All in Another Time & Place
Alan Rickman's A LITTLE CHAOS
Don’t come to this movie expecting a typical costume drama about a royal romance in late 17th century France.
Guillermo del Toro's CRIMSON PEAK
What a fun gorgeous movie!
Angelina Jolie's UNBROKEN
What propels the story along are the twin realities that (a) this story is true and (b) Japanese prison camp conditions really were this horrific. Jolie’s almost documentary approach lets these things speak for themselves. You can’t help but be moved by the results. I certainly was.
Ron Howard's THE MISSING
If you need a “western” fix (as I do occasionally) this one might do the trick.
Steven Spielberg's BRIDGE OF SPIES
What Spielberg seems to be saying is that we must not let the very real fears and dangers of the time make us forget who we are and the freedoms we hold dear.
Ridley Scott's “EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS”
Having heard all the negative press about this movie I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it.
Darren Aronofsky's “NOAH”
While there’s a lot here that’s “true to the Bible,” the movie also make sense as a fantasy set in a time and place far far away. We can’t help but wonder about the morality of such a world where the vices of humans are met not with forgiveness but with genocide on a planetary scale.
Out of this genocide emerges a new and greener world.
Morten Tyldum’s THE IMITATION GAME
The Imitation Game might oversimplify at times but it does represent the work of real people and that’s a good thing for modern audiences to see.
Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, & Lana Wachowski's CLOUD ATLAS
What a gorgeous movie to look at this is! Plus, the intertwining stories and jumps in time provide amazing and often confusing food for thought.
John Ford's “THEY WERE EXPENDABLE”
Compared with too many other World War II movies that came out of Hollywood during World War II THEY WERE EXPENDABLE is exceptional.
Joseph Kosinski's “OBLIVION”
Great popcorn movie. Really enjoyed it. Terrific visuals, interesting variations on familiar themes.
Steven Spielberg's LINCOLN
My first reaction, walking out of the theater after the credits, was to ask my wife, “How is it possible that the same guy who directed a terrifying movie like War of the Worlds could then go on to do something like LIncoln?”
J.J. Abrams' SUPER 8
Back in my early days of reviewing films when my kids were growing up and still at home I created a special category called “Young People” where I placed movies that didn’t treat cinema kids like idiots or totally obsessed with sex and fart jokes.
The Coen Brothers' TRUE GRIT
Readers of my book and movie review will know about my occasional hankering for a Western. It’s no surprise I was looking forward to this movie especially given my positive reaction to my recent discovery of the novel.
Kevin Macdonald's THE EAGLE
Swords, grit, shields, alien lands, culture clashes, honor, heroism, and a cruel empire. Mix wisely with colorful photography, human scale action, crisp editing, and intelligent dialog, and you have THE EAGLE.
Guillaume Iverne & Arthur Qwak's DRAGON HUNTERS
I was transfixed by this animated film, not because of the story — a traditional mix of family-oriented fantasy quest elements — but because of the astonishing artistic imagination on display throughout the film.
Val Guest's QUATERMASS 2 (ENEMY FROM SPACE)
This mixture of British horror and sci-fi from 1957 is thoughtful and at the same time scary.