October 2013 Movie Guide

OCTOBER 4, 2013GRAVITY Starring: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris Why You Should See It: Good cast and good director. Why You Should Avoid It: Because you're an adrenaline junky and this looks like it could be a slow burn. And the Magic 8 Ball Says: A solid yes. RUNNER RUNNER Starring: Ben Affleck, Justin Timberlake, Gemma Arterton, Anthony Mackie Why You Should See It: To see the future Dark Knight share the screen...

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Review: Prisoners

To say that Prisoners is a set in a cold dour place where hope goes to die would seem an understatement.  From gray skies to weathered buildings to the malaise of mid-life domesticity, the world the film depicts is outwardly bland but inwardly reeks of silent oppression.  The film then poses the question of what happens when tragedy strikes; that silent oppression boils over; and those internalized feelings of desperation become...

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Review: Riddick

If you want to see a textbook example of how a little success can lead to terrible excess take a look at the movie Pitch Black and its sequel The Chronicles of Riddick.  The former is a low budget action/thriller that grew into a cult classic by masterfully weaving isolationism and anti-heroism into a taut space narrative.  And because of that success director David Twohy was given the green light for a massive $200M+...

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Review: The Great Gatsby (2013)

F. Scott Fitzgerald is in my opinion the greatest American author of all-time  and The Great Gatsby is the work for which he is most recognized.  While I would argue that it is not nearly his best work, there is no denying that it is one of the truly seminal pieces of literature of the twentieth century.  And while Robert Redford’s cinematic portrayal of Gatsby in 1974 is by no means perfect, it is in many ways the enduring...

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Review: World War Z

Maybe it was the delays, the rewrites, the reshoots, or the poor word of mouth.  Whatever it was, I went into World War Z with diminished expectations.  Like most movie adaptions, I assumed that it would pale in comparison to its source material (from novelist Max Brooks).  And well, the film’s star - Brad Pitt - stopped being an actor and started portraying caricatures of himself a long time ago.  So when...

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Review: The Bling Ring

I’ve long been a fan of Sofia Coppola’s work – especially Lost in Translation, which ranks as one of my all-time favorite movies.  That work really showcases Coppola’s ability to build out a robust story in spaces where very little seems to be going on.  So when I heard that she was directing a feature starring the underrated Emma Watson (The Perks of Being a Wallflower), I was sure The Bling Ring would be a can’t miss project.  Unfortunately,...

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