fans of the Swedish original (Let The Right One In) who are all up in arms about an Americanized remake, calm yourself. Director/screenwriter Matt Reeves was a...
View ArticleHereafter
Avid moviegoers may not be surprised by very much that happens in this film, from the opening inciting incident (one you can sense like a pending thunderstorm on a sunny day) to the quiet final scene —...
View Article127 Hours
I did watch it without looking away. Absolutely yes, it’s worth seeing. Oh, sorry, what was the question? Oh, yes, you do need to be in a pretty serene frame of mind, for certain. Finding a companion...
View ArticleMao’s Last Dancer
Mao’s Last Dancer Full Price Feature Oh, this film is lovely. I have done my readers a disservice for taking so long to review it. Please, go see it. In 1972, Cunxin Li, only a small boy, was one of 40...
View ArticleThe King’s Speech
King’s Speech, The Full Price Feature What a superb film. Colin Firth plays the Duke of York, son of George V (Michael Gambon) brother of King Edward I (Guy Pearce), and future King George VI. Bertie,...
View ArticleBlack Swan
Black Swan Matinee If you are not familiar with the story of Swan Lake, never fear — Aronofsky makes sure you can follow…before he leaves you in the hallucinatory, disturbing dust. Natalie Portman is a...
View ArticleThe Town
Full Price Feature If you, like me, were perplexed and put off by the ads and posters for The Town (think cars full of weird, wrinkly nun figures as the only salient image), please rectify your loss...
View ArticleThe Fighter
The Fighter Rental and Snacks Based on a true story, the tale of Micky Ward and Dicky Eklund [note: between the film itself and various online sources, I have not seen one that agrees on the spelling...
View ArticleRabbit Hole
Rabbit Hole Matinee with Snacks I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again — often times, plays that are adapted into movies feel weird and stilted in their dialogue. Screenwriter David Lindsay-Abaire...
View ArticleNever Let Me Go
Never Let Me Go Matinee with Snacks Based on the quiet and elegant book by Kazuo Ishiguro (he also wrote Remains of the Day), Never Let Me Go is a wonderful adaptation. Not only does director Mark...
View ArticleTrue Grit
Full disclosure: The first two times I tried to watch this Coen Brothers remake of John Wayne’s 1969 film, I fell right asleep. I’m a fan of the Coens’ sensibility nearly across the board, and of stars...
View ArticleSomewhere
Sofia Coppola grew up at her famous director father’s side, seeing the glamor and the tedium of Hollywood firsthand. She explored this dichotomy with brilliant directness in Lost in Translation, with...
View ArticleThe Company Men
Is 2011 too soon to try and tell a story that is sympathetic to the very greedmongers that were complicit in setting the depth charges on our economy in 2008? Maybe — but I would argue its proximity...
View ArticleOscar-Nominated Short Films of 2010
It’s difficult to see the Oscar nominated shorts — they play obscure or international festivals, throwing Oscar pools into disarray and forcing people to guess based on whatever available production...
View ArticleJane Eyre (2011)
As many long-suffering high schoolers did, I read Jane Eyre in 9th grade and hated it. Later, of course, I reread it and loved it! Even as I warmed to Charlotte Bronte’s surprisingly astute judge of...
View ArticleHanna
Matinee Hanna is a bit of a mystery. Played by the ethereal Saoirse Ronan, Hanna is introduced in no time as a cunning huntress, an over-educated killer polygot, and a total naïf. If you ever...
View ArticleWater for Elephants
When I finished Sara Gruen’s novel, I hugged it before I put it down. I just loved the feel of it, the story, the characters, and I was sorry when it was over. When they announced the film, I was...
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