Showing Tag: " adaptation" (Show all posts)

REVIEW: Beauty And The Beast (2017) – A Star-Studded Cast With A Tale As Old As Time & A Song As Old As Rhyme

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Wednesday, March 22, 2017, In : 0.00% Water

Beauty and the Beast
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Bill Condon

Starring: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Audra McDonald, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ian McKellen, and Emma Thompson

Disney is in the business of remakes. As if the Marvel and Star Wars dynasties were not enough, the industry titan has decided to bring numerous cartoon classics to life. In the last few years, Disney has released Cinderella and The Jungle Book to much success. Live act...

REVIEW: Taking the Crookeds With the Straights, Troy Maxson Builds Fences From Mr. Death & His Hell Hounds

Posted by James Brown on Friday, December 30, 2016, In : 0.00% Water

Fences

Directed By: Denzel Washington

Starring: Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jovan Adepo, Russell Hornsby, Mykelti Williamson, and Saniyya Sidney

"You got to take the crookeds with the straights."

-Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington)

The statement above is especially true when it comes to Denzel Washington's acting career as of late. For every Flight with which we're enamored, we have to deal with a slate of films such as Safe House, 2 Guns, and The Equalizer. There ar...

REVIEW: For Susan, The Creativity of Nocturnal Animals Is a Heartbeat Away from the Real World

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, November 24, 2016, In : 0.00% Water

Nocturnal Animals

Directed By: Tom Ford

Starring: Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Isla Fisher, Armie Hammer, Laura Linney, Andrea Riseborough, and Michael Sheen

If you've been reading my posts this awards season, you've probably noticed that I haven't given too many sober ratings as of late. With the Oscars on the way, you would think there would be something fantastic that would come my way. So far, this has not been the case. That's about to change for the...

REVIEW: The Girl on the Train Is a Mysteriously Dull Whodunnit

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, October 15, 2016, In : 0.09% Cocktails

The Girl on the Train

Directed By: Tate Taylor

Starring: Emily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson, Haley Bennett, Justin Theroux, Luke Evans, Allison Janney, Édgar Ramírez, and Lisa Kudrow

The 2016 awards season is off to its unofficial start (it really begins in earnest next month by most standards), and I have an interesting prediction this year. For the better part of this decade, we've had knockout films that have garnered a whole hell of a lot of prestige released in this month. Think 12 Years A S...

REVIEW: With Chocolate Ice Cream & Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, Southside With You Is One Stark Reminder of the Good Times with the Obamas

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, August 27, 2016, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Southside With You

Directed By: Richard Tanne

Starring: Parker Sawyers, Tika Sumpter, and Vanessa Bell Calloway

2016 has been one wild election year. One thing that has come of the political tumult is that Americans are reminded just how good we have it with our current Commander-in-Chief. While Secretary Clinton tries to dance away from the perceptions of impropriety during her tenure at the State Department courtesy of the Clinton Foundation and Donald Trump talks about black people and flip...

REVIEW: Playing Carnegie Hall for True Music Lovers Despite Syphilis, Florence Foster Jenkins Sings Though She Can't Sing

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, August 21, 2016, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Florence Foster Jenkins

Directed By: Stephen Frears

Starring: Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant, Simon Helberg, Rebecca Ferguson, and Nina Arianda

Director Stephen Frears has chosen some interesting stories to tell over the years, and he's worked with some great leading ladies over the years. He directed Helen Mirren in her triumphant portrayal of living royalty in The Queen. He guided Dame Judi Dench in her journey as an elderly mother retracing her long lost son's steps in Philomena. This year, he g...

REVIEW: Indignation Features Son of a Kosher Butcher & Atheist Marcus Messner Spurning Dean Caudwell & The Winesburg Chapel

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, August 13, 2016, In : 0.00% Water

Indignation

Directed By: James Schamus

Starring: Logan Lerman, Sarah Gadon, Tracy Letts, Linda Emond, Danny Burstein, Ben Rosenfield, Pico Alexander, Philip Ettinger, and Noah Robbins

I'm really enjoying my return to independent film. The timing couldn't have been better. As the mainstream box office continues to largely disappoint, arthouse cinemas are here to pick up the pieces of aficionados' dashes hopes, as long as we're willing to indulge indie filmmakers' tendencies to experiment and di...

REVIEW: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows – Surf’s Up New York

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, June 12, 2016, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Dave Green

Starring: Megan Fox, Stephen Amell, Will Arnett, Brian Tee, Tyler Perry, Brittany Ishibashi, and Laura Linney

Michael Bay tackles yet another famous cartoon franchise. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is better than many of the Transformers’ films, but that is not saying much. Director Dave Green has a lighter touch than Bay, so the film has fun moments. However, there is no need to rush t...

REVIEW: Alice Through The Looking Glass - A Plucky Heroine Battles Time

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Tuesday, May 31, 2016, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Alice Through the Looking Glass
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: James Bobin

Starring: Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska, Rhys Ifans, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen, Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen, and Timothy Spall

When a film grosses over a billion dollars worldwide, it will undoubtedly spawn a sequel. In 2010, Disney released Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. Despite being universally panned, the film became a blockbuster smash. Six years later, Disney has released ...

REVIEW: For Her Kentish Nightingale Frederica, Lady Susan Vernon Brings Love & Friendship to Churchill

Posted by James Brown on Tuesday, May 31, 2016, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Love & Friendship

Directed By: Whit Stillman

Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Xavier Samuel, Emma Greenwell, Morfydd Clark, Jemma Redgrave, Tom Bennett, James Fleet, Justin Edwards, Jenn Murray, Stephen Fry, and Chloë Sevigny

There are such things as guilty pleasures at the box office. They're like Donald Trump for his supporters still in the closet. Just look to films such as Twilight, Step Up, and most horror movies. Adaptations of Jane Austen novels appear to fit that bill as well. Take Austen...

REVIEW: When Water Flows to Peace Rock Again, Man-Cub Mowgli Turns to the Red Flower & Dead Trees to Take on Shere Khan

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, April 16, 2016, In : 0.00% Water

The Jungle Book

Directed By: Jon Favreau

Starring: Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, Giancarlo Esposito, Christopher Walken, and Neel Sethi

"Now this is the law of the jungle, as old and as true as the sky,

And the wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the wolf that shall break it must die.

As the creeper that girdles the tree trunk, the law runneth forward and back;

For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack."

-The...

