The complaint always seems to be that when a book is made into a film, it never quite captures the magic of the words on the page, whether things are changed, lost for time, or what have you. But when the author just so happens to be the one to write the script and then direct the film, odds are the magic will remain. [Read more...]
Film Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
10/04/2012 by 6 Comments
Film Review: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
06/21/2012 by Leave a Comment
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is a really great idea that is miscast and very poorly executed. [Read more...]
Review: Up in the Air
12/11/2009 by Leave a Comment
Up in the Air is a painfully honest film that not only looks into the lives of our three main leads but will cause a number of viewers to reflect back on their own in these troubling times.
Jason Reitman adapts the novel by Walter Kim into a funny and sad tale that takes us all across the country and into the life, or lack there of, of Ryan Bingham; played wonderfully by George Clooney. Bingham’s home is the airport, or should we say, airports. Living his life almost literally in the skies as he flies from company to company around the country as he is hired to come in and make employees redundant. This job has made him numb to the world and unable to make any real connections to just about anyone. Bingham even gives seminars about how to detach yourself from the things that hold you back and possess you instead of possessing them. We see him doing his job, which he does well, and the company he works for sells their business as helping these employees look toward their future and helping them cope with this traumatic moment in their life. [Read more...]
Review: The Informant!
09/21/2009 by Leave a Comment
Steven Soderbergh’s latest is a unique picture that spins a pretty serious and messed up character study into a comedy by applying a silly tone and ramping up the absurdity that this actually happened and the results are pretty good for the most part.
Mark Whitacre is a bit out of his element. He is a PHD in biochemistry but was promoted to an executive level at his company ADM and quickly became a valuable asset to the company and began making large sums of money in his new role. One day he receives a phone call from an employee from a rival Japanese company that claims they have a mole in ADM’s midst and he is sabotaging their lysine production and that he needs ten million dollars to make this problem all go away. When the FBI is brought in to assist with the embezzlement proceedings, Whitacre begins to get nervous and he decides to turn informant on his own company as he is afraid that the FBI will uncover the company’s price fixing frauds. From here, the film dives into Whitacre’s exploits as an informant as the story around the man slowly gets weirder and weirder. [Read more...]
Review: Away We Go
06/12/2009 by Leave a Comment
Sam Mendes quickly returns with his latest film which is the anti thesis to his previous Revolutionary Road and the results are a fantastic look at parenting filled with heart, humor, and soul all rounded out by fantastic performances from everyone involved.
Burt and Verona are in love, they are also having a baby, but they aren’t getting married either; and none of these things are really creating much of a problem either. The problem they really have is finding a home. The couple moved close to Burt’s parents because they wanted to be a part of their granddaughter’s life, or so Burt and Verona thought. When those plans go south the two endeavor on a road trip searching for a possible home for them to settle down in and they decide to head to places wear they know some family and friends are already in place. The trip takes them through a number of parenting experiences as well and it helps the couple formulate how they want to raise their family and shape their lives. [Read more...]
