“The Great Gatsby” (PG-13) ***** The novel is short, the movie is long, but the film does what it is supposed to do and more. It tells the complex story of Jay Gatsby and adds depth and context to it in unique ways. Who would have thought that a score that included hip-hop and...
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“The Sapphires” (PG-13) **** It’s the usual girl singers’ story: Get together at a local hall, be heard, get recruited for something bigger and hit the big time. The difference in this film is that the girls are all Australian aboriginal sisters and cousins, the year is 1968, and the “big time” is a...
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“Olympus Has Fallen” (R) *** For those of you who love the capital city, stay at home because a lot of D.C. gets destroyed in this thriller. The targets are the White House and the president of the United States, Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart). You might also see Ashley Judd’s name in the credits,...
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“Dead Man Down” (R) *** Revenge is not necessarily sweet. As someone in this film remarks, “You’ve found that, when it’s over, it won’t mend your heart.” Everybody in this decent revenge film wants revenge: Victor (Colin Farrell), Beatrice (Noomi Rapace), the Albanians, Alphonse (Terrence Howard) and others, and they all try to find...
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“Quartet” (PG-13) ***** Hey, kids! Ignore the fact that all the cast members are over 80 and the setting is a retirement home for musicians. This movie is not a drag. Allow your folks to take you to this great Oscar-nominated for Best Picture experience, and don’t be ashamed to admit you loved it....
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“Side Effects” (R) **** I will admit I’m a sucker for involved, clever plots with multi-dimensional characters. So this film is already in my Top 10 list except for one character, who predictably fails to do anything but be his wooden self. Fortunately, however, Channing Tatum is in the film for a limited time....
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“Silver Linings Playbook” (R) **** With Jackie Weaver as a lubricant for a messed up group of characters, this is a triumphant little movie. Bradley Cooper as a disturbed bipolar mental patient, Pat, under a restraining order to stay away from his estranged wife, Nikki, comes home to a nest of Eagles fans, led...
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“Zero Dark Thirty” (R) **** This is not a fun picture. It is deadly serious, as it should be. It is, at bottom, a story of obsession. The DCIA (James Gandolfini) asks Maya (Jessica Chastain and anonymous because she’s still in the CIA) how long she’s been in the CIA, and she says, “Twelve...
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“Les Misérables” (PG-13) ***** What a surprise this film is! It takes an epic story and focuses on the intimacies in it. As a result, it is still epic, though not as overwhelmingly as you might expect. At times it even seems like chamber opera. This is due to the intimate sounds made possible...
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“Anna Karenina” (R) **** It’s not fair. Nobody should be able to look so fabulous from so many angles as Keira Knightley does in this film. Okay, so the director, Joe Wright, gave her plenty of opportunities to look fabulous, but she scored on all of them. Wright’s somewhat controversial approach to the story...
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