Category Archives: Drama

The Drop review

Directed by Michaël R. Roskam, written by Dennis Lehane, adapting his own short story Animal Rescue. Anyone familiar with Denis Lehane's other grimy gangster tales brought to the screen—Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone, for example—will recognize the world of The Drop from the get-go. We hear the prevailing myth off the top: Bob Saginowski…Read More

Locke review

Written and directed by Steven Knight I make a big deal about it when a quality film doesn't get distribution in cinemas here in Halifax, but I also understand the reticence of distributors—some feature films just don't have that crowd-pleasing vibe. And I get that the people making decisions might consider Locke and wonder whether anyone…Read More

Boyhood review

Written and directed by Richard Linklater In December of this year when people like me consider the stand-out feature films of the past 12 months, Boyhood will distinguish itself from the pack for one undeniable reason: it took 12 years to make. Starting back in the GW Bush era, Linklater gathered a small cast together…Read More

Wish I Was Here review

Directed by Zach Braff, written by Braff with his brother, Adam J. Braff The reputation of Scrubs star Zach Braff's first indie feature Garden State has taken some hits since it was a hit back in 2004. Braff became the punching bag as a representative of a certain kind of hipster cool, which I never thought he…Read More

A Most Wanted Man review

Directed by Anton Corbijn, written by Andrew Bovell from a John Le Carré novel. As Gunther, a heavy drinking, heavy smoking, cynical and burnt-out German spymaster, Philip Seymour Hoffman has left us yet another character unlike anything else he played. As if his legacy wasn't already solid. Gunther feels at least 20 years older than…Read More