Manchester by the Sea: Movie Review

The intertwining of love, death, depression and beauty.

A story of death, loss and depression, Manchester by the Sea is also an entertaining, eloquently constructed film about hope and moving on. The brilliance of Manchester by the Sea lies in its ability to completely envelope you into its world, and with its universal themes that is rather easily accomplished. It’s a very simple story that it tells, but one that can leave a loving impact on its viewers.		2016 Directed by: Kenneth Lonergan Screenplay by: Kenneth Lonergan Starring: Casey Affleck, Lucas Hedges

Brooklyn: Movie Review

Beautiful, well-written, powerful

Brooklyn is a beautiful and simply powerful film about life, love, adulthood and home. It’s a story of immigration that should resonate with everybody. How one girl chose her home, and made it her home and the home for her family and future generations to come. It’s a story of loneliness, true love, and the pull of familiarity. It’s a singular story, that revels in it’s simplicity, to reveal grander implications and a universality to connect everyone.		2015 Directed by: John Crowley Screenplay by: Nick Hornby Based on the novel by Colm Toibin Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson

Boyhood: Movie Review

An epic slice of Texas life.

Boyhood literally examines all the points that make up a boy’s formative years. While viewers are free to extrapolate it to any boy, this movie is about one boy. Writer and director Richard Linklater first cast Ellar Coltrane as Mason at age 6 and filmed him and his movie family for the next 12 years. It is a flawless, moving piece of life in general that encapsulates all major moments and emotions.		2014 Directed by: Richard Linklater Screenplay by: Richard Linklater Starring: Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke and Lorelei Linklater

Frozen: Movie Review

A winter wonderland of magical mystique.

Disney has truly created a marvel of an animated children’s film. I’m not in the target audience (which explains why it has taken me so long to see the critically-lauded piece) and yet I loved it. Frozen takes all the standard Disney story pieces but then switches them all around to keep the story interesting and then layers it up with dazzling visuals and songs.		2013 Directed by: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee Screenplay by: Jennifer Lee Starring: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad

Anna Karenina: Movie Review

A beautiful production that transforms Anna Karenina into a modern woman.

Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats; the play is about to begin. And thus, with the curtains drawn back, the ingenuity, creativity and brilliance of Joe Wright's “Anna Karenina” begins. By taking it out of an unforgiving landscape and placing it inside a theatre to unfold on an infinite stage, but keeping it in 1870s Russia, we have a true-to-source story that can be adapted for our modern enjoyment.		2012 Directed by: Joe Wright Screenplay by: Tom Stoppard Based on the novel by Leo Tolstoy Starring: Keira Knightley, and Jude Law

J. Edgar: Movie Review

 

Presenting a hero but not defining hero versus villain.

“J. Edgar” is worth the hype, the fuss and the wait. I was particularly intrigued by the prospect that it was directed by the older, masculine Clint Eastwood and written by the younger, out-and-proud Dustin Lance Black. I got the biographical story of the FBI leader and I also got the deeply-touching love story of a closeted gay man. Both were woven together seamlessly.		2011 Directed by: Clint Eastwood Screenplay by: Dustin Lance Black Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio and Armie Hammer

Midnight in Paris: Movie Review

Paris and literature taken to golden heights of intelligence and humour.

Have you ever wanted to see Owen Wilson play a modern day Alvy Singer and then transport him into the 1920s? I'm assuming that nobody other than Woody Allen has even thought about doing that. But trust me, now you'll want to see it. "Midnight in Paris" pairs ingenious casting with Allen's usual parade of characters (a neurotic writer, a right-wing Republican ignoramus, and a pedantic know-it-all) and places them in Paris.		2011 Directed by: Woody Allen Screenplay by: Woody Allen Starring: Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams

Jackie Brown: Movie Review

Slick characters and slick dealings in one perfectly executed film.

I never thought that I would actually like a Quentin Tarantino movie, let alone think that it's a brilliant film that should be revered. "Pulp Fiction" (1994) was entertaining but most of his other violent, ridiculous "artistry" I couldn't even sit through. "Jackie Brown" though, gives us some powerful characters to connect to, a drug and money plot which for the most part makes sense, and relatively, very little violence.		1997 Directed by: Quentin Tarantino Screenplay by: Quentin Tarantino Based on the novel by Elmore Leonard Starring: Pam Grier and Samuel L. Jackson

I Love You Phillip Morris: Movie Review

Unabashedly hilarious, wildly inventive and real.