REVIEW: In the Kabubble of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Reporter and Kabul 9.5 Kim Baker Delivers Some Decent News at the Box Office

Posted by James Brown on Tuesday, March 8, 2016, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Directed By: Glenn Ficarra and John Requa

Starring: Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, Alfred Molina, and Billy Bob Thornton

When I think of Tina Fey and live action movies over the last several years, I think of halfway decent comedies at best. Sisters. This Is Where I Leave You. Admission. The list goes on, but not necessarily in a good way. I don't typically think of her when it comes to more dramatic fare, but she may have just found a good role that could pr...

REVIEW: In The Finest Hours, Coast Guard Man Bernie Webber Does Everything to Get Over the Bar to the SS Pendleton for April 16th with Miriam

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, February 3, 2016, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Finest Hours

Directed By: Craig Gillespie

Starring: Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Holliday Grainger, John Ortiz, and Eric Bana

The aftermath of Jonas is more of his old man winter plaguing us with bone-chilling cold this past week. As I hit the movies, the weather served as a frosty reminder that I had been absent from the box office for a little while. Fittingly, the first movie on deck for me was about being caught in the throes of a deadly winter storm. Yes, I'm talking about ...

REVIEW: A Tree with Strong Roots, The Revenant's Hugh Glass Learns That Revenge Is in God's Hands Not His

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, January 9, 2016, In : 0.00% Water

The Revenant

Directed By: Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, and Will Poulter

"As long as you can still grab a breath, you fight. You breathe. Keep breathing. When there is a storm. And you stand in front of a tree. If you look at its branches, you swear it will fall. But if you watch the trunk, you will see its stability."
-Hugh Glass's Wife (Grace Dove)

The reigning Oscar champ is back! I may not have been rooting for Birdman throughout last ...
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REVIEW: Flung Out of Space, Therese Gives Carol A Portfolio of Things to Worry Her Including Love & A Morality Clause

Posted by James Brown on Tuesday, December 29, 2015, In : 0.00% Water

Carol

Directed By: Todd Haynes

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson, Kyle Chandler, and Jake Lacy

I've just about covered all the films in the mix this awards season, excluding The Revenant and 45 Years. Throughout this year’s litany of films, I've mentioned that there was an uptick in the number of adaptations, and I still believe this holds true. The Danish Girl, The Big Short, and Concussion have all continued this trend over the last couple of weeks. Now, we have yet ano...

REVIEW: With the Power of Soap Opera Character Danica & the Next Tom Jones, Joy Becomes Friends in Commerce With QVC Executive Neil Walker

Posted by James Brown on Monday, December 28, 2015, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Joy

Directed By: David O. Russell

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Édgar Ramírez, Diane Ladd, Virginia Madsen, Isabella Rossellini, Dascha Polanco, and Bradley Cooper

Recurring actor-director collaborations happen fairly often. We call the actors in these collaborations the directors' muses. Alfred Hitchcock had James Stewart (and his blonds). Martin Scorsese had Robert De Niro (and now Leonardo DiCaprio). Steven Spielberg has Tom Hanks. Quentin Tarantino has Samuel L. Jackson...

REVIEW: In Concussion, Forensic Pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu Chooses to Fake the NFL, Whose Players Suffer From CTE, With Science

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, December 27, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Concussion

Directed By: Peter Landesman

Starring: Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Arliss Howard, Paul Reiser, Luke Wilson, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, David Morse, and Albert Brooks

"The NFL owns a day of the week. The same day the Church used to own. Now it's theirs."

-Dr. Cyril Wecht (Albert Brooks)

It's safe to say that football has supplanted baseball as America's favorite pastime. Garnering 114.5 million viewers earlier this year, Super Bowl XLIX was an unparalleled phenomenon lik...

REVIEW: Up 489% on Its Initial Investment, The Big Short Serves Up One Damn Good Ice Cream Sundae With Sprinkles & A Cherry On Top

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, December 24, 2015, In : 0.00% Water

The Big Short

Directed By: Adam McKay

Starring: Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, Melissa Leo, Hamish Linklater, Rafe Spall, Marisa Tomei, Finn Wittrock, John Magaro, Adepero Oduye, and Max Greenfield

It's amazing how the best films can catch moviegoers by surprise. 2015 hasn't been a year boasting the strongest awards season contenders. Sure, we have Bridge of Spies, Room, and Brooklyn. The problem is, however, that there seems to be no front runner. This isn't a year o...

REVIEW: The Boston Globe's Spotlight Team Nimbly Tackles Systematic Child Abuse in the Catholic Church

Posted by James Brown on Tuesday, November 17, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Spotlight

Directed By: Tom McCarthy

Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, and Stanley Tucci

“If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to abuse one.”

-Mitchell Garabedian (Stanley Tucci)

As we’ve seen one adaptation after another arrive at the box office throughout the fall movie season, I’ve been highly critical of many of the films in terms of scope. Movies like Steve Jobs and Trumbo have failed to convey the grandness...

REVIEW: With Roman Holiday, The Brave One & Spartacus, Trumbo & the Blacklisted Hollywood Ten Fight the Motion Picture Alliance

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, November 14, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Trumbo

Directed By: Jay Roach

Starring: Bryan Cranston, Diane Lane, Louis C.K., Elle Fanning, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Helen Mirren, Alan Tudyk, and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

Hollywood loves films about itself. The proof is in the awards-filled pudding. Movies about the movies have gotten lots of awards love over the last several years. The Artist and Argo added Best Picture Oscars under their belts, while Hugo cleaned up in the technical awards categories across the board. Films such...

REVIEW: The Peanuts Movie – Nostalgia And Great Dancing Cannot Save The Lovable Loser Charlie Brown

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Wednesday, November 11, 2015, In : 0.09% Cocktails

The Peanuts Movie
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Steve Martino

Starring: Kristin Chenoweth, Bill Melendez, Hadley Belle Miller, and Noah Schnapp

When I first saw The Peanuts Movie trailer, a wave of nostalgia washed over me. I grew up watching Charlie Brown specials every holiday season. The comic strips and cartoons have a warm place in my heart. At the same time, I wondered whether Charlie Brown would translate on the big screen at a time when we are inundated with animated fare. The Peanuts ...

REVIEW: Truth Finds the Courage to Say FEA to Its Abusive Dad America

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, November 1, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Truth

Directed By: James Vanderbilt

Starring: Robert Redford, Cate Blanchett, Topher Grace, Dennis Quaid, and Elisabeth Moss

As much as the right wing tries to put every single one of our nation's woes on President Obama (and his liberal media), everyone has to admit that his direct predecessor George W. Bush left the United States FUBAR. The Iraq War. Hurricane Katrina. Scooter Libby. The Great Recession. The list goes on and on. Yes, Bush 43 has plenty of failures. Even Republican presid...

