[7] Across the Universe follows a group of young people who come of age against the turbulent backdrop of the 1960s. The film is set to a constant stream of rejiggered Beatles tunes, which allows director Julie Taymor (Broadway’s The Lion King, Titus, Frida) to cut loose with her trademark visual splendor and poetic license in a wide variety of music video sequences. When the …
[7] [SPOILER REVIEW] Sue me, but I like both the Peckinpah original and this remake. Straw Dogs is a home invasion thriller that is either a tragedy about a pacifist man (James Marsden) who must turn violent to survive, or a celebration of the vicious animal in us all. I’m not sure which, but I enjoy the thematic exploration either way. Marsden, Kate Bosworth, and …
[4] Ewan McGregor plays a man falling in love with a woman after his father has passed away. His father, played by Christopher Plummer, was married to Ewan’s mom for decades before coming out as gay and enthusiastically embracing a new outlook on life. Ewan’s character recalls his relationship with his father and tries applying lessons learned to his new relationship (Melanie Laurent). Now, I …
[7] Errol Flynn plays General George Custer in this romantic (though not very historically accurate) panache of the accomplished Civil War general who met a celebrated fate at Little Big Horn. Despite the liberties taken in the script, it’s a fun mini-epic of a movie with a lot to offer the Gone with the Wind crowd. Flynn gives one of his better performances here, opposite Olivia …
[8] Ryan Gosling channels his inner Eastwood in this stylish thriller about a Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver. The combination of Hossein Amini’s emotionally restrained script and Nicolas Winding Refn’s visceral direction are a winning combination, boosted tremendously by Newton Thomas Sigel’s crisp, colorful cinematography and Cliff Martinez’s minimalist, evocative score. Gosling’s screen presence can never be disputed after this film. Like …
[7] Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones) stars as a mysterious teenager raised in the wilderness by her ex-CIA father (Eric Bana) to be a lethal killing machine. Director Joe Wright steps out of his comfort zone (his previous films include Atonement and Pride & Prejudice) to deliver a stylish thriller galvanized by terrific performances from Ronan and Cate Blanchett, whose never been sexier or scarier …
[6] The latest film from Steven Soderbergh (Sex Lies and Videotape) is more of a bait and switch than I would have liked. Based loosely on the real life stripping exploits of star Channing Tatum, the film promises the fun and sizzle of a cheeky male revue. And while there are a good number of hot (and often hilarious) strip-show scenes, the narrative ultimately melts …
[7] Bernardo Bertolucci (The Last Emperor) takes on the intimate tale of an American student (Michael Pitt) who falls into an intense, unusual relationship with French siblings (Louis Garrel and Eva Green). The sexually-explicit escapades earned the film an NC-17 rating, but there’s an underlying sweetness and shared vulnerability in the direction and performances. I love how Bertolucci embellishes the characters’ shared obsession with cinema …
[7] Fans of Drive and Only God Forgives director Nicolas Winding Refn should find his latest effort beautiful and interesting. Outsiders may find it frustrating. Elle Fanning headlines a strong cast, playing an underage model trying to make it big in Los Angeles. She sorta has a boyfriend (Karl Glusman from Gaspar Noe’s Love), and may be attracting same-sex adoration from a makeup artist (a wonderful Jena Malone) …
[6] I know I’m being too kind to this over-produced piece of cheese, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it at least a little bit. It falls short of all previous installments primarily because the justification for fighting this time around is the weakest, and also because the drama is more forced. The Cold War very much influenced the American propaganda …
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