richardrad

This extraordinary film, set in modern day in Iran, starts in a humdrum way and just builds and builds and builds into something that is deeply consequential. There are funny and gentle as well as jarring moments in this quietly powerful film.

The lead character is obnoxious. The soundtrack is loud, clattering and boorish. Yes, it's different, even quite original perhaps. Call me shallow, but I need somebody to root for. I didn't find it here. The weird music is not from the era the movie is set in (the 1950's). We live at a time when many believe that America has lost its melody. Casual cruelty is celebrated by many of our leaders. This rather sad, somewhat toxic film, is part of our unfortunate moment.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Yet another great Spike Lee movie. His voice is always there throughout, and unlike many directors of complex, powerful stories, Spike Lee seeks to clarify, not confuse the audience. Challenging, enjoyable and explosive, Da 5 Bloods is a shout out loud celebration and statement of Black relationships and culture.

An unsatisfactory treatment of an alarming threat to democracy everywhere. The threat posed by Facebook, and big data deserves much more than this treatment. The film raises important questions, but would have been a great deal better with a journalist narrator, who doesn’t take sides. The production values, music and the characters who are portrayed are all annoying. The film is one-sided and a true disappointment.

Magnificent, witty, intelligent and soulful, Woman at War, featuring a superb performance by its lead actress Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir, uses warmth and humor tell a a potentially chilling story. The film is both deeply serious and fun at the same time. Among the broader topics raised: The threat to the environment posed by giant multinational corporations and our collective need for energy. Has the globalism of everything gone too far, and how do citizens and local communities and nations find their place in a world of sweeping technological and economic change?

Despite a fantastic performance by Christian Bale, "Vice" is a mess. At times the film is funny, but overall "Vice" is a smug, dull, one-sided lecture, suitable only for people who already loathe Dick Cheney. If you came to this film asking how and why George W. Bush's Vice President was able to amass so much power, there are virtually no insights other than cartoonish depictions of the man, and his collaborators. Great movies about politics start conversations and provide fresh insights. This film, which is full of noise and cheap shots, does neither.

"If Beale Street Could Talk” grabs you by the throat and never lets go. And that's a problem. The film is about 30 minutes too long. The music, which could have been terrific, was surprisingly pedestrian. That said, the acting is first-rate and story is deeply compelling. A young African-American man is convicted of a crime he didn't commit in Harlem, New York during the 70s, while his pregnant fiancee and her mother fight fiercely to prove that he didn't do it. Sadly, there is no nuance here. We are commanded by the director to be outraged, and we are. But where is the dance of life and the mystery of what brings two souls together in such a passionate embrace. I want to read James Baldwin's novel. I'll bet it's a lot better than the movie.

The acting is first-rate, but the script fails to deliver on what should be a highly interesting, entertaining and complex premise. Glenn Close is the brains behind her husband— a celebrated author, played by Jonathan Pryce, who wins the Nobel prize for the literature that she created. Close’s character is the only truly interesting person in a film that is largely about her growing frustration at being the true writer while her philandering husband gets all the credit. The problem for us poor movie goers is that the husband and son are bores. The dialog is often pedantic and leaden, which is surprising in a literary marriage. The absence of humor and wit are major drawbacks. Clearly, this brilliant woman loves her husband and is complicit in the lie that they tell the world. But why does she continue to love this jerk, and where is the spark between them?

Great acting in a good movie: Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones are terrific. The Theory of Everything is at its best when Stephen Hawking comes down with ALS. Redmayne's portrayal of Hawking's mighty physical struggle is remarkable. The chemistry between the two stars is believable and the movie does a very nice job of recreating Cambridge in the early 1960's. Much of the script is first-rate, but the quick and almost breezy treatment or their marital breakup is unfortunate.

Absolutely riveting. Anyone with even a mild interest in the Vietnam War and the controversial secretive career of spymaster William Colby should see this film. The cinematography and soundtrack are first rate. The movie covers a great deal of ground using an elegant, forceful narrative. What gives this documentary a true sense of personal drama is the way Carl Colby goes in search of his dad's true character. Perhaps the most interesting person we see and hear from is Colby's mother, who is as bewildered about her husband's inner self as anyone else. Donald Rumsfeld makes a chilling appearance. Other key players in Colby's life come off as more sympathetic and introspective.

Oliver Stone loves conspiracy theories, and this movie is no exception. "Wall Street Money Never Sleeps" has splendid cinematography and some fine acting from always watchable Michael Douglas (back as Gordon Gekko), and Josh Brolin. Shia LaBeouf and Carey Mulligan are only OK. This Wall Street is better than the last, but during the second half the plot sort of falls apart, and the dialog is poor. That said, the subject is compelling and the movie has a nice take on the Bear Stearns/ Lehman Brothers mess in 2008. Worth seeing. But you can wait for the DVD

What a wonderful film. An honest, intimate, and warm portrayal of three relationships involving four people: two couples and the close friendship of two men played by Philip Seymour Hoffman and John Ruiz. The movie was made by Hoffman - his first as a director. The soundtrack and cinematography add depth to this adaptation of a stage play. "Jack Goes Boating" is at times hilarious, yet also sad. It almost has feel of a European movie with small apartments and normal looking people. Forget the golden light, the million dollar homes, or gorgeous babes that usually populate Hollywood love stories. This is working class New York, gritty, and at times ugly, but always alert, alive and, yes.... real. The acting is first rate, with Amy Ryan at her very best. A film for adults. Truly.

I think I might have been one of only two or three people in the theater who liked this movie... and I really liked it. To me this mystery thriller was about the assasin's (George Cloony) failed escape from hell. There was a strong moral element to this film, personified by a wonderful early morning scene in a park where an elderly Italian priest confesses to Cloony, and describes hell as a place where there is no love. That is the assassin's awful life. Although smooth and suave on the outside, and a guy who attracts beautiful women, Cloony's dark, haunted character is wracked by inner turmoil. I think the director is saying how utterly awful it must be to live like that - constantly in fear and without true friendship, trust and love. This film unfolds slowly, but it is a beaut. For adults only.