Movies

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Written by Laura Hamlett Friday, 07 September 2012 10:22

Writing about writers is very hard to pull off, and at this, the movie fails miserably.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Wednesday, 05 September 2012 21:11

There’s about a million movies about the trials and tribulations of lovers, young and otherwise, but not many that take an honest look at friendship.

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Written by Matthew Newlin Wednesday, 05 September 2012 20:54

The Chicago 8 is a perfect example of how not to make a movie and why some films end up going directly to DVD.

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Written by Matthew Newlin Wednesday, 05 September 2012 20:19

It’s pronounced BUR-BIG-LEE-UH.

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Written by Pete Timmermann Friday, 31 August 2012 11:57

There’s the faintest smack of exploitation to Compliance. To a certain extent it’s needed for the film to work—you really kind of need to see Becky naked and humiliated in a McDonald’s stock room to get the full gut punch of the movie.

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Written by Pete Timmermann Friday, 31 August 2012 11:53

Even the divorce can’t keep them apart, despite the fact that they have definitive proof that a romantic relationship between them just doesn’t work.

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Written by Pete Timmermann Friday, 31 August 2012 11:49

It’s the type of movie that thinks it’s automatically hilarious when a naked old man bends over.

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Written by Pete Timmermann Wednesday, 29 August 2012 08:49

Lawless is John Hillcoat’s best feature film to date, showing his talents as a director more than any of his previous films have.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Thursday, 23 August 2012 09:44

They’re all essentially performing the same ancient task of matching goods with buyers.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Thursday, 23 August 2012 09:40

The Master Qi of the title is Qi Shu Fang, who began studying Peking Opera at age four in her native China. She was among the first women to train in this art, and learned to play both male and female roles.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Thursday, 23 August 2012 09:37

One wonders if William Rees insisted in being interviewed while kayaking, as if to underline his superiority to mere desk-bound intellectuals.

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Written by Pete Timmermann Thursday, 23 August 2012 09:29

This is the sort of movie where, every time a girl is naked, you get a long, lingering look at them, but when boys are naked, they’re carefully arranged so as not to show any of the hangy-down bits.

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Written by Pete Timmermann Thursday, 23 August 2012 09:11

It is as if Layton is making fun of his interviewees.

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Written by Adrienne Jones Friday, 17 August 2012 00:00

Sparkle also suffers for literally not having enough Sparkle.

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Written by Pete Timmermann Wednesday, 15 August 2012 21:05

Any documentary that makes you more aware of the world in which you live should be celebrated.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Wednesday, 15 August 2012 20:59

One of the film’s pleasures is simply getting to visit a world that few of us will ever know.

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Written by Jason Green Friday, 10 August 2012 07:39

The latest in a string of “let’s just shove Will Ferrell into a vaguely silly occupation—television anchorman, children’s soccer coach, NASCAR driver, ‘70s ABA player—and let the sparks fly!” movies, The Campaign is basically comfort food for people who love Will Ferrell movies.

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Written by Matthew Newlin Wednesday, 08 August 2012 15:56

Whereas Jason Bourne was practically emotionless, Aaron Cross has a macabre sense of humor that makes him feel more like a real person.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Wednesday, 08 August 2012 14:28

Watching Farewell, My Queen is like being a spy in the house of history—in this case, the house is Versailles and the date is July 14, 1789.

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Written by Laura Hamlett Wednesday, 08 August 2012 14:25

Elena’s trip, from the luxurious flat she shares with Vladimir to the crowded apartment where her son and his family live, sums up the stark contrasts of post-Soviet Russia.

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Written by Adrienne Jones Wednesday, 08 August 2012 14:20

The meat of this movie is the counseling, and because of it, there are moments that are hard to watch.

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Written by Pete Timmermann Friday, 03 August 2012 16:21

I’ve come to respect the way it successfully comments on the whole manic pixie dream girl persona, while still having something bigger and more useful to say.

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Written by Sean Lass Friday, 03 August 2012 16:07

When you remove blood from the action, you also remove stakes, and when you remove stakes, you remove tension—and when you remove tension, no one gives a shit.

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Written by Pete Timmermann Thursday, 02 August 2012 10:29

I don’t mean that he’s gone too far into being potentially offensive, but rather that he seems to have forgotten how to ground his unlikeable characters while making them memorable and interesting.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Friday, 27 July 2012 11:04

Scalene tells its story in a fragmented fashion, not only by presenting three versions of the same events, but also by having characters refer to events seen only in fragments.

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Written by Sean Lass Friday, 27 July 2012 10:55

I really like the aliens in The Watch. They look creepy, and slimy, and legitimately intimidating.

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Written by Matthew Newlin Friday, 27 July 2012 10:48

Trishna begins as a very slow and seemingly unfocused film, but Michael Winterbottom manages to make a sharp left turn in the second half, going from a contemplative travelogue to an impassioned drama.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Friday, 27 July 2012 10:41

This is an enjoyable film that was clearly made on a micro budget and that, for the most part, makes the most of its resources.

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Written by Pete Timmermann Friday, 20 July 2012 10:53

Nolan’s Gotham City has always been a particularly dark one, but here it dances around violence and death without ever really showing it.

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Written by Pete Timmermann Friday, 20 July 2012 10:43

Some movies are good for realistically depicting the world we live in; others are good for creating a world of their own. Beasts of the Southern Wild is the rare movie that does both things: It shows us our world, but in a fresh light.

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Written by Matthew Newlin Thursday, 19 July 2012 17:12

The terminology used by Komen and its ilk is not only disingenuous, it’s offensive.

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Written by Pete Timmermann Sunday, 15 July 2012 17:45

The Room is not just a movie, it’s an event.

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Written by Matthew Newlin Tuesday, 10 July 2012 20:37

The quiet scenes between Raymond and Linda are pure poetry and a fantastic course on subtle writing.

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Written by Pete Timmermann Tuesday, 10 July 2012 20:23

Did I mention how much I didn’t like all the characters in this film?

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Written by Sean Lass Thursday, 05 July 2012 17:41

The characters talk about the same issues in the same way they have for the last four decades.

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Written by Pete Timmermann Thursday, 05 July 2012 17:32

I spent most of this movie hoping it would end like Hamlet does.