REVIEW: With Synergy 51N3RG-Y But Fearing the Unknown, Jem and the Holograms Doesn’t Quite Uncover the Mystery or the Dismal Mediocrity of Starlight Enterprises

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, October 25, 2015, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Jem and the Holograms

Directed By: Jon M. Chu

Starring: Aubrey Peeples, Stefanie Scott, Hayley Kiyoko, Aurora Perrineau, Juliette Lewis, Ryan Guzman, and Molly Ringwald

Other than Back to the Future Day, it's safe to say that films not named Star Wars are hardly getting any love this week. With sites crashing, world records breaking, and tickets being scalped for as much as $10,000, it's safe to say that Star Wars is dominating the pop culture landscape once again. That's why I'm less than sho...

REVIEW: Playing the Orchestra But Not TIME's Man of the Year, Steve Jobs Is All About Clouds, Love & Life

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, October 17, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Steve Jobs

Directed By: Danny Boyle

Starring: Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, and Jeff Daniels

The adaptations keep on coming. I obsess over the unusually large wave of films based on books, public figures, and other source materials as this fall movie season rolls onward. As I look at the slate of films on hand this weekend, I've come to realize that there's a smaller trend in recent years as well, one focused on technology. Recognizing the role technology plays in our lives, H...

REVIEW: Pan Doesn't Exactly Mine the Pixie Dust of Neverland Into Movie Magic

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, October 17, 2015, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Pan

Directed By: Joe Wright

Starring: Levi Miller, Hugh Jackman, Garrett Hedlund, Rooney Mara, and Amanda Seyfried

I've said this time and time again. Getting a release date pushed back is a curse for a film. The proof is in the product put out by the studio when a film's release date is the hot potato nobody wants. Seventh Son was a great example of this earlier in the year. As fate would have it, this Columbus Day weekend offers another film that unfortunately fits this bill with Joe Wrigh...

REVIEW: In The Walk, French High-Wire Artist Philippe Petit Leads a Crazy Coup Atop the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, October 4, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Walk

Directed By: Robert Zemeckis

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Kingsley, Charlotte Le Bon, James Badge Dale, Ben Schwartz, and Steve Valentine

It's amazing how each movie season seems to have a theme or trend. I said this a couple of weeks ago, but this fall movie season is all about adaptations. It's being proven once again this weekend at the box office by the two big releases of the hour. In one corner, we have Ridley Scott's The Martian, an adaptation of Andy Weir's 2011 novel ...

REVIEW: Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials – Flare Zombies, The Sun And W.C.K.D. Put Our Heroes Through The Fire

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, September 20, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Wes Ball

Starring: Dylan O’Brien, Ki Hong Lee, Kaye Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Giancarlo Esposito, Patricia Clarkson, Aidan Gillen

Ever since the success of the Twilight and Hunger Games series of films, studios have been trying to find the next big young adult book craze. Many attempts have failed, but in 2014, Divergent and The Maze Runner films met with some success and earned sequels. Based on the second novel in James Da...

REVIEW: Paper Towns – Q, Ben And Radar Sing The Pokémon Theme Song And Take One Last Road Trip

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, August 1, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Paper Towns
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Jake Schreier

Starring: Nat Wolff, Cara Delevingne, Austin Abrams, Justice Smith, Halston Sage, Jaz Sinclair

With a great deal of reluctance, I agreed to review Paper Towns. I was not looking forward to seeing another film based on a John Green novel. After all, I remembered the sobbing and squeals of “Oh my God, I can’t take it” as I watched The Fault In Our Stars. I feared that Paper Towns would make me want to run screaming from the theater, dr...

REVIEW: The Facts Behind Mr. Holmes' Long Life on the Big Screen Include Royal Jelly, Prickly Ash & the Delightful Charms of Sir Ian McKellen

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, July 19, 2015, In : 0.00% Water

Mr. Holmes

Directed By: Bill Condon

Starring: Sir Ian McKellen, Laura Linney, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Milo Parker

In the pantheon of British fictional characters, there are three reigning kings. Harry Potter certainly has a place in our hearts with the magic he's to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in recent years. MI-6 secret agent James Bond has had us preferring our martinis shaken not stirred for more than half a century now. The most iconic British character of them all, however, ...

REVIEW: Testament of Youth Is A Beautiful, Tragic Testament for Pacifism from WWI Nurse, Oxford Scholar, & Writer Vera Brittain

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, July 12, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Testament of Youth

Directed By: James Kent

Starring: Alicia Vikander, Kit Harington, Colin Morgan, Emily Watson, Hayley Atwell, Dominic West, and Miranda Richardson

I recently had the distinct displeasure of watching Kit Harington die twice in the same weekend on the big and small screens. As you all may be aware, there was a mutiny against Jon Snow (Harington) on Game of Thrones for his love of the Wildlings, for the Watch. With the perception of Snow as breaking bread with their enemy, the i...
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REVIEW: The Part Where You Respect the Research On the Doomed Friendships of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, June 14, 2015, In : 0.00% Water

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Directed By: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon

Starring: Thomas Mann, Olivia Cooke, Ronald Cyler II, Jon Bernthal, Nick Offerman, Connie Britton, and Molly Shannon

We've had a terrific run of coming-of-age movies in recent years. Boyhood, The Way, Way Back, The Spectacular Now, Short Term 12, Mud, and The Kings of Summer have all risen to the occasion at one point or another in the last several years. What's so marvelous about this list of quality movies is that they're all so...
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REVIEW: The Longest Ride – Romance, Art And The Toughest Sport On Dirt

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Tuesday, April 14, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Longest Ride
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: George Tillman, Jr.

