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3/5
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The Royal Hotel
(2023)
|
Christopher Connor
|
The Royal Hotel, for the most part, is a gripping, tense Thriller that shines when exploring the dynamics of its two flawed characters and their response to their predicament.
Posted Nov 25, 2023
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4/5
|
The End We Start From
(2023)
|
Christopher Connor
|
If not quite as strong as something like Children of Men, The End We Start From is an impressive debut feature with a strong cast anchored by a stellar lead performance from Jodie Comer. The slow buildup of tension shows the horror of the situation.
Posted Oct 20, 2023
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4/5
|
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
(2023)
|
Christopher Connor
|
Rarely does it feel like there is a second wasted, and while this may be a short film, it is still dripping with rich detail that shows the prowess of Dahl as a storyteller and Anderson as a director, a match made in cinematic heaven
Posted Sep 28, 2023
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4/5
|
Devotion
(2022)
|
Christopher Connor
|
Devotion may not break the mould for war or aviation films. Still, it is a well-directed and entertaining film that is perhaps a tad too long but elevated by superb performances from Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell.
Posted Aug 07, 2023
|
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2/5
|
Samaritan
(2022)
|
Christopher Connor
|
It is a shame that the tone and pacing of the film let down some of its stronger elements with a rushed conclusion and some questionable narrative decisions, with a first act that sits uneasily with the rest of the film.
Posted Aug 07, 2023
|
|
3/5
|
God's Creatures
(2022)
|
Christopher Connor
|
Gods Creatures is a dark, moody film with Mescal sure to be one of the main draws. The performances help it stand out, but there are some issues with its tonal jumps and overbearing score.
Posted Aug 07, 2023
|
|
3/5
|
You Hurt My Feelings
(2023)
|
Christopher Connor
|
If never quite capturing the heights of Enough Said or her writing work on Can You Ever Forgive Me, You Hurt My Feelings once again proves Nicole Holofcener’s distinctive voice, making the kind of film that was once a mainstay of multiplexes.
Posted Aug 07, 2023
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4/5
|
Kimi
(2022)
|
Christopher Connor
|
Kimi is another strong entry into Soderbergh’s filmography, showing his trademark stylistic flourishes, and it will likely make a fine companion piece to his previous tech thriller Unsane.
Posted Jul 19, 2023
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4/5
|
Ennio
(2021)
|
Christopher Connor
|
Ennio is a truly fascinating film that, while on the long side, takes a deep dive into one of Cinema and arguably music, more broadly’s most distinctive composers charting his early love of music and film and how he sought to break the mould.
Posted Jul 19, 2023
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4/5
|
Hustle
(2022)
|
Christopher Connor
|
While Hustle doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it is an enjoyable sports film full of warmth and heart with solid performances, especially from Sandler. The film works better than it might on paper and feels far from a run-of-the-mill sports film.
Posted Jul 19, 2023
|
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4/5
|
McEnroe
(2022)
|
Christopher Connor
|
Still, we get a sense of his perfectionism and how, ultimately, the drive to succeed prevented him from enjoying his career as much as he might and perhaps should have.
Posted Jul 19, 2023
|
|
5/5
|
Moonage Daydream
(2022)
|
Christopher Connor
|
Moonage Daydream is a spectacular film that will be sure to please both hardcore and casual Bowie fans, delivering a bombastic visual and sonic treat that ranks among the most impressive music documentaries in recent memory.
Posted Jul 19, 2023
|
|
5/5
|
The Fabelmans
(2022)
|
Christopher Connor
|
Still, one of his best in several years captured why we fall in love with the movies with a tender, funny, and at times heartbreaking film showing the joy of falling in love with the arts
Posted Jul 19, 2023
|
|
4/5
|
Air
(2023)
|
Christopher Connor
|
Air might play like a by-the-numbers underdog tale, but it has an irresistible feel-good energy led by its cast, all of whom are fine. Like other films, this isn’t really about Basketball and more the business of it,
Posted Jul 19, 2023
|
|
4/5
|
Meet Me in the Bathroom
(2022)
|
Christopher Connor
|
The film, as with the book, captures how the mood in the city shifted post 9/11 and how much of the euphoria of the millennium seeped away, and it does capture some of the key events that shaped the city throughout the 2000s.
