It’s not surprising that only half of The Internship works, but it is odd that the second half is much better than the first. However, given that waterboarding would be a preferable form of torture to The Internship‘s first 45 minutes, anything would be an improvement.
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Sarah Polley’s Stories We Tell is a film that is not only about a specific family, not only about how stories in a family get started and develop, it is a personal documentary that explores what a personal documentary can be.
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In short, The Purge becomes just what the trailers promised — another Hollywood home invasion movie. It wants you to believe it’s more than that, and early on it is, but it doesn’t keep it up. It’s unfortunate, because somewhere inside the premise of The Purge there is a great movie, but this isn’t it.
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The story of a middle aged recluse stumbling upon a newly-orphaned youngster, as well as that man’s long-since discarded humanity, The Cleaner (originally released in Peru as El Limpiador) is a beautiful, touching, intelligent, and surprisingly moving film.
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A fictional drama whose particulars seem entirely plausible to those who have studied the history of German reunification following 1990, this one is a fascinating “what-if” that sheds some light on a post-WWII Europe most Americans don’t even know existed.
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‘Flicker’ It all has the whiff of Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach, and Hal Ashby, yet never clicks like the successful work of those directors works because their characters start with a familiar, human core and radiate eccentricities outward from there.
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“Putzel” is a Yiddish slang word meaning dummy, schmuck, or more literally, penis, and like some kind of abandoned love child sprung from the loins of Bob Newhart and Woody Allen, the ineffectual Putzel definitely lives up to his moniker.
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‘Jump’ has problems, yet one gets the sense watching it that these are primarily a result of a dearth of inspiration on the page, and not behind the camera.
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One of the major hot-button topics within the social and political landscape of the United States at present, it’s more than a little surprising to find a relevant film confronting the issue of gun control from a Canadian point of view. And while Blackbird isn’t an examination of the wisdom or right to bear arms, it does concern itself with the primary fuel for that conversation: child violence.
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Although the set-up for Papadopoulos & Sons presents a seemingly predictable trajectory, what with the family bonding, etc., etc., the path it takes to get to the desired destination is hardly expected.
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The latest from M. Night. Shyamalan is light on twists … and pretty much everything else.
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Besides being a stirring portrait of a youth culture in crisis, ‘Band of Outsiders’ is very charming and accessible — especially for anyone that’s experienced teen alienation.
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Currently playing at this year’s Seattle International Film Festival, and in full release today, What Maisie Knew should be commended for breaking the traditional mold of children in movies. Indeed, while it isn’t always pretty, the film at least has the courage to commit to its message: the emotional and spiritual protection of children.
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There are two ways that an exercise like Now You See Me could have failed miserably, and it admirably succeeds on both counts.
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For those who are familiar with Noah Baumbach’s work, Frances Ha will thoroughly satisfy. For those not yet familiar with Noah Baumbach, allow Frances Ha to make the introductions.
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