Steven (Jim Carrey) wants to be the best person he can be. But then petty things like morality and understanding the differences between right and wrong would get in the way. And then frequently land him in the hospital and jail. He also said the he wanted to be the best person he could be back when he was an upstanding Christian citizen who loved his wife and daughter. Sometimes he would forget that he was a homosexual. Or at least forget to tell us.		2009 Directed by: Glenn Ficarra and John Requa Screenplay by: John Requa and Glenn Ficarra Based on the book by Steven McVicker Starring: Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor

The King's Speech: Movie Review

"The King's Speech" is fit to wear the crown.

"The King's Speech" gave us the story of a man who shouldn't have been King but staunchly rose to the position. Colin Firth was King George VI who had a deeply-rooted, severe stuttering problem. Geoffrey Rush had the perfect touch as his speech therapist.		2010 Directed by: Tom Hooper Screenplay by: David Seidler Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush

The Social Network: Movie Review

A film not about Facebook, but the face of the guys behind the book.

The Social Network is a great film and it does deserve all the credit it's getting. The key is in how Sorkin crafted the story and the characters and then how the actors ably portrayed those characters. This isn't about Facebook, but more the guys, or guy, who invented it. And the way Sorkin presented these characters was perfect.		2010 Directed by: David Fincher Screenplay by: Aaron Sorkin Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield

The Disappearance of Alice Creed: Movie Review

Stark and brutal and phenomenal filmmaking.

In The Disappearance of Alice Creed, Alice (Gemma Arterton) is kidnapped. Danny (Martin Compston) and Vic (Eddie Marsan) are careful criminals and think they know what it takes to get what they want and not get caught. What follows is a well written, unconventional and startling exploration of the relationships of everyone involved and their plans to get to a better life.		2009 Directed by: J. Blakeson Screenplay by: J. Blakeson Starring: Gemma Arterton, Eddie Marsan and Martin Compston
Everything in this film is thoughtful, intelligent, and only slightly dark. This is a well thought-out, incredibly well written, and a rather unique character drama disguised as a thriller. There are some stark and brute acts of selfishness to withstand, but the rewards are remarkable. The Disappearance of Alice Creed is the paramount of independent filmmaking. Writer and director J Blakeson has crafted a truly impressive film giving both the perpetrators and the victim interesting but realistic character traits that translate into an original and astute plot about kidnapping. I recommend this as a must-see for the dominating and masterful performances by Arterton, Compston and Marsan, for the perceptive, engrossing and bewitching story-telling and direction, and for capturing the true art of independent filmmaking.

Recommended:

The Town (2010) - A thriller that is driven by characters and their relationships just as much as plot. The American (2010) - A character study disguised as a thriller with an impressive visual telling. Best Laid Plans (1997) - An interesting, twisted story of committing crimes. Dark Matter (2007) - Hauntingly real story when academic drive turns dark and dangerous.

The Girl Next Door: Movie Review

"The Girl Next Door" raises the teen sex comedy genre.

Matt is a studious, hard-working high school senior bound for Georgetown University. Then he meets the girl next door and all hell breaks loose. "The Girl Next Door" is the type of film that gently breaks down the door of a genre. Take your typical teen comedy with geeks hanging out in the A/V room, guys being obsessed with meeting porn		2004 Directed by: Luke Greenfield Screenplay by: Stuart Blumberg, David T. Wangler and Brent Goldberg Starring: Emile Hirsch and Elisha Cuthbert
stars, with some contrived plot which allows for breasts galore and lots of lame sex jokes. But this film sees that bet and raises it. It has your geeks obsessed with meeting porn stars, but it also has an actually well-written good comedy story, which then allows for breasts galore and some mild sex jokes. Emile Hirsch is the perfect actor for the role of Matt. He's handsome so women will love to watch him, but not too handsome that men will want to watch him too. After this, his peers started watching him and he's been getting accolades for his talent. "The Girl Next Door" is for everybody getting frustrated with the poor state of teen comedies. You can watch this without hanging your head in shame.