“Lincoln Lawyer” (R) *** This film may set a record for teasing its female audience members. It has at least four opportunities to show Matthew McConaughey’s bare abs and skips them all. The result may be McConaughey’s best performance in film. Director Brad Furman features lots of extreme close-ups of everybody in the cast,...
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“Rango” (PG) **** “Rango” starts as a satirical send-up of drama in general with a chameleon later known as “Rango” ruminating on dramatic arcs, pacing, character development and the whole jargon of “serious theater.” After a truck accident in which Rango’s terrarium is shattered and he is left stranded in the desert, informed by...
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“Unknown” (PG-13) **** Finally! The return of a taut, well-plotted, complex but far from inane thriller with some of the best car chases in years. Set in Berlin, the story is that of an American bio-technologist, Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson), who, going back to the airport to get a stranded briefcase, gets involved...
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“No Strings Attached” (R) **** This film could have gone so wrong. It’s one of those films that looks so good in the trailer that you can’t wait to see it, only to find that the only good bits were in the trailer. Not, so in this case. Fresh off her Oscar-deserving performance in...
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“Black Swan” (R) **** There is considerable controversy about this film and much misleading writing about it. You’ll have to see it for yourself to determine the causes for the, in my opinion, misinterpretations of what the film is about, but here is my take: This film is about a dancer, Natalie Portman as...
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“Morning Glory” (PG-13) **** The trailers were misleading. They indicated that this was Rachel McAdams’ movie. The pivotal character, however, the anchor, the fulcrum is Harrison Ford. His character is so deliciously awful — he’s defined early on as “the third worst person in the world” — and so consistently hideous that he controls...
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With the roaring success of the Manhattan Short Film Festival at Kentlands Stadium 10 and the demand for more challenging adult films, it appears the management is getting the message: There is an audience for fine films in Kentlands. Recently, “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” fit that category with its very “indie” tone....
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“Mao’s Last Dancer” (PG) ***** An absolute gem of a film. It is based on a true story of a Chinese dancer who defected in the ‘80s while a student with the Houston Ballet. The director of the ballet at the time was Ben Stevenson, who served four remarkable years here in Washington as...
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“The Social Network” (PG-13) ***** Mark Zuckerberg is told by one of his lawyers: “You’re not an a**hole, Mark. You’re just trying so hard to be.” That Mark, played with relentless energy and complexity by Jesse Eisenberg, is the hero and one of the villains of the film is one reason for its success....
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By Mike Cuthbert “Get Low” (PG-13) ***** Felix Bush (Robert Duvall) is a reclusive, highly anti-social hermit, so it is no surprise that he has a secret. For 40 years he lived in a self-imposed hermitic state in isolated repentance for an act for which he cannot forgive himself. He breaks out of his...
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