Darkly comical and sardonic, The Skeleton Twins is a poignant study in loneliness. A warning to those about to watch the film: there is no resolution. Much like the Milo and Maggie (Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig), the melancholic, estranged siblings suggested by the title, we are left hanging – not in such a way that we have […]
Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones’s powerfully understated performances drive James Marsh’s new film, The Theory of Everything, a film based on the relationship between world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) and his wife, Jane (Felicity Jones). As Marsh did with the documentary Man on Wire, he plays this film slowly. There are few montages throughout, which seem […]
In Jamie Marks is Dead, the tone throughout is different. The film begins with the discovery of a body, and the discoverer seems less disturbed than shocked by what she has stumbled upon. Adapted from the Young Adult-genre novel, One for Sorrow, written by Christopher Barzak, Jamie Marks is Dead explores the disparate values that we put […]
The first viewing of Under the Skin, impressed me with its pacing and it ominous tone. It’s a thriller / horror film without a clearly motivated killer. The unnamed femme fatale from another part of our or some other galaxy (Scarlett Johansson) trolls around Scotland, seeking out lonely, forsaken, and single men. What Under the Skin makes […]
Based on the Neil Gaiman’s novel, the film Coraline is a cynical look at the desires of children stifled by external constraints placed on parents. The titular little girl is recently transplanted to the gray often-misty Oregon landscape. She and her parents, regardless of where they were before, inhabit the first and second floor of a house […]
From feds to family to crooks and politicians, everyone has and angle – or three — in American Hustle, David O. Russell’s new film that offers a look at the post-Watergate schizophrenic culture of America. No more is this exemplified than in the opening scene that offers Irving Rosenfeld’s (Christian Bale in a role physically antithetical to […]
Simultaneously melancholic and beautiful, Nebraska explores the dangers of trust.
If nothing else, the Bond franchise teaches us that consistency is overrated, but perhaps this is the best way to keep drawing an audience. Looking through the previous 17 films, it’s difficult to find two in a row that contain a similar tone or style. This, in part, could be blamed on the frequent change in directors, […]
From director Suri Krishnamma, Dark Tourist – also known as The Grief Tourist – is a psychological thriller that explores the heart of American ennui and intrigue. Jim Tahana (Michael Cudlitz) is a security guard, spending his nights keeping people out and his morning saying hello to folks as they pass through gates. The absolute monotony seems […]
Throughout the years, setting any movie in a casino atmosphere has proven to be successful. Because of this, there are several movie directors who added casino scenes in their movies. Evidently, casinos are considered as a good backdrop for films. It offers instant drama, and there’s usually a huge amount of money changing hands as well as […]