The sadness that abounds in the story of Fruitvale Station holds the audience in its grip for the better part of ninety minutes. As you live out Oscar’s final day (and if you shush those inner thoughts of “how do they know that?”), you’re dreading the coming doom, known because this is based on a…
And the Mountains Echoed is an enjoyable, albeit at times confusing, read. Hosseini writes beautifully, and you easily feel the emotion, passion, and tension of each character’s story. The frustration comes in the blending of several people’s stories. As each narrator changes, sometimes in first person and sometimes in third, I felt a hurdle, more…
Ahhh—-Summer. What a time for movies. Shakespeare, war documentaries, Hasidic Jewish family affairs—–and this one, The To Do List. One thing you cannot say is that I’ve not enjoyed an eclectic blend of films the past month! The To Do List is a raunchy but endearing movie told, surprisingly, from the point of view of…
After watching Dirty Wars over in Five Points, I walked across the street from the theater to reschedule next week’s hair appointment, and as I attempted to communicate with the reception staff, I realized I was exhausted—from the film. (Okay, yes, there was a glass of wine during the film too, but this was mental…
What a refreshingly funny laugh-out-loud (and yes, even snort) movie! This is the type of film that could as easily have been a bust, but Bullock and McCarthy are just too fabulous for that to have happened here. Their timing is perfect. Their delivery is spot on. And the laughter was genuine. Need a break…
Joe Hill—yes, he has a different last name, but no doubt he will for a long time be identified as Steven King’s son. And he does not disappoint. NOS4A2 is an excellent tale of suspense, horror, and imagination. It weaves stories together with a thread of “inscapes,” taking the reader down dark paths of darker…
The Sessions is a charming film about love, respect, and the need for intimacy. It evokes a sense of kindness and patience that simply leaves you feeling good—no matter how the inevitable ending of the story arrives. John Hawkes as Mark is superb in his role, showing the depth of a human no matter the…
The Dinner is an enjoyable read–written as events unfold over the course of a dinner between two couples at a fork in their road of life. It’s quite interesting, to be inside of someone’s thoughts over the course of a formal, if not pretentious, dinner—-the random asides and thoughts back as the events and conversations…
Okay, so I’m not surprised with myself, but yes, at least for now, I’m admitting I’ve abandoned the book. I read about a quarter of it, and indeed, it was fabulously written in a wonderfully approachable, understandable way. I learned a lot as I read. And maybe that was it: I learn a lot every…
My first officiall 2013 film…. Side Effects. This movie twists and turns at such a rate that careful attention to all the details is a must, lest you miss the “how” or the “when” by the “who” of the “what.” What I thought going in based on the trailer was debunked. What I thought later…
Dark. Twisted. Vulgar. Peculiar. The Paperboy takes you on a journey I’m not sure I was ready for—-or one that left me feeling I had not been anywhere worthy of a postcard. It is gritty in a way that allows you to feel the humidity of the southern Florida swamps while it glimpses sex and…
Fun, quirky, light, different—-Where’d You Go brings to the reader a fabulously refreshing way to tell a story. The characters, with their depth, faults, and flair, make you want to know more—-about the before, the during, and the what’s-to-come. I read this, on recommendation, on the heels of Gone Girl. And yes, while this too…
Having read the book, I was unsure how Ang Lee would be able to depict this story on the screen. But he did an excellent job. Yes, some of the story is a bit different on the screen than it was in the book, but it was just as heartwarming. The movie too leaves the…
Arbitrage—–it’s a bit Wall Street, a bit thriller, a bit mystery, a bit legal drama, a bit family saga, and more. It is greed, deception, desperation, and fraud. It is family trust and love, hidden, lied about, and lost. It is, sadly, probably a glimpse into the trust of some people’s lives. Gere is better…
Bernie. Fun. Light. Deep. Dark. Texas. East Texas. What an enjoyably odd story. Jack Black is, perhaps, at his best. He brings to Bernie a depth and whimsy that just makes him oddly likeable. And oddly intriguing. And oddly, well, odd. He’s certainly easy to like, no matter what he’s done. The movie mostly just…