Category Archives: Recommended

Captain America: The Winter Soldier review

For once, the marketing language about "the studio that brought you" is actually appropriate. Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo Written by Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, based on comics by Ed Brubaker, Joe Simon, and Jack Kirby Been really looking forward to this, the ninth superhero movie in Marvel's current world-dominating series—one Hulk, three…Read More

The Grand Budapest Hotel review

Directed by Wes Anderson, Written by Anderson and Hugh Guinness, inspired by the writing of Stefan Zweig A new Wes Anderson film is always an event. The Texas-born filmmaker may be too precious for some, but show me one of his peers with such a distinctive, irrepressible visual and thematic style, a sweet-sad combination of nostalgia…Read More

Alien series review

Alien (1979) Directed by Ridley Scott | Written by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett | 117 min | Crave Plus Alien has been around so long it's kind of hard to imagine the world without those cute lil' exomorphs that kinda look like stainless steel dildos with teeth. When I was a kid I remember…Read More

Her movie review

Written and directed by Spike JonzeSpike Jonze's astonishing Her does three things exceptionally well. 1) It's a smart science fiction film, providing a credible look at a near future where computers go beyond where they are now—our close and constant companions—to something else, something new. 2) Through an intimate look at two leading characters, it's no…Read More

Inside Llewyn Davis review

Written and directed by Joel and Ethan CoenI love the Coens. They've carved out for themselves a wonderful, peculiar corner of Americana. No matter the subject, their films exhibit an intellectual, anarchic wit that's all their own. Only a handful of their peers, US filmmakers and writers—maybe Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, Nicole Holofcener, Charlie…Read More

Philomena review

Directed by Stephen FrearsWritten by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope, based on a book by Martin SixsmithWhen Philomena Lee (Judi Dench) was a teenager (Sophie Kennedy Clark) in Ireland, she got pregnant. For her sins, the nuns at the Roscrea convent made her work in the laundries, seven days a week for four years, and…Read More

12 Years A Slave review

Directed by Steve McQueenWritten by John Ridley, adapting a book by Solomon Northup12 Years A Slave is the most honest and unvarnished depiction of slavery I've ever seen. I'd wager it reaches a verisimilitude unmatched in the history of Hollywood movies on the subject—of which there haven't been that many, granted. It's hard to find historic…Read More

All Is Lost review

Written and directed by JC ChandorThis project is something of a risk for both the director and his star.For the former—Chandor's first feature was Margin Call in 2011, a talky ensemble piece set on Wall Street in the moments before the 2008 financial crash. This time he writes and directs something entirely different, the tale…Read More

Enough Said review

Written and directed by Nicole Holofcener | On Demand Holofcener is the writer-director of a number of awkwardly funny American indie films. To call them comedies, or romantic comedies, is too reductive. They're independent films, and tend to avoid easy catagorization, but centre on urban relationships, about women and men and their friendships and love…Read More

Rush review

Directed by Ron HowardWritten by Peter MorganThere aren't a lot of great motor racing movies. Um, scratch that. There aren't any. Grand Prix? It's over-long and hasn't aged well. Le Mans? Other than Steve McQueen, it doesn't have much to recommend it. Days of Thunder? They tried to redo Top Gun in NASCAR and the best…Read More