These Go to Eleven – “Les Miserables” Review

This is one of the most frustratingly bad movies I’ve seen in awhile. It’s one thing to be downright terrible. To stink and to own up to stinking is somewhat admirable. However, Les Miserables parades around like it’s an important work of art. Had it bothered to get out of its own way, who knows? There’s a brilliant musical buried deep under all the bad decisions, garish camerawork, and other unexplainable catastrophes. I feel like I could enjoy a stage version of the material but I could never stomach a second pass at this film.

Pomp and Romance – “Anna Karenina” Review

After stepping into modern times with Hanna and The Soloist, director Joe Wright returns to the past with a distinctive adaptation of Anna Karenina. The film opens with Anna’s brother (Matthew Macfadyen) caught having an affair. While trying to help save her brother’s marriage, Anna (Keira Knightley) inadvertently heads down the path that will destroy her own. She catches the eye of Count Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and after playing hard to get for the first half of the movie, the two begin a passionate romance.

Hurts – “Amour” Review

The latest from writer/director Michael Haneke is a terrifying sojourn into the horrors of aging. There is compassion and the “love” from the title but Amour is not a light-hearted film. It’s one of the more agonizing, but brilliant looks at the human condition I’ve seen. It’s difficult but honest, and it’s this honesty that prevents the film from feeling like a never-ending doctor’s exam. The film’s approach may be clinical, but the result is far more full of life, albeit the harrowing final days of it. 

Operational – “Rust and Bone” Review

Writer/director Jacques Audiard enjoys subverting clichés. He places them in original settings and twists them by playing it straight. There’s the ex-con love story of Read My Lips, the torn pianist at the center of The Beat That My Heart Skipped, and–my favorite–the classic prison saga, A Prophet. Each film is tinged with crime elements, and they seem to take pride in highlighting previously unexplored careers (A Prophet is more unexplored culture). Rust and Bone continues Audiard’s style of approaching the predictable in unpredictable ways.

Grant Me the Serenity – “Flight” Review

Like director Robert Zemeckis’ last live action feature, Cast Away, Flight contains one of the most harrowing plane crash sequences ever shot. Every sound effect rattles. Every second quickens the pulse. The construction of this one scene is masterful. The tension building, the increasing stakes, and the acting are almost perfect. Flight is almost worth seeing just for this one scene. People afraid to fly should definitely not see this movie. In fact, people in general should not see this movie.

Bonus Level – “Wreck-It Ralph” Review

You don’t need to be a die-hard gamer to appreciate the many charms of Wreck-It Ralph. Sure, there are references to things like Frogger, Street Fighter, Halo, and beyond, but the film wisely underplays them. If you’re looking for a nostalgia trip, it’s here, but the movie is far more interested in Ralph’s journey from video game villain to medal-wielding champion.

Naturally – “Wuthering Heights” Review

There are more than a few things about Andrea Arnold’s retelling of Bronte’s classic novel Wuthering Heights that stick out. These elements aren’t only unique for a literary adaptation, but also for most movies. Like in her previous film Fish Tank (a film I highly recommend and not solely for Michael Fassbender), Heights is shot in the box-shaped 1.33 aspect ratio. This artistic decision might be seen as a gimmick similar to shooting a modern film on 70mm film stock, but the results speak for themselves. Arnold and her brilliant cinematographer Robbie Ryan make ample use of the square palette. Despite the seemingly limited space, the movie invokes an almost primal response based heavily upon its images.

It’s All The Deep End – “Dredd” Review

If Dredd came out when I was 12 it would have instantly become my favorite movie of all time. Dredd kicks ass and takes names for 95 lightning quick minutes. There really isn’t anything to dislike about this ultra-violent piece of slick science fiction.

Hopelessly Inquisitive – “The Master” Review

The latest from writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson is a beguiling trip through post-WWII America. It’s also one of the more difficult films to characterize. There are, of course, basic elements that can easily be discussed: plot, acting, photography. Then there is the construction and the ultimate intent of the picture which is elusive due to the anthropological nature of the story. Even attempting to explain what makes it difficult to explain is problematic. That said, and pleasantly perplexing feelings aside, the film is clearly a brilliant and major achievement on many levels.

“Headhunters” Review

Headhunters is a slick and twisted new thriller based on Jo Nesbo’s best-selling novel. It’s nothing more than surface pleasures, but director Morten Tyldum keeps the surprises and the perverse fun coming at a breathless pace. There really is a minimal amount of time to stop and consider how ridiculous the whole film is while you’re hurtling off a cliff at 60-mph.

Just Say No to Nostalgia – “21 Jump Street” Review

I never watched 21 Jump Street. I just knew it as the show that launched Johnny Depp’s career. Now it’s been turned into a feature film, with a plot I am told reflects that of the show only on the basest level: cops who look young go undercover at a high school. Other than one over-the-top scene and the title, you’d never know one had anything to do with the other. You might wonder, “Why use the title at all?” And you’d be wasting your time, because the way this product is packaged is irrelevant when the contents are this entertaining.

“We Have a Pope” Review

My knowledge of all things Catholic and Pope-related is shall we say… poor. My interest in such topics is very limited. So, a movie about selecting a new Pope and the drama that unfolds when His Holiness isn’t up to the task is not something I would typically seek out. I don’t think any of this would preclude me from enjoying such a film. I do admit it has a handicap, and would need to be something special to rise above my prejudice and entice me out of apathy. Director/writer/star and past Palm d’Or winner Nanni Moretti’s We Have a Pope did none of these things.

The Trouble with Quibbles: Paul

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are more than just funny best friends with a penchant for pop culture references, they’re also the dynamic duo from Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz and (the possibly less well-known BBC series) Spaced. The funny fellows have re-teamed to bring us Paul, a geek-tastic sci-fi pastiche, part homage, part fan fiction, part road trip movie.

Where Is the Love? – Review: Blue Valentine

Director Derek Cianfrance and his leading dynamic duo, Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, ring in the new year with a stunning examination of the bittersweet highs and lows of modern love. Blue Valentine offers a palpable sort of neo-realistic look at love, both in bloom and beyond “happily ever after,” an anti-romantic comedy, if you will.