I didn’t realize that writer-director Thomas McCarthy was one of my favourites until I looked up his latest movie, Win Win. As an actor, I’d seen him as Mr. Riley on the David E. Kelley tv series about teachers, Boston Public. As a writer-director, I loved his first movie (The Station Agent) and his second…
Category: (3.5 out of 5)
Midseason TV 2011
I confess I’ve been a bit slow on the draw this year to talk about midseason TV. I guess I’ve been too caught up with my pre-Oscar movie-watching. However, I’ve still found the time to enjoy many of the series which have debuted or returned since the start of 2011. What’s more, many if them…
Oscar, Schmoscar 2011
When I first started my “Oscar Schmoscar” posts a few years ago, I was tired of the kinds of nominees that Oscar was coming up with. I lumped together some mini-reviews to let readers know what I thought of some of the nominated movies, but it was meant to be kind of dismissive. A few…
The Green Hornet – movie review
What if Batman had been kind of inept, and Robin had all the skills? I hadn’t known much about The Green Hornet before watching Michel Gondry’s new movie adaptation, but I knew that kung-fu legend, Bruce Lee, played the Hornet’s butt-kicking side-kick Kato in the original TV series. When Seth Rogen was cast in the…
TRON: Legacy – Movie Review
Oh the humanity! How can a movie that looks so cool be such frustratingly bad sci-fi? I recently re-watched the first TRON movie. Its blue-screen effects and geometric designs were groundbreaking at the time, but definitely feel dated now (though the light-cycle scenes hold up pretty well). However, it’s the ideas about technology that truly…
Movie #49: A Prophet
I know I’m missing something about the highly-acclaimed, award-winning film A Prophet because even though I could see that it was well done, it didn’t impress me as the masterpiece that so many other people obviously think that it is. Definitely it’s impressive to watch the protagonist Malik El Djebena go from illiterate, hapless punk…
Movie #44: Operation: Endgame
I’m not quite sure what to think of Operation: Endgame. It’s a black comedy unlike too many I’ve seen. New recruit (codename: The Fool) starts his first day in a secret underground office housing two opposing teams of covert agents all named after Tarot cards. At first we get a dose of office humour through…
Movie #42: The Ghost Writer
I always thought I was an intelligent movie-watcher, but there’s just something about thrillers like The Ghost Writer that dim my enjoyment a bit. I enjoy the twists and the clues, but the pace is slow and often characters have conversations that sound like they’re meaningful and revealing, but aren’t really that interesting to watch….
Movie #39: Elizabeth: The Golden Age
After The Other Boleyn Girl, I figured that I’d treat myself to a Tudor double-bill by watching Elizabeth: The Golden Age, the 2007 quasi-sequel to 1998’s Elizabeth. Both films feature Cate Blanchett in amazing performances as England’s “virgin queen” (and daughter, of course, of Anne Boleyn). While the first one was mostly about Elizabeth becoming…
Alvin's Adventures in Pop Culture 