Category Archives: Drama

Million Dollar Arm review

Directed by Craig Gillespie, written by Thomas McCarthy I went to see this Disney picture for a few reasons. I liked the sound of the true-to-life angle, it's based on the story of two young guys from India who were brought to the US to take a shot at being baseball pitchers. I liked the creative…Read More

Dom Hemingway review

Written and directed by Richard Shepard I had to take a look at Shepard's IMDB page to remind myself what else he's done, and the title that jumped out at me was The Matador. It had a plum role for Pierce Brosnan as a hit man, which served as a nice reinvention immediately following his stint…Read More

Bob Hoskins and Mona Lisa

When I heard the sad news that Bob Hoskins died today at age 71, it made me think of the first movie I saw him in. I'd lived in London for less than a year when Neil Jordan's Mona Lisa came out. It was a tough year for me. A new high school, much larger than the…Read More

Noah review

Directed by Darren Aronofsky Written by Aronofsky and Ari Handel This isn't your daddy's Biblical epic. That was my first thought as I waded into Noah, the $125 million blockbuster from the indie director of Black Swan, The Wrestler, The Fountain and Requiem for a Dream. For awhile Aronofsky was attached to The Wolverine—imagine what that…Read More

Veronica Mars review

Directed by Rob Thomas Written by Thomas and Dianne Ruggiero By the will of Veronica Mars fans—"Marshmallows"—everywhere, we have a Veronica Mars movie. I love that crowdsourcing turned a low-rated but cult-beloved TV series that couldn't stumble past three seasons into a full-fledged feature film. Well, let me tell you with not a little bit…Read More

Winter’s Tale review

Directed by Akiva Goldsman Written by Goldsman, adapting the novel by Mark Helprin When I saw the trailer for Winter's Tale back in January, I was not impressed. It looked like the cover of a Harlequin Romance come to life. The advance buzz wasn't terribly promising, either. It didn't help that Goldsman, mostly known as…Read More

Labor Day review

Directed by Jason ReitmanWritten by Reitman based on the novel by Joyce MaynardWow, this is a tough one to get my head around. Why would Reitman, director of edgy, hip dramedies Young Adult, Up In The Air and Juno, tackle this kind of material? This is a total Hallmark/Lifetime TV movie, described in at least one…Read More

The Monuments Men review

Directed by George Clooney Written by Clooney and Grant Heslov, adapting a book by Robert M. Edsel and Ben Witter I get that George Clooney has a love for some old-timey movies, the sort that move at a more leisurely pace and rely a great deal on the charm of the actors. He showed that…Read More

August: Osage County review

Directed by John WellsStageplay and screenplay adaptation by Tracy LettsSince Julia Roberts had kids, she's been much more choosy with the films she does, working much less frequently. This is the opportunity afforded a former Queen of Hollywood, and more power to her. I've noticed that when she does work, the quality of her performances…Read More