I wondered how a film where the main character’s job is to fire employees for firms that are looking to downsize is getting so much attention in this economic climate. My guess is the filmmakers frequently debated how they would position and portray those difficult “letting workers go” scenes and instead turn the focus on [...]
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Avatar – Film Review
December 23, 2009
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Avatar is in a word, ASTONISHING. Many aspects of the storytelling are familiar but the way in which James Cameron unfolds the story is, in every respect, entirely new. He has has kept his formidable storytelling skills but this time wrapped them in an imaginative presentation layer unlike anything you have ever seen. That theme [...]
Read moreA Serious Man – Film Review
November 18, 2009
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Walking into a Coen Brother’s film is a bit like going to a therapist for two hours but not knowing what neurosis you will be treated for. The only thing you can be sure of is there will be some messin’ with your head. That is at once the charm and challenge of their filmmaking. [...]
Read moreMoon – Film Review
July 2, 2009
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The classic science fiction drama has been all but dead for nearly a decade. Thoughtful, provocative storytelling of another place in time and space is a rarity in today’s U.S. cinema. The last one that comes to mind was Steven Soderbergh’s Solaris, and it was based on the novel by prolific writer Stanislaw Lem. I, [...]
Read moreUp – Film Review
June 17, 2009
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What is the definition of story? My answer is “conflict.” Great stories unfold against a backdrop of tension and combine reality and fantasy. Pixar Animation Studios has mastered this formula for kids and grown-ups alike. Their latest work, Up, tracks the life of Carl Fredricksen (Ed Asner) from the time he was a little boy [...]
Read moreMonsters vs. Aliens – Film Review
March 31, 2009
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A snowy, spring day in Chicago seems like a perfect time to catch a flick. Have been waiting anxiously for the Dreamworks Animation production of Monsters vs. Aliens since I read about it over a year ago. Maybe it was the fact that my expectations were too high, but I was disappointed with the experience. [...]
Read moreSunshine Cleaning – Film Review
March 22, 2009
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Spring is typically drought time for Holllywood. It’s post-Oscar so studios are trying to squeeze as much out of their winners as possible, and pre-summertime, when the majority of box office is earned. So if you find yourself with a few free hours on your hands you probably don’t have the title of a [...]
Read moreThe Reader – Film Review
February 15, 2009
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The Reader is a grave, intellectual odyssey of shame and awakening set in post WWII Berlin. At the outset is the story of a young boy, Michael Berg (David Kross) who has a chance meeting with a much older woman, Hanna Schmitz (Kate Winslet). Michael is ill and Hanna comforts him and sees to it [...]
Read moreFrost/Nixon – Film Review
January 26, 2009
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On the first day of government class as a freshman in college, my professor entered the room pushing a television on a small cart and carrying a stack of magazines. He introduced himself and said that if anyone had not yet purchased the textbook to save their money. For those that already bought it, take [...]
Read moreSlumdog Millionaire – Film Review
January 19, 2009
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Update: Slumdog Millionaire nominated for 10 Academy Awards! Go to official Oscar site here. I settled into my seat in the Landmark Renaissance Place Cinema in Highland Park, Illinois expecting to see an interesting film set in India. I knew it was the story of an indigent young man from Mumbai who has a reversal [...]
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