Screen
The burden of actual Christianity
Most praise for writer/director Jesse Moss’s documentary, The Overnighters, has rightly been focused on its Steinbeckian nature and explosive revelations about struggling workers in North Dakota. That wasn’t the big takeaway for me. The big takeaway for me was how ...
Jacko, through the eyes of his estate
How much of Michael Jackson’s This Is It can we believe...
Rom-com surprise
There´s a reason Bridesmaids isn’t called The Bridesmaid. Kristen Wiig, the star and co-writer (along with Annie Mumolo) of director Paul Feig’s comedy, has a self-effacing streak running right alongside her deadly deadpan streak...
Breathe in the Smaug
Things you should know by now: (1) All Peter Jackson-directed fantasy films near or top three hours in length; (2) there are deviations from the books because these are movies and not books — I’m told if you would like to read The Hobbit, you can still read The ...
Carano lacks punch
In terms of its title, Haywire doesn’t quite go there; it’s more “Haywire-ish.” But it’s eccentric, and the on-screen violence is sharp and exciting — brutal without being either subhumanly sadistic or superhumanly ridiculous...
Five unforgettable films from a master
Mike Nichols was a rare one. He began in comedy, moved to the stage and then made his way to Hollywood, where he forever changed the face of cinema. Sandwiched between the French New Wave and the New American Cinema, Nichols helped bring movies back into the adult ...
reel to reel | Week of Feb 16, 2012
ALBERT NOBBS Glenn Close stars in this tale of a woman forced to live as a man, Albert Nobbs, in order to work and survive in 19th-century Ireland. After 30 years of keeping up the charade, a new love threatens to destroy everything she’s worked so hard to build. At...
Driven by fashion to mediocrity
Drive begins extremely well and ends in a muddle of ultra-violence, hypocrisy and stylistic preening, which won’t be any sort of deterrent for those who like its looks...
