Fraternal relationships can be complicated, and these two very different documentaries highlight the varying ways brothers can wreak havoc on each other (“Mistaken for Strangers”) or the outside world (the Koch Brothers retro-activism in “Citizen Koch”)… Mistaken for Strangers…Indie rockers The National are supposedly a big deal, and the lead singer invites his…ummmm…”competency challenged” younger brother to…
Category: Monday Morning Movie Reviewer
French Actor Review Day: “Jimmy P.” and “Venus in Fur”
Two films starring weird-looking French actor Mathieu Amalric (perhaps best known as the weird-looking lead villain in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace)… Venus in Fur…Sadly, I never got a chance to see the supposedly terrific Broadway play starring Hugh Dancy and Nina Arianda in the lead roles, but I better it was a…
Aging British Serio-Comic Film Review Day: “Alan Partridge,” and “A Long Way Down”
Two mediocre comedic films about serious subjects (workplace violence/hostage-taking and suicide) starring two aging British thespians that are still pretty solid. Of course, it’s a little less impressive that Steve Coogan is the best thing in his film since it’s really a semi-vanity vehicle he created… Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa…It takes Steve Coogan’s clueless radio…
Asian Armored Car Robbery Review Day: “Firestorm,” and “Metro Manila”
Two Asian films that center around robberies of armored trucks, but not all similar (sounding) films are created equal as one of these is bad and the other is arguably the most underrated movie I’ve seen this year. Firestorm…A movie about an obsessed detective (Andy Lau, who could play this role in his sleep and seems determined…
Missing Gems Review Day: “The Immigrant”
Every now and then a better-than-average movie slips through the cracks. I believe “The Immigrant” to be one of those movies… The Immigrant…It’s about—you guessed it—a European immigrant (Marion Cotillard, in a great performance) who comes to New York City in the early part of the 1900s and struggles to survive, quickly falling under the…
Unconventional Horror Review Day: “Knights of Badassery,” “Stage Fright,” and “Heatstroke”
Three unconventional horror films (two of them closer to comedies really) but are any of them really worth watching? Knights of Badassery…My favorite of the lot but still not a very good movie. It’s about a group of role playing fantasy geeks who accidentally summon a real demon that just so happens to take the…
Would-Be Serious Review Day: “Boys of Abu Ghraib” and “Stranger in Paradise
Two movies that want to be serious but really aren’t… Boys of Abu Ghraib…By far the more successful of the two but that isn’t saying much. It follows a soldier who becomes a new guard at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison, and the movie does an admirable job of showing both sides of how that prison became…
Performers Review Day: “Leave the World Behind” and “La Bare”
Two documentaries about people who make their living up on a stage, and neither of them really worth watching… La Bare…This documentary about male strippers was directed by Magic Mike co-star (and True Blood alum) Joe Manganiello. The problem is that it feels less real than Magic Mike and Manganiello doesn’t push the people he interviews enough….
Move Review: The Hunger Games, Mockingjay Part 1
In a way, I think this film is better than the first two, but in another way I enjoyed it less. What Works: In theory, I love that a huge blockbuster film (essentially aimed at kids and teenagers) has the cojones to be about a propaganda war. It has real ideas percolating beneath the surface…
U.K. Anti-Hero Review Day: “Gambit” and “Filth”
Two very different movies about anti-heroes from the U.K. but sadly I can’t recommend either one of them… Filth…James McAvoy stars as a psychotic Scottish detective trying to solve a hate crime so he can get a promotion. But he spends more time trying to unravel or defeat his rival detectives for the promotion, and…
Independent Spirit Awards Review Day: “Test,” “Blue Ruin,” “It Felt Like Love,” and “The Retrieval”
So the first three films were all nominated for the Independent Spirit Awards this year (and all in the same category that honors ultra-indies that were made for 500,000 or less), but the fourth film should have been as well. Even though it wasn’t technically nominated, it sure captures the independent spirit. Test…It’s about a gay male…
Movie Reviews: “Big Hero 6” Vs. “Penguins of Madagascar”
Two animated films currently in theaters; two (tonally) different options battling for dollars…But what if they’re both good options? Big Hero 6…This is a much more serious movie than “Penguins,” and my gut feeling is that adults might like it more while children might like “Penguins” more. I liked the film’s focus on science and…
Movie Review: “The Homesman,” Another Film with Cop-Out Ideology
This movie sucks too. Sure, it’s not as brazenly offensive (to me and my sensibilities) as “Above the Lights” but it is a film that starts off with the novel idea of doing a feminist Western and then betrays that premise completely by the time the credits roll. What Works: It starts out as a…