Wednesday, May 30 2012
What Happens When the Average Guy Suddenly Ain’t So Average: ‘Chronicle’
This film is one of the best examples of the possibilities of the found-footage format.
The Fun Is In the Details: ‘Agatha Christie’s Poirot, Series 3’
He's a Belgian in England; he's short, wears glasses, and is an immaculate dresser with delicate sensibilities. Which is to say, Poirot is about as far from the stock hard-boiled detective as he could possibly be.
Tuesday, May 29 2012
Finding Resolution to ‘The Mystery of Edwin Drood’
Writer Gwyneth Hughes gallantly strives to solve the biggest mystery of Charles Dickens' Edwin Drood: how it ends.
Films: Father of the Bride 20th Anniversary Edition
Father of the Bride remains an enjoyable comedy with plenty of heart. It's lighthearted and emotive, but, chances are, you can identify with it.
Friday, May 25 2012
Love is Rarer than Diamonds: ‘Letter Never Sent’
This Soviet-era gem about the hunt for precious stones in Siberia is more alchemy than geology.
Thursday, May 24 2012
Avengers Assembled! ‘Ultimate Avengers Movie Collection’
These films are the spiritual successors to Batman: The Animate Series.
‘Clueless’ Remains as Enjoyable Today as It Was When It Was First Released
Over time, Clueless has only gained a sweetness that perfectly goes hand-in-hand with Heckerling’s quick witted and, at times, biting dialogue to elevate the film above a the glut of teen comedies available.
Wednesday, May 23 2012
‘Grateful Dead: Dawn of the Dead’ Could Use More Life
Want to know the early history of the Grateful Dead? You may have to look no further than this review.
Tuesday, May 22 2012
Hyper-Realism and Ultra-Feminism in Action: ‘Haywire’
Mallory Kane is a strong and principled woman immersed in a world of decadent masculinity.
Monday, May 21 2012
‘Appointment with Death’: Good Sunday Afternoon Matinee Material
A decade before Michael Winner's film career had its very own 'Appointment with Death', the controversial director made this passable adaptation of Agatha Christie's celebrated crime novel.
‘George Harrison: Living In the Material World’: The Definitive Statement on Harrison
This is a powerfully intimate portrait of a private man who led a very public life.
Thursday, May 17 2012
‘Albatross’: A Not-So-Weighty Coming-of-Age Meets Mid-Life-Crisis Film
The filmmakers very gently hew to recognizable formula in a way that suggests they’re not out to deliver anything greater than cinematic comfort food.
Wednesday, May 16 2012
Like a Jack London Story on Steroids: ‘The Grey’
A bleak, desolate setting full of bleak, desolate men: A group of oil workers survive a plane crash and have to fight a pack of wolves across the Alaskan wilderness.
Kate Beckinsale Shoots, Stabs and Blows Up Things in ‘Underworld: Awakening’
Even Selene's icy blue stare can't hypnotize us into having fun with this one.
Tuesday, May 15 2012
Painful Naïvety: ‘Albert Nobbs’
Albert Nobbs, the story of a woman living as a man in 19th century Dublin, is a film that quietly and subtly explores not only gender roles, but identity at its most basic level.
A Different Kind of Wilderness: ‘A Lonely Place to Die’
There are clever twists and surprises here, but we never connect with anyone enough to transcend the genre.
Monday, May 14 2012
Hard, Onerous, and Routinely Dangerous Work: ‘House of Pleasures’
This is an exquisite film set in the twilight of the high class Parisian brothel. It's languid, even sleepy, and yet utterly spellbinding.
‘The Man Nobody Knew’ Leaves Us Searching for Its Mysterious Titular Character
What could have been Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy meets My Architect, is instead The Fog of War meets 60 Minutes. But without much bite.
Friday, May 11 2012
A Neophyte and a Cosmopolitan Get Together and Create Magic: ‘David Lean Directs Noël Coward’
A beautiful chronicle of British life during the war, a perfect example of propaganda and a detailed examination of creative evolution, this boxset is sure to become a staple in film lovers' libraries.
Thursday, May 10 2012
Steerage: ‘A Night to Remember’
The ship of dreams as seen in Roy Ward Baker’s film is an angry, socialist piece about the unfairnesses that would strike British people in the years that came after the war.
