Mozart’s father, Leopold, is now twice damned by the movies: first in Amadeus, portrayed as imperious puppetmaster to his son, and now in Mozart’s Sister, again as puppetmaster to both his son and daughter. I’m sure he was imperious and tyrannical, and probably responsible for the suppression of his daughter’s musical gifts, but in the [...]
Read MoreThere has been, over the last few years, a new strain of music called ‘chillwave’, a somewhat robotic (i.e. unemotional) style of electronic music that is based mostly on the twin concepts of evocation and excavation. Derived from latent memories of 1980′s synthesizer pop/disco, the main thrust of chillwave is its feelings of an emotional [...]
Read MoreWhat a great viewing weekend. First I watched 50/50 (again), which for me was one of the best comedies – dramedies, really – of 2011 or any year. I’m even re-thinking Seth Rogen. Then I previewed Today’s Special and loved that film as well. Both of these movies are highly recommendable.
Read MoreMy affection for George Clooney is no secret here at The Video Station, so when it was suggested that I review The Ides of March (in which he both directs and stars) I did so with minimal reluctance. I figured there were worse ways to spend an afternoon.
Read MoreToast, based on a memoir by Nigel Slater, tells the story of a young boy’s interest in food as it leads him through childhood and into adult life. Set in Britain in the 60′s, the story starts with young Nigel (Oscar Kennedy), a seemingly unobtrusive boy, who wants lots of fancy food, but his Mum [...]
Read MoreWhen I first caught word of the upcoming cinematic adaptation of Michael Lewis‘s Moneyball book, a well-regarded examination of the recent phenomenon of executives of small market baseball teams incorporating statistical analysis and market inefficiencies to compete against the free-spending behemoths, I muttered something along the lines of “How is that gonna work?” Now, keep [...]
Read MoreDirector Steven Soderbergh is back in big-budget Hollywood mode with Contagion, a slick and proficient, if largely impassive, thriller about a global pandemic featuring an all-star cast saying their lines and going through very professional motions.
Read MoreI loved this movie. Midnight in Paris was lauded by the critics as well, and is up, so far, for Golden Globe and Independent Spirit awards. The DVD release has been much anticipated. Woody Allen has written a wonderful screenplay that is both unique and also evocative of some of his older work. The movie [...]
Read MoreOnce upon a time I was sitting across a desk from an old high school friend who had recently begun a career in the finance sector. Inspired by the large map of the world behind me, she playfully pulled out her calculator and mathematically proved–to her satisfaction, at least–that Russia was 2,500 miles across at [...]
Read MoreTom Hardy has never disappointed me. There might have been some times, before I knew who he was, when maybe he wasn’t at the top of his game. I’m looking at you, Star Trek: Nemesis. But consistently, since Bronson, I will see anything with Tom Hardy in it.
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