“‘Black Widow’s David Harbour Is Marvel’s First Dad Bod Superhero”

Hell yeah, big boys. Continue reading →

Review: The Light Between Oceans, 2016, dir. Derek Cianfrance

Can any of my patrons who have both read M.L. Stedman’s The Light Between Oceans and seen Derek Cianfrance’s adaptation tell me whether the movie matches up with the book in its soapy, over-the-top, yet remarkably under-drawn melodrama? I either know people who have read the book or watched the film. I don’t know people who have pulled … Continue reading →

Review: Youth, 2015, dir. Paolo Sorrentino

“Don’t let the title of Paolo Sorrentino’s new film fool you: he’s playing coy.Youth is not about young people at all, but rather a pair of sad old wrinklies who sit around at a spa mourning the loss of their youth, as well as the divisions between parents and their children, the death of the … Continue reading →

Go, See, Talk! Review: The Bourne Legacy, 2012, dir. Tony Gilroy

The big question The Bourne Legacy must answer: does it successfully restart the franchise and pick up where Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass left off? In a word, no. Tony Gilroy, assuming the role of director for the first time in the series, bungles story, character, and action here in big, unforgivable ways while poor Jeremy Renner struggles gamely against the film’s weaknesses. Continue reading →

Review: The Lovely Bones, 2009, dir. Peter Jackson

If we’re left with but a single takeaway for Peter Jackson’s 2010 effort, The Lovely Bones, it’s that even a visionary director of Peter Jackson’s caliber has opportunity to soil their sheets with the lights on.  Make no mistake, The Lovely Bones— based on Alice Sebold’s novel of the same name– is nothing short of … Continue reading →

Review: The Brothers Bloom, 2009, dir. Rian Johnson

Rian Johnson‘s follow-up to 2005’s paean to noir, Brick, wants you to put your trust in its narrative. And in point of fact, The Brothers Bloom goes to great lengths to ensure it gains your confidence. Maybe in some cases, Johnson’s sophomore film tries too hard but the effort is undeniably genuine and as enthusiastic … Continue reading →