The Big Lebowski Review
RATING: (4 STARS) The Big Lebowski has to be one of the most absurd movies I’ve ever seen. It’s practically plotless. Its comedy is gleefully absurd. And it doesn’t once try to be something it’s not. As always, I admire the Coens for going so out there and not caring if they lose a majority […]
True Grit (2010) Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) If the Coen Brothers’ trademark is unpredictable and unexpected, True Grit is another solidly Coen-esque film. Why? Because it’s such a straight-forward well-told Western that we keep waiting around for some standard Coen twists and turns. But they don’t arrive. I didn’t have a problem with that per se, but it did […]
TRON: Legacy Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) TRON: Legacy is a film essentially devoid of any surprises. Anyone who has seen the original TRON will likely go in expecting something great-looking, great-sounding, and incredibly goofy. And that’s precisely what this film is. The plot is laughable, but there is some fun to be had. The visual effects, however, are […]
TRON Review
RATING: (3 STARS) TRON was hailed as revolutionary back in 1982, and even today, you can’t deny its technical achievements. While the film looks incredibly dated, few movies before it had ever relied so heavily on computer graphics. It’s easy to write the film off now because incredible advancements have been made, but its concept […]
Iron Man Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) I remember when I first heard that Robert Downey Jr. would be playing the title character in Jon Favreau’s “Iron Man.†The project itself just sounded like another superhero movie (a genre I thought was growing tired), but the casting choice was inspired. It was shortly after I discovered “Kiss Kiss, Bang […]
The Men Who Stare at Goats Review
RATING: (2 STARS) The opening of “The Men Who Stare at Goats†tells the viewer “more of this is true than you would believe.†But it’s definitely not more entertaining than I believed. With a cast that features George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Ewan McGregor, and Kevin Spacey, how could you go wrong? Well, this film […]
2010 OSCARS: Recapping the Show
Ugh, can we do that one over again? I’m not only referring to my predictions which were uncharacteristically poor, but also the show itself. I haven’t read many other people’s thoughts on the show, but I was quite unimpressed. This was the weakest show in recent memory. Maybe it’s awards fatigue this year, or perhaps […]
2010 OSCARS: Final Guesses Before the Big Night
Tonight is the big night. It seems like this awards season has gone on FOREVER so I’m relieved it finally ends. I’ve talked ad nauseum about the nominees, so now I’m simply going to list who or what I think will win, followed by who or what I think should win (won’t discuss foreign, doc, […]
Crazy Heart Review
RATING: (3 STARS) “Crazy Heart†doesn’t have the most unique story of the year. If you’ve seen “Walk the Line,†you won’t be too surprised by the trajectory of this film. It doesn’t feature the best direction, writing or technical features in recent memory. However, it does contain one of the greatest performances of 2009 […]
The Last Picture Show Review
RATING: (3 STARS) The Last Picture Show is a very interesting film about, among other things, boredom. I know that sounds like an oxymoron. In fact, there are some long, drawn-out, boring passages in this film about boredom. But it’s what these people do as a result that is interesting. They explore their sexuality, sometimes […]
