Reflective Media Reviews

Tag: Based in Truth

Foxcatcher *****

*Warning: Spoiler Alert in this first paragraph for the movie Titanic* To begin, let me request that no one sum up this movie (Foxcatcher) by giving away what happens. I could hardly believe that someone, in discussing movies, said in one line about Foxcatcher the equivalent of saying about Titanic, “Oh, that’s that movie about…

Wild *****

For many (if not most) people, watching Wild will be a view from the outside of a woman on a journey to heal her soul as she hikes the Pacific Crest Trail. For me, it was a journey of my own as I tested the fortitude of the healing scars of my own path. Wild…

The Imitation Game *****

Benedict Cumberbatch delivers a stellar performance in The Imitation Game. Although I’ve not seen him as Sherlock, after watching this movie, I want to. This is more than just a great performance. This is a great movie—one that provides Cumberbatch the prime stage on which to shine. As the story about Alan Turing, the genius…

Big Eyes *****

In the world of narcissists, Walter Keane is the poster child. Christopher Waltz’s portrayal of him, while seemingly obscenely overdone, is probably spot on. That’s the sort of person it would take, after all, to be that much of a con—and a con who not only convinced those around him of what he wanted, but…

The Theory of Everything ****

Confession: physics is my least favorite science. (Least favorite. I do like science. Consider, I’ve my minor degree in biology.) But physics….eh. Add “astro” to it, and it doesn’t improve. Black holes. Eh. These are things I do not understand, and I again confess: I don’t really care to. And Stephen Hawking? Well, I didn’t…

Dallas Buyer’s Club *****

Matthew McConaughey delivers what I see as his best performance to date in Dallas Buyer’s Club, a movie great enough in its own right in telling its own incredibly compelling story but made remarkable by what McConaughey brings. Add Jared Leto, whose acting trumps McConaughey’s, and this is indeed a must-see film. The story, which…

Fruitvale Station ****

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…

Argo *****

Argo—this movie came with much hype and built-up expectations. I have vague memories of the bigger issues as related to the hostages at the time, but I have no memory of this story. Then again, no one knew this story until some time in the late 90s. And although I was sure of the ending,…