Hachi: A Dog’s Tale
Affectionate tale about the strong bond between a dog and his master. This warm hearted drama is well acted, has a pretty score and beautiful cinematography, much of it from the dog’s point of view. Several tender moments quietly illustrate how devoted a pet can be. Sadly that’s a pretty flimsy excuse to sustain a […]
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Engrossing detective thriller about a journalist investigating the decades-old disappearance of a missing woman. He’s aided by the title character, a young Goth punk computer hacker. Swedish film adaptation of part one of author Stieg Larsson’s “Millennium Trilogy” lazily unfolds like a TV miniseries. Numerous plot threads introduce exploitative subjects ranging from serial killers to […]
Paper Heart
Overly precious romantic comedy chronicles comedienne Charlyne Yi’s trip across America as she makes a documentary on the subject of love. Along the way she meets actor Michael Cera playing himself. These supposedly improvised scenes are so carefully prepared that the only joke is on the actors who think they’re fooling anyone into thinking this is […]
A Prophet
Morally ambiguous tale about a young Arab prisoner who gets entangled with a Corsican Mafia group on the inside. This first hour of this crime drama is absorbing as our youthful protagonist must fend for himself in an environment that is totally foreign to him. Newcomer actor Tahar Rahim is quietly convincing as the initially […]
Black Dynamite
Humorous action comedy concerns an ex-CIA agent’s quest for revenge when the mob kills his brother. Film’s strong suit is in the details as it lovingly recreates the early 70s Blaxploitation film to perfection. It’s all here, from the garish costumes to the low production values and implausible plots. Even the film quality is so […]
The Last Station
Boring account of people fighting over the rights to Leo Tolstoy’s literary legacy during his final year. On the one side we have his wife, Sofya, who feels they should be bequeathed to his family. On the other, we’re given Vladimir Chertkova, a staunch disciple of the author‘s beliefs, who wants them as the property […]
Crazy Heart
Poignant character study of Bad Blake, an aging country singer whose existence is something of a mess, until, that is, he meets a young female reporter. Actor Jeff Bridges embraces the personality of the ragged, seen it all country singer so convincingly it doesn’t even feel like a performance, it feels like real life. He […]
Passing Strange
Flashy filmed performance of a Broadway stage play. Set in the late 1970s, a young black musician rebels against his church-going, middle-class, South Central roots by traveling the world in an effort to experience something “real” in life. Los Angeles performance artist Stew narrates what is essentially a concert trip through a dizzying number of […]
Moon
Psychological science fiction about an astronaut harvesting precious Helium-3 on the moon alone….or so he thinks. Thought provoking drama owes a definite debt to 2001: A Space Odyssey. While this drama suffers in the comparison to that science fiction classic, it still presents some interesting ideas. The isolated mood is tense and it begins well. […]
The Young Victoria
Opulent romantic drama set during the 1830s about Queen Victoria, her accession to the throne and her relationship with Prince Albert. The machinations of the court of England are captured in all their back-stabbing glory. We as the audience feel an intimate look behind the scenes. Emily Blunt has a commanding presence as the youthful […]