Wednesday, June 1 2011
‘Blue Valentine’: You Always Hurt the Ones You Love
Ultimately, Blue Valentine isn’t something you merely watch: it’s something that you feel. Even though it proves to be one hell of a devastating experience, it’s worth the pain.
Friday, February 25 2011
Various Artists: Blue Valentine OST
While Grizzly Bear was the perfect choice to score the heartbreaking indie vehicle, listening to their score without the visuals leaves the listener a little wanting.
Wednesday, November 3 2010
New York Film Festival: Kelly Reichardt’s Meek’s Cutoff
Kelly Reichardt's Meek’s Cutoff is an outsider's Western. If we were looking for a female counterpart to Gus Van Sant, I think we may have found her.
Friday, May 8 2009
Wendy and Lucy
A moving portrait of a woman and her canine companion as well as a powerful comment on contemporary American poverty.
Friday, March 20 2009
Synecdoche New York
Consumed with existential dread, this film captures the feeling of near-death angst remarkably well, enough to the point where it's not Caden that's feeling it -- it's the audience.
Thursday, January 29 2009
Michelle Williams gets to the heart of a forlorn character in ‘Wendy and Lucy’
Friday, January 16 2009
Best Complexities in 2008
The most remarkable films of 2008 were small, smart, and complicated. While they're surely worth seeking out for their own pleasures, they also represent the sort of movies that will find theatrical releases even harder to manage in the shrinking economy.
The New Classics - The 30 Best Films of 2008
Unlike previous years, where classics came crawling out of the celluloid woodwork with regular reckless abandon, 2008 was more calm… and considered. That's not to say that choosing 30 top titles was hard. The difficulty in placing them in some manner of rank order suggests the actual depth of quality involved.
Thursday, January 15 2009
Outside the Lines - The Top 20 International/Indie Films of 2008
With many indie/international films receiving more and more mainstream approval from unfamiliar audiences, many of the titles here could be considered part of the overall 2008 Best Of. But their individuality and multicultural appeal keep them a quality concept apart.
Wednesday, January 14 2009
Tough and Tender - The Top 20 Female Performances of 2008
Twenty talented ladies, 20 performances worthy of multiple little gold men. Unfortunately, as in all years, someone has to come out on top. But after looking over this impressive list, picking the preeminent turn of 2008 seems almost impossible.
