Reviews

A fantastic piece of film making that chronicles Danielle Metz's journey from the bad choices of her youth through an unfair and unjust justice system to finding her own strength and spirit which led her to parts of life that make our society better - helping others, overcoming adversity, being a good mother, and giving all of us an example of how to live our lives with honesty, selflessness, and purpose.

Hopefully this film will call the viewer to take their own actions to change our justice system to help keep families intact to avoid generation after generation falling into the same patterns.

A must see classic for anyone who loves films (and particularly design and sci-fi), Metropolis is a sprawling tale of man vs. The machine that echoes challenges in today's world. The film feels very modern particularly given its age and the fact that it is in black and white.

The scale of the movie and the practical effects still produce a powerful impact on the viewer. It's astonishing to think about what it took to make this movie and the vision that it took to not only design it but then to execute the look.

The story is rich with complexity and social commentary. And the actors carry the emotion of the story without sound.

This is a foundational part of movie history. You will recognize themes, imagery, and ideas that have been in dozens of modern films. And you will be greatly entertained by the remarkable visuals and emotional music. Don't miss this film.

Heartbreakers has been a white whale for me for some time. I saw it several times in the 80s but since then have searched streaming sites and even tried to watch a Spanish dubbed version on MGM. But the new released Blu-Ray finally makes it available with solid picture quality and a clear stereo soundtrack.

The film revolves around the relationship of Blue, a struggling artist, and Eli who is unhappily successful. As the movie unfolds, layers in their relationship including romantic jealousy, a supportive power dynamic, and mutual career jealousy are revealed. The dialog is authentic and honest.

What I value in the film are its exploration of the depth Blue and Eli's friendship and a presentation of both sides of the conflict between art and commerce. In many instances, the characters express writer-director Bobby Roth's conflicted feelings about art and grasping for "success". It's a complicated subject that's handled with nuance and no judgement.

Peter Coyote is excellent as the up and down Blue who revels in life but is also frustrated by his relative lack of success. Carol Wayne, best known for her many appearances on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show as the Matinee Lady in the Art Fern's Tea Time Movie sketches, adds depth to the ensemble as the centerpiece of Blue's art work. Carole Laure is believable as the object of Blue and Eli's affections.

The film is a time capsule of 80s styles and culture. Many of the things you love or hate about that decade are present. The soundtrack of R&B and blues is rudely interrupted by Pat Benatar's "Love Is A Battlefield" which sounds like an early mix to the point that it's almost unrecognizable as her.

Heartbreakers is a rare film that explores male friendships, artistic vision and success, and what is ultimately important to each of us in life.

Fantastic! Great storytelling, superlative acting, and wonderful production design make this a brilliant film about films and people.

Jean Dujardin comfortably carries the movie as the egotistic silent film star whose career and life crumble beyond his wildest fears. But it's Bérénice Bejo who lights up the screen with her smile, her expressive face, and her acting. She steals practically every scene she is in.

In a supporting role, James Cromwell is as great as he usually is. He plays the anti-hero's loyal driver with sincerity and dignity. The film is deep with excellent performances by John Goodman, Joel Murray, Ed Lautner, and Penelope Ann Miller who bring an array of secondary characters to life.

If you love moviemaking or good storytelling, you'll love this movie.

I found the plot convoluted and the action plodding. What little suspense there is is buried in the obvious romance story.

Bogart and Bacall are their standard movie selves - for better but repetitive - while Moorhead's performance felt over the top to me.

The eye-level camera angle was more distracting than helpful. While it's an interesting way to establish a character's relationship to the other characters, esthetically it didn't work.

And Jack Warner was right - why have Bogart in a film when you don't see his face for half the film?

I'm always wary of a film when the IMDB score is considerably higher than the Metacritic score but it usually not an issue for older films. This time I should have listened to the critics.

I'm a big fan of Greg Mottola's work but his debut here is weak, unstructured, and not funny. Here he is finding his footing with Anna Meara overreacting, a plot that move too slowly, and punch lines that fail to connect.

