The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Elaborate entertainment from the mind of Terry Gilliam about the owner of a carnival side show who must collect 5 souls before the devil in a race against time, else he loses his first born. Film vacillates between beautifully vivid set pieces and a frustratingly inconsistent narrative. Careful examination of the plot will raise many […]
Leap Year
Utterly predictable romantic comedy about a woman who travels to Ireland to propose to her boyfriend on February 29. Amy Adams is the spoiled, but attractive, American fussbudget. Matthew Goodge is the coarse, but handsome, Irish laborer. Oh look they‘re fighting. Oh look now they hate each other. Oh look now they’re falling in love. […]
It’s Complicated
Amusing, but flimsy romantic comedy about a woman who starts up an affair with a currently married man who happened to be her husband 10 years prior. Not particularly cutting edge, but it is insightful and more importantly, funny. Writer, director Nancy Myers (Something’s Gotta Give, What Women Want) has a feel for this type […]
A Star Is Born
Landmark musical remake of the 1937 original about two star-crossed lovers in show business. Her fame is rising, his is starting to fade and their career trajectories form the plot of this film. Rarely has a musical featured such happily upbeat numbers (“Gotta Have Me Go With You”, “Lose That Long Face”) and simultaneously presented […]
Nine
Lavish, but uninvolving musical about a film director trying to assemble his latest movie. He doesn‘t have a script or even a story yet. Ironically, this update of Fellini’s 8 ½ has barely a thread of a story itself. The drama’s raisin d’etre appears to be the extravagant musical numbers. The problem is, they just […]