It would be ungracious to deny that David Fincher’s “Gone Girl,” lengthy as it is, whizzes past, keeping us highly entertained throughout. I haven’t read the book on which it is based so I don’t know if the structural change that has apparently caused an uproar is for the better or not. Anyway, both book and screenplay are by the same author so she’s entitled to doing what she wants with ... more >
ARCHIVES
GONE GIRL beset by technical goofs
Film was co-produced by Reese Witherspoon
Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike
Directed by David Fincher
To the wonder
Your guide to Terence Malick's To The Wonder
Ben Affleck and Olga Kurylenko
Directed by Terence Malick
Here’s a topic for sitting around the campfire: are the worst films by the best directors still better than 80% of what is released? Are say, "Bringing Out the Dead" or "The Hudsucker Proxy" still relative carrots for the eyes when compared to the "Transformer" movies? Terrence Malick’s "To the Wonder" is a lot more "The Prairie Home Companion" than "McCabe and Mrs. Miller." Following in the ... more >
To the wonder
Why hide it?
Ben Affleck and Rachel McAdams
Directed by Terrence Malick
Less than three years after “Tree of Life” and his Palme D'Or win at Cannes, Terrence Malick is back with “To the Wonder,” a film-as-poem whose secret only he knows, apparently. At some point during the time lapsed Malick’s creativity and inspiration went out the window. In fact, with this vaguely sensory, visual fog of a film, Malick, convinced of his own genius and assured of making a new ... more >
Unstoppable ARGO crowned bestest at Academy Awards
Ben Affleck's film gets well-deserved nod
I never get my prediction for Best Movie right. This year, I did. Sure, you will claim that “Argo” was a shoo-in, what with the trail of fire it’s been leaving behind it these past few months (unstoppable, that movie's been lately), and you’re right. “Argo” is where the money’s at. Although shot in Turkey, the Ben Affleck-directed political thriller takes place in Tehran, Iran, right in the ... more >
BEN AFFLECK WINS BIG AT BAFTAS
Affleck cleans up, grabs best director and best film gold
Ben Affleck has made his comeback on the international stage with aplomb, grabbing several awards at the Brit Awards, namely Best Director and Best Movie, for his film "Argo." What an improbable turn for "Argo," a vital and thrilling film about a little-known incident which occurred during the Iranian Revolution of 1979 (visit the BAFTA's tumblr for more on this). Can this win be a sign of ... more >
Yay for “Iranian” cinema | ARGO
Republic Islamic of Iran ups the ante -- sort of
Not ones to be outdone Iran’s government is funding a film about the American hostage crisis of 1979 in response to what they consider the “distorted” vision put forth in “Argo,” directed by Ben Affleck and which garnered major accolades at the Golden Globes this past weekend. "The screenplay for ‘Setad Moshtarak’ (‘Chiefs of Staff’ in Farsi) was approved by the authorities and we expect to get ... more >
ARGO seen through the prism of history
A film long on thrills but short on history
"Argo" is a great thriller, well-acted (special kudos to John Goodman and Alan Arkin), with spectacular cinematography in an Istanbul passing off as Tehran and a nail-bitingly suspenseful last half-hour (see Craig Younkin's REVIEW). Incredibly, the far-fetched story really happened. The year is 1979 with Iran’s Islamic Revolution in full swing. In November, when the terminally ill Shah who has ... more >