Runtime: 2 hours, 26 minutes Rating: PG-13 Director: Francis Lawrence Quick Impressions: Ordinarily as I walk out of the theater after a movie, I’m already thinking about what I plan to say in my review, but as I left Catching Fire I was thinking, “How can I trick someone into taking me …
Runtime: 2 hours, 55 minutes Rating: NC-17 Director: Abdellatif Kechiche Quick Impressions: If you don’t leave this movie craving spaghetti, then you are not human. (Okay, that might be hyperbole. Maybe.) Still in Blue is the Warmest Color, we spend almost three hours watching protagonist Adèle do two things—eat spaghetti and …
Runtime: 2 hours, 14 minutes Rating: R Director: Steve McQueen Quick Impressions: I was so impressed with Steve McQueen’s last feature, Shame, that when I heard he was reteaming with Michael Fassbender to direct a historical drama starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, I got incredibly excited. Ejiofor and Fassbender are two of my …
Runtime: 1 hour, 51 minutes Rating: PG-13 Director: Alan Taylor Quick Impressions: My four-year-old daughter is a much bigger fan of Thor than I ever realized. (Apparently, she’s watched the original with Grandma and Grandpa quite a few times on our date nights.) She’s been dying to see Thor: The Dark World, and …
Runtime: 1 hour, 54 minutes Rating: PG-13 Director: Gavin Hood Quick Impressions: I’ll confess I’ve been wondering how on earth anyone was going to pull off a successful, mainstream movie adaptation of Ender’s Game ever since I read the book. Of course, I read the book last week, so this hasn’t preoccupied …
Runtime: 1 hour, 55 minutes Rating: R Director: Alexander Payne Quick Impressions: Tonight I was lucky enough to catch a pre-release screening of Alexander Payne’s Nebraska at the Alamo Drafthouse as part of the just launched New York Film Critics Series. After the film, we saw a live simulcast Q&A session with …
Runtime: 1 hour, 57 minutes Rating: R Director: Ridley Scott Quick Impressions: When we left the theater, my husband remarked, “I think the most important thing I learned from that movie is that I’m not sure I want to see Blade Runner 2.” Clearly Ridley Scott has reached a stage in his …
Runtime: 1 hour, 30 minutes Rating: R Director: Joseph Gordon-Levitt Quick Impressions: We’re playing catch up this week, first Cloudy 2 and now Don Jon. My husband and I have noticed over the years that Joseph Gordon-Levitt somehow does not ever make bad movies. Ever. We’ve discussed this several times. Is he exceptionally …
Runtime: 1 hour, 35 minutes Rating: PGDirectors: Cody Cameron, Kris Pearn Quick Impressions: My four-year-old daughter and I are currently having a love affair with Scranimals, a book of whimsical poems about an island full of adorable hybrid animal/vegetable creatures, written by Jack Prelutsky and illustrated by Peter Sis. Since we …
Runtime: 2 hours, 13 minutes Rating: PG-13 Director: Paul Greengrass Quick Impressions: The theatrical trailer for Captain Phillips has been stressing me out for weeks now. Every time I see it, my stomach ties in knots. That moment when Barkhad Abdi says, “I am the captain now,” sends shivers down my spine …
