Harkening back to sci fi classics such as Forbidden Planet, the majority of Ex Machina is constituted of philosophical discussion and games of verbal chess. These discussions broach many thoughts on the nature of humanity, god/creation and the illusion of self in the digital era. Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) is an employee at Bluebook who wins […]
About a year ago I read the Gillian Flynn book “Gone Girl.” Every year I try I to read a book that is going to be made into either a television series or film, I am a nerd who likes to compare source material, and see if the auteur “gets” the source material. Sometime it’s […]
So, it turns out there is a window of opportunity to make a sequel to a popular ‘R’ rated movie. Based on the abysmal performance of the latest Sin City, that window is a little less than 10 years. I’d like to tell you that, by being one of the few that held out hope […]
Before we announce the winners of the 2012 Cinema Awards, we’re proud to present our annual Nominee Interview Series. In honour of the Oscar Argo is about to win, we thought we’d celebrate the night by publishing our Exclusive Interview with one of its most intriguing stars. Scoot McNairy’s beautifully conflicted turn as trapped “houseguest” Joe […]
I wasn’t sure what to expect walking into Side Effects, Steven Soderbergh’s supposed last feature film. I went due to a never-ending love of Soderbergh, and a desire to see Rooney Mara outside of her mostly-naked, seriously angry Girl With a Dragon Tattoo context. Until the clearly marked SPOILER WARNING, I will try to avoid […]
I was torn about this movie. On one hand, some of the performances in it are career-making (in the case of Scoot McNairy) or career defining (when it comes to Brad Pitt, whose career is already made), or at least they should be considered thus. Both actors reach new heights with nuanced character portraits and […]
If you’re going to see Nicholas Jarecki’s high finance thriller, Arbitrage, make sure to bring an Economics major with you. For one, he or she could tell you what ‘arbitrage’ means and how it applies to the film, and, for two, they can help you follow the serpentine and occasionally muddled script. Unlike 2011’s Margin […]
While American politicians abjectly deride the Scandinavians for being ‘pinko commies’, Hollywood has been taking notice of their considerable cinematic talent, finding every opportunity to import some of their best films for American remakes. David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Matt Reeves’ Let Me In are excellent examples, but no Scandinavian film […]
Picture this. There’s a group of college kids. They are attractive. One of them has a relative that owns a cottage. It’s in the middle of nowhere. They all hop into an RV. There’s no cellphone reception. Or GPS. They get lost. They pull up to a dingy, suspicious looking gas station. Out comes the […]
Writer-director Mary Harron has proven herself as an accomplished auteur in the realm of the psychological thriller. Having written and directed the cult hit, American Psycho, Harron has proven that she’s able to simultaneously challenge you intellectually, while making your heart skip a beat. So it’s more the disappointing that her latest foray into the […]
When I was little, I went to see The Secret Garden in theaters with my mom. During one scene, as young Mary Lennox is creeping towards the garden, I started to freak out. When my mom asked, “What’s wrong?” in a very nice voice, although I’m sure what she meant was “Why the hell is […]
The biggest problem with The Grey, Liam Neeson’s new movie about fighting wolves in the Alaskan wilderness, is simple, really. It’s the fact that you just walked into a movie theater expecting to see Liam Neeson fight wolves in the Alaskan wilderness – you’re ready to watch Neeson take out our lupine brethren using the […]
Steig Larson’s Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is a fast-paced, utterly engrossing, reactionarily feminist mystery novel, with a charismatic leading man and a fascinating lead female. But Larson’s novel falls off when you start thinking about writing style, thematic brilliance, or overall writerly aptitude. David Fincher’s Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, in contrast, is almost […]
I’m not usually a fan of thrillers- I find the sense of anticipation and the constant jolts to my system to be fake, and am rarely all that invested in the characters. Similarly, I’m not usually a fan of movies that throw tons of famous people together and just hope something cool comes out of […]
before you read Kelly’s review “Black Swan: hate”, read its counterpart- Rachael’s review “Black Swan: love“ Black Swan has one of the freshest ratings on Rotten Tomatoes’ current chart. It’s got award nominations, critical praise and excellent buzz. And once again I’m left as that weird reviewer over there who just doesn’t get it. (This […]
a review by Rachael Some movies are all about the interaction between the audience and the film. Most comedies are like this. You are meant to react to the movie as yourself, and it is almost as though a conversation is going on between you (as audience member) and the story being told, but you […]