Category Archives: Recommended

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

Gravity review

Directed by Alfonso CuarónWritten by Cuarón and Jonás CuarónThe first thing I thought of after seeing Gravity: "I wonder what Chris Hadfield would make of this movie?"Now, I've gone on record saying I'm not being the biggest fan of computer generated imagery. In fantasy and action movies too often it reads as substandard animation, taking away…Read More

The Spectacular Now review

Directed by James Ponsoldt Written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, adapting the Tim Tharp novel | Amazon Prime, Netflix The Spectacular Now manages a very difficult trick: it quietly shifts its tone without selling out or undercutting the way it starts or how it ends. It's a teen coming-of-age movie that begins lightly…Read More

In A World… review

Written and directed by Lake BellA lovely indie from writer/director/actor Lake Bell, In A World... manages to make a few very coherent and political points about women in Hollywood while telling a feather-light story set in the moribund romantic comedy genre. When you think about it, achieving all that is kind of a wonder.Bell is…Read More

The Way, Way Back review

Written and Directed by Nat Faxon and Jim RashBeing 14 is no fun for most of us. There's this diabolical combination of feeling like you know everything about the world, it's all crystal clear in your pubescent brain, and feeling totally adrift and uncertain, especially around the opposite sex. Meanwhile, what you understand of adult…Read More

The Conjuring review

Directed by James Wan | Written by Chad Hayes and Carey Hayes | 112 min | On Demand Well, wasn't that terrifying. Excellent...? Well, not quite. But effective? Yes, right on the money. It's based on the purportedly true story of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) and…Read More

Much Ado About Nothing review

Directed by Joss Whedon Adapted for the screen by Whedon from the William Shakespeare play For those who have been suffering from heat exhaustion or the pummelling that accompanies seeing large-budget action movies every week through the summer, this is for you. Delivered by one of those self-same blockbuster directors—though it's pretty hard to imagine…Read More