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| EFC STATS |
| Movies Listed: |
25648 |
| Total Ratings: |
244532 |
| Total Reviews: |
26197 |
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| NIGHT TRAIN TO LISBON |
"Maybe would have been better if it didn't try to be a thriller."
Jay Seaver says... "Sometimes, there are things that the written word can do that a film can't. In "Night Train to Lisbon", Raimund Gregorius (Jeremy Irons) tells how certain sentences in the book at the film's center had a profound effect on him, but even with Irons's fine voice... Well, they're nice sentences, but they don't have the direct connection to our brain that they do for him. And then, as Raimund's search for the source of those words plays out, there's a sense that it, too, may have been more absorbing in print." (more)
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| PHILOMENA |
"Alpha Mama"
Daniel Kelly says... "Ten years ago director Stephen Frears was atop the world, churning out a series of successes on both sides of the Atlantic. Recently the film-maker’s output has taken a less inspired turn; with last year’s universally maligned “Lay the Favourite” an apt representative of his current fortune. “Philomena” resuscitates Frears’s slightly, at least allowing him the benefit of an engaging screenplay and a chance to work with an explosive performer like Judi Dench, the director envisioning a well-crafted sob story with lashings of social angst. It’s no masterpiece, but the feature captures a natural storytelling flow, handling rather dramatic shifts in tone confidently. It’ll probably be your grandmother’s new favourite film." (more)
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| OLDBOY (2013) |
"Better than expected. Of course, expected was "ill-conceived disaster"."
Jay Seaver says... "Spike Lee's new movie exists because many people in America won't watch a Korean movie, which is a shame, because the 2003 version of "Oldboy" is one of several great movies Park Chan-wook has made in his native land. Still, as these things go, the American "Oldboy" isn't bad at all - close enough to get the appeal across, just different enough to be interesting." (more)
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| INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS |
"Another deadpan Coen triumph."
Rob Gonsalves says... "“Talented” is death, a waffle-word to describe the never-was, the artist distinguished enough to get on stage and not stink up the joint, but not exceptional enough to soar and to take the audience with him. Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac), the folk singer at the center of the Coen brothers’ "Inside Llewyn Davis," is talented." (more)
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| NEBRASKA |
"Payne & Gain"
Daniel Kelly says... "It’s nothing new to cite an upcoming Alexander Payne picture as worth anticipating, but “Nebraska” isn’t quite the pure experience cinephiles have come to cherish. Payne is behind the lens for this excursion into a rural and forgotten pasture of modern American history, but the screenplay is credited to Bob Nelson, a notable detour given Payne’s usual authorial presence. “Election, “Sideways” and “The Descendants” all succeeded on the back of their creator’s controlled, touching and natural grasp of everyday drama; rendering “Nebraska” a strange anomaly. After viewing this restrained and masterful feature it’s easy to understand why Payne agreed to helm; Nelson’s story a near perfect fit for the director’s sensibility. It also allows Payne another chance to exhibit his talents for casting and sustaining creative dynamism with actors, drawing wonderful turns from a bevy of thespians, most notably a feisty yet vulnerable Bruce Dern." (more)
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| OUT OF THE FURNACE |
"He Who Smelt It Dealt It"
Peter Sobczynski says... "It is one of the amusing paradoxes of the moviegoing universe that at just the precise time of year where the real world shifts into a theoretically festive and joyous mood, the multiplexes are suddenly crammed with increasingly grim fare from a creative community desperate to lay bare the horrors of the human condition for all to see and, if possible, score a few Oscar nominations in the process. There may be peace on Earth and goodwill to man in the streets but the multiplexes have decked their halls with boughs of holocaust, familial dysfunction and other unhappy screen subjects. When these films are done properly by people with a sincere point of view, of course, they can result in powerful cinematic documents but when they don't work, they come across as awkward messes that have been cynically conceived by people working under the impression that a bleak perspective is a surefire ticket to a little gold statue." (more)
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| FROZEN (2013) |
"The Mouse goes feminist."
Rob Gonsalves says... "In Disney’s latest feature "Frozen," the true love that saves the day turns out not to be between the prince and the princess but between sisters. This deserves some applause." (more)
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| BLACK NATIVITY |
"An unusual musical, though not a transcendent one."
Jay Seaver says... "It's not exactly uncommon for people to make musicals as relatively small as "Black Nativity", although they generally don't have the likes of Fox releasing them wide or a cast full of familiar faces. The big studios tend to go big when they do something like this, but its the small independent nature of this movie that makes it interesting, even when it does seem to have a split personality." (more)
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DVD/BLU-RAY REVIEWS FOR 12/8: "CHRISTMAS HAS ALWAYS SMELLED LIKE ORANGES TO ME"
by Peter Sobczynski |
| "For the most part, this round-up of new DVD/Blu-ray titles is a fairly weak lot that includes several of the year's least inspiring movies. However, if you can make it through all the dreck, you will find one of the past summer's more controversial items and nothing less than a spectacular new release of one of the greatest American films ever made." (more) |
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THE OSCAR® EYE (2013 AWARDS TALLY) (UPDATED 12/11 W/SCREEN ACTORS GUILD & SAN DIEGO)
by Erik Childress |
| "The Oscar® Eye is brings you the latest award tallies for each of the film. Who is winning? Who is being nominated? Who isn’t getting any love? Will it all lead to Oscar gold or will some great films be the perpetual bridesmaid to the soft-lovin’ Academy? (NOTE: "Other Awards" are those signified by organizations that limit their awards to a very specific subsection of the year's qualifiers - or - awards that are not presented at the Oscars. Or the Gothams who miss about two months worth of movies. Or the Golden Satellites who voted for The Wolf of Wall Street despite not seeing the movie.)" (more) |
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WHISTLER FILM FESTIVAL 2013 INTERVIEW – NO CLUE DIRECTOR CARL BESSAI
by Jason Whyte |
| "“When Kyra walks into Leo's office to hire his services as a private investigator, he doesn't think to tell her that he's not a detective, but a speciality advertising guy who's too smitten to say no to a beautiful woman in distress.” Director Carl Bessai on NO CLUE which screens at this year's Whistler Film Festival." (more) |
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'USUALLY WHEN I DO THAT IT LEAVES A HOLE...'
- Jack Slater, Last Action Hero
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