It’s been over a month since I posted Part I of my year-end Oscar reviews round-up (plus a few other films that aren’t really contenders, but which get updated at the same time). Below are seven film reviews that I have finished and posted.
The Blind Side
It’s hard to imagine a film critic celebrating or praising (more than just passively) a film that doesn’t push any envelopes; tells its story competently, but without much fuss; or fails to make some grand statement about the human condition. …
Invictus
Technical efficiency is something director Clint Eastwood excels at. He understands the general concepts of filmmaking, but occasionally, the films he creates lack clarity and purpose. Invictus excels in so many ways, but doesn’t really achieve anything. …
Julie & Julia
Parallel stories about two chefs. One an ambassador’s wife looking for something to pass the time. One a failed magazine writer trying to find purpose in her life. Julie & Julia explores how one woman lived by another’s example and changed her life. …
The Lovely Bones
… But her interaction with the real world is fairly limited and although there are times when suggestions she pushes through may guide her father towards solving the crime, it seems almost tangential, acting as detective and guardian and not as comforter. …
The Messenger
Too often, the concerns of families at home when their loved ones are at war, is disproportionately covered. While we have occasion to witness a few somber notifications (such as in Saving Private Ryan) no film I’ve seen has so effectively tackled the many faces of grief as are presented in The Messenger. …
Read the Full Review Here
9
There was a time in world history when workers were afraid that machines, newly invented and entirely foreign to their ways of life, were thought to be the potential end of civilization. 9 taps into that historical frame of reference and tells a sort of what-if story about what might have happened had automatons gained sentience. …
Up in the Air
… But most of those would rather spend time with family and live life on the ground where they can connect with others. For Ryan Bingham, Up in the Air, is where he prefers to be. …
Leave a Reply