One of the more amazing things about Amy, Asif Kapadia’s tragic and sad documentary about the late singer Amy Winehouse, is just how much footage of Winehouse there was. Today we can all shoot video on the fly with smartphones, but Amy begins in 2001, when Winehouse was only eighteen. Much… Continue reading
The charming and pleasant Pitch Perfect was one of 2012’s biggest surprise hits. You know what “surprise hit” means in Hollywood speak? Sequel! And here we are with Pitch Perfect 2, a bigger and flashier film than its predecessor – and in many ways better. Whereas the original took a… Continue reading
There is a moment during Whiplash‘s final fifteen minutes that not only propels the film to unmitigated greatness, but also one of the most accomplished, intense character-driven dramas in years. Writer/director Damien Chazelle, who first made this story into an acclaimed short before getting funding for this feature-length production, has crafted… Continue reading
Spoiler alert: Mary Poppins gets made. But it’s the long and frustrating journey to reach the final product that is the subject of Saving Mr. Banks, a refreshingly insightful look into the mind of the troubled author who wrote the book. This could have easily been two hours of Disney… Continue reading
Whenever I hear the word “quirky” being used to describe a movie, I can’t help but shudder. Ever since the success of last year’s Juno, screenwriters all across Hollywood have been competing for “Most Quirky Screenplay,” which usually means throwing around dialogue that sounds like no one and playing music… Continue reading
Bill Condon’s Dreamgirls is a stunning cinematic experience. Vibrant, energetic, and exploding with life, Dreamgirls is another one of those increasingly rare examples of why we go to the movies in the first place. The musical genre is one of the hardest sells in Hollywood, despite its occasional comeback over… Continue reading
It seems like virtually every animated film these days has an agenda. Is it because the genre has crossed over so successfully to adults? Or do kids really care about socio-economic issues these days at a young age? The trailers would lead one to believe that Happy Feet is just… Continue reading
The return of the ballsy political satire to the cineplex is a good sign, I think. Thank You for Smoking took on the government spin that we are fed on a daily basis, and American Dreamz takes on life as we know it. The film gleefully roasts everything from wannabe… Continue reading
Johnny Slade’s Greatest Hits is a thoroughly entertaining mob satire that is joyously campy. That’s welcome in my book since we have had some fairly rotten entries into this genre over the past few years. The story is one that could have run dry and overstayed its welcome in a… Continue reading
The Gospel clearly has one goal in mind: to get the world interested in gospel music. That’s actually an admirable goal, especially in these times of foul-mouthed rap music that celebrates murder, prostitutes, and drugs. Even the film points that out. The surrounding story behind this goal is a convoluted… Continue reading