Movies »
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Cracks
A feature debut from Jordan Scott (daughter of Ridley) who wrote and directed Cracks – a story that starts off innocent but eventually unravels to show a dark psychological side. Some say it’s a girl version of Lord of the Flies, which I agree that there are a lot of similarities between the two, but the underlying theme in this is lust and desire. |
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The Fighter
David O. Russell’s The Fighter is based on a true story about the boxer Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg). Micky involves his entire family around his boxing career; using his half-brother Dicky (Christian Bale) as his trainer, his mother Alice (Melissa Leo) as his manager and his seven sisters act as sort of his cheerleader squad. |
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Jack Goes Boating
Philip Seymour Hoffman stars in his directorial debut in Jack Goes Boating, a film that is adapted from his acclaimed Off Broadway play. Considering Philip Seymour Hoffman is one my favorite present-time actors, keeping my expectations for the film in-check was troublesome if not impossible. Still, I try to give an unbiased review of this indie film, which I confess was not easy. |
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Candyman: The David Klein Story
Candyman is a documentary by Costa Botes about David Klein, the man who in 1976 invented Jelly Belly, the gourmet jellybean that nearly everyone in the world has tried at least once before. Candyman: The David Klein Story was the winner of the Director’s Choice Award at the 2010 Rincon International Film Festival and an official selection at SlamDance and HotDocs. |
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The Kids Are All Right
The Kids Are All Right is a film about an unconventional family dealing with the struggles of marriage and raising children that any family can relate to. For better or worse the storyline is straightforward and safe, making it relatable but ultimately very predictable. The cast and screenwriting make it interesting enough to watch even though at times it feels like more could have been done. |
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Winter’s Bone
Winter’s Bone will likely be the film most people never heard of that is up for the 2011 Best Picture Award. In terms of the other nine films up for Best Picture, it did not generate nearly the amount of hype in Hollywood. The story is a little different in indie-land as it did receive the most nominations of the Independent Spirit Awards and was a double prize winner at Sundance 2010. |
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The King’s Speech
Tom Hooper’s The King Speech is a feel good film with an interesting but true story to go along with it. Not filled with many surprises but it will not leave you feeling disappointed. This is due to two outstanding performances by both Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. The film has gained a lot of media attention with receiving the most Golden Globe and Oscar nominations. Is this film worth all of the praise? |
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A Mind Beside Itself
A Mind Beside Itself is a 20 minute indie film that starts off as a romantic drama but quickly takes a psychological twist. Directed, written and edited by P.J. Starks, who proves making a film like this does not take a large budget and well known actors. |
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Buried
Buried is a claustrophobic thriller that will leave you gasping for air and remains suspenseful enough that even Hitchcock would have been proud. You can guess what the film is about from it’s title, still Rodrigo Cortes keep us engaged as Ryan Reynolds stars in his best role yet and does not fail to outperform his past roles. |
