The Rum Diary review

Directed by Bruce RobinsonWritten by Robinson, adapting the Hunter S. Thompson novelThis is telling: two posters from The Rum Diary, the brand new movie starring Johnny Depp as Paul Kemp, the hero of Hunter S. Thompson's Puerto Rico-set novel. There's this onewhich hides Depp but plays up hotel-room carnage. Playing to fans of The Hangover,…Read More

Dave Howlett’s House of Haunts

Elsewhere on this site is Dave Howlett's excellent House of Haunts blog, where he reviews the horror movies he's watching. Regular Flaw in the Iris readers will recognize his name as he has contributed to this blog, too. Through the month of October he's been watching a horror movie a day, the results of which…Read More

The Ides of March reviewed

Directed by George ClooneyWritten by Clooney, Grant Heslov andBeau Willimon, based on the play Farragut North by WillimonLet's start by talking about Aaron Sorkin.Maybe that's not fair. Because, lets face it, Sorkin is the king of political thrillers. Even when they're actually about sports, like Moneyball, or about crazy zeitgeist-chasing technology, like The Social Network,…Read More

50/50 Reviewed

Directed by Jonathan LevineWritten by Will ReiserThis picture was a bit of a surprise.In it, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is Adam, a 27-year-old guy who works in news radio. He's slim and healthy, runs in the morning through scenic Seattle—definitely Vancouver standing in through some shots—though suffers from a chronic backache. Turns out he has a malignant…Read More

12 movies in 12 weeks

Three months of 2011 left, and I choose my most anticipated dozen Hollywood movies. My list: The Descendants, The Iron Lady, We Bought A Zoo, Hugo, Young Adult, My Week With Marilyn, A Dangerous Method, The Rum Diary, Tinker Tailor Solider Spy, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Adventures of Tintin, The Muppets. Click…Read More