Starring: Britt Robertson, Scott Eastwood, Jack Huston, Oona Chaplin, Alan Alda, Melissa Benoist, and Lolita Davidovich

Nicholas Sparks is well known for romance novels that can be easily converted into date night movies. The films based on Sparks’ bestselling novels always find an audience. With dreamy leading men and sweeping love stories, Sparks wins over audiences despite the predictability of his tales. The Longest Ride i...
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REVIEW: Insurgent – Action-Packed, But Tris Is A Little Too Fast For Her Own Good

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, March 22, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Divergent Series: Insurgent
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Robert Schwentke

Starring: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Octavia Spencer, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Zoë Kravitz, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Maggie Q, Naomi Watts, Kate Winslet, and Ashley Judd

With the flood of young adult film adaptations in theaters, it has become increasingly difficult for popular book series to stand out. Last year’s Divergent, however, was a surprise success. While Divergent did not reach Hunger Games’ he...
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REVIEW: Fifty Shades of Grey – If You Liked the Books, You’ll Like the Movie

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, February 14, 2015, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Fifty Shades of Grey
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Sam Taylor-Johnson

Starring: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Eloise Mumford, Luke Grimes, Rita Ora, Victor Rasuk, Max Martini, Dylan Neal, Callum Keith Rennie, Jennifer Ehle, and Marcia Gay Harden

Since EL James’ provocative Fifty Shades trilogy became a worldwide phenomenon in 2012, fans have been anxious to see a film adaptation. I will confess to having read the Fifty Shades of Grey series. In my defense, I majored in English and I read everyt...
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REVIEW: With Spooks & Witches But No Blue Spark, Seventh Son Poses the Wrong Question & Gets Wrong Answers

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, February 14, 2015, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Seventh Son

Directed By: Sergei Bodrov

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Ben Barnes, Alicia Vikander, Kit Harington, Olivia Williams, Antje Traue, Djimon Hounsou, and Julianne Moore

The first weekend in February was a disaster zone for big budget films at the box office. Just look to the failures of Jupiter Ascending and Seventh Son. As these two costly endeavors sank at the box office, SpongeBob SquarePants surprisingly rose to the challenge and is actually the one that finally vanquished American Snip...
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REVIEW: Struggling With Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease, Linguist & Butterfly Still Alice Lives in the Moment & Masters the Art of Losing

Posted by James Brown on Monday, January 26, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Still Alice

Directed By: Richard Glatzer

Starring: Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth, and Hunter Parrish

I'm baaack! I am slowly but surely resuming my normal activities and getting back to my beloved big screen. As I've returned, one obvious reality finally smacked me in the face about this awards season. It's a very dark one in which films like Birdman and Whiplash have been integral players. Yes, there is the coming-of-age awards mammoth Boyhood, which is on the...
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REVIEW: American Sniper – A Gripping Tale Of Sheepdogs, Sheep and Wolves

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, January 17, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

American Sniper
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Clint Eastwood

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Sammy Sheik, and Cory Hardrict

The recent shootings at Charlie Hebdo and the subsequent anti-terrorist operations have brought terrorism and the conflict in the Middle East to the forefront. A film about the deadliest sniper in U.S. history and his service in Iraq is either ill-timed or perfectly timed, depending on one’s perspective.

Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) was raised in Texas. His father ...
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REVIEW: Inherent Vice – Great Cast, Great Hair, But Long, Rambling Plot

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, January 10, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Inherent Vice
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Katherine Waterston, Reese Witherspoon, Benicio Del Toro, Sasha Pieterse, Jena Malone, Eric Roberts, Maya Rudolph, and Martin Short

As the credits rolled at the end of Inherent Vice, the patrons in my audience remained in their seats, confused and uncertain. After two and a half hours of the hippie detective dramedy, we were left wondering what it is we had just seen and what, if ...
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REVIEW: Unbroken – Zamperini Triumphs Over The Bird In This Inspiring True Story

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Tuesday, December 30, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Unbroken
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Angelina Jolie

Starring: Jack O’Connell, Domhnall Gleeson, Garrett Hedlund, Takamasa Ishihara, Finn Witrock, and Jai Courtney

Written by Joel and Ethan Coen, Unbroken chronicles the amazing life of Olympian Louis Zamperini. I approached Unbroken with extreme reluctance. The film interrupted my traditional A Christmas Story, Elf and Home Alone Christmas marathon. Moreover, a film about survival, resilience and redemption did not fit in with my festive hol...
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REVIEW: Into the Woods With Some Magic Beans During A Blue Moon, Rob Marshall Grants Moviegoers a Musical Christmas Wish

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, December 25, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Into the Woods

Directed By: Rob Marshall

Starring: Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Tracey Ullman, Christine Baranski, and Johnny Depp

Merry Christmas STMR readers! As happy as I am that the holidays have arrived, I'm pretty disappointed by the offering at the box office this week. For the most part, it's gloom and doom. Just look at this week's releases. We've got a self-hating blackjack addict throwing away tons of money in The Gambler. We've got an Olym...
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REVIEW: There and Back Again, The Battle of the Five Armies Takes The Hobbit Full Circle to The Fellowship of the Ring

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, December 18, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Directed By: Peter Jackson

Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian Mckellen, Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ken Stott, James Nesbitt, Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, and Orlando Bloom

There and back again. This hobbit's tale has been a tumultuous journey that has never quite taken us back there to that place of movie magic called Middle Earth in a way that The Lord of the Rings trilogy did ...
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REVIEW: When the Last Shall Be the First On a Midsummer's Night, Miss Julie Obeys Jean Like a Dog & Kisses His Shoes

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, December 7, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Miss Julie

Directed By: Liv Ullmann

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell, and Samantha Morton

I mentioned this earlier this year in my review of Under the Skin, but we haven't had a lot of weird ones at the indie box office this year. Few filmmakers are taking risks with the strange and bizarre, particularly in this later half of the year (with the obvious exception of Birdman). I understand their reasons, but I don't agree with them. Risks are the reasons for which many duds crash and b...
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REVIEW: Hiking A Thousand Miles Through the Pacific Crest Trail, Wild Queen of the PCTs Cheryl Strayed Chooses One Tough Form of Therapy

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, December 6, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Wild

Directed By: Jean-Marc Vallée

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Thomas Sadoski, and Gaby Hoffmann

This may sound completely random, but I do my best thinking in the shower. My best ideas have come when the hot water is flowing, and there are no distractions chipping away at me. For me, the only thing that comes close to this is taking a leisurely stroll. When I'm out in nature getting some fresh air, great thoughts just come to me. That's why I get Cheryl Strayed’s need to get...
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REVIEW: Thanks to A Sugar Storm at The Bar, Gone Girl Amazing Amy Dunne Trounces Her Husband Nick's Killer Smile

Posted by James Brown on Friday, October 3, 2014, In : 0.00% Water

Gone Girl

Directed By: David Fincher

Starring: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Carrie Coon, and Scoot McNairy

"What are you thinking? What are you feeling? What have we done to each other? What will we do?"
-Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck)

