Frances Ha (2013)

Noah Baumbach is the new king of independent cinema, and Greta Gerwig the queen. When the two of them decided to work together, I believe all was right in the world at that second. Frances Ha was that very collaboration, and I believe we saw a new side of the amazingly talented (and beautiful) Greta…

The EGOT

Winning any of the top four American entertainment prizes is an amazing achievement, but winning ALL four is something to be insanely proud of, and one that only eleven people have had the benefit of winning. It is obvious why this is such a prestigious achievement – by winning the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony),…

Frozen (2013)

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…

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…