Sci-fi/Drama/Romance/Comedy, 126 Minutes, 2013
After starting it, I was instantly convinced that I would love this movie. I also instantly regretted waiting so long to see it. In some cases my initial reaction is wrong. The movie squanders it, tosses it away, and I feel betrayed. In this case it somehow just kept getting better.
Comedy/Drama, 90 Minutes, 2010
Danielle (Juno Temple [IMDB]) is the titular “Dirty Girl”. She doesn’t play well with others, is rebelling both at school and at home and tends to look out for number one. When she’s placed in the “Special Education” class as punishment for her behavior, she’s paired with Clarke (Jeremy Dozier [IMDB]), a closeted teen with a troubled home, on a parenting exercise. They’re to take care of a “baby”, a fragile bag of flour they name “Joan”, together to see how difficult raising a baby can be.
Romance/Drama, 107 Minutes, 2011
It’s a high concept kissy-face movie! With the ups and the downs, and the highs and the lows, and the will-theys and the won’t-theys! There’s smoochin’ as well, lots of it, but this is a serious kissy-face movie, not a laughy kissy-face movie, so there’s some sad stuff too.
Drama/Comedy, 102 Minutes, 2014
This is a good, if utterly formulaic, feel-good movie. Bill Murray [IMDB] plays Vincent, a classic Hollywood curmudgeon. He’s a gambler, thief and racist. Seemingly an altogether horrible human being. Jaeden Lieberher [IMDB] is Oliver, a lonely kid with an overworked mom, Maggie (Melissa McCarthy [IMDB]), who just moved in next door. Struggling to pay for his enfeebled wife’s nursing home, medical care for the prostitute, Daka (Naomi Watts [IMDB]), that he’s knocked up and, of course, gambling debts, Vincent agrees to watch Oliver.
Thriller/Drama, 99 Minutes, 2014
[Disclosure: I reviewed a screener of this film provided by the filmmakers. No other considerations were made.]
Last November, on our sister site MoreBrains.com, I reviewed a rare thing: a clever, low-budget horror movie. “Mimesis” was a zombie-less zombie movie that impressed me on multiple levels. I spent more time than I should have picking on its overly academic title. When the screenwriter, Josh Wagner [IMDB], asked me to review his latest effort, co-wrote and directed with Thomas Zambeck [IMDB], I jumped at the chance. (more…)
Zombie alert!
See the review of “Maggie” on our sister site, MoreBrains.com dedicated to all things zombie!
Drama, 165 Minutes, 2014
This movie represents a grand experiment in film-making. Writer/Director Richard Linklater [IMDB] gathered a cast and committed to an unprecedented 12-year filming schedule. During that time we experience the growth of Mason, a young boy (Ellar Coltrane [IMDB]), from age six to 18.
The question, of course, is: did the experiment succeed?
Action/Comedy, 96 Minutes, 2014
[Disclosure: This was screened at the request of the filmmakers. No additional considerations were made.]
This low-budget comedy, currently available for rent or purchase at FilmCanal.com, follows two bumbling hit men, Max (Myles McLane [IMDB]) and Ruthie (Emerald Robinson [IMDB]). They’ve been sent to L.A. to take out a half-dozen targets in a day-long murder spree.
Drama/Biography, 106 Minutes, 2014
Like all “true stories” this is difficult to review because you simply don’t know what’s fact and what’s Hollywood. In this case it’s even more difficult because while the movie is often light, the story told is desperately dark.
Drama/Family, 117 Minutes, 2012
I’ve unfortunately lost track of anime in the last few years. I’d keep up with the latest releases from Studio Ghibli and the odd TV show, but overall I just didn’t maintain my interest as I once had. Dipping my toe back in, I looked for recommendations and this kept getting mentioned.
I’m so glad it was.
