KNIVES OUT takes a brisk pace with its cinematic legerdemain as its cast expertly calibrate their performances so that arch never strays into the certain disaster of becoming artificial. The result is a giddily entertaining, emotionally engaging film that sets a new standard for its genre, and, if there is any justice, will launch the Benoit Blanc franchise.
ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD
The rich, as the oft-quoted saw goes, are different. That is the central premise of ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD, a cautionary tale of money and family. The moving force, though only a supporting player in the proceedings, J. Paul Getty (Christopher Plummer), who at one point reminisces about a book he wrote entitled… Read More »
THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS
In an era when Christmas, or at the least the merchandising for it, begins sometime in late August, there is a certain charm in THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS, which looks back to a time when it barely registered as a blip on the cultural radar. And the the to origins of the story that… Read More »
DANNY COLLINS Overcomes
Narratively, DANNY COLLINS commits more than a few faux pas, but there is such warmth to the melancholy of a life discovered to have been wasted, that the winces they produce are worth enduring. Writer/director Dan Fogelman (CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE) may be too quick the play the melodrama card, but I prefer to focus on… Read More »
9
There will not be a more audacious, more theologically complex film this or any other year than 9. Melding spirituality with science, this animated post-apocalyptic fantasy suffuses the two seemingly opposite disciplines into a rich synthesis that favors the asking of a question over whether or not there is an answer that the asker is… Read More »
IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSUS, THE
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSUS is a massive sprawling explosion of a film, rife with hyperbolic visuals, and a story that dares to consider the contradictions of good and evil as played out in the hearts and minds of every human being on the planet. Co-writer and director Terry Gilliam, through the mouth of one… Read More »
PRIEST
PRIEST, based on the graphic novel by Min-Woo Hyung, is a dark and murky thing. The apocalyptic alternate universe, where vampires and humans have battled throughout history to the detriment of the planet at large, has confused both ennui and obvious symbolism with an arch style. Only Paul Bettany, as the title character taking it… Read More »
GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, THE
At a key moment late in THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, a character is offered the choice between doing the sensible thing or doing the polite thing. He does the polite thing with dire consequences. The concept of politeness takes a beating in David Finchers turn at visualizing Stieg Larssons internationally successful crime novel… Read More »
NICHOLAS NICKELBY
NICHOLAS NICKELBY is a perfect entertainment. Its got comedy, drama, romance and a moral. Enacted by a sterling cast from a literate script, it captures the spirit of Dickens without a misstep in its 108 minute running time. The eponymous hero of the piece is the noble but impoverished Nicholas. He is left an orphan… Read More »
THE GOSPEL OF JOHN
THE GOSPEL OF JOHN may not have the spectacle of Nicholas Rays KING OF KINGS, but it also lacks that films terminally bland Jesus. Nor does it boast the art direction of Franco Zeffirellis exquisite JESUS OF NAZARETH, but Henry Ian Cusick as GOSPELs Jesus is seems more of this world than Robert Powell, though… Read More »