Posts tagged Amy Adams
MOVIE REVIEW: Nightbitch

Continuing the immense commitment-to-the-bit she has demonstrated her entire career in both comedic and dramatic roles, Amy Adams runs with every one of Nightbitch’s surreal twists and turns in an incredible physical and emotional performance, worthy of another ticket to the Oscar soiree. Through enormous effort, she balances the fierce intensity of Heller’s narrative with the draw of underlying sensitivity that generates tangible empathy. No angle is too outlandish and no risk is too great to try.

Read More
MOVIE REVIEW: Justice League

Justice League comes across like attempted course correction done on that Etch-a-Sketch.  The artist, or artists in this case, are trying to retrace old paths and smooth over past missteps with redrawn swirls, lighter hues, and a fluffy cover-up we call comedy.  That effort on the cinematic Etch-a-Sketch indeed changes the initial picture, but only after unnecessarily tedious effort and some remaining messy results.

Read More
MOVIE REVIEW: Nocturnal Animals

The leap for every filmmaker is translating their creative eye to the cinematic medium.  Hitchcock’s feverish writing fed his mise-en-scene and attention to detail.  Spielberg grew his outdoor sense of adventure to the highest possibilities and beyond.  With an eye for the cultured human form and colorful finery, Tom Ford saturates every edge of his films with ornate style.  The man is never boring and neither is one iota of “Nocturnal Animals,” Ford’s second feature film and a cage-rattling psychological thriller.

Read More
MOVIE REVIEW: Arrival

To reveal more of the emotional and scientific obstacle course would take away from the engrossing experience to be had by “Arrival.”  This is the anti-”Independence Day,” so don’t expect a populist romp.  Instead, open your mind to a stimulating and provocative mindbender that may require more than one viewing to grasp and appreciate.  The trippy events unfolding out of the screenplay tangle the puppeteer’s strings and play with narrative and filmmaking forces few are daring enough, and smart enough, to wield.

Read More
MOVIE REVIEW: Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice

"Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" is constantly intense, powerfully suspenseful, and operatically enthralling on an emotional and sensory level.  It is a remarkable experience on the big screen.  We are in a new era with a new tone.  There is room in the cinematic superhero landscape for important and formidable urgency like this.  Let Marvel stick to the shiny sparkles and corner their piece of the market.  This new franchise has chosen its mature path and they are showing the resolute fortitude to stick with it, haters be damned.  What follows is spoiler-free!

Read More
OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2014: The female acting awards

It's time to make my formal predictions.  In this fifth post, we are deep into the major award categories.  Here are my picks for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress.  Stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool.  Let's go!

Read More
MOVIE REVIEW: Her

Her, the new film from Being John Malkovich and Where the Wild Things Are director Spike Jonze, takes a look at that level of dichotomy and extends it into the not-too-distant future in a very different kind of science fiction setting. 

Read More