Jean-Marc Vallée

Wild Review

Wild Review

RATING: (3.5 STARS) One of the most successful prestige films of 2013 was Jean-Marc Vallée’s Dallas Buyers Club, a mostly artless attempt to prove that white guys have feelings too. It was well-acted, though, and ultimately won three Oscars, but my frustrations with the film, its screenplay, and its non-descript direction all led to major […]

Dallas Buyers Club Review

Dallas Buyers Club Review

RATING: (2.5 STARS) “There ain’t nothing out there that can kill Ron Woodroof in 30 days.” —Ron Woodroof He was right. The Texas electrician lived with HIV and AIDS for the better part of seven years, from 1985 until his death in 1992. During those seven years, he founded a group that passed illegally trafficked […]

2013 TIFF Movies to Watch: #20-#11

2013 TIFF Movies to Watch: #20-#11

Today’s TIFF preview (the penultimate!) features films directed by the likes of Nicole Holofcener, Hirokazu Kore-Eda, and David Gordon Green. 20.) Enough Said Program: Special Presentation Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures Directed by: Nicole Holofcener Written by: Nicole Holofcener Starring: Catherine Keener, James Gandolfini, Toni Collette, Julia Louis-Dreyfus Synopsis: This smart and decidedly modern romantic comedy […]

The Young Victoria Review

The Young Victoria Review

RATING: (3 STARS) European royalty dramas are a dime a dozen. The last decade has seen films about Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Elizabeth II, Marie Antoinette, among many others. The close of the decade brought another such film—Jean-Marc Vallée’s “The Young Victoria” about the early years of the reign of Britain’s longest serving monarch. The […]