Ostensibly, Young Adult is a story of arrested development and perpetual adolescence; however, it’s not the comedy that the previews portend it to be. There are funny moments, but they are, intentionally, uncomfortable, leaving you unsure if the laughter is from circumstance or to cover its depressing reality; in a way, you indulge in the catharsis that […]
2011 came to and end, and now it’s time to recap those things we saw, those things we enjoyed, and those things we abhorred. In the next few weeks, there will plenty of dicussions and conjecture about what will win, who will win what, and who should have been given a chance to win something, but before […]
On her way to Alaska, “where they need people,” Wendy’s (Michelle Williams) journey gets derailed: her car breaks down, she gets busted for shoplifting, and her dog disappears. However, Wendy and Lucy is less a tale of sentimental friendship between a journeywoman and her faithful dog and more a melancholic story about social and personal mobility. A […]
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science has geared up for February by unveiling the annual poster for its Oscar ceremony (see above). And, judging by the poster, it looks as if the theme of the broadcast will be to appeal to a broad range of viewers, whether they go for romance (Gone With the Wind […]
It’s difficult to know where to begin a discussion about Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, so it might be best to say that it’s utterly beautiful in its composition. The muted tones of the 1950’s juxtaposed with the radiant color palate of the evolution of existence is stunningly moving and superbly paired with a soundtrack by […]
Having never seen the Tony-award winning God of Carnage, from which Roman Polanski’s new film Carnage is adapted, I can’t make any comparisons on whether or not the transition is smooth or accurate. What is certain is that Carnage is shot much like a play with subtle camera movement and a constant attention to the cast of […]
The most recent installment in the Mission Impossible franchise has appropriately been released without the sequential 4. Instead, it has been subtitled Ghost Protocol, something that serves two purposes. First, it distances itself from the stigmatized logarithm of exponential sequels: the higher the number, the more diluted the acting, story, and overall quality of the film. Second, […]
As A Christmas Story begins its twenty-four hour loop to commemorate the holiday season, I think of the various other film staples that have become part of this season’s diet. Rounding out a brief list is, most often, It’s a Wonderful Life, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Scrooged, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the brief cartoon, not the […]
Beneath the tale of a land baron trying to keep his family afloat after his wife suffers an irreparable brain injury, The Descendants is ultimately a study of required duplicity and a tale of revenge, pitting Matt King (George Clooney) on a quest for the man who cuckolded him. Admittedly, King doesn’t have to look far. He […]
The most intriguing part about Shame is its misdirection – not in the sense that we’re being set up for a twist in the last few moments, but rather how a number of people have read this film as the trials and tribulations of a sex-addict. Brandon (Michael Fassbender), a seemingly wealthy New York City resident in […]