Awards season has begun on a rather wicked note. Oddly enough, I find myself in the peculiar position of kicking things off admitting just how wrong I was about a movie. That movie is David Fincher's Gone Girl. I haven't read the boo...
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REVIEW: To Be The Equalizer For Russians Teddy & Pushkin, Old Man & Gladys Knight Pip Robert McCall Gets On That Midnight Train to Georgia

Posted by James Brown on Friday, September 26, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Equalizer

Directed By: Antoine Fuqua

Starring: Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloë Grace Moretz, David Harbour, Bill Pullman, and Melissa Leo

Television and cinema are inextricably bound to one another. As such, there are numerous examples in which stories are brought to life across the two media. Some success on the big screen can foreshadow future success on the smaller one. Take the Marvel Cinematic Universe for instance. The success of The Avengers has created a home for its fol...
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REVIEW: Despite Her Viager, My Old Lady Mathilde Teaches Her Alcoholic Buyer Mathias That There Is No Greater Wealth Than Life

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, September 21, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

My Old Lady

Directed By: Israel Horovitz

Starring: Maggie Smith, Kevin Kline, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Dominique Pinon

"If you do not love me, I shall not be loved."
-Samuel Beckett

This is going to sound completely nerdy, but I'm going to put these words out on the web anyway. I love to learn at the movies. Some of my most treasured cinematic memories are those where filmmakers have expanded my boundaries, exposed me to different cultures and ways of life, and enlightened me with new perspecti...
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REVIEW: The Maze Runner – W.C.K.D Is Good, But Watch Out For The Grievers

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, September 21, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Maze Runner
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Wes Ball

Starring: Dylan O’Brien, Aml Ameen, Ki Hong Lee, Will Poulter, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, and Kaya Scodelario

After the success of The Hunger Games, the Twilight series, and Divergent, studios are constantly looking for the next big young adult film craze. The right YA book adaptation can be highly lucrative. James Dashner’s The Maze Runner is the latest young adult book brought to the big screen. While the success of The Maze Runner is sti...
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REVIEW: With A Cheating Wife & A Complicated Life, This Is Where I Leave You At the Altman Family Shiva South of Maine

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, September 20, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

This Is Where I Leave You

Directed By: Shawn Levy

Starring: Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll, Kathryn Hahn, Connie Britton, Timothy Olyphant, Dax Shepard, Ben Schwartz, and Jane Fonda

For a director, Shawn Levy has relatively high productivity. Just look at his throughput. Since 2011, he's given us Real Steel, The Internship, the upcoming Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, and several made-for-television movies. That's a busy schedule as a director, and it's...
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REVIEW: In If I Stay, Juilliard-Bound Cellist Mia Must Choose Between Her Nasty Bruises Rocker Parents & Her Willamette Stone Boyfriend Adam

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, August 24, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

If I Stay

Directed By: R. J. Cutler

Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Mireille Enos, Joshua Leonard, Stacy Keach, and Jamie Blackley

“Here's the secret baby. If you live, if you die, it's all up to you. So whatever fight you got in you, you gotta pull it out now.”
-Surgeon (Uncredited)

I was able to dodge The Fault In Our Stars earlier this year. I have no interest whatsoever in depressing, melodramatic YA adaptations like this. The sole intention of a film of this nature is to tug at the hea...
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REVIEW: Using My Precise Language, Thank You to The Giver & Jonas The Receiver of Memories For Your Childhood & Lack of Sameness

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, August 13, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

The Giver

Directed By: Phillip Noyce

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Brenton Thwaites, Alexander Skarsgård, Odeya Rush, Katie Holmes, Taylor Swift, Cameron Monaghan, Jordan Nicholas Smal, and Saige Fernandes

Though the Chief Elder is preparing to thank the members of the Community for their childhood when The Giver arrives in theaters later this week, I want to take a moment to thank a special someone for my childhood. I will forever remember that I was at a screening of The Giver when I...
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REVIEW: When She Discovers Project Renaissance, the Foot Clan, & Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, April O'Neil Swaps Mutagen for Foam & Froth

Posted by James Brown on Friday, August 8, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Buck Buck)

Directed By: Jonathan Liebesman

Starring: Megan Fox, Pete Ploszek, Alan Ritchson, Noel Fisher, Jeremy Howard, William Fichtner, Danny Woodburn, Will Arnett, Johnny Knoxville, Tony Shalhoub, and Whoopi Goldberg

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a staple of my childhood. Phrases like "Turtle Power!" and "Cowabunga!" are etched in my memory for all time. That's why I cringed when I learned that Michael Bay was involved in the reboot of the film series. ...
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REVIEW: A Most Wanted Man Stumbles About Hamburg for Two Hours In Search of Terrorist Charity Seven Friends Navigation Company

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, July 27, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

A Most Wanted Man

Directed By: Anton Corbijn

Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, Daniel Brühl, Nina Hoss, and Robin Wright

The world is still reeling over the loss of the great Philip Seymour Hoffman earlier this year. He was truly one terrific actor who could elevate the caliber of a film with his mere presence on screen. With the passing of any celebrated artist who was still in the game at the time of his or her death, fans typically flock to theaters to see tha...
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REVIEW: In Jersey Boys, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons Don't Honor the Jersey Contract Put Forth in the Broadway Original

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 21, 2014, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Jersey Boys

Directed By: Clint Eastwood

Starring: John Lloyd Young, Erich Bergen, Michael Lomenda, Vincent Piazza, and Christopher Walken

It suffices to say that talking to an empty chair hasn't exactly paid dividends for American cinema icon Clint Eastwood. I can say with ease that I lost some respect for Harry the day he got his hands dirty in the game of politics. The five-time Oscar winner has been relegated to baseball movies like Trouble With the Curve. Now, the Million Dollar Baby and ...
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REVIEW: The Fault in Our Stars – Teenagers Swoon As Hazel And Gus Bond Over An Imperial Affliction

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, June 7, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Fault in Our Stars
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Josh Boone

Starring: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff, Laura Dern, Sam Trammell, and Willem Dafoe

Viewing The Fault in Our Stars was a traumatic experience. Not because of the content of the film, but because I was trapped in a theater with hundreds of girls ranging from eleven to sixteen years old who had read and apparently memorized John Green’s novel. I was spared seeing the Twilight films in theaters, so I was wholly unprepared...
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REVIEW: In Edge of Tomorrow, Major William Cage & Angel of Verdun Rita Vrataski Lead UDF's Operation Downfall Against Omega & Its Mimics #LiveDieRepeat

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 7, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Edge of Tomorrow