On the positive side, Stanley Tucci, Liev Schreiber, and Campbell Scott turn in solid performances. Mottola's direction does frame Hope Davis beautifully throughout but none of this is enough to make this a very interesting film.

The best news is that Mottola's work has improved greatly over the years and I hope that "Confess, Fletch" is good.

I realize I'm in the minority here but I don't understand all the hype for this film. I was incredibly bored as there was no story and no back story to explain Carol's descent into madness (just because she hears her sister enjoying sex?) To me, this was a bunch of anecdotes and moments strung together without rhyme or reason.

Deneuve is incredibly beautiful (even in black an white) and Polanski smartly focused the film on her. The beautiful cinematography makes her hair shine of gold even in the absence of color film.

Great cinematography, direction, and production design/art direction make this an entertaining film. While clearly influenced by Kubrick's 2001, Tarkovsky has created his own epic about the meaning of life. Led by a great performance from lead, Donatas Banionis, the actors take the audience through an exploration of their minds.

Tarkovsky wants the audience to ponder big themes like the nature of consciousness, mercy, and the power of love. Framed by the great feel and color of the film, he creates a great mystery for the audience to unravel.

My only wish is that the film was edited a bit tighter. Some of the glamour shots seem to go on forever and while they are helpful in setting the tone, they don't push the plot forward and start to get boring. Given the length of the film, a small reduction in length probably wouldn't hurt much.

I'm very glad I watched this as it is an unforgettable movie that made me think and was entertaining at the same time. This film is much more memorable and impactful than most of the films released now. Do yourself a favor and watch this instead of some mainstream dreck.

Richard Attenborough is compelling as wild Pinkie who scares everyone in his path. Great cinematography and lush period costumes help make this a good film to watch.

Not a great watch as there are no characters to root for and the ending is stark.

But wow...L. A. is the star here with a LOT of footage captured driving around the city in the 60s. So much to see and marvel at -- many things have changed but some have remained.

The film does a decent job of capture the innui and disillusionment of Vietnam-era America. Things were changing fast and that's reflected in the characters action.

I'd suggest this more for film buffs (French New Wave), 60s fans, and L. A. fans than to casual movie watchers.

Easy to see why this film is so loved. Great direction and cinematography, good acting, great tension via a complex plot.

But it didn't quite make me suspend belief that someone could be that brainwashed/mind-controlled.

About 1/2 or 3/4 of the way through Rushmore, I thought this will either be a good movie or end up being one of my favorites but it will depend on what happens next. Then "Ooh La La" came on and I knew I was home.

Somehow this movie hit me in the feels and I'm still not entirely sure why.

Saw this tonight at the first night of the Columbus Film Festival and Columbus local writer/director Colin West has created a stunning film.

Flowing through a beautiful film with a warm tone, West creates a world where dreams are followed, family is important, and the best in human nature ultimately wins out. Marvelous performances from Gaffigan. Katelyn Nacon, and Michael Ian Black (with a short notable performance by Tony Shalhoub) pay off with a heart warming ending that reminds me why I love movies.

There's a lot to digest here as the movie moves though sci-fi and fantasy while depicting typical days in our daily lives. But stick with this film though it's somewhat slow second act for the ending which put a big smile on my face as I walked out of the theater.

Brilliant.

So smart and well-acted. Over the top comedy that keeps you laughing. So many incredible details in the comedy, politics, the music choices, social commentary, and view of 1960s America.

If you love movies, you have to see this.

It is short but it has decent acting and some funny bits. Look for it on Youtube under the title "The Lesbian Cowboy".

Not exactly a big budget production but that's not really the point. The writing stands out and it looks good enough.

Really well-written with some still serious dialog about intimacy and relationships. The four leads are excellent and Soderbergh manages them deftly.

Nice to see an original, grown-up movie with interesting characters who aren't superheroes or torn from the pages of a comic book. We need lots more of these.

But I didn't.

The plot and the tone shifted numerous times over the course of the movie and at times I couldn't figure out what PTA was going for. I thought Haim made an excellent debut and in some scenes captures the whole screen. Hoffman was interesting but not as strong as Haim.

I had enough of the "running" symbolism by the end but I did enjoy the ending.