“Brooklyn” Directed by John Crowley This lovely fish-out-of-water story is nearly flawless. And whatever minor blemishes it does possess are wiped away by the porcelain-skinned performance of Saoirse Ronan and Nick Hornby’s beautiful script. In fact, it is one of … Continue reading “Brooklyn”
“Concussion” Directed by Peter Landesman Like the “Big Short”, “Concussion” does a terrific job of explaining the details behind the underlying issue of the film. In this instance, chronic trauma encephalopathy (CTE), a neurological disease that seems to target NFL … Continue reading “Concussion”
“Joy” Directed David O. Russell I assure you, it is no fun to write a bad review of something that looked like it would be charming and fun. Alas, “Joy” is neither. It is, however, bad. After much deliberation I … Continue reading “Joy”
“The Hateful Eight” Directed by (and “The Eighth Film from”) Quentin Tarantino I walked in to the packed Music Box Theater for the first screening on Christmas morning having no idea what to expect. My parents had made it clear … Continue reading “The Hateful Eight”
“Carol” Directed by Todd Haynes This is a tough movie to give a consistent review to. It is typical Haynes, in that he has given us a beautifully realized slice of life from a different era – while simultaneously showing … Continue reading “Carol”
“Labyrinth of Lies” (Germany) Directed by Giulio Ricciarelli The wonderful and engaging “Labyrinth of Lies” is really two films: A historical document outlining the manner in which most Germans learned of the true nature of the camps – over fifteen … Continue reading “Labyrinth of Lies” (Germany)
“Room” Directed by Lenny Abrahamson I really didn’t want to see this film. Don’t get me wrong, I love Brie Larson and I heard nothing except great things about it. But I was wary of spending two hours in a … Continue reading “Room”
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Directed by J.J. Abrams THERE WILL BE NO PLOT SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW! (but I will be mentioning the quality of performances, which might, in and of itself, be more than you want to know…okay…good?) … Continue reading “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (no plot spoilers or references)
“Janis: Little Girl Blue” Directed by Amy J. Berg This new documentary, from the director of the fabulous Oscar-nommed ‘West of Memphis”, has been compared by everyone, it seems, to another recent documentary about another iconic female singer who also … Continue reading “Janis: Little Girl Blue”
“The Big Short” Directed by Adam McKay In trying to accurately explain, indemnify and simplify the housing and economic meltdown of 2008, “The Big Short” wildly succeeds in every way “The Wolf of Wall Street” failed. And, yes, it far … Continue reading “The Big Short”
