[7] Director Adam McKay (Vice, Don’t Look Up) adapts Michael Lewis’ bestselling novel about the men who predicted the 2008 mortgage implosion and near-collapse of the world economy. If this sounds like dreary, heady, political stuff, that’s because it is. But McKay tackles the material with enough irreverence and off-beat humor to make it palatable… or as palatable as the triumph of capitalist greed can …
[6] Two married couples, one new to Los Angeles, meet for dinner on a night that leads them into a marital and sexual quandary. At first, the newcomers (Adam Scott and Taylor Schilling) enjoy letting their hair down, but after their hosts (Jason Schwartzman and Judith Godrèche) cross the line of social norms a few times, they begin to wonder where the shenanigans are headed. …
[7] With all due deference to his accomplishments, Steve Jobs’ career isn’t something I thought I needed to see a movie about. Faithful biopics generally make for uneven films, and how the hell can a dork making computers make for an exciting movie? Well, leave it to eminent screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, The Social Network) and maverick director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Sunshine) to …
[6] Ted the foul-mouthed teddy bear wants to have a baby with his human wife, but the government doesn’t acknowledge Ted as his own person. This sets Ted, his human pal played by Mark Whalberg, and a new lawyer friend played by Amanda Seyfried off on a quest to prove Ted’s humanity in a court of law before a toy company legally reclaims Ted as …
[6] Maggie Smith headlines this true story adapted from a stage play by Alan Bennett, about a homeless woman who parks her van in a single, gay man’s driveway and stays for fifteen years. Smith reliably carries the film, but The Lady in the Van misses a lot of opportunities to deepen its characters. A mystery is set up around Smith’s character, but instead of …
[5] I was sick with bronchitis when I stumbled across this movie’s sequel, Daddy’s Home 2. And that movie succeeded in giving me a few chuckles and smiles when I was feeling down. So now that we’re all in quarantine during the big COVID19 pandemic, I’ve really been needing some good comedies. I decided to dig back and find Daddy’s Home 1. Well, Daddy’s Home …
[6] Rob Reiner (Stand By Me, Misery) directs a script co-written by his son Nick Reiner about an eighteen-year-old (Nick Robinson) struggling with drug addiction while his father (Cary Elwes) runs for governor. Robinson’s character is in and out of rehab and halfway houses while his dad takes a tough love position that drives a wedge between them. Some of Being Charlie is fairly predictable …
[7] Ethan Embry stars as a husband and father who moves his family to a new home where a mentally ill man (Pruitt Taylor Vince) committed murder. Embry’s character is a painter, and through supernatural means, develops a connection to the killer through his paintings. Before long, the killer begins murdering children and directly seeks out Embry’s daughter (Kiara Glasco). After repeated encounters with the …
[6] Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent) cowrites and directs this true story of a Boston investigative newspaper team who expose the Catholic Church for covering decades worth of pedophilic activity by over 87 priests in the city. Spotlight‘s not a sentimental movie about the actual crimes being committed, though you will see some survivors talk about their painful memories. The film centers squarely on the …
[7] M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Signs) returns to form after over ten years of sub-par and crappy output. The Visit is a small-scale but clever character-driven thriller about two children who go for a week-long visit with grandparents they’ve never met before. Things are okay at first, but then the grandparents begin exhibiting strange behavior. Then things start to get spooky… and that’s all …
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