Posted Jul 19, 2023
|
|
4/5
|
Tetris
(2023)
|
Christopher Connor
|
Tetris is a fascinating, constantly fun film that makes the most of its subject matter to position it as a Cold War Thriller with plenty of enjoyable visuals. It’s full of suspense, and the performances help give it an edge.
Posted Jul 19, 2023
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|
4/5
|
Wham!
(2023)
|
Christopher Connor
|
Wham! will, of course, please fans of the duo and George Michael but will also offer plenty for casual viewers wanting to learn more about one of Britain’s biggest musical exports of the 1980s; full of heart and charm and plenty of humour.
Posted Jul 19, 2023
|
|
|
I am not your negro
(2016)
|
Stephen Saito
|
Peck refreshes these images in other ways, choosing to colorize the majority of civil rights movement footage to ensure audiences see them freed of the monochrome trappings of the past.
Posted Sep 19, 2018
|
|
4/5
|
The Way, Way Back
(2013)
|
Dan Lybarger
|
Because there are a lot of memorable characters like Betty in 'The Way, Way Back,' Duncan's suffering and eventual triumph become a viewer's delight.
Posted Aug 05, 2013
|
|
1.5/5
|
The Smurfs 2
(2013)
|
Dan Lybarger
|
Audiences who want something more than lazy puns and the word "Smurf " used every few seconds as though some weird contractual obligation existed should look elsewhere for entertainment.
Posted Aug 05, 2013
|
|
3/5
|
Promised Land
(2012)
|
Dan Lybarger
|
In attempting to make 'Promised Land' more than a simple diatribe about the evils of fracking, director Gus Van Sant ('Good Will Hunting,' 'Milk') oddly makes the story seem less authentic.
Posted Feb 02, 2013
|
|
1/5
|
Hit & Run
(2012)
|
Dan Lybarger
|
Mark Twain once lamented, 'The secret source of humor is not joy but sorrow; there is no humor in heaven.' Nor is there any humor to speak of in the new comedy 'Hit & Run.'
Posted Aug 26, 2012
|
|
4/5
|
Brave
(2012)
|
Dan Lybarger
|
The folks at Pixar are skilled enough to make a medieval Scottish royal named Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire) seem sympathetic instead of spoiled.
Posted Jul 01, 2012
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|
4/5
|
Safety Not Guaranteed
(2012)
|
Dan Lybarger
|
'Safety Not Guaranteed' is a little comedy that makes the world safe for personal ads.
Posted Jul 01, 2012
|
|
4/5
|
Moonrise Kingdom
(2012)
|
Dan Lybarger
|
Anderson's movies work best if they're about kids or cartoon animals.
Posted Jul 01, 2012
|
|
1/5
|
Battleship
(2012)
|
Dan Lybarger
|
Dear Hasbro: I'd like to thank you for ruining fond memories from my childhood.
Posted May 20, 2012
|
|
2/5
|
Think Like a Man
(2012)
|
Dan Lybarger
|
'Think Like a Man' is a unique achievement in cinema. It is possibly the first two-hour big screen informercial.
Posted Apr 21, 2012
|
|
2/5
|
American Reunion
(2012)
|
Dan Lybarger
|
Like all tasty confections, there's a sell through date for 'American Pie,' and it's long passed.
Posted Apr 08, 2012
|
|
4/5
|
Natural Selection
(2011)
|
Dan Lybarger
|
Pickering has made a movie that mercilessly pokes fun at religious pretensions but still looks on his characters with warmth.
Posted Apr 02, 2012
|
|
70/100
|
John Carter
(2012)
|
Dan Lybarger
|
It's too bad that Burroughs' ideas don't seem quite as fresh now that others have outraced Carter to the big screen.
Posted Mar 11, 2012
|
|
4.5/5
|
The Descendants
(2011)
|
Dan Lybarger
|
Payne manages to keep the delicate balance between these antics and the somber nature of what's happening in Matt's life.
Posted Nov 27, 2011
|
|
4/5
|
The Muppets
(2011)
|
Dan Lybarger
|
There's still an endearing sweetness that permeates The Muppets.
