No one adapts the minutiae of human interaction better than writer/director Charlie Kaufman. The mundane and feelings of alienation have been constant themes in all of his films, and they once again take center stage in his latest, Anomalisa. Shot completely using stop-motion animation, set in about three locations, and spending… Continue reading
Joy presents Jennifer Lawrence with her meatiest role since Ree in 2010’s Winter’s Bone, which fast-tracked her rise to one of Hollywood’s most sought-after actresses. With some of the lighter roles she’s taken on in recent years it’s easy to forget how effortlessly she can carry a film. Her presence alone… Continue reading
Less is so much more in 45 Years. The film is a quiet, understated, and eventually devastating look at how the past can creep up and affect a seemingly rock solid marriage. It’s all substance with little flash, painting a realistic portrait of a couple being tested by current discoveries jump-started by… Continue reading
As evidenced by recent releases such as Margin Call, The Wolf of Wall Street, and even this year’s 99 Homes, movies about the financial market can be risky, complicated beasts. There’s always a scene that boils down to metaphors or “explain this to me like I’m a child.” The Big… Continue reading
It’s a testament to Amy Poehler and Tina Fey that Sisters is as consistently funny as it is. One can only cringe at the number of ways this film would have gone haywire in lesser hands. But it doesn’t, and the movie hits more than it misses as Poehler and… Continue reading
What’s most surprising about Concussion is that it doesn’t let the NFL off easy. Considering the league has its grubby, saccharine hands all over just about every aspect of American life, it’s fair to wonder if they’d strong-arm Columbia Pictures into making this a vapid puff piece with no lasting… Continue reading
99 Homes is a potent morality play, both exposing the criminality behind the housing collapse of the mid-2000’s and the lengths to which one man will go to provide for his family. It extracts just the right amount of anger about an issue for which everyone should be angry while… Continue reading
Above all else, Michael Moore’s sincerity enables his films to be so compulsively watchable. Whether or not you agree with his politics, he is a born documentarian and effective entertainer – emphasis on the latter. Where to Invade Next sees Moore returning to his comedy roots after angrier movies such as Fahrenheit… Continue reading
Watching Room is essentially the act of barely breathing and nearly crying for two hours. It’s a devastating, yet surprisingly uplifting celebration of life, survival instinct, and the impenetrable bond between mother and son. Featuring two of the year’s best performances, nearly unbearable suspense and raw emotion, and a knack for… Continue reading
At its most fundamental, The Revenant is as spare and simple a revenge story as they come. A man, betrayed by those he trusted, is left for dead only to survive and seek revenge. It’s with brute savagery and dreamlike beauty that director/co-writer Alejandro González Iñárritu (director of last year’s best… Continue reading