Theoretical physics made manifest along with the far less predictable, not to mention more volatile, laws of attraction coalesce in COHERENCE, one of the best science fiction films of the year. It is a ghost story without ectoplasm, and a horror film in which the monsters are people unaware that their dark side is dominant.… Read More »
Search Results for: coherence
DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS
DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS may be another proof of the universe’s entropy. You know, the rule that posits everything is slowly devolving into a state of disarray and incoherence. Or something along those lines. This effort by Ethan Coen certainly shows flashes of the oddball genius of the films he made with his brother, Joel, but the… Read More »
THE ABANDON
One of the most intriguing sub-genres of sci-fi/horror cinema is that which is accomplished with few, if any, special effects. The best of these, such as COHERENCE or THEY LOOK LIKE PEOPLE, to name but two, are so thoughtfully conceived and intelligently crafted that the addition of gizmos, gadgets, or those ci-mentioned special effects would… Read More »
JUSTICE LEAGUE
JUSTICE LEAGUE is a film with many problems. Some are inherent in an origin-style story that introduces several characters to what the filmmakers hope will be an audience eager to follow their further, individual, adventures. Some are just inexplicable. Take the plot device that is nothing short of asinine, and which I can’t discuss without… Read More »
THE LEGEND OF TARZAN
Credit where it’s due. THE LEGEND OF TARZAN doesn’t get everything wrong. For one, It has the virtue of addressing why a perfectly capable, perfectly intelligent black man with a Ph.D., George Washington Harris (Samuel L. Jackson as an actual historical character) needs a white man, that would be Lord Greystoke aka Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgård)… Read More »
Welcoming THE MEDDLER with Susan Sarandon and Lorene Scafaria
Lorene Scafaria had threatened her mother for a long time about making a movie based on their relationship and calling it THE MEDDLER. With this smart and heart-warming comedy, she has made good on that threat. Based on their relationship, with a few flourishes involving creative license, Scafaria has crafted the story of Marnie Minervini,… Read More »
SAN ANDREAS’ Flight of Fancy
If nothing else, SAN ANDREAS is one of the finest advertisements ever made for the importance of emergency preparedness. Those who survive the state-long earthquake that erupts on the eponymous fault line are either those who know to duck under a table or shelter by a solid wall, or those who are related to those… Read More »
Jon Favreau is CHEF
Jon Favreau is very serious about CHEF. Its his baby, after all. He wrote, directed, and co-starred in this lovely fable about a chef who has to have the rug pulled out from under him to find out what it means to be successful. Hence his willingness to sit down for an interview at 6:45… Read More »
FULL FRONTAL
Some films expand your horizons, some shift your paradigm, some make your spirit soar with the possibilities inherent in the human condition and some are so awful that they make you question the existence of God. That last would apply to the 109 minutes of my life wasted at Steven Soderbergh’s latest, FULL FRONTAL.The question… Read More »
PINEAPPLE EXPRESS
Naturally it all begins with a secret government experiment gone horribly wrong. Or right, depending on your point of view. In a secret government facility conveniently located in the middle of field and under a rock, the military developed Item 9. Weed so strong that it was not only declared illegal, the facility was ordered… Read More »