The Adventures of Tintin review

Directed by Steven SpielbergWritten by Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish, based on the comics by Hergé.I think my experience with this film speaks directly to my undeniable and unavoidably lofty expectations.I'm a longtime reader of the Tintin comics, since I was a child. This summer I reread almost the entire set—my copy of…Read More

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011) review

Directed by David Fincher Written by Steven Zaillian from the Stieg Larsson novel It's been a bit hard to judge the cultural excitement around this movie. The novels remain huge international bestsellers, and in Canada and elsewhere in the world besides the US, we've made the Swedish film adaptations of the Millennium trilogy a hit franchise.…Read More

The Artist review

Written and directed by Michael Hazanavicius Here's a movie I saw in the perfect environment: an ancient rep cinema full of Boxing Day cineastes who lined up on the slushy sidewalk for the pleasure of seeing a silent movie. I'm sure my experience was improved by the surroundings and the audience. And the film? Well,…Read More

Young Adult review

Directed by Jason ReitmanWritten by Diablo CodyIn a high school reunion movie (it's a genre, you know) Mavis Gary would be the antagonist, the lady who was the mean girl as a teen and is still a bitch 20 years later—even though she's by many societal standards a success. The closest we've seen to her…Read More

Margin Call review

Written and directed by JC ChandorMargin Call arrived in cinemas near me with not much fanfare, which is a shame as it's all kinds of good.It's the summer of 2008 at some Lehmann Brothers-esque New York investment bank, full of morally bankrupt fat cats. Well, maybe it's not as simple as that, but it's hard…Read More

“David Fincher on Film Critics”

Here's a brief and interesting interview with David Fincher, whose Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is but weeks from opening wide. It's in response to New Yorker critic David Denby ignoring an embargo and publishing his review of the film long before its December 22 arrival. Though I understand what Fincher is saying here, especially…Read More

The Descendants review

Directed by Alexander PayneScreenplay by Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash from a novel by Kaui Hart HemmingsGeorge Clooney is Matt King. Matt is the trustee of a large parcel of land in Hawaii, a place that seems a whole lot like paradise despite Matt's voiceover telling us that everyone's life has rough patches, even…Read More