Whether you love him, hate him, or are simply indifferent, you have to admit that Wes Anderson is a unique director.
More so than any other filmmaker at work today, he has a personal style to which he is beholden.…
Tag: drama
European wartime romp The Monuments Men is nothing to write home about
On the face of it, The Monuments Men should make for a great piece of cinema.
A classic “men on a mission” movie set in the dying days of the Second World War, directed by the talented and starring the never-less-than-charming George Clooney, backed by a whole roster of recognizable actors?…
Dallas Buyers Club is a life-affirming tonic of a film
If ever there was a film that just may have conceived to mint Oscars, Dallas Buyers Club might be it.
It concerns the exploits of a homophobic cowboy, Ron Woodroof, who contracts AIDS and pairs up with trans woman, Rayon, to begins selling unapproved drugs to the Dallas gay community.…
Out of the Furnace shows us the crucible of the impoverished Mid-Atlantic US
Above a dying mining town somewhere in the Rust Belt of the United States, one of the most talented actors of his generation, bearded and disheveled, pauses with a rifle to take a shot.
A deer is in his scopes.
American Hustle might be my favorite film of 2013
AKA The David O. Russell Reunion; Batman, Lois Lane, Rocket Raccoon, & Mystique: The Movie; or, Golden Globes For Everyone!
I don’t make a habit of using this space to gush over how much I love one film or another.
Mandela: A Long Walk to Freedom is a noble enough cinematic endeavor
Released in the immediate aftermath of its subject’s death, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom has the unenviable task of standing as cinematic testament to perhaps the most vital political figure in African history.
Close enough is the time you could be forgiven for thinking that the film’s publicists may have bumped off the ninety-five year-old Mandiba for the sake of a publicity coup.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is long on aspiration if a little short on poise
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty has been in the movie pipeline for a while.
Based on a short story published in 1939, this particular version of the tale has been in development hell since the mid-nineties. There have been plenty of would-be Walters in that lineup, too: Jim Carrey, Will Ferrell, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson.…
The Butler is content to carry water
2013 has been a year for many things.
Hostage crises in Algeria and North Korean nuclear tests, 3D printers and a meteor explosion over Russia. Meanwhile, the NSA’s been spying on everyone and Justin Bieber has been taking up the headlines in “Teenage-Boy-With-Unlimited-Power-Behaves-Like-Dickhead Shock”.
… The Counselor is a film in desperate need of help
The Counselor is an unusual beast.
In its opening moments, cheetahs stalk wild hares on the Savannah, not of Africa but Mexico; a flamboyant, eccentrically rich couple picnic nearby in the company of some luxury motors.
Sometime soon Michael Fassbender’s nameless eponym will be buying a diamond from Bruno Ganz’s merchant, who pontificates on the beauty of the stone lying in its flaws.…
Saving Mr. Banks is self-serving nostalgia from the House of Mouse… It’s also great, hugely feelgood fun
Try to think of an occasion on which you’ve seen the celebrated Mr. Walt Disney portrayed in film.
Simply put, you can’t: the Disney corporation has fiercely guarded the image of their founder, almost as fiercely as their iconic mascot.…