Directed By: Doug Liman

Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, and Brendan Gleeson

"Battle’s the great redeemer. A fiery crucible in which the only true heroes are forged."
-Master Sergeant Farrell Bartolome (Bill Paxton)

The age of movie stardom may be long dead, but Tom Cruise's career on the big screen is quite far from it. After a career full of ups and downs in this risky business, the timeless actor still remains willing to take a gamble at the box office. Whil...
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REVIEW: Palo Alto — I'm Not Bob

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, May 18, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Palo Alto

Directed By: Gia Coppola

Starring: Emma Roberts, James Franco, Val Kilmer, Nat Wolff, Christian Madsen, Keegan Allen, Chris Messina, Jack Kilmer, and Colleen Camp

2013 was such a great year for coming-of-age movies. We had the likes of Mud, The Kings of Summer, The Way, Way Back, The Spectacular Now, and even arguably Spring Breakers. 2014 doesn't seem to be an equally great year so far. There simply don't seem to be that many worthwhile coming-of-age movies this year. The first on...
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REVIEW: Unlike the Working Men of God's Pocket, Racist Day Laborer Leon Hubbard Doesn't Leave His Family, Life, or Legend With Dignity

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, May 18, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails

God's Pocket

Directed By: John Slattery

Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Jenkins, Christina Hendricks, John Turturro, Caleb Landry Jones, and Eddie Marsan

"The working men of God's Pocket are simple men. Everyone here has stolen something from somebody else, or when they were kids, they set someone's house on fire, or they ran away when they should have stayed and fought."
-Richard Shellburn (Richard Jenkins)

The right movie quote can say everything about the film in which it is uttered ...
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REVIEW: Thanks to a Map, a Radio, & Hellacious Torture, Railway Man Eric Lomax & Japanese Interpreter Takashi Nagase Become Good Friends

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 20, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Railway Man

Directed By: Jonathan Teplitzky

Starring: Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, Jeremy Irvine, Stellan Skarsgård, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Tanroh Ishida

“At the beginning of time the clock struck one
Then dropped the dew and the clock struck two
From the dew grew a tree and the clock struck three
The tree made a door and the clock struck four
Man came alive and the clock struck five
Count not, waste not the years on the clock
Behold I stand at the door and knock.”
-Eric Lomax (Colin Firth)

If any...
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REVIEW: For Crossroads Wesleyan Church Pastor Todd Burpo Heaven Is for Real When the Angels Sing to His Son Colton Like the Lion, the Bear & the Unicorn

Posted by James Brown on Friday, April 18, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Heaven Is for Real

Directed By: Randall Wallace

Starring: Greg Kinnear, Kelly Reilly, Connor Corum, Jacob Vargas, Nancy Sorel, Thomas Haden Church, and Margo Martindale

It's been a big year for Christian moviegoers. Though many balked at the prospect of Darren Aronofsky's biblical epic Noah, there have been a slew of other religious films aimed at churchgoing viewers. Back in February, Jesus performed a miracle or two in Son of God. In the month of March, Hercules became an atheist to debate ...
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REVIEW: Divergent – There Is A Certain Beauty In Dauntless Stiff Tris’s Resistance to the Principle of Faction Over Blood

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, March 22, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Divergent

SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Neil Burger

Starring: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ashley Judd, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Zoe Kravitz, Miles Teller, Tony Goldwyn, Maggie Q, and Kate Winslet

Another young adult book series has been given the big screen treatment. With the success of The Hunger Games, the Twilight series and Harry Potter, studios are constantly searching for the next big thing. Mortal Instruments: City of Bones and Beautiful Creatures are two recent unsuccessful adaptat...

REVIEW: Accepting the Mud But Not the Pirate Pride, Addict Veronica Mars Returns to Life as a Sleuth Thanks to Bonnie DeVille's Serendipity

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, March 16, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Veronica Mars

Directed By: Rob Thomas

Starring: Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring, Krysten Ritter, Ryan Hansen, Francis Capra, Percy Daggs III, Chris Lowell, Tina Majorino, and Enrico Colantoni

Networks can be cruel when it comes to scheduling their primetime lineups. We've all had television shows that were gone too soon courtesy of that greedy old cancellation bear. For me, shows that come to mind are ABC's endlessly inventive fantasy murder procedural Pushing Daisies or NBC's little show that cou...
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REVIEW: From Mt. Khisko to the Secret De Leon, Tobey Marshall & Dino Brewster Have a Need for Speed to Settle Their Feud

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 15, 2014, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Need for Speed

Directed By: Scott Waugh

Starring: Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Kid Cudi, Imogen Poots, Ramón Rodriguez, and Michael Keaton

Movies based on video games are a hard sell. Titles like Mortal Kombat, Doom, and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time should all evoke some bad memories. We've all regretted going to go see one of these often cheesy, underdeveloped adaptations that don't do justice to the games we love. That being said, I had anything but high expectations for Scott Waugh'...
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REVIEW: Mr. Peabody, Sherman, & Penny Rip Open the Space-Time Continuum With the WABAC Because George Washington Didn't Chop Down a Cherry Tree

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 8, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Mr. Peabody & Sherman

Directed By: Rob Minkoff

Starring: Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Ariel Winter, Leslie Mann, and Stephen Colbert

Children are taking over the box office we all know and love. Every time I turn around, there's a new movie for them in theaters. What happened to the good old days when they used to have a handful of flicks during the summer? What happened to the good old days when Hollywood was fixated on the 18-49 demographic and not their children? This year already, we've seen...
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REVIEW: Don't Be Afraid to Skip Son of God

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 1, 2014, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Son of God

Directed By: Christopher Spencer

Starring: Diogo Morgado, Roma Downey, and Darwin Shaw

2014 might just be the year of the biblical movie. Hollywood is taking us to church in the coming weeks and months. Several weeks from now, Darren Aronofsky's Noah will be storming into theaters and bringing on the floodwaters. Later in the year, Moses will be telling Pharaoh to let his people go all over again and leading them to the Promised Land in Ridley Scott's Exodus. Before we get ahead o...
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REVIEW: Thérèse and Laurent Don't Make a Sound & Keep Quiet In Their Secret Affair

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, February 23, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

In Secret

Directed By: Charlie Stratton

Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Felton, Oscar Isaac, and Jessica Lange

I've shied away from indie cinema for the last several weeks or so. Things typically remain quiet on this front during the awards season. Sure, I've missed a couple of foreign flicks such as Gloria and Like Father, Like Son, but indie theaters have primarily been screening awards darlings like Her, Dallas Buyers Club, and 12 Years a Slave. Given that the awards season is coming to an ...
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REVIEW: In the City of Justice, Everything Is Connected by Starlight Except the Winter's Tale of Peter Lake & Beverly Penn

