Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015) – Matthew Vaughn

I went on a pretty big classic James Bond movie kick when I was in grade school. Like most people, I was drawn to the action, intrigue and the simple coolness that Bond has always exuded. That appeal declined as Pierce Brosnan was nearing the end of his reign as 007 but my interest in […]

Maps to the Stars (2014) – David Cronenberg

If you read the synopsis of David Cronenberg’s Maps to the Stars, you might scoff at the notion of Hollywood making another movie about Hollywood. After all, in the last five years, three of the five winners of the Academy Award for Best Picture went to films where the entertainment industry anchors the narrative. While […]

Insurgent (2015) – Robert Schwentke

I went into Insurgent not having found Divergent (its predecessor) particularly interesting or good. But bearing in mind how pleasantly surprised I was with Catching Fire after being similarly unimpressed by Hunger Games, I decided to give Insurgent a fair shake (the basis for that comparison being that they’re both adaptations of young adult novels […]

To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) – Kendrick Lamar

Instead of reviewing a film, I am branching out this week to review Kendrick Lamar’s new album To Pimp A Butterfly, which in many ways is just as narratively complex and wildly visual as some of the greatest films out there. TPAB is Kendrick’s second album from a major record label and not only does he […]

Run All Night (2015) – Jaume Collet-Serra

DISCLAIMER: This is going to be my first review where I don’t really worry about keeping it spoiler-free… I’ve found that the people who are very spoiler-sensitive (like me) don’t read reviews anyway. That doesn’t mean I’ll start haphazardly throwing out key plot details and twists… but when I have something to say about one […]

Mr. Turner (2014) – Mike Leigh

Mike Leigh’s latest film Mr. Turner is not only one of his strongest films to date, but it is also one of the greatest biographical films. In a typical biopic, there is always an attempt to pinpoint the defining elements that reveal the central figure’s troubled brilliance and how they differ with their peers. These […]

Chappie (2015) – Neill Blomkamp

I didn’t haven’t any expectations going in to see Neill Blomkamp’s directorial debut District 9 (although my hopes were up [I chose to make it my 900th viewed movie]) and I was blown away. I went into Elysium, his sophomore outing, with higher expectations and came away underwhelmed (Blomkamp has said he’d like a shot […]

Life Itself (2014) – Steve James

WARNING: The following pseudo-review consists of a largely rambling mess of possibly incoherent reflections. It has been divided into two parts. Read beyond the score for more. ACKNOWLEDGMENT: I’m aware that the preceding warning is hardly enticing… but I’d rather you not read this post than read it and be annoyed that you spent your […]

Focus (2015) – Glenn Ficarra & John Requa

The last Will Smith movie I saw was the troublingly bad After Earth (I don’t really understand how M. Night continues to get opportunities to make movies at this point in his career). While Focus hadn’t been on my radar until a few days ago, I was excited at the chance to wipe away the […]

Citizenfour (2014) – Laura Poitras

In the fifth century B.C., a Roman farmer was appointed the dictator of Rome to defend the city against attacks from the Aequi and the Sabines. After defeating the enemies, he promptly and willingly relinquished his political throne and returned back to the farm. He symbolized the “model of civic virtue” for serving the public […]