Archive for the ‘Movie Reviews’ Category
Opera Goes to the Movies, 1935-Style
It’s less and less common to see classical music represented in popular culture these days, especially in a positive sense, so imagine my delight when I recently saw that Turner Classic Movies was airing Love Me Forever, a 1935 film starring Metropolitan Opera soprano Grace Moore. I’m rather ashamed to admit I didn’t know Moore’s […]
ZERO DARK THIRTY, DJANGO UNCHAINED, PROMISED LAND, NOT FADE AWAY
ZERO DARK THIRTY gathers the facts from 9/11 to the killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011. Kathryn Bigelow has worked with primary material to create a time-line ellipsis from the point of the terrorism, to U.S. troop anger, to a standstill and eventual information from a luckily found source leading to bin Laden. The […]
A Royal Affair, The Guilt Trip, This Is 40, The Impossible, and more…
Caroline, royalty from England, is compelled to go to Denmark where she first meets her husband, the mad King Christian VII in A Royal Affair. It is hate at first sight and all the butlers, maids and officials know it. To aid the King, his court finds a Dr. Johann Struensee to serve him and […]
Anna Karenina, The Silver Linings Playbook
Anna Karenina Anna Karenina is the 26th filmed version of Tolstoy’s novel, originally written in serial form from 1873 to 1877. From 1911, audiences always like the married woman who loves a single man, becomes pregnant, leaves her marriage, has the child… and you know the rest. In one way or another, there have been […]
Frankenweenie – review!
“This is what Tim Burton is GOOD at!” When I left the theater, I felt like Burton had returned to his roots. I was a fan of Edward Scissorhands, Nightmare Before Christmas, Sleepy Hollow and Beetlejuice… but in recent years I was underwhelmed with the Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd, and outright repelled by Charlie and the […]
To Rome with Love, Prometheus, Savages
Woody Allen’s To Rome with Love measures up to most of his output since “Crimes and Misdemeanors.” It is romantically sweet with a few real laughs and quickly forgotten. As usual, a great cast including Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penelope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg and Ellen Page read lines that sound like Allen playing all the parts, another […]
Seeking a Friend, Moonrise Kingdom, Abraham Lincoln
Currently in Theaters When a movie shows us the end of the world, it ought to be a blast. Unfortunately, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World was made to emote loneliness before nothingness. Neither Steve Carrel nor Keira Knightly can convert this overwritten script and snore-maker direction give us enough to care […]
DARK SHADOWS, THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, Sound of My Voice
DARK SHADOWS From a 1960’s afternoon soap opera, comes Dark Shadows with Johnny Depp as the cursed vampire Barnabus Collins. His 18th century love, Josette (Bella Heathcote), died under the spell of Angelique (Eva Green). Segue to 1972 and Barnabus is freed when construction workers discover his buried coffin and his thirst is quenched on […]
