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Happy Birthday
(2002)
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Brandon Judell
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Cutting from one angst-filled moment to another, Malaysian-born Tan has created an honest exploration of what it is to be gay and have more on your mind than creatine, Ellen's talk show, and Queer Eye on the Straight Butt.
Posted Jan 06, 2023
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Canopy
(2013)
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Brandon Judell
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"Canopy" begins in stillness, ends in muteness, and in between seldom a word will be uttered. . . . All in all, the screenplay offers up two perfect roles for actors with poor memory recall.
Posted Aug 13, 2014
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Man of Steel
(2013)
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Brandon Judell
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Man of Steel indirectly tackles the conundrum of how a mankind engrained in monolithic religion greets the concrete proof of a mythological figure. Is it possible for an alien from Krypton to reside alongside an unquestioning faith in Christ?
Posted Jul 01, 2013
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The Ghost Cat of Otama Pond
(1960)
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Brandon Judell
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With a striking palette of greens and vermillions, an eerie soundtrack, inept swordfighting, and several performances that would fit right into an Abbot and Costello burlesque, 'Ghost Cat' is the perfect film for those fans of tasteful B-cinema inanity.
Posted Feb 12, 2013
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Katy Perry: Part of Me
(2012)
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Brandon Judell
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The closer you are to puberty, the more you'll be blown away by "Katy Perry: Part of Me." Just imagine Madonna's "Truth or Dare" (1991), but without the sexual innuendo, glamour, wit, and Warren Beatty.
Posted Jul 05, 2012
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Pariah
(2011)
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Brandon Judell
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. . . a joyous, inspirational film that is inarguably a "must see" for all.
Posted Jan 08, 2012
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Crazy, Stupid, Love.
(2011)
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Brandon Judell
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But it is Gosling who steals the show. Flexing his extraordinarily buffed torso and his acting chops, the young star proves his comic skills are as well honed as his dramatic ones, and that's saying a lot.
Posted Aug 04, 2011
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Irangeles
(2003)
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Brandon Judell
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What makes "Irangeles" more than bearable, though, is its tiptoeing into a culture that is seldom spotlighted in cinema.
Posted Jan 16, 2011
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Elvis & Madonna
(2010)
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Brandon Judell
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You just don't see a tender lesbian/pre-op coupling every day, and if these two can become a functioning couple, then maybe the rest of us can, too.
Posted Jan 12, 2011
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Every Day
(2010)
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Brandon Judell
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Shreiber and Hunt impart an aching reality to their every line. And Miller is a revelation as the gay teen who's trying to develop a sexual identity before he is actually ready to have sex.
Posted Jan 12, 2011
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Berlin 36
(2009)
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Brandon Judell
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While this dramatization of a heartwrenching story is never less than fascinating intellectually and the actors are adroit, the screenplay by Lothar Kurzawa is choppy and at times slightly clichd. It's as if someone has sat on the dramatic arc.
Posted Mar 12, 2010
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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
(2009)
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Brandon Judell
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Apparently, wizards are no more exempt from the trauma of puberty than Muggles. So much for the power of Magic.
Posted Jul 17, 2009
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6/10
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The Caller
(2008)
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Brandon Judell
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Very few actors have the ability to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear and almost have you completely forget you're interacting with pork product. Frank Langella is one of these.
Posted Feb 03, 2009
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Roman de Gare
(2007)
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Brandon Judell
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Where's Agatha Christie when you need her?
Posted Apr 22, 2008
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Vivere
(2007)
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Brandon Judell
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With truly fine performances, resulting in several riveting scenes, one can easily overlook the dingy cinematography and bothersome sound track to befriend this beguiling look at loneliness.
Posted Mar 22, 2008
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The Air I Breathe
(2007)
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Brandon Judell
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Your appreciation of this circular plotting will have a great deal to do with how tongue-in-cheek you believe the film is
Posted Feb 11, 2008
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The Brave One
(2007)
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Brandon Judell
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In this dreary, cockamamie Valentine to New York City haters, concocted by the father/son team of Roderick and Bruce A. Taylor--a good argument for the government sterilization of a certain family's genes--radio personality Erica Bain (Foster) is confront
Posted Dec 18, 2007
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Broken English
(2007)
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Brandon Judell
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Posey's admirers will experience a sensual intoxication that fans always experience when their film goddesses are at their very best.
