Recently, mainstream animated films have lost some of the quirkiness that defined them a decade ago. Recent offerings such as Brave and Tangled have been good, but not overwhelmingly great. Also, the films have become increasingly female-centric, which while not in any way a flaw, can be misconstrued as trying to sell to the feminine…
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Captain Phillips (2013)
Once someone has won two Academy Awards for Best Actor, he has the fullest right to cash in and just do mediocre films for a paycheck. Many in that position would try and avoid challenging films if they could. Tom Hanks doesn’t dare. In recent years, he has done some less than great movies and…
An Appreciation of…Peter O’Toole (1932 – 2013)
This is the first in my series of homages to some cinematic greats, both living and dead, and what influence they have had on cinema and viewers such as me ———————————————————————————————————————- It seems almost saddening to realize that Peter O’Toole is no longer with us. He was often taken for granted – in his early…
Blue Jasmine (2013)
There are few names as iconic in filmmaking as Woody Allen. A prolific craftsman, the man has moulded so many films, it is insanely difficult to choose his best one. Among the greatest of the greats are Annie Hall, Manhattan, Bullets Over Broadway, Crimes and Misdemeanours and Midnight in Paris. Blue Jasmine joins those ranks without a doubt. In…
Before Midnight (2013)
There is something insanely beautiful about the “Before…” trilogy – they are made on a shoestring budget and are essentially long dialogues stringed together. But there’s something else – maybe it is the writing, maybe its the chemistry between the two leads, but Before Midnight is a beautiful film. While nothing can beat the first…
The Way Way Back (2013)
Let me start off by saying this: The Way Way Back is absolute perfection. I was expecting something in the vein of Juno, which wasn’t at all a bad thing and I was incredibly optimistic. However, I was wrong. No film has shown the agony and angst of teenage life since The Breakfast Club in…
READER REVIEW: Hitchcock (2012)
This one is from Andre “Certainly a promising film, but a bit more of a homage to Hitch’s visual style would have been welcome. Also, the Ed Gein scenes were terrible, but these are otherwise quibbles in a delicious light entertainment the master himself would enjoy. Especially commendable is the context put into the story,…
Clear History (2013)
After reviewing the previous two movies, I felt downbeat. So I am going to end this bad movie streak and actually review a proper movie: Clear History – what a film! Amazing. I have been suffering from severe withdrawal symptoms since Curb Your Enthusiasm ended Season 8, and the fact that we get a feature…
The Great Gatsby (2013)
I’ve been dreading writing this review as much as you all dreaded reading this review. I adored F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby and when I heard Leonardo DiCaprio was playing the lead role, I was suitably impressed. Then I heard Baz Luhrmann was directing it, and my expectations went way down, yet…
The Postmodern Pelican 