The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) A final film in a series shouldn’t need this much exposition. A final film in a series shouldn’t be so light on concluding excitement. A final film in a series shouldn’t have to force feed its viewers hackeneyed closure for its characters. A final film in a series shouldn’t be so lacking […]
Top 10 Philip Seymour Hoffman Performances
It’s with a heavy, heavy heart I get around to finishing this post I’ve started and restarted so many times. The problem with trying to name one’s favorite Philip Seymour Hoffman performances is that a rewatch of one of the dozens of films the man was great in can shake up the entire thing. He […]
A Late Quartet Review
RATING: (3 STARS) A sedate and stately drama about the dysfunctional private lives of classical musicians, Yaron Zilberman’s A Late Quartet just screams “acting showcase.” And it’s hard to argue the film’s chief pleasure isn’t seeing Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, and Christopher Walken on top of their respective games. There’s a lot more to […]
The 2013 Oscar Nominees
It wasn’t Lincoln‘s field-topping twelve nominations nor Silver Linings Playbook‘s sudden ascension from “happy to be nominated” to “genuine Best Picture threat” that dominated headlines today. 

No, it was the genuinely stunning absence of Argo‘s Ben Affleck and Zero Dark Thirty‘s Kathryn Bigelow from the Academy’s eclectic Best Director lineup that rocked Oscar watchers’ world. […]
The Master Review
RATING: (3 STARS) The Master is a story about control, passion, repression, losing oneself, finding oneself, and yes, a cult. But above all, it is the story of a man, a hopelessly inquisitive man, just like you will be by the end of Paul Thomas Anderson’s sprawling puzzle of a film. While he coaxes two […]
Punch-Drunk Love Review
RATING: (4 STARS) After films like Magnolia, Boogie Nights, and There Will Be Blood, P.T. Anderson understandably has earned a reputation as a big, epic filmmaker. Ironically, his most impressive direction might come in his smallest film, both in scope and perhaps stature—Punch-Drunk Love. Anderson’s 2002 “romantic comedy” is just bursting with energy, literally, to […]
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 […]
TOP 10: Oscar Acting Snubs of the 2000s
I wrote my overly enthusiastic write-up on the Oscar nominations a few days ago, but the reality is that quite a few of my favorite performances were left out. No Aaron Eckhart. No Leonardo DiCaprio (for either Shutter Island or Inception). No Marion Cotillard. No Robert Duvall. And no Julianne Moore. But if I’m being […]
Doubt Review
RATING: (4 STARS) “Doubt†is a film of uncommon depth and intelligence, and it tackles some very interesting philosophical issues. What is certainty? How much doubt is necessary to prevent oneself from doing something hurtful? And what in the world is it going to take to get Meryl Streep another damn Oscar? She seems to […]
The Ten Best Performances of 2008
This wasn’t an incredible year for performances. There were undoubtedly some great ones, but when I sat down to compile my list of the greatest, I was surprised by how few sure things there were. As with most years, there were more great roles for men than there were for women. The supporting actress category […]
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead Review
RATING: (4 STARS) With one of the darkest plots of any movie I’ve seen this decade, “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead†floors you from the first scene to the last. This is really intense and powerful stuff that is extremely well written, directed, and acted. Andy (Hoffman) and his brother Hank (Ethan Hawke) are […]
The Best Performances of the 2000s
In descending order: 10.) Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby) – Most of Clint Eastwood’s films this decade have featured a lead character who, for better or worse, dominates the screen. Sean Penn in Mystic River, Angelina Jolie and Changeling, and Eastwood himself in Gran Torino all demonstrate this. They might not be captivating figures, but […]
25th Hour Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) After September 11th, films set in New York were forever changed. Any shot of the World Trade Center towers would always be thought of differently, and in some cases they were digitally removed from the film. Spike Lee’s “25th Hour†is the first film to use explicit footage of post-September 11th New […]