Posted Nov 27, 2011
|
|
3/5
|
Happy Feet Two
(2011)
|
Dan Lybarger
|
While the singing and dancing are still a lot of fun, Miller seems to have spent more time thinking of set pieces than storylines.
Posted Nov 19, 2011
|
|
3/5
|
Footloose
(2011)
|
Dan Lybarger
|
The makers of 'Footloose 2.0' can be faulted for actually sticking too closely to the original.
Posted Oct 21, 2011
|
|
4/5
|
The Way
(2010)
|
Dan Lybarger
|
'The Way' is a rare movie in that it deals with religion and family issues without playing like a sermon or a satire.
Posted Oct 21, 2011
|
|
4/5
|
Earthwork
(2009)
|
Dan Lybarger
|
It's a rare film that makes viewers love a fellow who takes needless chances.
Posted Jun 17, 2011
|
|
7.0
|
Just Like Us
(2010)
|
Elliot V. Kotek
|
Just Like Us certainly provides the right look at a region undergoing change. The hope is that Ahmed's laughter tour breeds some levity in a location in which reality is often a little too 'real.'
Posted Jun 09, 2011
|
|
9.8/10
|
Hunger
(2008)
|
Elliot V. Kotek
|
The film's beauty and brutality appoints McQueen and his leading charge to all must-watch lists. The most deserved work of 2008, it simply must be experienced by any for whom the cinema is a purveyor of discourse.
Posted May 13, 2011
|
|
3.8/10
|
Dorian Gray
(2009)
|
Elliot V. Kotek
|
Dorian Gray doesn't move the audience to empathize with any of its characters and, therefore, lacks the emotional investment necessary to engage.
Posted May 12, 2011
|
|
7/10
|
Balibo
(2009)
|
Elliot V. Kotek
|
The immediate impact the film has had on a case that's been languishing beneath bureaucracy since the mid 1970s is nothing short of a miracle.
Posted May 12, 2011
|
|
9.8
|
Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child
(2010)
|
Elliot V. Kotek
|
This poignant commentary reveals much about Basquiat's persona that hasn't before been witnessed. By landing us in the times his life was led, Davis has crafted a masterpiece.
Posted May 12, 2011
|
|
6.8/10
|
Shake Hands With the Devil
(2007)
|
Elliot V. Kotek
|
The film has an ability to step back from the mess and investigate the characters' mores by deftly cutting between the story and a room in which their consciences are caged.
Posted May 12, 2011
|
|
2.5/5
|
Due Date
(2010)
|
Dan Lybarger
|
What was abundant before but is now missing in Philips' latest outing is a small but essential element that helped leaven the vulgarity: surprise.
Posted Nov 05, 2010
|
|
4.5/5
|
Nowhere Boy
(2009)
|
Dan Lybarger
|
Nowhere Boy proves the flesh-and-blood Lennon is infinitely more fascinating than the saint.
Posted Nov 05, 2010
|
|
3.5
|
Babies
(2010)
|
Dan Lybarger
|
Because of the inherent adorability of the four stars of this French documentary, it's easy to forgive it for not delivering as much as it should.
Posted Oct 01, 2010
|
|
2/5
|
Alpha and Omega
(2010)
|
Dan Lybarger
|
'Alpha and Omega' enters the crowded marketplace with little to say for itself.
Posted Oct 01, 2010
|
|
5/5
|
The Social Network
(2010)
|
Dan Lybarger
|
Nonetheless, having made the occupants of the White House seem believably human in The American President and in The West Wing, Sorkin knows it's better to focus on his characters' hearts, no matter how black, than their coding fingers
Posted Oct 01, 2010
|
|
4/5
|
Cairo Time
(2009)
|
Dan Lybarger
|
Flirtation is often sexier than consummation. There's a constant 'should I or shouldn't I' tension that gives a tale some spine.
Posted Sep 03, 2010
|
|
2.5/5
|
Going the Distance
(2010)
|
Dan Lybarger
|
'Going the Distance' is an occasionally diverting look at long-distance relationships that takes a few too many shortcuts.
Posted Sep 03, 2010
|
|
4/5
|
Machete
(2010)
|
Dan Lybarger
|
With 'Machete,' Robert Rodriguez demolishes subtlety with the same force that Rome unleashed on Carthage.
Posted Sep 03, 2010
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