SUBMARINE, a delightful surprise from Wales, takes the familiar coming-of-age tale and gives it an approach so original as to make the familiar seem fresh. The protagonist, Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) is painfully self-aware and deliciously oblivious, a hopeless romantic when it comes to the coolly ironic Jordana Bevan (Yasmin Paige), and a cynical observer… Read More »
ARTHUR CHRISTMAS
The holiday season is an emotional rollercoaster for many reasons and ARTHUR CHRISTMAS does a neat job of exploring many of them while still being both heart-warming and wonderfully entertaining. More than entertaining, really, this flick from the Aardman Studio has all the makings of a Christmas classic that kids can grow up with and… Read More »
SKYFALL
SKYFALL may not be the best Bond film ever, but there has certainly never been a better entry in the series. The trademark mordant wit, breakneck action, and visceral eroticism are all in evidence here, and operating at their finest level, but there is a subtle yet piquant, tweaking of the usual formula that makes… Read More »
GREENFINGERS
There are many reasons to see GREENFINGERS. Its a pleasant little bit of British escapism, based on a true story, that charms with its odd premise, keen sense of justice, and sharp humor as it delivers a sweet little love story. But right at the top of the list of reasons has to be its star,… Read More »
IVANSXTC
Based on the Tolstoy story THE DEATH OF IVAN ILLYICH, IVANSXTC takes the Russian bureaucrat from the 19th century and transmutes him into a high-powered talent agent in contemporary Hollywood. Not an intuitive leap, but filmmaker Bernard Rose has taken the essence of the original story, and made it work in the most unlikely of… Read More »
TRISTAN AND ISOLDE
There is a reason that the story of TRISTAN AND ISOLDE has lingered. The original telling from the Middle Ages was a heartbreaking tale of the true love, albeit inspired by a love potion gone astray, of the eponymous couple at painful odds with the heartfelt loyalty they both felt for her husband, King Mark.… Read More »
UNITED 93 — DVD
In the course of the commentary track by writer/director Paul Greenglass, he answers those who thought that it was too soon to make a film about UNITED 93. It’s not too soon, he says, it’s high time. As with the feature film release of UNITED 93, the DVD is also a tribute to the people who… Read More »
AMAZING GRACE
AMAZING GRACE is an unabashedly sentimental film and this is as it should be. It recounts the 15-year struggle of William Wilberforce to end the slave trade in the Britsh Empire at the end of the 18th century. Wilberforce and his followers were driven by sentiment, coupled with principle, to take on the big business… Read More »
HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX
There is something as magical about the sequels in the Harry Potter series as there is about the witches and wizards who inhabit the Harry Potter universe. Bucking the tradition of sequels getting weaker with each addition, HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX continues the track record of its predecessors, building on what… Read More »
STARDUST
STARDUST, based on the novel by Neil Gaiman, starts with that most wonderful of fantasy conceits, a magical world that exists side-by-side with the real world, but in which no one chooses to believe. Most aren’t even curious enough about it to notice that it’s there, and that in itself is curious, since the magical… Read More »