Category Archives: Reviews

You don’t need to be in a hurry for In Time

I certainly wasn’t in a hurry to write this review. (Blame it on The Fassbender.)

I really loved Gattaca. Sci-fi is usually not my thing but I loved Gattaca because it was 1) visually stylish and 2) totally plausible (to me). It was all about genetic engineering and the quest to create perfect people and what would happen if not everyone was able to be perfect. To this day, I still love Gattaca a lot and recommend it frequently. This has bought its writer/director, Andrew Niccol, a lot of leeway with me, which he has nearly exhausted with S1m0ne and Lord of War. In Time bought him back some of my affection but not all that he once had.Continue reading “You don’t need to be in a hurry for In Time”

CIFF Triple Play: Coriolanus, Jeff Who Lives at Home and Sleeping Beauty

Time to hammer through the second half of my Chicago International Film Festival coverage with an arthouse triple feature.

Coriolanus

Shakespeare is hard. Even for professionals, Shakespeare is hard. This is the message I got from John Logan, the Tony-award winning playwright (for RED), and a two-time Oscar nominee (screenplays for Gladiator and The Aviator). Logan’s resume is impressive, so for him to admit that Coriolanus, was tough to bring to the big screen is no joke. It was a struggle at every level—adaptation, selling, filming, distributing. That this film exists at all is proof of Logan’s, and Ralph Fiennes’, devotion to the work.Continue reading “CIFF Triple Play: Coriolanus, Jeff Who Lives at Home and Sleeping Beauty”

CIFF 2011: Tyrannosaur

SPOILER ALERT

So some of you came out of the woodwork and yelled at me for spoiling The Ides of March in my review. My attitude toward spoilers is this: 1) no, I don’t care about them, 2) most of my reviews post after the movie comes out—you have 72 hours to see a movie unspoiled and then come Monday, we’re talking about it, and 3) my goal with these reviews is to help you decide how to spend your money at the movies. Entertainment is expensive—it costs a lot to go to movies, to maintain premium cable packages, VOD and streaming/rental services. I’m trying to provide enough information to help you spend your money wisely. Of course I’m going to tell you if a movie is good or bad, but mainly I want to write reviews and previews that help you not waste your money. If I get a little spoilery, it’s in the interest of letting you know what to expect when you go to the movies. Also, I read a couple advanced reviews of Ides that referenced the suicide so I didn’t realize it was going to be a big deal.Continue reading “CIFF 2011: Tyrannosaur”

CIFF 2011: Like Crazy

October 6-20 marks the 47th Annual Chicago International Film Festival. I’ve never done this festival before and decided to give it a whirl this year. Film festivals always sound better in my head than they actually are. I was reminded of this as I stood in line for Like Crazy, surrounded by college-aged hipster douchebag film students. Over the next couple weeks I’ll be posting reviews from the films I’m seeing. Unless I’m in jail for stabbing a college-aged hipster douchebag film student to death with my pencil.

Like Crazy was a big hit at Sundance and I can see why. It’s a charming, small film that’s a bit cute and quirky without descending into twee-ness (despite the rather poor trailer’s tendency toward the twee). The natural comparison here is (500) Days of Summer, but I found Like Crazy to be a lot less hipstery. Like Crazy is the story of Jacob and Anna, a couple of selfish assholes who ruin the lives of everyone around them. It’s a bittersweet love story.Continue reading “CIFF 2011: Like Crazy”

The Ides of March is a pointed look at zzzzzzzz

Okay, here’s the thing. I liked The Ides of March. I liked Good Night and Good Luck, too, so George Clooney’s methodical directorial style doesn’t irk me. It’s just that it’s hard to have a lot of enthusiasm for his efforts after the fact. Like, I saw Ides and I liked Ides but I don’t care if I never see it again. I don’t care if you ever see it. It’s not mandatory viewing. It’s just…there.

Clooney makes procedurals. Procedurals are, at their heart, boring. This is why so many cop dramas feature a loose cannon and/or self-destructive detective. You need a wild and crazy guy to enliven the proceedings. Clooney, as a director, has a very clean and controlled style. He doesn’t get bogged down in emotions or overly-elaborate ruses to make the audience care about his characters. In fact, he directs as if he really doesn’t give a shit if you like anyone in the movie or not. He also doesn’t indulge in the stock loose cannon character. The closest we get in Ides is when Stephen (Ryan Gosling) loses his job and you’re not sure who he’s going to screw over first. But that’s just it—we all know Stephen is going to seek revenge and we know what the instrument of that revenge will be.Continue reading “The Ides of March is a pointed look at zzzzzzzz”

Moneyball hits a triple but doesn’t score the run

Okay. Let’s get this right at the beginning. I liked Moneyball. I really liked it. I thought it was a really good movie. I enjoyed watching it. This is not a negative review of Moneyball. If I had to give this movie a grade, it would be an A-. That said, I know what I am about to say is not the popular opinion. I know you will disagree with me and I know why you will disagree with me. But hear me out.

Moneyball could have been great. Could have been, and wasn’t. And I resent that a little.Continue reading “Moneyball hits a triple but doesn’t score the run”