“The Venn diagram between would-be academics and blue-collar workers is a near perfect circle in Ghostbusters, a near fairy tale of trade jobs thwarting the paranormal. Only in New York would something like this fly. I mean, what other city would find citizens barely raising an eyebrow at the sight o” read more
“Adaptation works wonders for Quentin Tarantino. Sure, he canāt help himself when it comes to populating his film with a sprawling running time and (so much) jive talking, but Jackie Brown remains his most mature, accomplished, and satisfactory work. Thereās shocking bits of violence here, but mu” read more
“Maybe if this had been remade with La Diva Streisand in 1966 instead of 1976 things would be different, but thatās not the world we live in. Streisandās version of A Star is Born, do you really think the credited writers (including Joan Didion!) and director Frank Pierson actually had a say in t” read more
“Is this supposed to be some kind of parody of the hysterical Christian morality plays of Tyler Perry, or some kind of running commentary/satirical take on them? Is there any way to come to Blackbird that doesnāt end in you walking away completely confounded by its flagrant and vulgar mishmash of t” read more
“You know, it seems like writer/director/star Philipp Karner is working through some deeply personal stuff throughout Like You Mean It. Shame he didnāt invite the audience along for his personal journey and mea culpa. Like You Mean It is glacial and opaque, much like its main character, and weāre” read more
“Vampires, Neil Jordan, and Saoirse Ronan looks like a winning combination on paper, but Byzantium all style and no substance. Ronan is customarily subtle, poignant, and nuanced, and Jordan imbues the entire thing with his austerity and low-key eroticism, but thereās just not enough story to justif” read more
“Fritz Langās first big hit, with Metropolis just a few short years away, may not be as ingenious or vital as his later works, but itās still fascinating to watch as a primer on the earliest parts of his career. Itās something of a morality play/parable between a young woman who has recently lo” read more
“Between this and Argo, boy has American cinema turned an endlessly complicated event into a two-dimensional construct. Historical context or a decent grasp on the complexities at play? Donāt look here. Compelling and multi-layered characters? Nope, try again. But at least you get an international ” read more
“The piercing realism that canāt be faked strikes you hardest in Pariah. You can sense it in the script and direction by Dee Rees, you can sense it in Adepero Oduyeās central performance, in Kim Wayans and Charles Parnellās supporting work. It just drips from every frame of Pariah. Ā You cou” read more
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
“Yes, for all of the likeable work that Steve Carell and Keira Knightley put into their lead performances thereās still a remarkable lack of chemistry between them. Yes, the end of the world setting is merely a means to shove them together in a romance that would otherwise never occur, got it. And ” read more
“Youāve got some serious artistic hubris if youāre willing to stick Robert De Niro behind a yellow cab and reference one of his most iconic works, and Being Flynn cannot compare to Martin Scorseseās sweaty, paranoid Taxi Driver. That was a work of pure daring, an evocationĀ of numerous western” read more
“Indie dramadies about softhearted curmudgeons befriending adorable, precocious moppets is a genre that produces more duds than gems. Case in point: St. Vincent, Bill Murrayās entry in that much-abused genre finds him saddled with babysitting a tween that feels like the embryonic version of Jason S” read more
“The Pretenders had released four albums by the time their first compilation, Singles, hit the shelves in 1987, and itās a testament to their unique and enduring spin on classic rock. Chrissie Hynde brought a feminine mystique to the classic cock rock sound. From their self-titled debut through 198” read more
“Ten years separated the first film and this sequel. The only shocking thing about that factoid is that it took so long. Never mind that the musical sequences rarely had anything to do with the plot, or that the actors couldnāt sing (for the most part), or that much of it was shoddily made, filmed,” read more
“Thereās all the ingredients for something twee ā a storybook aesthetic, a curmudgeon and an orphan bonding, and itās based on a series of Belgian childrenās books ā yet Ernest & Celestine is a warm, lovely little piece of misfits bonding over their shared love of art. They operate outs” read more
“The emotional trauma of the transition from childhood to adulthood is the bread and butter of Pixarās films. Donāt believe me? Look at Toy Story 3, Inside Out, or Braveās exploration of the painful growths required to move to the next phase of life or deal with a big change. Finding Dory adher” read more