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, February 15, 2014, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Winter's Tale

Directed By: Akiva Goldsman

Starring: Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay, Jennifer Connelly, Russell Crowe, Eva Marie Saint, Will Smith, and William Hurt

We've got no originality at the box office this Valentine's Day weekend. Three of the movies arriving in theaters are remakes of films from the 80s. While I certainly don't mind the new RoboCop, three remakes in the same weekend is a bit much. However, that's not enough for Hollywood. There's another film arriving in theater...
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REVIEW: For the Shadow-Kissed Dhampir Rose Hathaway Bound to Royal Moroi Lissa Dragomir, Weird Doesn't Begin to Cover It in Vampire Academy

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, February 9, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Vampire Academy

Directed By: Mark Waters

Starring: Zoey Deutch, Danila Kozlovsky, Lucy Fry, Dominic Sherwood, Olga Kurylenko, Cameron Monaghan, Sami Gayle, Ashley Charles, Claire Foy, Sarah Hyland, Gabriel Byrne, and Joely Richardson

With the Harry Potter franchise wrapping up almost three years ago and The Hunger Games series concluding in the very near future, studios are on the hunt for the next big literary adaptation. 2013 boasted mostly mediocre additions to the niche genre including Beau...
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REVIEW: Unlike the Movie, Marcus Luttrell, Frogman & Lone Survivor of Operation Red Wings, Is Saved by the Code of Honor Pashtunwali

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, January 11, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Lone Survivor

Directed By: Peter Berg

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, and Eric Bana

"There’s a storm inside of us. I’ve heard many team guys speak of this. A burning. A river. A drive. An unrelenting desire to push yourself harder and further than anyone could think possible."
-SO1 Mark Luttrell (Mark Wahlberg)

I try to stay away from other critics' reviews before I see a movie. Every now and then, however, my eyes wander, and I find myself delving into ...
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REVIEW: In Dry Revenge Flick 47 Ronin, Some Master-Less Samurai & A Half-Breed Trained By Demons Face Lord Kira & His Witch Mizuki

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, December 25, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

47 Ronin

Directed By: Carl Erik Rinsch

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Rinko Kikuchi, Tadanobu Asano, and Hiroyuki Sanada

America hates Keanu Reeves! There's nothing profoundly surprising about this statement. While I'll certainly agree that he's not the world's greatest actor, I have to say that we've never given him credit for the gems he's given us. Just think of Speed, The Devil's Advocate, and of course The Matrix trilogy. As 47 Ronin hits theaters this Christmas week, I can't help but think th...
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REVIEW: Ground Control to Major Tom! Though Not Adventurous, Brave, or Creative, Ben Stiller Tries to Capture the Quintessence of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, December 25, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Directed By: Ben Stiller

Starring: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Shirley MacLaine, Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn, and Sean Penn

-“To see things thousands of miles away, things hidden behind walls and within rooms, things dangerous to come to, to draw closer, to see and be amazed.”
LIFE Magazine Motto

Everybody wants to be an actor-director these days. Clint Eastwood and Woody Allen were once the exceptions. Since Ben Affleck took home the Best Picture Oscar for Argo e...
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REVIEW: Reading About Grave Digging & Playing the Accordion, Book Thief Liesel and Her Papa Hans Don't Make the Cut

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, November 16, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

The Book Thief

Directed By: Brian Percival

Starring: Sophie Nélisse, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, and Ben Schnetzer

I've said this before, and I'll say it again. Independent filmmakers need to stop making World War II movies. In the last year or so, we've had Lore, Emperor, and Simon and the Oaks. Now, we have The Book Thief, another film that takes us back to the so-called greatest generation and the dark days marked by the Holocaust. While I certainly respect the history, it's been done a...
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REVIEW: In Great Expectations, the Spider and a Mysterious Benefactor Are at Play with Pip

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, November 10, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Great Expectations

Directed By: Mike Newell

Starring: Jeremy Irvine, Helena Bonham Carter, Holliday Grainger, Ralph Fiennes, and Robbie Coltrane

We all know there's been a growing trend in which movie stars are headlining cable TV shows. While it's been a great way for us to get a weekly dose of actors with immense talents, it's also been a way for lesser known talents to make a splash into the industry and gain recognition. For every Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan) or Laura Linney (The Big C), t...
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REVIEW: In How I Live Now, Daisy's Will Power Is Not Quite Enough, Especially When It Comes to Cow Cheese

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, November 6, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

How I Live Now

Directed By: Kevin Macdonald

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Tom Holland, Anna Chancellor, George MacKay, and Harley Bird

"If the world doesn't end, that's how I want to be, here with you. And that's how I live now."
-Daisy (Saoirse Ronan)

Romances can kill movies sometimes. The undying need to have repeatedly schmaltzy moments can sap away all the energy on screen. I'm sure there are a million movies that fit this description. The worst ones usually involve teens. When this happens, ...
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REVIEW: Ender’s Game – Wiggin Battles With Salamanders And Dragons Before Entering The Formic Wars

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, November 3, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Ender’s Game
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Gavin Hood

Starring: Harrison Ford, Asa Butterfield, Viola Davis, Abigail Breslin, Hailee Steinfeld, and Ben Kingsley

“In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him." – A.E. Wiggin

Ender’s Game is the latest science fiction book series to be converted into a movie. Written by Orson Scott Card, the book was first published in the 1980s. For many years, filmmake...

REVIEW: Yankee Irish Captain Phillips Grabs Seat 15 for Dear Life When Somali Pirates Board the Cargo Ship the Maersk Alabama as Fishermen

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, October 6, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Captain Phillips

Directed By: Paul Greengrass

Starring: Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener, and Barkhad Abdi

The fall movie season undoubtedly had a rocky start. We had a rough first few weeks with duds like Getaway, Riddick, and The Family. With movies like these, I was beginning to get a little disillusioned with Hollywood. Once the awards contenders began landing at the box office in rapid succession, however, things kicked into gear. Over the last several weeks, we've had great films like Priso...
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REVIEW: Thérèse Has the Wrong Ideas About Smoking Cigarettes, Arsenic Drops, and Especially the Pines

Posted by James Brown on Monday, September 2, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Thérèse (Thérèse Desqueyroux)

