Having starred in a deliciously odd self-portrait by and of Charlie Kaufman, ADAPTATION, Nicolas Cage has waited two decades to take the surreal meta-plunge again and waiting for just the right script has paid off for him and for us. In THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT, he plays a fictionalized version of himself, hamstrung… Read More »
THE MATRIX: RESURRECTIONS
THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS balances a vibrant cacophony of action with a criminally flabby script that takes far too long to get where it needs to go. It is a triumph of forthright, even giddy, self-awareness and nostalgia as Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) once again enters the Matrix as a neophyte taking us along for the… Read More »
THE CONJURING: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT
It is the way of franchises that, with a few notable exceptions, they sequel themselves into diminished returns that eventually test even the most ardent fans. And so it is with THE CONJURING: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT, a pale reminder of what we loved about the original, with no actual reason to love… Read More »
DOWNSIZING
DOWNSIZING is a film that cries out to be admired. Pondered. Parsed. Philosophical propositions and social commentary flit by in a mad whirl of arch observation and deadpan dea as we are invited to consider a veritable cornucopia of topics, all eminently worthy of examination. The class struggle and the human propensity for prejudice; the… Read More »
GONE GIRL
GONE GIRL is an elegantly rendered, yet lurid potboiler of a movie. Director David Fincher brings his characteristic darkness, literal and figurative to an already dark tale of subterfuge, murder, and the secrets we keep from everyone, including ourselves. Based on the novel of the same name by screenwriter Gillian Flynn, it gifts us with… Read More »
A VERY HAROLD & KUMAR 3D CHRISTMAS
With some films, the 3-D effect is tacked on to generate a few extra bucks at the box office. And then there are the ones like A VERY HAROLD AND KUMAR 3-D CHRISTMAS. The wisps of smoke coming off those funny cigarettes so dear to the title characters hearts become prehensile as they float off… Read More »