If the dialogue in The Last Station had been delivered about twice as fast, it would not be a stretch to label the film as a screwball tragedy. Its characters engage in clever repartee and trade barbs throughout, but ultimately it is the story of two people who have grown remote from one another in [...]
Read More biography, blu-ray, Christopher Plummer, drama, DVD, Helen Mirren, James McAvoy, Kerry Condon, Paul Giamatti, R, The Last Station, willMorgan Freeman is uniquely qualified to play Nelson Mandela. He has, during his career, already portrayed a South African, a President, and a man who has spent decades in prison. In Clint Eastwood‘s latest film, Invictus, he finally gets to play all three at once, helped in large part by his somewhat better than passing [...]
Read More biography, blu-ray, Clint Eastwood, drama, DVD, Invictus, Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman, Nelson Mandela, Sport, willIn dramatizing the life of a royal person, filmmakers willingly step into the taffeta-lined pitfall of sumptuous visuals and noble chins held aloft. The problem being that if a story is known or at least known well enough, then there’s no tension present in the telling of the tale. That element of the narrative added [...]
Read More biography, drama, DVD, Emily Blunt, Mark Strong, Miranda Richardson, Mystery, PG-, romance, Rupert FriendAs the 1960′s fade further from view, and the images of an unquestionably important decade in world history are sanitized to the point of parody, it’s imperative to remember that not everyone can look back with the benefit of rose-colored glasses. With the hippie wigs in mothballs, the music re-packaged again and again to the [...]
Read More action, biography, crime, drama, DVD, Germany, History, J.D., Martina Gedeck, Moritz Bleibtreu, R, The Baader Meinhof Complex, WokalekIn my humble opinion, The Blind Side is really good. It’s really good in the way that it’s enjoyable to watch, and leaves you with a good feeling. Is it great art? No way. Plus there are moments that are downright Hallmark-y. Some of the characters come across as stereotypical. It’s not a particularly deep [...]
Read More biography, blu-ray, Carey Mulligan, drama, DVD, Jae Head, John Lee Hancock, joyce, Kathy Bates, Kim Dickens, Lily Collins, Michael Oher, PG-13, Sandra Bullock, Sport, The Blind Side, Tim McGrawFrancis Bacon not so much with a brush but with scalpel strokes lay back the skin of a dark existence. Gauguin sought, found and painted his garden of Eden. Basquiat, careerist that he was, perhaps didn’t completely translate but at least jotted down semaphore signals from the streets. In films trying to interpret the lives [...]
Read More biography, drama, DVD, Not Rated, Seraphine, Ulrich Tukur, war, Yolande Moreau(Warning: Sports-related terminology, of both a British and American variety, is contained in the following review, including the usage of the term ‘football’ for ‘soccer‘, references to 1970′s baseball managers, and the like. To find out whether the film is ‘shot well’, is ‘well lit’, or is ‘an adrenaline-fuelled thrill ride‘, please consult the footnotes [...]
Read More biography, Brian Clough, Colm Meaney, David Peace, drama, DVD, J.D., Michael Sheen, Peter Morgan, R, Sport, The Damned United, Timothy SpallI’ve never seen a film of director Anne Fontaine’s (How I Killed My Father; The Girl From Monaco) before. I was reminded at a few moments in this film of the visual style of Sofia Coppola, which is a good thing in my book. I look forward to seeing Fontaine’s style grow and evolve in [...]
Read More Alex, Anne Fontaine, Audrey Tautou, biography, blu-ray, Coco Before Chanel, Coco Chanel, drama, DVD, PG-13The latest film from Pusher director Nicolas Winding Refn, Bronson tells the story of Michael Peterson (aka Charles Bronson) the “most violent man” in British prison history. In what could be the best performance of the year, Tom Hardy plays Bronson, a lost soul who dreams of celebrity.
Read More action, biography, Bronson, drama, DVD, Nicolas Winding Refn, Noah, R, thriller, Tom HardyA year or so ago, I was looking at a photograph of Amelia Earhart and thinking “If they ever make a movie about her, I bet they’ll cast Hilary Swank.” A couple weeks later, I heard that Mira Nair (of Salaam Bombay and Namesake fame) was directing Amelia, starring Hilary Swank. The news seemed pretty [...]
Read More Amelia, Amelia Earhart, biography, blu-ray, drama, DVD, Hilary Swank, Mira Nair, PG-, will