John Michael McDonagh’s “The Forgiven” walks the ever-fine line between artful examination and utter monotony. Adapting Lawrence Osborne’s novel, McDonagh’s film takes place over one weekend in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco and skewers the privilege of the wealthy and white. David (Ralph Fiennes) and Jo (Jessica Chastain) are traveling to a party taking place in the Moroccan desert. Late, ... more >
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Are we there yet? “THE FORGIVEN” | MOVIE REVIEW
The inconveniences of getting lost in the Moroccan desert on your way to a party
Jessica Chastain, Ralph Fiennes, Abbey Lee and Ismail Abou-El-Kanater
Directed by John Michael McDonagh
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Wes Anderson's best. Again.
Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori and Saoirse Ronan
Directed by Wes Anderson
Wes Anderson’s "The Grand Budapest Hotel" is the cinematic equivalent of a pastry: beautiful, exquisitely-crafted and so immensely enjoyable that it seems too good to be real. Part-homage to pre-World War II Europe, part-tribute to memory and the passage of time and part-ridiculous slapstick, "The Grand Budapest"'s greatest achievement is not in its visual perfection but its literary sensibility. ... more >
Coriolanus
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Coriolanus and Nader & Simin
From the Berlin Film Festival
As the Berlin Film Festival creeps film-by-film to its end this coming Sunday the amount of mediocre fare in the main competition section is baffling. However, solace was at hand with Ralph Fiennes’ worthy “Coriolanus,” and Asghar Farhadi masterful "Nader and Simin: A Separation," which arrived on days five and six, respectively. I’ll start with the less impressive of the two. A decade ... more >
Harry Potter and the deathly hallows: part 1
Giving the penultimate wand shake
Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint
Directed by David Yates
The Harry Potter stories have felt so crunched together in films as of late that it’s a relief to see that the last book is getting the chance to breathe in a two-film format. But “Deathly Hallows Part 1,” for the most part, is a slog. There is more sadness and terror this time around, the wonderment of Hogwarts and Quidditch have been replaced with dark forests and deathly, menacing wand play. ... more >
Clash of the Titans
The heavens raise hell
Sam Worthington, Ralph Fiennes, and Liam Neeson
Directed by Louis Leterrier
A week after “How to Train Your Dragon” reminded me how much joy I could get out of a 3-D movie, “Clash of the Titans” comes in and F’s it all up. The decision earlier this year to switch from 2-D to 3-D delivers nothing in terms of thrills and washes out the color, making this a sad-looking sword and sandal epic. Sam Worthington, establishing himself as the new go-to action guy, ably plays ... more >
The Duchess
Should've hired the American
Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes and Dominic Cooper
Directed by Saul Dibb
It’s fitting in The Duchess that, despite the obvious passage of years, no one seems to age. It’s a wonderful analogy for British film and the way it seems frozen in time. No film industry in the world more needs a swift kick in the knickers. If Martians landed and could only use modern films to assess British culture, they might conclude all Britons present are gangsters and all Britons past ... more >