Posted Nov 22, 2007
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Dark Days
(2000)
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Brandon Judell
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One of the best films about the homeless ever made.
Posted Oct 20, 2007
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Blade Runner
(1982)
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Brandon Judell
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This is the tenth final version of the Blade Runner. This version is the best. It goes snap . . .snap . . . snap.
Posted Oct 20, 2007
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The Darjeeling Limited
(2007)
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Brandon Judell
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Imagine the Three Stooges if they had gone to Yale.
Posted Oct 20, 2007
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Home of Phobia
(2004)
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Brandon Judell
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You enter expecting something really stupid, and you wind up with something really clever . . . hysterical . . . wise.
Posted Oct 20, 2007
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Sydney White
(2007)
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Brandon Judell
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As for the creators' notions that all Jewish boys are Orthodox nerds with flopping peyos and that all homosexuals are drag queens, what the hell! It's only 2007.
Posted Sep 22, 2007
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The Price of Sugar
(2007)
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Brandon Judell
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In the end, this is a fevered tale of an outsider, spurred on by his belief in God, who believes his role in life is to save a people, and for a while it seems he is making a difference. What film can top that nowadays?
Posted Sep 12, 2007
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Splinter
(2006)
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Brandon Judell
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As for Olmos, he has achieved more than most could have with an often cliched screenplay ("Homies are getting killed every day. It's sad." "Those are our f***en homeboys back there. Why don't you show a little respect?").
Posted Aug 22, 2007
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Introducing the Dwights
(2007)
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Brandon Judell
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There are films about monstrous overbearing moms, often played by Shelley Winters, and there are those "heartwarming" losing-one's-virginity flicks ("Summer of '42"). Australia's entry into this field consolidates the best elements of both genres.
Posted Jul 08, 2007
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Macbeth
(2006)
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Brandon Judell
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this production gives The Sopranos a run for the money when it comes to blood-laden butchery. Not once but twice does this Macbeth saunter about splattered with hemoglobin from head to foot, looking very Carrie-like, post-bucket spilling.
Posted Jul 04, 2007
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Sicko
(2007)
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Brandon Judell
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SiCKO is, without argument, one of the most important films you'll ever see in your lifetime, which might be rather short depending upon your HMO.
Posted Jun 27, 2007
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The Bubble
(2006)
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Brandon Judell
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Although the head-shaved, sprightly Eytan Fox might just be a prince of the Kosher New Wave emanating out of Israel for the past decade, he's definitely the king of the faygala division of the same movement.
Posted Jun 21, 2007
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Hot House
(2006)
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Brandon Judell
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Essential viewing for any student of Middle-Eastern affairs and scholar of human nature.
Posted Jun 20, 2007
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My Father My Lord
(2007)
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Brandon Judell
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Not unlike Amos Gitai's Kadosh (1999), this is a saga of how an unconscious misinterpretation of religion can disintegrate a family instead of enhancing its life experience.
Posted Jun 11, 2007
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Venus
(2006)
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Brandon Judell
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What makes Venus unforgettable is not the fine direction and script, or Vanessa Redgrave's startling cameo as Maurice's suffering ex-wife, or Whittaker's award-worthy debut; it's that the viewer can't draw a line between O'Toole's career and Maurice's.
Posted Jun 08, 2007
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Puccini for Beginners
(2006)
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Brandon Judell
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Puccini is the joyously refreshing romancer that it tries so hard to be. Its success has a lot to do with its casting directors who have peopled both the major and minor roles with aplomb. Even off-off-Broadway legend Helen Hanft has a cameo.
Posted Jun 08, 2007
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The Valet
(2006)
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Brandon Judell
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One can see Moliére being jealous of the plot line, and Karl Marx applauding. You see capitalists who exploit the masses do not fare too well in this venture.
