Young Victoria, The
Matinee with Snacks
Many films and novels have examined the political maelstrom and religious upheaval that attended the life of Queen Elizabeth I, but Queen Victoria is not as well-known, it seems. As a female ascendant to the throne, naturally Victoria is surrounded by men eager to manage her and further themselves with [...]

Taiji, Japan has had a terrible secret for years. If you have heard of this movie, you probably have an inkling as to what that secret is: dolphin slaughter. While Japanese whalers have gained notoriety in recent decades for refusing to stop killing dozens of animals a year, the dolphin trade goes on [...]

Matinee
I didn’t really know what to expect, walking into Nine. Well, I kind of knew what to expect from director Rob Marshall (Chicago), and I knew Nine was sexy and kind of based on someone’s mental state, so I probably expected a little Chicago magic again. For those confused by my review of [...]

How lovely to see a romance and flirtation and obstacles in a comedy based on history and life connections rather than lumbar tattoos and skateboarding talent. Even lovelier is getting to see the funny and playful Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin emobdy a divorced couple circling each other, drawn by the heady scent of [...]

You may have watched the preview for Sherlock Holmes and thought, “This looks like Long Raging Bull Goodnight: Die Harder.” I suppose we have Hollywood to blame for that. Over the years they took Arthur Conan Doyle’s brilliant deductionist who had training in fisticuffs and made him an effete snooty cartoon – more [...]

Terry Gilliam is an artist and filmmaker whose travails in Hollywood are well-known.  His visual aesthetic always treads a fine line between beautiful and grungy, fantastical and earthy, and this film is a perfect vehicle for his sensibility.  In fact, one could even say it is almost about himself.  The Imaginarium is a place you [...]

On the surface, Anvil: The Story of Anvil looks like nothing more than a retread of Spinal Tap, even to the point of wondering, “are these guys actually real? I have never heard of them.” Anvil draws inevitable comparisons, but they are a real band, doing real work, feeling real creative and commercial frustration. [...]

Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) lives up to his nickname. He smokes and drinks and bangs groupies and slops around his existence like an exhausted walrus. When he gets on stage, however, his music sings to the heart and the sky, his clear voice full of life and emotion and genuine affection for his [...]

A Single Man has such a simple premise, but one that is so ripe with promise, that it didn’t even need the added attraction of Colin Firth. George is a gay man (Firth) in 1961 who loses his lover, and copes in secret. It sounds sad, and it is. During the height [...]

A week in the life of a player in 1937, those early days of Orson Welles’ famed Mercury Theatre, might sound like it can’t encompass much, but you may be forgetting just what a towering figure Welles was.  After seeing this film, you won’t seen forget it; nor will you soon forget Christian McKay who [...]