The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
DIRECTOR: David Fincher
CAST: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgard, Robin Wright, Joely Richardson, Steven Berkoff, Geraldine James, Yorick van Wageningen
REVIEW:
I’ll just get this out of the way right upfront. I have never seen the 2009 Swedish film adaptation of late author and journalist Stieg Larsson’s crime novel, which featured a much-praised performance by Noomi Rapace in the title role (nor have I read the book), so this review will not include any comparisons between the two versions, merely evaluate this one on its own merits. Continue reading
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
DIRECTOR: Guy Ritchie
CAST:
Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Stephen Fry, Kelly Reilly, Paul Anderson, Rachel McAdams
REVIEW:
Following on the heels of 2009’s cinematic reboot of the world’s greatest detective, Sherlock Holmes, Guy Ritchie reteamed with stars Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law for A Game of Shadows, which is a very close relation to its predecessor. Those who enjoyed the first installment should be entertained by the second, while those who were unimpressed are unlikely to have their opinion changed here, except perhaps by the choice of villain. Continue reading
Episode 2×14: “Blame It On The Alcohol”
DIRECTOR: Eric Stoltz
WRITER: Ian Brennan
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: February 22, 2011
GUEST STARS: Chord Overstreet, Darren Criss, Dot-Marie Jones, Ashley Fink
REVIEW:
Blame It On The Alcohol is a bit of a mess, with everyone acting like a slightly skewed alternate dimension version of themselves, but despite some out-of-character behavior (though you can “blame it on the alcohol”…see what I did there? har, har) and a bit of a muddled central message, it’s also a pretty, well gleeful episode. Continue reading
Episode 3×08: “Hold On To Sixteen”
DIRECTOR: Bradley Buecker
WRITER: Ross Maxwell
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: December 6, 2011
GUEST STARS: Chord Overstreet, Damian McGinty, Idina Menzel, John Schneider, Keong Sim, Grant Gustin, Vanessa Lengies, Lindsay Pearce
REVIEW:
Like last season’s Special Education, Hold On To Sixteen brings the Sectionals competition with a dash of New Directions infighting and former teammates pitted against each other, but this time the writers also clearly use it as the climax point for the first third of the season, resolving various conflicts that have been brewing since Season 3’s opening. The writers generally accomplish what they set out to do; Hold On To Sixteen is not a perfect Glee episode, but it’s up with Asian F and The First Time as overall one of the most solid and plot-heavy episodes of the first third of Season 3. It also marks the return of Season 2 recurring guest star and New Directions member Chord Overstreet. Continue reading
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011)
DIRECTOR: Tomas Alfredson
CAST:
Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, John Hurt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong, Toby Jones, Ciaran Hinds, David Dencik, Simon McBurney, Svetlana Khodchenkova
REVIEW:
WARNING: THIS REVIEW WILL MENTION ASPECTS OF THE FILM’S PLOT
George Smiley, the protagonist of John Le Carre’s dense, slow-paced spy novels, could be described as the anti-Bond. Physically unimpressive, meek, quiet, bookish Continue reading
My Week With Marilyn (2011)
DIRECTOR: Simon Curtis
CAST: Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Emma Watson, Zoe Wanamaker, Dominic Cooper, Toby Jones, Dougray Scott, Julia Ormond, Derek Jacobi
REVIEW:
My Week With Marilyn is based on the memoir of Colin Clark, a production assistant on set of 1957’s The Prince and the Showgirl. It wasn’t until the 1990s that Clark, who passed away in 2002, published his account of his brief period of time spent with Marilyn Monroe. Adrian Hodges’ screenplay is a mostly faithful adaptation of Clark’s reminiscences and provides a window into both the making of a film, and his observations of a beloved but troubled starlet. Continue reading
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (2011)
DIRECTOR: Bill Condon
CAST:
Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Ashley Greene, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Kellan Lutz, Elizabeth Reaser, Sarah Clarke, Gil Birmingham, Michael Sheen
REVIEW:
As Warner Bros. Did with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Summit Entertainment has split the final chapter of its young adult phenomenon the Twilight “saga” into two films. It’s easy to be cynical about both decisions as blatant maximizing of profits, especially in Twilight’s case, as while Deathly Hallows‘ density justified unfolding it over two films, it’s debatable whether any Twilight entry, including Breaking Dawn, really has enough that actually happens to warrant being stretched out over two movies. Regardless, Oscar-nominated director Bill Condon has done a respectable job with what he was given, helming a faithful but not obsessively word-for-word adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s novel, but as with every other Twilight entry, the content makes a mixed bag. Continue reading
J. Edgar (2011)
DIRECTOR: Clint Eastwood
CAST:
Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Judi Dench, Naomi Watts
REVIEW:
During his forty-eight-year reign as director of the FBI, John Edgar Hoover was regarded by many as the most powerful man in America. Continue reading
50/50 (2011)
DIRECTOR: Jonathan Levine
CAST: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston, Philip Baker Hall, Matt Frewer
REVIEW:
Movies about characters with cancer are a dime a dozen, but what gives 50/50 a little distinction is its approach. At least for the majority of its running time, this is not a tearjerker; in fact, as unlikely as this might sound, it’s in full comedy-drama mode. Inspired by the real-life experiences of screenwriter and producer Will Reiser, who wrote the script after his own battle with cancer, 50/50 manages—for the most part—to find an effective tricky balance in a middle ground between disrespectfully flippant and overly mawkish. The result is far from perfect, but Reiser’s sense of humor about his ordeal makes for a refreshingly irreverent take on a difficult subject that’s far more watchable—and still occasionally touching without being overbearing about it—than some Lifetime melodramatic weepfest. Continue reading
Warrior (2011)
DIRECTOR: Gavin O’Connor
CAST: Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison, Frank Grillo, Kevin Dunn
REVIEW:
WARNING: THIS REVIEW WILL REVEAL ASPECTS OF THE FILM’S PLOT
I don’t know much about MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighting, but that doesn’t matter here, because Warrior is less about the sport itself and more about the fractured family drama that plays out both in and outside the ring. MMA is the vehicle used to convey this story, but not the core of it, and even for those both unfamiliar with and not particularly interested in MMA fighting (including myself), Warrior is an engaging and sometimes powerful drama about universal themes of regrets, resentment, and forgiveness. Continue reading