Winter’s Bone

The Hunger Games Review

The Hunger Games Review

RATING: (3.5 STARS) While reading Suzanne Collins’ novel, The Hunger Games, you’re immediately struck by the story’s cinematic potential. A dystopian future, an elaborate death match, and an angsty young-adult love triangle—what’s not to like? But with the good comes the potentially terrible—opulent cities with multi-colored buildings, the inevitable neutering down of the novel’s bloodier […]

Ranking the 2011 Oscar Nominees

Ranking the 2011 Oscar Nominees

I’m totally stealing this idea from In Contention, but I thought it would be fun to look at the Oscar field as a whole this year. I’ve seen 29 of the nominated features. I’m missing: Another Year, The Wolfman, Barney’s Version, The Way Back, The Tempest, In a Better World, Incendies, Outside the Law, Dogtooth, […]

Winter’s Bone Review

Winter’s Bone Review

RATING: (2.5 STARS) Winter’s Bone is a funny little film that fails more than it succeeds, but remains intriguing throughout. I felt that, despite featuring a brilliant performance by newcomer Jennifer Lawrence, it sort of sputtered along without much of a plot for too long for me to really connect to it. The setting is […]