Directed By: Claude Miller

Starring: Audrey Tautou and Gilles Lellouche

The French had a really good run for a few years with cinema. Think of films like The Artist, The Intouchables, and Amour. With the notably consistent quality films that had been coming from across the Atlantic over the last several years, I've come to expect more of them. Sadly, however, the French have been letting me down this year. Augustine was a really dry period piece earlier this...
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REVIEW: With Clary, Jace, and Bach, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones Offers Some Pretty Mundane Shadow Hunters

Posted by James Brown on Friday, August 23, 2013, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

Directed By: Harald Zwart

Starring: Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower, Robert Sheehan, Kevin Zegers, Lena Headey, Kevin Durand, Aidan Turner, Jemima West, Godfrey Gao, CCH Pounder, Jared Harris, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers

Casting can make or break a movie. That's never been more apparent than this weekend. With the announcement that Ben Affleck will be donning the cape and mask of the Dark Knight in the Man of Steel sequel, there has been a swift and harsh ...
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REVIEW: Joss Whedon's Foray Into Shakespeare With Much Ado About Nothing Does Prove That Man is a Giddy Thing

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 22, 2013, In : 0.00% Water

Much Ado About Nothing

Directed By: Joss Whedon

Starring: Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, Nathan Fillion, Clark Gregg, Reed Diamond, Fran Kranz, Sean Maher, Spencer Treat Clark, Riki Lindhome, Jillian Morgese, and Ashley Johnson

I can't believe I'm saying this, but what do Shakespeare and The Avengers have in common? The beloved Joss Whedon. In his first directorial effort after his mega blockbuster with Marvel, Whedon takes a break from adapting comics to the big screen and focuses on a smaller pr...
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REVIEW: Even With Bootlegging, Boozing, & Partying, Old Sport Jay Gatsby Lacks Valor Extraordinaire and Any Hope Whatsoever

Posted by James Brown on Friday, May 10, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

The Great Gatsby

Directed By: Baz Luhrmann

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher, Jason Clarke, Amitabh Bachchan, and Elizabeth Debicki

Baz Luhrmann's "modern" take on the classic American novel The Great Gatsby was originally set to be released on Christmas day last year. This would have landed the film in direct competition with the likes of Les Miserables and Django Unchained, which were also released on the same day. To make matters worse, L...
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REVIEW: Sun Gym Bodybuilder Danny Lugo is a Doer Trying to Gain the American Dream, But Teaming with El Dad & Torturing Pepe Only Bring Pain

Posted by James Brown on Friday, April 26, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Pain & Gain

Directed By: Michael Bay

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Ed Harris, Rob Corddry, Anthony Mackie, Tony Shalhoub, Rebel Wilson, Ken Jeong, Jennifer Nicole Lee, Yolanthe Sneijder-Cabau, and Bar Paly

We've been seeing quite a bit of The Rock lately. Unfortunately, he's had more misses than hits. He starred in the less than memorable Snitch back in February. He was then the lead in G.I. Joe: Retaliation, which was just a decent action flick by any standard. From what I've hea...
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REVIEW: The Host - The Wanderer, Wanda and Melanie Battle The Seeker In Stephenie Meyer’s New Film

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, March 30, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

The Host
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Andrew Niccol

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Diane Kruger, Jake Abel, Max Irons, and William Hurt

With the end of the wildly successful, but critically panned Twilight series last year, teenagers are looking for the next Stephenie Meyer series to fall in love with. Enter The Host. I must say, that as I sat in the theater and a horde of giggly teenagers came pouring in, I could not help but roll my eyes and curse my luck at drawing the short stick on movie revie...

REVIEW: On the Road, Dean and Sal Have More Sex, Drugs, and Liquor Than I Thought Humanly Possible

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, March 24, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

On the Road

Directed By: Walter Salles

Starring: Sam Riley, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Amy Adams, Tom Sturridge, Danny Morgan, Alice Braga, Elisabeth Moss, Kirsten Dunst, Viggo Mortensen, Terrence Howard, and Steve Buscemi

Despite its impressive cast, I was never really looking forward to On the Road. This adaptation of Jack Kerouac's 1957 novel may have Mary Jane, Lois Lane, and Aragorn, but it also has Bella. I always have my doubts with a Kristen Stewart movie, or any film starring a...
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REVIEW: Even With the Chaos from Danzinger and Chicago, Parker Doesn't Follow Through on Delivering a Decent Action Flick

Posted by James Brown on Friday, January 25, 2013, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Parker

Directed By: Taylor Hackford

Starring: Jason Statham, Jennifer Lopez, Michael Chiklis, Wendell Pierce, Clifton Collins, Jr., Bobby Canavale, and Nick Nolte

Jason Statham is one of the busiest action stars in the business, but it's rare that he actually produces something good. In the last two years alone, he's appeared in The Mechanic, Killer Elite, and The Expendables 2. This guy is clearly in the habit of making bad movies. That's why it's so fitting for him to grace theaters dur...

REVIEW: Les Misérables. I Dreamed a Dream of Time Gone by With Prisoner 24601, the French Revolution, and the Perfect Christmas Movie

Posted by James Brown on Tuesday, December 25, 2012, In : 0.00% Water

Les Misérables

Directed By: Tom Hooper

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Samantha Barks, Helena Bonham Carter, Eddie Redmayne, and Sacha Baron Cohen

In musicals, acting is often compromised at the expense of singing. Because a musical's selections are traditionally recorded before filming occurs, actors are playing to performances they gave before ever arriving on set. As such, creativity and spontaneity are often stifled in actors' portrayals of their...

REVIEW: The Moonshine Bootlegging Bondurant Brothers May Think They're Invincible, But Lawless Shows All Their Flaws

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, August 30, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Lawless

Directed By: John Hillcoat

Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Guy Pearce, and Dane DeHaan

On paper, Lawless may be the perfect movie for me. I've been in need of a good crime movie as of late. They're so rare these days. On top of that, it's about moonshine bootlegging during Prohibition. That's just about as good as it gets for the SoberFilmCritic. That being said, Lawless doesn't fully realize its potential as director J...
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REVIEW: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Is Scarred, Strong And Bloody Brilliant

Posted by Mary Dieng, Esq. on Wednesday, December 21, 2011, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Mary Dieng

Directed By: David Fincher

Starring: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgård, Steven Berkoff, Robin Wright, Yorick van Wageningen, and Joely Richardson

Hello movie lovers! Your regular sober critic is busy reviewing other films in this jam-packed Christmas movie season, and I am humbly filling in the shoes of the great one. Rest assured, to stay true to the site motto, I am writing this review while sipping a little Sangria. ...
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