Category: Drama
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Dolphin Tale 2 (***1/2) Accomplishes what it sets out to do
Dolphin Tale 2 – 2014 Writer and Director Charles Martin Smith Starring Harry Connick, Jr., Ashley Judd, Nathan Gamble, Kris Kristofferson, Cozi Zuehlsdorff, Morgan Freeman, Bethany Hamilton Dolphin Tale 2 is a continuation of a story that is a sweet if derivative of real events. This time around, Winter, a dolphin – who lost her tail fins and was nursed back to health…
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The Hundred-Foot Journey (**) feels like a trip to McDonald’s
The Hundred-Foot Journey – 2014 Director Lasse Hallström Starring Helen Mirren, Om Puri, Manish Dayal, Charlotte Le Bon Screenplay Steven Knight based on the book by Richard C. Morais Part of the problem with the wave of Oprah Winfrey endorsed artistic product is that every story feels so antiseptic to actual living. The story that would otherwise be compelling feels…
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The Giver (***) begat Pleasantville
The Giver – 2014 Director Phillip Noyce Starring Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Brenton Thwaites, Cameron Monaghan, Odeya Rush, Alexander Skarsgård, Katie Holmes, Taylor Swift Screenplay Michael Mitnick, Robert B. Weide based on the book by Lois Lowry The Giver is one of the original modern teen dystopian tales, where a society has been created from the ruins of the old one. This time,…
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Interstellar (****) is cautiously ambitious, and laden with love
Interstellar – 2014 Director Christopher Nolan Starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn, Michael Caine, Josh Stewart, Wes Bentley, David Gyasi Written Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan There are lots of interesting ideas presented with Interstellar. Of all things, the film starts with a future that echoes our perilous past. Crops are set afire, the air filled with swirling…
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Dallas Buyers Club (***) fights a bad guy too easy to criticize
Dallas Buyers Club – 2013 Director Jean-Marc Vallée Starring Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, Jennifer Garner, Griffin Dunne, Dennis O’Hare, Steve Zahn, Dallas Roberts, Kevin Rankin Screenplay by Craig Borten, Melisa Wallack One of the unwritten rules of movie awards is weight loss or transformations of a dramatic nature leads to Golden Statues. This formula worked twice for…
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Enemy (*****) Tangled and Dark
Enemy – 2013 Director Denis Villeneuve Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Sarah Gadon, Isabella Rossellini, Mélanie Laurent Screenplay by Javier Gullón based on The Double by José Saramago “Chaos is order yet undeciphered.” Enemy is the kind of film that challenges you to absorb every moment. It’s not enough just to watch this film, you have to feel it. If you keep…
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Belle (****) is a beautiful complicated being
Belle – 2013 Director Amma Asante Starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson, Miranda Richardson, Penelope Wilton, Sam Reid, Matthew Goode, Emily Watson, Tom Felton, James Norton Screenplay Misan Segay and Asante Belle has a premise quite unlike any I have seen. This is not to say that there are no films that have covered the idea of race, freedom and proper British society…
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The Fault In Our Stars Extended Edition (****): So much depends…
The Fault In Our Stars – 2014 Director Josh Boone Starring Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff, Laura Dern, Sam Trammell, Willem Dafoe Screenplay Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber based on the book by John Green There is one point early on in The Fault in Our Stars which rings partially true. Augustus Waters and Hazel Grace Lancaster (Elgort and Woodley) have met cute in…
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Noah (**1/2)…Right?
Noah – 2014 Director Darren Aronofsky Starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone, Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, Anthony Hopkins, Douglas Booth, Leo McHugh , Frank Langella Screenplay Aranofsky and Ari Handel So the first thing about any movie is that it should be entertaining. As stated in the Bible, Noah’s story is open for a bit of interpenetration, in the same way…
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