“Some superheroes fight evil in the name of justice. Some fight for revenge. Baymax, the incomparably huggy automaton in Disney’s Big Hero 6, fights to help his young ward, teen genius Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter), as he mourns a devastating personal tragedy. This makes Baymax an outlier of sorts in today’s crop of big screen … Continue reading
Posted on November 5, 2014 …
Review: Birdman, 2014, dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu
“Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) used to be somebody. Specifically, he used to be Birdman, a once globally beloved superhero turned pathetic pop culture footnote 20 years after his relevance (and his fortune) has faded. He used to soar above the world, patrolling the skies on wings of justice, dispensing law and order to all evildoers … Continue reading
A Half Day of Horror
“Watching more than one movie in a single day is a tall order. Watching six movies in half that amount of time, then, is as daunting as any Herculean labor. So why, you may ask, did I drag myself out to that beloved repertory shrine of Brookline, the Coolidge Corner Theater, this past Saturday for … Continue reading
Retrospective Review: Before Sunset, 2004, dir. Richard Linklater
“It doesn’t take much to green light a sequel—just a reasonable opening weekend gross coupled with better than toxic word of mouth—but that’s part of why the continuation to Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise is so special. Seriously, how many quiet, dialogue heavy indies actually get, much less deserve, a second chapter? As a sequel to a … Continue reading
Retrospective Review: The Newton Boys, 1998, dir. Richard Linklater
“Between 1919 and 1924, the Newton Gang—a family owned and run operation based in Uvalde, Texas—robbed over eighty banks and six trains, sparing bloodshed in their outlaw ventures and taking in an astronomical tally of pelf in the process. The sibling quartet—Willis, Wylie, Jess and Joe—cut their legend from the same cloth as Jesse James … Continue reading
Retrospective Review: Before Sunrise, 1995, dir. Richard Linklater
“When we talk about trilogies today, we tend to have a very specific visual in mind; we’re thinking of superhero rumpuses, decrepit horror series, action extravaganzas a few entries past being merely long in the tooth. We don’t usually think about talky love ballads that balance romance with aimless philosophical dissertations. In fairness, we didn’t … Continue reading