film

The 50 Year Argument Review

Co-directed by Martin Scorsese, the documentary The 50 Year Argument delivers the rich history behind the fabled New York Times Review of Books.

The Humbling Review

Boasting a script from Buck Henry and the best work Barry Levinson and Al Pacino have done in years, The Humbling might be the more rewarding (and somewhat more difficult) version of Birdman.

Home Entertainment Review: Sword of Doom

Sword of Doom (Kihachi Okamoto, 1966) – It says a great deal about the stark brutality of director Kihachi Okamoto’s Sword of Doom that even all these years and so many vicious samurai epics later, the film retains its ability to shock, disturb, and enthrall. Made during 60s heyday of samurai flicks launched into new […]

Home Entertainment Review: Lucy

Lucy (Luc Besson, 2014) – Luc Besson’s Lucy is an absolutely insane attempt to fuse comic book action storytelling with grandiose philosophical pretentions. The writer/director has failed in his ambitions to be profound, but failed in such lovably ludicrous ways that his movie is almost more entertaining than it would have been if he had […]

Home Entertainment Review: The Guest

The Guest (Adam Winguard, 2014) – The genre-loving writer/director team of Simon Barrett and Adam Wingard have gradually been easing themselves into the status of the best horror filmmakers of their generation. The Guest only confirms that title, while also pushing their style into other genres. Their partnership started with the brutal serial killer move […]

Appropriate Behavior Review

The bittersweet indie comedy Appropriate Behavior heralds the arrival of a major triple threat in the form or writer, director, and star Desiree Akhavan.

Two Days, One Night Review

Marion Cotillard and the Dardennes deliver an emotionally wrenching and truthful modern commentary with Two Days, One Night, a drama that moves like a thriller.

American Sniper Review

While Clint Eastwood never chooses a moral side, the uneven American Sniper gets a lot of mileage thanks to a transformative leading performance from Bradley Cooper.

Blackhat Review

Blackhat feels like a Michael Mann Greatest Hits album. And not in a good way.

Paddington Review

Don't believe an ounce of the unfounded pre-release negativity. Paddington is so excellent it could restore faith in humanity to the hardest of cynics.

Housebound Review

The New Zealand import Housebound makes it safe for horror audiences to laugh and be scared again at the same time.