Posted Jun 08, 2007
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Hot Fuzz
(2007)
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Brandon Judell
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Pegg in a stellar comic performance lifts the film from being a mere applaudable satire to a first-class entertainment. Imagine Jimmy Stewart in "Animal House" or Steve McQueen in "Road Trip."
Posted Jun 08, 2007
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Waitress
(2007)
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Brandon Judell
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If you recall the long-running TV series "Alice," you'll pretty much be revisiting familiar territory. Sadly, though, no one belts out, 'Kiss my grits.'
Posted Jun 08, 2007
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And Then Came Love
(2007)
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Brandon Judell
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Any fans of Oscar Wilde, run for the hills!
Posted Jun 08, 2007
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I Think I Love My Wife
(2007)
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Brandon Judell
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Rock seems to be unintentionally arguing that a black male of any economic class will still go through life with the thought and speech patterns of an uneducated juvenile delinquent who's ready for lockup on "Law and Order."
Posted Mar 16, 2007
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Hey Good Looking!
(2006)
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Brandon Judell
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delightfully acted, entertaining, Franco take on the "Sex in the City" lifestyle among the kosher set.
Posted Jan 16, 2007
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The Black Dahlia
(2006)
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Brandon Judell
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most fun is the high priestess of British stage, Fiona Shaw, who goes over the top as Madeleine's unbalanced mom. Her dinner scene alone with all of her epileptic-like tics and scowls is the grandest of Grand Guignol
Posted Sep 15, 2006
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Sidekick
(2005)
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Brandon Judell
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You can easily tell that the budget was threadbare. In fact, the catering for the crew probably consisted of tap water and peanut-and-jelly sandwiches.
Posted Sep 04, 2006
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Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker
(2006)
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Brandon Judell
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If in 20 or 30 years, Daniel Craig has retired from playing Ian Fleming's stalwart secret agent, the series' producers need look no further than Alex Pettyfer for their new man.
Posted Sep 02, 2006
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Old Joy
(2006)
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Brandon Judell
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if you are not afraid of tranquility, if your favorite part of Antonioni's "Blowup" is the tennis game with the imaginary ball, or if you carry a joint in your Velamints tin, "Old Joy" will be your joy.
Posted Sep 01, 2006
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Sleeping Dogs Lie
(2006)
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Brandon Judell
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John Waters Meets "Sleepless in Seattle" in this sweet, at-times "tasteless" comic concoction about romance, reputation, the need to confess, and the yearning of society to pigeonhole everyone with a one-dimensional label.
Posted Aug 25, 2006
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Volver
(2006)
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Brandon Judell
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what we have here is an at-times plaintive love letter to women: a paean to their humor, their loyalty, and especially their ability to survive their encounters with cheating, lying fornicators who employ their penises as weapons of submission.
Posted Aug 13, 2006
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Keeping Mum
(2006)
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Brandon Judell
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Just when I thought I'd bore myself to death, having to tell yet another inquirer that the only must-see comedy of the moment was "Little Miss Sunshine," an almost equally fine option has arisen.
Posted Aug 10, 2006
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Factotum
(2005)
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Brandon Judell
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The unsightly Bukowski, in his rumpled attire, and his lead characters (who are most often spins on himself) are fascinating personalities to watch, sort of like little tornados which are more destructive to themselves than to society at large.
Posted Aug 08, 2006
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The Devil Wears Prada
(2006)
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Brandon Judell
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Miranda is a distaff version of Donald Trump. There's the power, the arrogance, the success, plus the delicious-to-view unbridled narcissism of an unchecked megalomaniac. She's Hannibal Lector in Dolce & Gabbana.
Posted Aug 07, 2006
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America: Freedom to Fascism
(2006)
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Brandon Judell
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Russo feels his direction of this film is a brave, seditious deed. The audience I was surrounded by at an advance screening agreed.
Posted Aug 06, 2006
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John Tucker Must Die
(2006)
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Brandon Judell
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Criticizing a summer teen movie for not being high art is like yelling at a sociopath for being a serial killer.
Posted Aug 05, 2006
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