Rarely does a movie make me cry. On the few occasions it’s happened, it was at the end of the film. “Christine” not only brought me to tears during the climax, but on two other occasions earlier in the movie, as I watched Rebecca Hall give a painfully resonant and hauntingly brilliant performance as 1970s […]
“The Little Prince”, a co-American/French animated feature based on the classic 1943 children’s book by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, proves that animation remains one of the most powerful forms of cinematic storytelling. Directed by Mark Osborne (“Kung Fu Panda”) and featuring a stellar, star-studded voice cast, this is a magical gem. Paramount was originally on track […]
Not since Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence in “Silver Linings Playbook” has there been such a winning silver screen romance as Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin in “Me Before You”. Author Jojo Moyes adapts her own 2012 novel, crafting a relationship story that’s packed with emotion. In a recent interview, Moyes said she wouldn’t be […]
Italian director Paolo Sorrentino won an Oscar two years ago in the Best Foreign-Language category for “The Great Beauty”, a phrase that also applies to his latest film, the unforgettable “Youth”. Unlike anything I’ve seen (and likely will see) this year, “Youth” is bold, unique, powerful and deeply moving – the same words I used […]
“Room” is a powerful indie drama with two heartbreakingly effective lead performances. Brie Larson (most recently seen as Amy Schumer’s sister in the comedy “Trainwreck”) is outstanding as Joy, and nine-year-old Jacob Tremblay is a breakout star as Joy’s five-year-old son Jack. Writer Emma Donaghue adapted her own popular novel for the screen and it’s […]
“The End of the Tour” is an immersive true-story drama starring two actors who give two of the year’s finest performances. For five days back in 1996, Rolling Stone writer David Lipsky (played by Oscar-nominee Jesse Eisenberg) travelled with and interviewed prolific, 34-year-old author David Foster Wallace (played by potential Oscar-nominee Jason Segel) as he […]
The film that defined Clint Eastwood/Director in the 1990s was “Unforgiven”. In the 2000s, “Million Dollar Baby”, his excellent boxing drama co-starring Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman, likewise earned Eastwood Best Director and Best Picture Oscars. Now, for this current decade, “American Sniper” could very well be the film that takes Eastwood to the pinnacle […]
“Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” is one of the most thrilling films I’ve ever seen – which is pretty amazing, since it’s not a big-budget, action-packed, superhero blockbuster. “Birdman” is being categorized by most as a dark comedy, though it’s one of those incredible pieces of work that’s very tough to describe in […]
Along with dozens of others, I was inspired to become a film critic by Roger Ebert. One day, back in 2005, I saw an episode of “Ebert and Roeper” and was amazed that someone could actually give their straight-forward and honest opinions about movies on a TV show. Almost instantly, I knew that was what […]
The premise of “Locke” is simple, intriguing, and very anti-Hollywood: Tom Hardy (best known as Bane in “The Dark Knight Rises”) stars as Ivan Locke, a construction supervisor who decides to leave town and drive to London the night before the most important day of his career: a concrete pour for what will become England’s […]