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Film Review – Lore
In Lore, a German child’s innocence is broken when struggling to survive during World War II. Lore (Saskia Rosendahl) is the eldest daughter of a prominent SS member and a mother who is a true believer in Hitler. Lore’s mother and father leave her and…
READ MOREAn Analysis – Oscar Night Wrap-Up
Ah, Oscar night! The most exciting night of the year for me and my fellow Oscar-watchers, where our emotions run wild over things we have no control over, and maybe in the long run do not matter that much. But this is our night. And…
READ MORE2013 Oscar Predictions – Ben’s Picks
This has been a great year for films, and the Academy for the most part has reflected that in its nominations. Besides being good, movies have also been surprising, with several categories lacking clear frontrunners. That makes this one of the most exciting award years…
READ MOREFilm Review – Compliance
Writer/director Craig Zobel’s Compliance (2012) is disturbing, and that is the point. It is a stressful day from the start for Sandra (Ann Dowd), a middle-aged fast food manager. One of her employees left the freezer open, they are down on bacon and pickles, and…
READ MOREFilm Review – The Impossible
The South Asian tsunami is given a face that makes it as real as possible for those of us who can only imagine the destruction in The Impossible. Leaving aside the controversies this film has raised, including the changing of the family at its core…
READ MOREFilm Review – Rust and Bone
Jacques Audiard’s Rust and Bone is frustrating, with half-backed ideas and unrealized concepts. As with many of Audiard’s films, we start with someone who is on the outs from society: former fighter Alain (Matthias Schoenaerts). He is poor, and, for unexplained reasons, stuck with his…
READ MOREFilm Review – A Royal Affair
While beautifully put together, the costume romance A Royal Affair hits all the familiar beats without going beyond its genre’s expectations. As the title states, this is about an affair, and from the start, the direction things will go is fairly easy to figure out.
READ MOREFilm Review – Holy Motors
Holy Motors is an experiment in the bizarre, but in a good way. With experimental filmmaking, one goes in with different questions. Can the viewer follow what is happening? Does the message the director is trying to get across work in this style? Am I…
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