It is true that Walt Disney Studios is actively producing “inspirational” sports-related movies as part of its master plan to dominate world entertainment — but it is also true that Million Dollar Arm was pretty good and McFarland, USA is even better. […]
Continue reading »Month: February 2015
Boyhood (2014) ☆ ☆ 1/2
I finally caught up to the 165-minute drama Boyhood a couple of days before the Academy Awards, and even after seeing the well-intentioned but rather dull film I still thought it would win Best Picture because of the obstacles overcome in […]
Continue reading »Black or White (2014) ☆ ☆ ☆ 1/2
One actor who rarely seems to get his due is Kevin Costner. His career was derailed by the excesses of Waterworld and The Postman, and despite stellar work in titles like Thirteen Days and The Upside of Anger, his popularity has never […]
Continue reading »The Boy Next Door (2015) ☆ ☆
As popular as Jennifer Lopez is as a singer and music video star, she is still trying to establish herself in the movies. Her best films are at least a decade old (Selena, Out of Sight, Shall We Dance?), while […]
Continue reading »Still Alice (2014) ☆ ☆ ☆
Few feature films have dealt with a main character struggling with incipient Alzheimer’s disease, which is probably why Still Alice feels fresh, resonant and timely. It is a meaningful drama with a heartbreaking premise, anchored by a graceful, nuanced performance by […]
Continue reading »American Sniper (2014) ☆ ☆ ☆
No recent film has generated so much buzz, or controversy, as Clint Eastwood’s paean to today’s military soldier, American Sniper. Based on the book written by its subject, Chris Kyle, Eastwood’s movie does a nice job of representing why someone […]
Continue reading »A Most Violent Year (2014) ☆ ☆ ☆
I don’t know what J. C. Chandor’s impetus was to make A Most Violent Year — it’s not one of those movie ideas that instantly grabs one’s attention — but the result is an engrossing study of a couple (Oscar Isaac, […]
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