George Clooney’s latest directorial effort, The Ides of March, is sharp, timely, and impeccably executed by his actors and team behind the camera. [Read more...]
Film Review: The Ides of March
10/08/2011 by 4 Comments
Film Review: The Ides of March
10/07/2011 by 1 Comment
It’s very hard for me to get into anything involving politics: the news, debates, conversations, etc. Yes, I am one of those people. Just try to get me involved; I will give myself 5 minutes tops before the blank stare completely takes over my face as the droning noise of speech is washed away by thoughts of something more appealing to me, like food. Every once in a while I might throw out some thoughts on my moral standings, but it will be up to the other individual to connect it to the party in charge, the policies running the country, etc. I try, but I just wasn’t built for politics. [Read more...]
Now Playing Review – The Lincoln Lawyer
03/18/2011 by Leave a Comment
When a book is adapted into a film usually it means that there is at least some promise to what is being presented, but let’s face it, as soon as you heard this title you wrote it off like I did. I mean, who wants to see some movie about a lawyer to a president ages ago? Well turns out this one has nothing to do with good ol’ Honest Abe. Better yet, it’s actually really good.
Four score and seven years ago… No just kidding. The Lincoln Lawyer tells the story of a smooth talking, charming manipulator who makes a living putting these skills to work in the legal system. As a lawyer he defends petty criminals, from those busted with drugs to those found hooking on the street corners. Being great at what he does, when an opportunity comes knocking that can move him up to the big leagues he jumps at the opportunity to defend a wealthy client who may just know how to play the system as much as his lawyer. [Read more...]
Review: Cyrus
07/09/2010 by Leave a Comment
The first non-micro budget feature from the Duplass brothers keeps the realistic tone, gets great performances out of their leads, and knocks the humor out of the park when it tries to be funny.
Now, don’t let that last bit scare you, this film is a comedy first and foremost but there are many quiet and sweet moments of introspection that really help elevate the film to another level of being just a comedy. The story follows John, a still sort of love sick divorcé who still works closely with his ex who is also his closest friend after seven years apart, that finally meets a woman, Molly, that seems to gel with him but she has a minor hindrance; her 21 year old son who still lives at home, Cyrus. Now, this wouldn’t seem like the biggest problem but their relationship is a bit too close for most peoples comfort. Home schooled and having never gone off to college, Cyrus, is a bit of a mama’s boy and doesn’t know much of a life beyond his mother and his electric industrial synth music.
Review: The Wrestler
12/18/2008 by Leave a Comment
Darren Aronofsky has returned with his fourth feature and the results are an engaging, sad, and fantastic character study anchored by a fantastic performance by Mickey Rourke.
Randy “The Ram” Robinson (Mickey Rourke) was “The” wrestler back in 1986. Working his way through the ranks, The Ram made his way to the top of the professional circuit, peaking at his Madison Square Garden sell out with The Ayatollah. Flash forward ten years later, still wrestling, now at legion halls and gymnasiums, The Ram is the class of his local circuit, though quite a fall from the ranks he once held. Still getting his own dressing room and being the top bill, it’s good enough to get him through the day. The finances aren’t quite cutting it though, and he has to pick up extra shifts at the grocery store in between wrestling on the weekends and visits to the local strip club to chat up Cassidy (Marisa Tomei) over beers. Though, events lead Randy to question his lot in life, and seek out his estranged daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) in an attempt to make peace with his past. [Read more...]
Review: War, Inc.
12/01/2008 by Leave a Comment
John Cusack’s in-spirit follow up to Grosse Pointe Blank is no where near as effective as that film, and while there are some winning moments, the film fails to work as a whole.
Brand Hauser is a contract killer for the U.S. and finds himself working for Tamerlane on a political assassination job in Turaqistan (not a real country for those counting) in a world that is now run by corporations and greed. Sent to rub out a competing C.E.O., Hauser is undercover as a convention show runner that will also be closing its ceremonies with the wedding of pop star Yonica Babyyeah (Hilary Duff). While working towards his mark, Hauser also encounters a reporter, Natalie Hegalhuzen (Maris Tomei), who he begins to bond with over his stay. Natalie is trying to figure out what is really going on in this country, especially with this mysterious boss The Viceroy, telling everyone what to do from an undisclosed location through monitors around town. [Read more...]
Review: Before the Devil Knows Your Dead
12/03/2007 by Leave a Comment
Sidney Lumet’s new film is an interesting take on the crime drama, by taking a small simple crime and examining the consequences of what can happen if everything went wrong. The movie is a very intimate look into the lives of everyone involved and can be even more intimate than most crime films due to the interconnections between all the characters we focus on. [Read more...]
